Roll and tip

So in all of my painting research I must have come across the phrase "roll and tip" about a thousand times. I really blew it off and didn't think twice about it. Until I was rolling my third coat of epoxy over the hull and I kept getting all these bubbles in the finish. I thought that it was supposed to get more smooth as I rolled more coats on! So I grabbed a little 1" wide brush and started drawing the tip across the surface of the epoxy. Viola! No more air bubbles. Why didn't I try this earlier? And why did I use this little 1" brush? Anyway, it worked awesome and I am relieved that I figured this method out before my paint looked funny. The epoxy is thick enough now, but I think I will put one more coat on after sanding this one smooth. I also read that for maximum time savings you can roll on the second coat of epoxy after the first is tacky, but not set yet. Coats 3 and 4 are dry and hard now so I get to clean and sand one more time for the final coat. I am now taking input for paint colors...

2nd Coat

The wind has been blowing 10-15 knots for the last four days. I wish this thing were done and I could be sailing now. Anyway, I put another coat of epoxy on tonight. When I laid out the bottom and side fiberglass cloth pieces I didn't overlap the chines. So I added some 4in wide pieces along the chines and an extra layer along the bow. It takes a long time to wet out the strips, so you have to work fast so the epoxy doesn't set on you. I used a short nap paint roller for the first time. It worked OK, but seemed like it made a lot of air bubbles in the epoxy. Since I'll need a few more coats of epoxy to fill out and even up all the edges, I will have to experiment with keeping the bubbles out. I also added some strips along the centerboard trunk opening. I have one more piece of cloth to laminate on the bow. This should make beaching the boat, and any accidental docking mishaps, survivable.

I have also been thinking about finishing options. I was thinking today about how a home build boat should look like a homebuilt boat. That is to say, I will probably be somewhat lazy and not make all the rough parts perfectly smooth. I want it to look good, but if it looks like a fiberglass molded boat that came out of a factory, then I might as well have saved my time.

Sailing Passage

Not necessarily progress on my boat, but I have signed up for an offshore passage from Annapolis, MD to Charleston, SC. The guys that set up the trip taught my US Navy Sailing instructor course earlier this year. The boat is a 42' Catalina named "Toujours L'audace" which means "The Always Daring" if Google Translate is to be trusted. The passage should take about a week. I am taking a train up to MD and I leave next Saturday. Words cannot describe how excited I am to go back to sea!

Glassed

All the fiberglass cloth is down with one coat of epoxy. It really does wet out perfectly clear. You can still feel the weave of the fabric though. If I had to do it again I would have cut each side and the bottom piece bigger so they could overlap at the chines. If I can't cut enough strips out of the leftovers then I will have to get some tape (4in wide roll of fiberglass cloth) to do the chines and maybe the bow section. I used a 3in wide squeegee to smooth the epoxy into the cloth. The sides and transom were tough due to the angle they are at. Lots of drips. I guess I'll be sanding the floor after I flip the boat. I poured the epoxy right out of the mixing cup onto the sides, then tried to spread it before it ran off onto the floor. A wider squeegee might have helped. It takes a long time to get all the epoxy out of the cup since you have to work in small pours to minimize drips. A low flat pan might have kept the epoxy cooler, but I never got burned and the sense of urgency definitely helps keep you going. The bottom was easier but took a LOT of epoxy. I mixed three 16oz batches, although I did waste about 3oz. Better to have too much than not enough. The most frustrating part is getting the cloth to conform to edges. It really does not like the bow profile. The cut a slit in the cloth at the centerboard trunk, but the tabs that were left over were only about 1/2in on each side. That part did not want to stick. I ended up sloping some of the more gelled epoxy on it and hoping that it will stay. I will probably have to tape that area too. The good part is that I have plenty of epoxy for fill coats. I read that a 1/4in nap rolled works well, so my next hunt is for one of those.

Update 1

The weather has been hot and the boat has been collecting dust. I have been filling all the screw holes and smoothing out the scarfed areas . I used a lot of fairing compound which makes the epoxy slurry MUCH easier to sand smooth. The hull is a few more sheets of sandpaper from being ready for the fiberglass cloth.

Hull Complete

The hull is complete!! (ly made of wood now...) I spent the long weekend gluing and screwing and planing down the excess bits on the boat. It was worth it. I sanded it all up tonight so I can start filling holes and evening out all the rough (read: messed up) parts this week and weekend. I suppose I should think about some paint now...

Sanding epoxy makes a RIDICULOUS amount of dust. Which is really fine. And I have to dig out from under my eyelids when I take a shower. So maybe I need some goggles and a mask. And some plastic sheeting to protect everything else from looking like Cairo after a sandstorm. (ed note: I have no idea what Cairo looks like after a sandstorm.)

