Kennneee

Dave- That is really beautiful!

Pics?

Hi Guys- Both masts are ready for sealing. The main mast glue up went really well and didn’t require any help to get it done. A huge time saver was clamping the staves together and applying the glue all at once. On the mizzen I did them one at a time and it took a surprising amount of time. I coated the inside of the staves the night before the glue up which made it a lot less messy. Using hose clamps and zip ties seems to be the way to go. Also having jigs to hold the staves in place is a real help. On the main I installed a plug from the butt end to slightly above where the tabernacle will end. This also helped with the assembly since it kept the last 2 staves from falling into the mast as it was assembled. If you are contemplating a birds mouth mast I would try to have a sharp jointer plane available for the shaping. It made the process so much easier than it could have been. I just walked along the strongback and beautiful shavings curled off and there was no concern for a wavy line. From the previous pics you can see that I went from the #7 jointer to a bevel up smoother and then a block plane. After that I used a scraper plane and finally some sanding. The sanding was minimal since the planning left me with a pretty nice surface. I set up the masts in V blocks so I could easily rotate the masts as I worked. Using my RO Sander in one hand and rotating the mast with the other acted a bit like a lathe, if that makes sense. The final sanding was done with a soft pad on the sander. If you are really fussy you can feel some irregularities in the masts, but I am quite happy with the end product. I keep repeating my mantra “perfect is the enemy of the good”. I really enjoyed fabricating these masts. Is it practical compared to aluminum masts? Probably not since it is a lot more work and more expensive. That said, if we wanted to save work and money we would buy a used plastic boat.

Ok guys, you are killing me here! Reading about the Messabout brings me back to third grade. The teacher droning on about something I didn’t give a hoot about and seeing the kids out the window on the playground. I want to play with you kids! Maybe next year! Ken

Murray- What are you planning for masts? Your boat is has me excited to see Lula take shape. Ken

A few kayaks and a CFGP. https://goo.gl/photos/wo6HJCee3yQ4cmAYA https://goo.gl/photos/6QEc8oTKfZhq3vt69

Dave- A bit off topic but a friend sent this picture taken a few years back. There is a kayak race in San Francisco called the SeaTrek Regatta that I would do every year, often in a double with my friend Paul. Early on we raced with native paddles and skin boats and did pretty well. Other racers would laugh until we passed them with our skinny blades. When this pic was taken I rode my motorcycle down from BC to do the race for “old times sake”. I built a couple of 2 piece Greenland carbon fiber paddles that I could fit on my bike. Eventually I gave in and started using wing paddles but still have a warm spot for the native blade. Fun stuff! Ken

Dave- We have a lot in common. I have quite a few native paddles that I built over the years. Also skin boats. We will have to compare notes sometime. Ken

Hi Guys- I spent around 5 hours planing and scraping the mizzen mast. When I got done with the planing and scraping it took less that an hour with 220 grit on my Festool sander to call it pretty much done. I am pleased with the outcome. Planing ATC is a true pleasure (assuming you are a wood nerd). Planes like butter. I could have used a power planer for the roughout but using a well tuned hand plane and some music is much more satisfying then the roar of power tools. If your haven’t worked with AYC, you have saved up a pleasure. Should be able to get the main mast glued up in the next couple of days. I started a Google Photos album to document the build. If you are interested in more pics here is the link; https://photos.app.goo.gl/wG9DSjkDfxqUCJUKA Here are just a few of the photos of the mast. Not necessarily in the right order. Ken

Mike- That’s great! Thanks for thinking of me. I will send an email and we can figure out details. Ken

Dave- For aesthetic reasons I would love to find some bronze sail track. Not to say it doesn’t have other attributes. The little bit of looking around I have done tells me it won’t be likely. I think to get what I would need would cost a limb or two unless you know of a good source. I will likely use the B&B track which looks like good stuff, just not as good looking on a wooden spar. I have the mizzen glued up and mostly shaped. Went very well. Will post more soon with some pics.

Nice!

Don- I don’t see enough of a downside to a tabernacle not to do it. I am pretty sure I can step the masts without one but why not make it easy? I agree about the boom. Given my experience with B&Bs designs I expect no less. Two builds so far and both have been great. Alan sent me the tabernacle page from the Core Sound 15. That helped to clarify many of my questions. I should have the masts glued up soon. Just picked up 3.5 gallons of epoxy today so nothing is standing in the way.

