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S11N, I just got the plans... does everyone freak out or...


mjname

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is it just me? I've never built a boat before. I have rebuilt my rudder on my full keel sailboat. So I thought hey I can do this but... now looking at the plans I'm wondering how I'm going to handle building this out on the back deck.

Most of it seems pretty easy and straight forward just a little awkward for one person to handle. A 12 x 4 sheet of ply wood seems like a lot to wrestle into shape. Any advice, I didn't realize that I might have to build a huge work table to build the boat.

I'm mainly concerned with the gunwales. does anyone have some work arounds for this? I don't think I will be able to rip down 12 foot 1/4 strips with my little table saw. Can I just buy 1x1/4 pine trim in 12 foot lengths and use that or is pine a no no?

Oh I'm excited and freaked. :shock:

Matthew

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oooh another nester. :)

work table? I used a floor, made sure I had made saw horses though before my boat went 3d. moving around 12 foot peices of ply can be a pain, but if you're marking, cutting and building on the same floor space, then that shouldn't be much of a problem. My work area was an uneven carport. so I had to butt join, and mark the panels in my living room. it did get pretty hairy moving the finished butterflied panels from the living room to the carport but I had help.

I'm mainly concerned with the gunwales. does anyone have some work arounds for this?

there is, don't make laminated gunwales :D laminated gunwales we're to much work for me, so for the gunnels, I just ripped lengths from a 1x6 plank of Philippine mahogany .

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First of all, many of the trepidations you may have will very likely eleviate themselves as you gain confidence from this forum and your success as you go along. There is a wealth of information here and it is freely shared. The details of the plans Graham creates and the fact that he builds them himself as well is no small step towards your success.

I leave for work in a minute so I can't get into a complicated comment on gunwales. Unlike regular dinghys where a sprung solid one will maintain its shape the nesting dinghy will have its shape altered when cut in half if it isn't laminated. But don't let the gunwale details stop you from starting, there is plenty of time to discuss them before you get to that point.

Enjoy the process, its fun!

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Relax, Grasshopper. The whirlwind is in your mind. It will come together one thing at a time.

An extra hand when unfolding the butterfly will come in handy. Otherwise you can do it all yourself. Actually, I remember resorting to a piece of line around the butterfly pieces to help keep them in control.

I laminated my gunwhales out of 1/4" x 1-1/2" pressure treated pine since I expected to put a lot of screws in them to attach the rub rail. I had to search to find halfway suitable pieces and the material is a little brittle and I have a couple of small splits. I've had some cracks where I put the oarlocks, however, I should have used the oarlocks that fasten on the side. Mine penetrate directly through the gunwhale and I've had to reinforce that area.

I actually did most of the work inside in a large bonus room. Here's a pic of my girlfriend helping hold the butterfly pieces.

medium.jpg

Check out my other pics at http://www.pbase.com/sailrosita/expedition_dinghy

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I built a 10N, so I will weigh in too. The butterfly pieces were a bit hard to handle, but I did it singlehanded, as there were no other people around when I was ready to go 3D. I laid out the pieces and joined them with a butt connection on saw horses and actually created the butterfly on the floor. When I went 3D, I did it on the horses (I used 4 for this) and went carefully using lengths of string to keep things under control as I accomplished the stitching.

As to the gunwales, Ray has it "spot on." The laminated ones work best as they hold shape MUCH better. They are also much, much easier to bend. I used poplar for the inner pieces and oak for the outer piece. They went together well and look great today. I used lots of clamps to bend and epoxy them into place (A man can't have too many clamps, can he? :wink: :wink: ).

Just take it one step at a time and don't hesitate to ask us for our help, if you need it. That's what we're here for.

You'll love the building experience,

Steve

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You don't need to invest in lots of clamps. You can make your own spring clamps cheaply from a length of 3" PVC pipe. Use your power saw to cut one side lengthwise. Then cut sections from 1" to 2" wide. The width determines the spring force. I used mostly 1-1/2" widths. Here is a pic gluing up my laminated gunwhales. Note - A few finish nails help keep everything in alignment.

medium.jpg

PS - Matthew, how about posting a pic with your profile? We're all virtual friends here!

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I'm ordering my ply wood in a few minutes. Wont worry about building a work table. Will just lay everything out on the back deck, got about 12 x 20 out there so plenty of room. I may have to assemble some saw horses for cutting.

Garry thanks for the pix of your lovely assistant holding the butterfly wings in the common room. Once I saw that I went OK I can do this. I can always borrow a neighbor for a little bit to get things wired together. Or I can use ropes and pulleys. Once I am 3D I can pull the dinghy into a spare room to glass it.

Matthew

PS Gary I posted a self pix of me on my boat tranquility right after I got her back in the water after rebuilding her rudder.

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Hi Matthew,

Good to hear about your project. I did most of the cutting for my s10 and cs20 on my deck. My s10 went 3d on the floor of my garage and I set it on picnic table benches. Never did make any saw horses. Set the cs20 on the same picnic table benches.

My wife and I ripped doug fir 2x4's for the 1x2 stock in both boats. We ripped 2x4's for the gunwhale on the s10, 3 pieces about 1/4" each. All using a portable table saw sitting on our picnic table on the deck.

You make do with what you have.

Both boats float!

Enjoy the experience.

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I'm committed (It's a reference to breakfast the chicken is involved but the pig is committed).

I purchased today all the ply and fir for the gunwales and some other stuff from the Mid Cape Home center. I also called Carla and ordered Epoxy, tape & filler as well as epoxy/hardener pumps.

Terry, thanks for your post. Picnic benches, huh. Well I guess I probably can just make due with a lot of stuff around the property.

Now that everything is ordered I'm excited about getting started. I'm pretty compulsive so once I get started I'm pretty sure it will be in the water by mid April.

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This is the kind of saw horses I have been building and using for about 10 years now. I use to make them with longer legs but have found the shorter legs to work better for my height. The 2x2 on the bottom rail makes them stack nicely for storage. All assembly fasteners are with deck screws. I have carpet covered 2x6s and 2x8s for making rails that a boat or panel can then sit on too. At this point I have about 8 of the sawhorses. They make for great boat storage as well as contruction.

post-65-129497656567_thumb.jpg

post-65-129497656572_thumb.jpg

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Come on guys, there are some experienced folks posting to this thread. For anyone of you to ever suggest that anyone to build a boat on saw horses is just nuts. Not even I would do such an act and I have done some idiotic stuff and I am pretty much the king of idiots.

You build houses on sawhorses and buy them at the big box stores that cater to home contractors not a bunch of boat builders. :twisted:

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