John Burritt

Again, check w/ Graham. I believe he has built oars w/ plywood blades. He may have plans available.

I think full length scarfed would be better. Think about running the scarf side to side rather than fore & aft. Other folks may have ideas about which way is less apt to separate under load.

When you get ready to drill the hole, make sure the boat is in proper trim, both fore/aft & side to side. Your plans should tell you how much higher the stem should be above the stern. The trick is to get that set & secured so you can get in the boat to drill the hole without changing the angles. If possible, get a couple people to watch - one at the stern, the other at the side - to help you keep the drill properly aligned.

Don't feel bad. I've done these before and I didn't catch the discrepancy until we got ready to cut the hole for a mast at boat class tonight. Hope Neil catches this before he steps his masts.

The 3 degree rake is 1 inch in 20 INCHES - not feet. as per DESIGNER.

What would this do to the balance of the boat? How many people typically in the boat & where? Some of these boats may have oar locks in more than one location depending on load variations.

hokeyhydro - Where is Aircraft Spruce Supply? Local? on line?

The more times you insult someone else, the fewer times you talk to someone besides yourself. Usually on this forum 10 folks will give you 15 different answers.

A line thru the stem works just fine. The most common alternative is an eye-bolt - which can gouge the heck out of the side of your big boat if the dink spends the night floating beside it. Fair the seams with microballoons or a similar alternative. West Systems sells a couple different versions - one for below the waterline; the other for locations that stay mostly dry. Neither has much structural strength, but its not needed. You're primarly filling voids before you coat it again. Sorry about the repitition. I missed Hirilonde's response above. I'd say the figure eight should work. All knots that load and unload periodically need to be checked fairly frequently.

Sorry about the confusion. You and Graham make the two sides of the discussion about using white oak and epoxy. I'll be anxious to see/hear the results of the bonding tests.

I'd say that the combination of hot sun & dark green paint caused the hull to expand & crack the joints that wouldn't expand. That dark green probably got REALLY HOT. Do you have any way to keep the boat out of direct sunlight? The cracked seam on the centerboard trunk is another issue. That shouldn't happen. Is the glass inside still secure to the wood of the trunk? It'd be a bit of a pain, but I'd sand and round the vertical joints - then cover the verticals with glass tape, fair & repaint. How are you going to secure the board for the anchor roller?

From a practical point, the big difference with the epoxy from B & B is the mixing ratio. Graham's epoxy mixes 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener. Most likely he will send you a stop to put on the shaft of the hardener pump which will reduce the volume of 1 pump of hardener to 1/2 the volume of 1 pump of resin. Once you've confirmed you are getting proper volumes with the pumps, then its 1 pump of each for a proper mix.

Thanks for the info Greg. I've used white oak in traditional builds, but have always been nervous about using it w/ epoxy.

Sounds llike the sun really did a number on it. Any idea how hot the surface got in the sun? Maybe you should be pleased w/ how little the wood moved compared to what would have happened if it had only had a traditional finish w/ nothing sealing the wood.

Having joints open up like you're describing seems a bit unusual. Do you have a center plank supporting the deck join from below to which everything is epoxied? Was the deck epoxied to minimize expansion/contraction before it was painted? Was the deck/side panel seam filleted w/ thickened epoxy underneath? Maybe all this is redundant, but I'm surprised at the amount of movement you're describing.

Greg - Did you do anything special to the white oak before you glued it up? I'm presuming everything is staying well bonded.

This may be preaching to the choir, but remember to always use a thickener (cabosil/wood flour) when "gluing" strips together. Have done this multiple times gluing laminated gunwales on Spindrift 10s in Graham's boatbuilding class and I'm not aware of any delaminations. Another way to make sure the hull stays fair is to dry clamp the strips on both sides simultaneously, then release one side and glue and reclamp it. Do the other side after the first hardens. We've done this when we haven't had time to glue both sides during a class period. I'm staying out of the argument about using white oak with epoxy. I've avoided using it for the reasons noted above, but have had folks vehemently defend it, saying they've "never had a problem." Bird-walking a bit on the difference between white oak & red oak - the passages in white oak seal as the wood dries. In red oak they don't, thus its highly susceptible to water penetration and rotting in very short periods of time.

I'd put them about 10 inches behind the back edge of the seat you'll be sitting on.

Yes, you need thickened epoxy gluing up the centerboard. Within reason, thicker is better than thinner. Too thin, and it will drain out of the joints as it heats up during the cure.

Graham should be able to provide you w/ materials list & costs. His prices are usually the best around.

For sure there's a CS 17 being built in Graham's class at Pamlico Community College. You're welcome to visit either before or after the Messabout. Can't believe there won't be others at Graham's.

Take a good look at the bottom panels. If the curve is "fair" (continuous curve w/ no dips & hollows from front to back), I'd leave it alone. Just a wee discrepancy on measurements can make a noticeable change in the way it fits the temporary frame.

Two questions. How does the transom fit? And, have you fit the inwales? I presume you've rechecked the dimensions of the bottom panels.

I've used Boat US. Not for a CS17, but for my Byrnes designed runabout. Needed a survey to establish value, but Boat US didn't argue about the numbers.

Fairing is more important than smoothing. A painted surface really shows the dips & hollows. As you've discovered, the paint will smooth itself if its reasonably applied. The way to decide if the hull is fair enough is to apply a coat of paint & decide how you like the results.