Abyssdncr

Congrats! I dunno if you want to wait that long though. My tadpole only took about 2 1/2 weeks from plywood to water. All of summer is yet to come!

Cool, thanks for posting! I know I want to do this for the next, and curious how others have executed. My first hack at a laminated coaming sucked rocks because the strips wet with glue start warping between clamps, so I think I'm going to make a male/female jig out of particle board to ensure full width clamping force this time.

Looks good, Nub! What was the motive in shortening? Can you add a couple pics of your oak lamination? Thinking of trying that on my next build...

Finally launched the Tadpole tonight. Well ok, not me, but the kiddo did. She even stayed right side up the whole time!

How about a big one that says, "If you can read this, roll me over!" I was really tempted to paint that on the bottom of the kid's boat...

Alright, I think we're ready for some water!

On the last one, I started lashing around one of the clipped ends of a zip tie with it flat against a frame piece. Lash it in place and you don't have to pry on anything and there just enough room for the curved needle to slip into the gap. When you get a few loops around and cinch it all up the first time, the zip tie comes out and the gap remains where it's all gathered.

It's raining here all day, so I figured I might as well start with the graphics -Operation "Just a Tad' Pink" is underway!

3rd coat of white drying on the hull, get the deck tomorrow. Night and day difference painting the premium fabric - it's looking awesome and sealing great. Doesn't make for exciting pictures though... On a hilarious and fortunate side note, I went to Menards to pick up another sheet of special order Baltic to keep the production line going, and the dock worker asked me if I wanted to keep the packaging. It was exterior sheathing sheets last time and I pawned them off on a coworker who was building a chicken coop. Lord knows I didn't want any more of that, so I was like, "Actually, no. I really don't..." So, we go to rip the protective plastic off and find that they used 3/4" A/B marine grade plywood for dunnage! $135 worth of packaging for the $60 order... "On second thought, I will keep the "packaging" - thank you very much." He laughed, "Yeah, I would too!"

That's a clever transition. Even if some of the paint bleeds around the maskings, you'd never really know - I like it!

Ready for the base coat! I whip stitched the coaming after sewing on and that really helped snug things up around the compound curves this time, and it looks a little more sophisticated too I think. Worst wrinkles were at the rear coaming corners, and I think I'll just live with them vs. trying the heat gun.

I know exactly what you mean. My "cure", right, wrong, to otherwise was one of two things. One dab your offending pinholes and wait about an hour or so, and smear some paint into the hole with it half cured so it won't just flow right back out and recoat. Or two, some Rustoleum universal bonding primer, spray on, give it about a minute to thicken up and brush it into the pinholes while it doesn't want to flow and recoat. It was a PITA for me, but my boat finally stays completely dry on the inside.

Slowly, but surely. Coaming left to go... Pretty happy with how the ends ended up. Jeff was right - this fabric sure sews nicely. Did my best to go around where the hatch will be. A little epoxy from the S&G kit will seal it to the support ply. I think I created just enough play in the hole for a nice snug fit once the skin wraps around the hole. Hopefully those wrinkles will be covers in the process too.

It might be low shrink, but it definitely isn't no shrink...fingers tired...

Another question on this fabric. Watched your double corded stitch video again at lunch today and wow were you getting that 11.6 oz stuff on snug. Were you able to replicate that level of tautness with the 6 oz? If so, I'm going to have to go back and snug some stitches up...

Skin's arrived - thanks Jeff! Now, a more serious question: I see everyone hill-billy hot-knifing it or soldering gun (which I did with the FreeB), but why can't you just cut with scissors and sear with a lighter? Got all giddy when I found a hot knife in and abandoned drawers in the hangar (original owner built airplanes...), but it went *poof* and started smoking half way through cutting the second side off. Finished it with the soldering iron. Got the double corded started, but need to dig my hemostats out of a tackle box somewhere... Hopefully, tomorrow night is productive!

I know what you mean here. I had the exact same problem on my FreeB, particularly where the fabric touched the frame. I think some portions got 10+ coats trying to get all the pinholes finally sealed. This was with the economy 6 oz though. I'm hoping the weave on the premium stuff doesn't exhibit this same problem. What cloth are you using?

Thanks guys. You have no idea how close it came to just staying white... Just took the bathroom scales to the basement, as pictured, 30 lbs even.

FROG by weekend! So, uh, Jeff...has my fabric shipped yet...?

Sanding drum setup to assist in sanding the inside of laminated coamings. Harbor freight sanding drum with a support board. Saved tons of time over hand sanding.

That looks pretty cool! Can you take a pic of just the coaming area?

Obviously, I've already "launched", but tonight I get to call her "complete"!

Depending on which rudder system you want to use, this style of building is easily adapted to gizmos, gadgets, and knick-knacks. If necessary, it ought to be awfully easy to modify the stern frames to accept a rudder mount.

My observation is that the strongback is less critical than making sure all the brackets are aligned square, true, level, and secure. I just finished my second frame just using a couple work benches that are the same height toe-nailed together end to end.

Quickie shot of the graphics. Still need to do the aft deck rigging, and then I'll call her complete...but not yet finished.