Planking fit-up tutorial

I know that most of you will probably never build a boat, but this is for posterity, so I thought I would share some thoughts on how I fit the planking sections together on the bottom of my boat.

A long time ago (or about three weeks,) in a place far far away (well, my garage isn't that far) I glued the starboard (right half of the bottom planking down. Before I glued, I tried to fit it along a line I drew that was exactly in the middle of the keel. In a perfect world that would also be where the peak of the faired keel is. Since my world is perfect, and I took an excessive amount of time getting it right, (look at the length of time between blog posts people...) my first piece fit exactly right. Now the trick is to get the second side to meet the first with nary a gap. Look it up if you don't know what it means. Because of the bend that you put in the plywood you have to start with the second piece overlapping the first slightly, then trim it back to fight tightly. I did the rough shaping for the second side even before the first side was glued. With the aft and forward edges overlapping the centerline of the keel by about 3/8", the mid section was close enough. Most of the mid section is in the centerboard area and will be routed out anyway. I put some screws in the piece at this point to hold it in place. Then I bent it into position as best I could and drew a line around all the parts that would be trimmed off.

It is pretty easy to drag a pencil along the chine underneath the planking, but up front where there isn't much clearance i had to wiggle under the boat and draw from in there. The front section (forward of the most forward frame, has to butt up against the side planking. I scribed the top edge of the chine onto the planking, then used a scrap to mark back 1 1/2". (1" is half the chine size plus 1/2" for good measure.) Then I pulled the planking off and cut out the rough shape.

This is the shape after cutting. Notice the notch along the chine side. This is where the planking pieces switch from butt joint (two edges together) to a lap joint (one on top of the other.) The side planking already has that transition worked into it. At this point I am using drywall screws on scrap 2" squares of plywood to hold the piece in place temporarily. It's important to get your locating holes right because if they are not repeatable, your fitting will be wasted energy. At this point I reintroduce the first side and work on getting the fit just right.

I worked from the aft end of the center section that fit towards the transom to start. Have I mentioned my hand plane? It is the best arm workout (read: muscle destruction) tool I have found. I used jugs of epoxy resin to hold the pieces down so it was easy to see where more work was needed. You have to take the locating screws out where you are working so make sure some others are installed or your piece will slide off the boat.

Getting closer...

And there it is, a perfect fit. On that 4 foot section. Repeat forward of the centerboard trunk and you are really getting somewhere! I fit the pieces together all the way up to the transition from keel to stem piece. Then I glued the first bottom planking piece down. I installed the battens for the port (left) side while the right side bottom was drying. After it dried (not long in SC) I cleaned up any epoxy that would have prevented a tight fit and rechecked all my previously fit parts.

Now for the chine butt joint and the centerline butt to lap transition. It turns out that 1/2" is quite a lot when you have to use a hand plane to remove it. As everyone says (through gritted teeth with their arm in an ice bath,) "I am learning to love the simple functionality of a well sharpened hand plane." That is a bunch of malarkey! Nobody enjoys that pain. And my hand plane must have a special bronze magnet in it because it shaves silicon bronze screws every time I use it. I have learned how to sharpen it more quickly though. Anyway, again you work from the back forward to get the planking to fit right. I had to use the pull saw and the rasp in the transition area because the plane can't get all the way in there. Then I worked about 8-12" as a time. Since there is more pressure at the beginning of your plane stroke the first 4" of material comes off faster than the remaining length. This pulls the whole section into alignment slowly but surely. One gotcha is that the upper edge (along the keel and stem) must be securely fastened or the butt joint will take the wrong line. This happens because the wood bends differently depending on where it is constrained at. For the upper edge I picked a point right at the end of the keel to transition from butt to lap joint. I started by rasping away the first bottom piece at the angle planed into the stem. This makes the first bottom piece an extension of the stem/ planking mating area. Then you have to cut in the angle along the edge of the bottom planking going back toward the centerboard. Again I used a rasp in the area right up close to the transition point. The angle is steep due to the angle on the bottom planking in that are.

This is the final dry fit. Everything is ready fit gluing. At some point in here you will have to wiggle underneath the boat again and check that the frames and battens are hitting the bottom nice and flat. In order to drill the pilot holes for the screws along the battens I marked the batten locations from underneath the boat also. Then I flipped the piece and drilled inside to outside, flipped again and drilled countersunk pilot holes through the planking into the battens. I really shortened the pilot bit depth because I felt that I had a lot of non grabbing screws on the other side and I haven't sen any wood splitting yet. When the screws don't grab they don't go in all the way. Then they get in the way for fairing the hull. So there it is, planking fit up in a nutshell.