Graham- Thanks for the helpful tips! I wouldn’t have thought to keep the aft edge of the mast straight. Luanne, Lula, will have to don some gloves and help if she wants her name on the side of the boat. I am a taskmaster. I do need one more bit of info and that is to know where the tabernacle will be located on the mast. The plan I have shows dimensions for a keel stepped mast in a tube with a length of 222 1/2” with the deck level being 21 1/16” from the butt end. I assume, perhaps incorrectly, that with a tabernacle the mast will be shorter. Not sure how high the tabernacle is from the deck, etc. The full plan set is still in transit and what I have may not have all the sheets. Ken

As we all know everything on a boat is a compromise. We all want our boats to be as efficient as possible. If I were planning to race Lula efficiency would take on a different meaning than just going out for leisurely sails. I think my sailboat racing days are in my past so I want to be able to get this boat to the water with as few obstacles and as efficiently as possible. Murray, my adventures on the Flying Scot were well over 40 years ago so I don’t really remember how heavy the mast was. As Steve pointed out, everything was lighter then. Strange. I have never sailed a Cat Ketch so that in itself will be a new adventure for me. Most of my sailing has been on sloops and cutters. Never touched a snotter in my life so there will be a lot to learn. One question I have might best be answered by Graham. If I decided on a tabernacle with a wooden mast, are there any structural considerations in the mast construction? I imagine either some solid blocking where the mast fits into the tabernacle or perhaps a G10 or aluminum tube through the mast where the hinge pin passes through. Any wisdom on this would be appreciated before I do my glue-up this week.

I am leaning towards a tabernacle on my Lapwing 16 build. Years ago I dropped the mast on my Flying Scot when I was stepping it. Wanting to avoid that unpleasant experience, a tabernacle seems like a good idea. Anybody want to chime in to talk me out of it or give 2 thumbs up. Thanks. Ken

Murray- I agree. The fir is definitely a prettier wood. I did all of the trim in my house doors and the kitchen cabinets in fir. I like it. Ken

I have been doing some work on the masts. The 10:1 scarfs worked out well. I cut the birds mouths but made a rookie mistake on the mizzen. Thought I could get one mast done before dinner the other night and rushed my set up. Long story short, the staves are slightly narrower than they should be but I am pretty sure it will be ok. Woodworking has a way of keeping me humble. The next is tapering the staves. I gave it a lot of thought and decided my track saw would be the best way to do it quickly and accurately. The set up took some time but then each taper takes less than a minute to cut and yields a pretty perfect taper. I did one mast so far and will do the other one later today. Well, maybe I should do it tomorrow as it is getting late and I should learn from my mistakes! I put the mizzen together without glue to check the fit and it seems pretty good. Years ago I built a 20’ strongback on wheels for my strip boat builds. It has been really handy for building these masts so far. I have been noodling on the best way to glue up the mast and the strongback will be a key player in that step as well. I am waiting for some epoxy to show up here before I can do the assembly. Won’t have it until mid week so I might start cutting wood for the centerboard. The weather here has been pretty lousy or we would be doing some short trips on Rosie. Glad to have this project to work on in these wet British Columbia days.

Thanks Dave!

Yes, the Kendrift did well also. The mast is light and easily removable. I intended to remove it when not in use but I never do. It stays mounted all of the time. It lifts out from the top. I put pelican hooks on the end of the stays so they are quickly removed. I have to remover the STB one to get my paddle boards on deck. Once they are in place I put the stay back. I hope that make sense.

Murray- I will if you will. Ken

Murray- Looks great! Ken

Dave- If you have a picture of your mast head block and snotter attachment I would love to see it. No worries if you don’t. I have my stand up wardrobe for sloppy epoxy work. The pants will almost stand up on their own. I have quite a pile of pants and shirts that should be tossed since they are more resin that cloth. I look forward to being “amused” Steve- I think once you put a boat together with CNC cut parts it is hard to go back. Yes, I am a lucky guy. Hope your sabbatical ends when you get to choose. Ken

Dave- After looking at your build thread for your Lapwing, I have a high bar to come close to that quality. Glad you paved the way. Not that many years ago I could buy beautiful vertical grain fir here for a song. It has gone off the charts as far as price these days. There is a great guy here on the island that sells AYC very reasonably. He often throws an extra board or two into my pile when I visit with him. It would be far more practical to make aluminum masts. Practical is not what this project is about. I have never done a birds mouth mast so why not, eh? B&B are making all of the planks. Similar to the “Lapstitch” technique. I guess Lula will be the beta for this new kit. My guess is this is will inspire a few more Lapwing builds since it takes the most intimidating part out of the mix. Do you have any detail pics of your masts? I have not decided wether to mortise the mast heads for a sheaves or to hang blocks for the halyards. I like the way you think (enable) when it comes to boat quantity. Ken