cdunc

I was inspired by lbrewer's boat building enthusiasm and made some progress on the build. It helped that my son did not have any soccer games this weekend. I cut out the sides, bottoms, transom and forward bulkhead. Managed to cut some other smaller pieces as well. I am using a butt joint to join the side and bottom pieces so I need to get that setup and let it cure. I hope to make some progress on that this weekend. I recently got into using hand planes for my other woodworking projects and found the block plane a great tool for tuning the cuts made with the scroll saw. Less stressful to cut outside the line with the scroll saw and then clean it up with the block plane. Posts below show a couple of my "helpers".

Dude you are killing me here. I have had my wood for weeks and my plans for longer than that and I have yet to make a single speck of saw dust. Please tell me you are retired or independently wealthy and have tons of leisure time on your hands. ;D I do have the lines for the bottom and sides marked and I am ready to start cutting. Maybe I will get around to it this weekend. I have this company who insists I go to an office and sit at a desk for 8 hours just so they will pay me money. Man they are demanding. Good luck with your build.

Congrats!!

I decided to order my plywood and it arrived today! I worked from home this morning so I could be there when the truck arrived. They surrounded the good stuff with some sacrificial wood which took a bit of a beating but the Okoume looks to be in good shape. Now I can start laying out the lines and start making some sawdust. Of course now I need to order some epoxy and fiberglass tape. Will post more when some actual building is completed.

I recently ordered the plans to build a Spindrift 12 and I am in the process of gathering materials. I have mentioned to some of my friends and coworkers that I am going to build a boat, which is when I get "the look". I am not sure how to describe it. They seem to look at me as if I just told them I am building a rocket in my back yard and that I am planning to go to the moon. BTW, the wife did not give me the look, she just thinks I am crazy. ;D Just wondering if anyone else has experienced "the look". Craig

Thanks for the warm welcome from everyone. Greg, I have been following the progress on your boat as well as some of the other posters who have been logging their progress. I am looking forward to seeing some of those boats in the water. Looks like Wes is the closest to getting it wet. I think I will try to do some of the preliminary work in my basement shop but when it comes time to wire the pieces together I will move it to the garage. I will know more once the plans are delivered. One question I already have is about using an outboard. I plan to use the boat for sailing and some fishing primarily and I will probably get some kind of outboard for it. When I was learning to sail this summer on the Capri 22' we used the outboard to leave and return the dock. The outboard was in a fixed position and the tiller was used to steer. Would that same configuration work with a Spindrift. Obviously the outboard would be mounted on the transom off-center. I might forgo the outboard to start and just row it and sail it. Thanks in Advance, Craig

Well I am outside Atlanta, GA. I just recently completed sailing lessons up at Lake Lanier. We learned on a 22' Capri. Winds were very light most of the time. I am hoping to go back in a few months when there is a little more wind. Bobbing and baking on a lake in the middle of July was a drain. I would have liked to build the boat in my basement workshop but I am afraid I would not be able to maneuver in there with a boat. The shop is only 14' by 10' with a lot of power tools stuffed in there. Plus I might not be able to get it out of there when it is done. So I will be parking the car in the driveway and building in the garage. This will be my first boat, first build, so I will be asking a lot of questions. When I ordered the plans from Carla I talked to her about the B&B get together in October, so I might make it up there for that. I have an 11 year old daughter and 8 year old son that I might take with me to do some camping and hopefully some sailing if I can bum a ride on someone else's boat. I don't have a timeline but I hope to have the boat ready by Spring. With the son starting Soccer soon I will be busy with practices and games so time will be at a premium. I am really looking forward to this project so I will find the time.

I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the plans for the Spindrift 12. I will hopefully get started on construction soon and start posting some pictures. Craig

David, Thanks for the tip. I might do that as the backup plan. Try to fit inside and fall back to roof rack if need be. Garry, I looked at every birder2 picture on your site. Great information there. As someone who has built both the spindrift and the birder, where would you put the level of difficulty for each (scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being difficult). Birder at 3 and Spindrift at 7?? I was going to start with the birder as a way to learn the ropes of building a boat with the idea of building something bigger later on. But if the Spindrift is not that much of a jump I might start with that. Maybe the 11N. Thanks, Craig

Wes, I have been monitoring your "obnoxiously long thread". A lot of good information there. Watching the progress on a long build such as yours is kind of like reading a good book. Can't wait to find out what is next, although I know that the final result will be a very nice boat that you can take pride in knowing you built it. I think that is what appeals to me about building a kayak. I am currently winding down on a wood shop project to build a bed for my son, but then I will start thinking about the next project which might be the birder 2. I will look into Southern Crown for the supplies since they are local. How flexible is the plywood? Someone described it as thick poster board. My wife has a minivan, so I am wondering if I can get the plywood in the back or if it would be easier to strap it on the roof. If it is flexible enough I might be able to bend it enough to fit in back. I don't get down to Augusta much but if I do I will definitely look you up. Craig

I just wanted to post to introduce myself and to ask a few questions. My name is Craig. I am an amateur woodworker with no sailing experience. I have mostly built various furniture items around the house. Sailing is one of those things that I have yearned to learn about and hey Lake Lanier is right up the road. I found this site while browsing the woodnet forums. Someone over there was posting the progress of his kayak build. Once I started reading this forum and seeing the finished products, the idea of building a boat/kayak bacame very intriguing. Until I started reading this forum I had no idea people could build such beautiful boats at home. I also get the sense that the people who post and monitor this forum are very knowledgeable and willing to help out. A useful, friendly forum is a valuable thing. Looking at the different B&B designs I am thinking that the Mocassin 2 or the Birder 2 would be a good way to get my feet wet ( no pun intended ) with the process of building a boat. The birder looks a little more involved than the Mocassin. I would welcome anyone's thoughts on which would be a better first boat build. Which books if any would you suggest that might be helpful to understanding the build? I am in the Atlanta metro area. Any fellow Atlantans out there who could suggest a vendor to buy marine grade plywood. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. Craig