Starboard half bottom planking on

Finally I feel like I made some progress. I have been spending the (relatively) cooler nights prepping the bottom planking for install. That includes fitting the two sides together and aligning them at the center of the keel, and pre-drilling 200 plus holes for screws.I know it's not nice to complain but it has been 90F+ with matching humidity for the last few days. A thunderstorm rolled through at about 4:30 in the afternoon yesterday and dropped the temp to 80F so it was a race to get the epoxy on. I coated the bottom planking first with an encapsulating coat on the inside. Then I waited about two hours (epoxy still tacky in the thick spots, but not cured in the thin) and mixed up the epoxy for gluing the planking to the frames. I cut out some notches along the outboard (uphill) side of the frames for drainage. I made sure these got a coating of epoxy to keep water from finding the wood.

The long leg is setting all the screws. I was happy that my cordless screwdriver had the juice to make it through all the screws without the second battery. I always try to make sure they are both ready when I start. The plans don't call for any fillets of epoxy on the inside of the frames but I will probably do them when I flip the hull anyway. Speaking of flipping the hull, this is the first notice that "Y'all" are invited. When a date is set i will let you know...

Battens

I finally installed the bottom battens, at least on one side. I faired the frames so the planking would sit flat, then notched them for the battens. I only needed two shims on the frames to get the battens to the right level. I used the tried and true handsaw and chisel method to make the notches in the frames.

I used a clamp on the front end of the outside batten to make it closer to the curve of the bottom planking. I glued and screwed them in the afternoon so tomorrow I should be ready to get the bottom planking on. It has already been fitted and just needs some holes drilled before I glue it on. The plywood you see on the left of the picture is the bottom planking for the right hand side. Of course, it is 80F+ in Charleston so I may just spend tomorrow at the pool...

Second side glued and a trailer

I bought a trailer for my as yet unfinished boat. It also has a boat attached to it, so now I have one and a half (maybe 9/16ths) boats. By the price was right and the trailer looks perfect for when my boat is done. The boat is an unknown vintage Butterfly. The boat way complete except for three missing battens for the sail and drain plug. The previous owner said he used tape to plug the hole. So far the list of repairs includes refinishing the wood bits, loosening up the kick up rudder parts and adding a drain plug and access hatch.

I looked up the trailer by itself and they are still being made, which is a bonus for parts. The Butterfly has a two part mast so it can fit on the boat during trailering. I will have to add an extension to the jack stand to hold the mast for my boat.

Speaking of my boat, I glued the other side planking in place. The side was coated with epoxy last week when I glued up the other side. I had to rough up the epoxy along the gluing area so the epoxy would stick.

This is the latest photo. Both sides are glued and trimmed to size. Some of the screws were in the way so I had to cut through them. I guess my pre-drilling was a little off. Next up is some fairing and install of the bottom battens. In the back of the picture you can see my wood refinishing station. I hope that the boat that floats doesn't distract me from the one that doesn't.

First side installed

I finished gluing the first side planking onto the frame! after a few nights working until midnight I had everything fitted and drilled and ready to glue. I had it on good advice that I should coat the insides of the planking before attaching it to the boat. This saves all those knuckle busting tight spots after it's all together. I mixed WAY too much epoxy, and ended up coating both side pieces and still having left overs to pour out. I know better how much to mix now.

I hope the second side will go faster now that I have an idea of what it's supposed to look like.

More Scarfing

After my last scarfs I didn't want to do any more. But having made successful ones gives you a certain confidence to make more. So I set out to add some width to my side planking pieces with a lengthwise scarf. Ironically, the reason I ripped the plywood into smaller widths was to avoid having to make a 4ft wide scarf joint that lined up well enough to be strong. So this one is about 5ft long and was actually less time consuming to make. I used the power planer for the rough shape. I bough the thing for my first scarfing adventure, but I was too afraid of ruining the expensive plywood to use it for much of the actual shaping. You really have to trust that it's only shaving off 1/32nd of an inch at a time as it grinds the edge into fine shavings. The trade-off is that the power planer is much faster than a random orbital sander and a pack of 60-grit sandpaper. I used the sander to touch up and remove any step edges left over, but this was much shorter than making the whole scarf. That extra makes the side planking fit just right. Well, close anyway, and probably much better after some hours of fitting. I also dug out the pieces I cut for bottom battens and cut them to size. Here is the latest look.

Sheers done

The final sheer piece is clamped in place and drying. I could have saved myself about 3 months of working on these &^%@ sheers if I hadn't broken one. Next time I'll know better. Hopefully this will be strong enough to get the job done.

I have been working on some fairing (the new "F" word,) since it has been too cold to epoxy anything. Most of the aft frames and keel are close to faired.Once the clamps come off the sheer I can get the side panels into place and check my fairing. I also made and fitted the seat cleats for the transom while I was at it. Positioning them correctly was a feat in itself. I slid under the frame with my saw guide (a really long straight edge.) After checking that the seat supports at the frames were level, I held the saw guide up along the seat supports to see where the level line lands on the transom. Then I used a level to draw the line the cleat lines up to.

I used the extra epoxy to fill in some screw holes.

I was considering buying a small sailboat to mess around on until this one is finished, but that might reduce my motivation somewhat.

Bending wood

Since breaking my important chine member (see previous posts,) I have come up with a much better method of bending and shaping wood. See illustrated guide below.

First you must gather all the necessary equipment. I am bending a thin piece of wood so I have the wood, clamps, old towels, a strap for tension and boiling water. And you must include a cute child for the process to work correctly. Fortunately we have all the required ingredients in ample supply in my garage.

While the water is getting hot, set up the bending rig. I measured the length of the piece I needed and the depth of the bend. I bent the piece past the intended bend since I think some of the bend will come out when I release the tension.

The work piece gets a clamp on each end. I used some scrap pieces between the clamp and the work piece to avoid nasty marks. Then I wrap some old towel around the work piece and put the strap around the clamps. Since both clamps are aligned on one side of the work piece the strap tension will put a bend in the work piece.

And this is the end result. I left the towels on for 24 hours and plan on leaving the pieces in tension for at least two days. When it comes to gluing, clamps and screws will hold these pieces to the chine pieces that are already sprung around the frames. This pre-bending will make the fit-up and prep work easier. Since the weather is warming up, but not quite broken, a few days of prep work will serve to get me back in the boat building mind set before I make anything permanent. I will be out of town this weekend so hopefully Charleston's 70F+ weather is here to stay.

Progress update

Here is the latest picture of where I am on the boat. You can see the chines and sheers are in place, almost. Some areas on the sheers need their second layer. Much of the keel and chines are faired. Once I get the sheers up to full thickness I will do the final frame fairing.

Back in the saddle

Between last weekend and this week it is finally warm enough to move back outside for a few hours each day. For me that means that the long, harsh winter is almost over (why do we care if a rodent sees a shadow anyway?) Most of you will disagree with the "harsh" characterization of my winter here in Charleston, but it really did pain me to have to see my unfinished boat each day without working on it. I am finally ready to get some use out of the new plane my parents sent me for Christmas. It's a good thing I have them our my warchest of tools would be much slower in growing.

From everything I have read online all planes are shipped from the manufacturer with a less than a perfect setup. This may be why I took so long to fall in love with my first plane. A plane really is a "hand" tool and need to be babied if you want it to work very well. From my research, the first thing you should do with a new plane is take it all apart, clean the packaging grease off (it's there to prevent rust) and sharpen the blade. I was under the impression that some machine in the factory would take care of the blade sharpening for me in one pass of some supper sharpener the might last a fraction of a second. This is either beyond the capabilities of our modern factories, deemed an unnecessary freebie for the customer by some tea-totaler or just an oversight. Whatever the reason, my blade came looking like it had been shaped by a dying CNC machine. I never really paid attention to "tool marks" on plane blades or chisels until about this weekend. Now they are the enemy. Nothing takes care of your enemies like Samurai!

The traditional way to sharpen a blade involves a sharpening stone of some sort and water stones seem to be a good choice for the woodworker. In my research I came across an applicable quote by Abraham Lincoln. "If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I would spend six hours sharpening my ax." Since the man was known for never telling a lie, I believe him.

To sharpen the blade you start with the back. Lay the flat side of the blade on the 800 grit side of the stone with some water and scrape away. Both sides of the stone feel smooth to the touch but they cut the metal blade easily. After about two minutes the tool marks are gone and the back of the blade is a dull gray color. Then you fit the plane blade in the contraption at the top of the picture. It's essentially a jig that holds the blade at the right angle for sharpening while rolling on the wheel at the bottom. Simple trig gives the blade protrusion for different angles. Since the thing is made in China, the ones printed on the side are in millimeters, which no one can translate to 16ths of an inch on the fly with any accuracy (at least not in my garage.) Anyway, five minutes on the cutting angle turned it into a dull wood shaving machine. This raises a curl of metal, called a "burr," on the flat back side of the blade. So you flip the blade and give it one or two passes to get rid of the burr. Then we switch to the 8000 side. I didn't remove the blade from the jig because I am pretty sure there is no way you could match the protrusion close enough to grind the same exact angle twice. I didn't really believe that my blade would have a mirror finish like so many how-to's claimed it should. But there I was staring back at me! A few more passes and I called it good enough for boat work.

I also sharpened the blade on my other plane since I had never really done that before. I didn't know what I was missing out on. I was so excited about my newly sharp tools that I set to work on the chine to stem interface. A lot of stem had to come off to make the joint look fair. Of course plywood and epoxy will cover this eventually so my beautiful plane work will be covered for the sake of "watertight integrity." I'll still know that it looks REALLY good under the skin.