Aphers

My trolling motor gets me up to about 3.5kt on a 3.1m RIB- it's a heavy wee boat, nearly double a Spindrift, and less easily driven. And it lives on a pontoon and has a dirty bottom. So I'd expect the Spindrift would go noticeably faster.

Well I've gone and ordered it anyway. It seems that some variety of 'Epolam 2017' has been produced under various brand names for at least a decade. It's worth a shot. I'm not sure what all the VAT chat is about... I am based in the UK so I pay my taxes here. I can't imagine it's worth the hassle and possible import taxes to ship epoxy internationally?

I'm hoping some of the more experienced people on here could cast an eye on this brand of epoxy: https://www.mbfg.co.uk/epolam-2017.html It works out much cheaper than West, which is the only brand I've used before.

Well no going back now- just placed my order with Robbins timber for my plywood and hardwood. Eek! I have decided just to go with ash in the end as I couldn't guarantee the quality with other suppliers. Locally available stuff didn't look straight or clear enough. Materials should be here just before Christmas and then I will be getting to work. I'll try to take photos along the way to document the project.

I understand the appeal of eschewing any form of engine. My first boat, a 16ft Wayfarer, never had an engine on it and I did a heck of a lot with that boat. But not everybody has the same needs, or the same amount of free time, so we shouldn't judge other people on their choices. Our Spindrift will be a tender for a liveaboard boat, and will in effect be our car. Some people manage to live without a car, and walk or cycle everywhere- good for them. We don't personally want to live around those limitations. In particular I don't want to impose these on my other half, who will be just as likely to need to use the dinghy as I am.

Good timing with this topic. Last week I picked up a Bison 68lb motor. I've only had a chance to use it once so far, on a 3.1m RIB. It pushed me along at about the same speed as my 2.5hp 2-stroke, except it was almost silent, and I had instant power (and reverse!) whenever I wanted it (no more "will it start" moments). I grabbed an old car battery I had, which was fine, but in the long run I would like to go lithium (specifically, LiFePO4). These batteries can discharge at a rate of '1C' which means if you want to draw 10A of current, you need a 10Ah battery. I'm reliably informed that the Bison 68, whilst theoretically drawing 64A max, only draws 53A max in practise. So I need a 53Ah battery or larger, regardless of how much range I want. There are ready-made portable 60Ah LiFePO4 battery units available on AliExpress, which come in a waterproof case with inbuilt BMS, and a charger. I will probably get one of these, but will treat it with care as the included BMS will probably not monitor each cell individually, and the pre-set cutoff voltage of 10v is far too low to ensure happy cells. I fancy building a pack from scratch but haven't found a good deal on 60Ah cells yet. A 60Ah lithium battery will weigh around 8kg so it's a massive saving on a car battery- less than half the weight for more than double the running time.

I studied forestry in a limited way at uni, and we used the terms conifer and broadleaf. So there are three different ways of splitting trees in to two groups! Poplar is a deciduous broadleaf, but not exactly a hardwood. Yew is a coniferous evergreen, but can be treated as a hardwood. And holly is a broadleafed evergreen, and again a hardwood. It's all pretty fascinating. Would make a good Venn diagram. Getting back on topic...I'll swing by my local builders' merchant and see if I can find any decent clear timber. I don't think I'll need to be too fussy about species from the sounds of it.

OK shoot this idea down but it occurs to me that I have a readily available source of long thin treated softwood- the fillet strips used in decking projects to fill in the channel in the handrail. Typically sold at a finished size of about 12x45mm and lengths up to 3.6m. e.g. https://www.fourseasonsfencing.co.uk/shop/product/premier-handrail-fillet/ It is NOT a high grade of timber by any means, but it is treated for outdoor use and tends to be pretty clear. Crucially, I can walk in to my local merchant and pick some up tomorrow. My concerns would be that it will not have the strength of a hardwood, or douglas etc, and that it will have a fairly soft surface that will easily be damaged.

OK thanks, I think that makes sense. So essentially I'm looking for a length of 2x4 as clear as I can find?

The BoM calls for two 12ft lengths of 2x1 for the gunwales- does this not mean that they are solid timber? EDIT: just re-reading the assembly guide, I think the solid stock has to be ripped into smaller sections and then laminated together?

Thanks for that Graham- I can obtain pressure treated Douglas Fir (I've specified this in the past for a structural job on a house). Would you say that treated DF would be better than pine? I think the DF is stronger but the pine may take up the treatment better. I do indeed plan to have permanently attached fendering so protection from rot is essential.

About to buy the materials for my 11N project, but I'm finding ash quite tricky to source locally. Douglas Fir and Larch are both more readily available. I've worked with both these timbers before on house builds, and have sailed vessels which incorporated them. I know that they will be durable and strong, but I wonder if they are a bit coarser grained and perhaps more liable to split? Ironically most of the country where I live (Scotland) is covered in Sitka Spruce plantation, but you never see the wood for sale anywhere!

Getting pretty close to decision time on this project. I've having some doubts about whether the 11N will fit on my foredeck (athwartships between mast and babystay, so nice and out of the way of everything). The 10N definitely will The new website drawings showing nested dimensions are really helpful. If I had a cross section of the boat half way along the stern section, i.e. the middle of the nested package, I would know for sure whether it will fit the space. I don't suppose such a drawing exists, because it isn't at a bulkhead, but perhaps a kind soul could measure their 11N and let me know?

On balance it certainly sounds like the more expensive ply is the best option. I was quietly hoping to hear from people who had thrown together a boat from any old ply and found it was still holding up ten years later. But that seems like wishful thinking, because so far the only reports I've had is from people who found the cheap ply to be very poor indeed. Ah well, it's only money...

From what I've read, BS1088 means no voids and waterproof glue. But nothing about the actual species of timber used. Often it will be three ply, not five. The BS1088 sheets cost less than a third of the cost of the recommended Okume/Gaboon plywood, which are also not available locally, adding further cost and hassle. I was recently reading a magazine article about a clinker ply dinghy, where the builder had used cheaper 3-ply as he did not know any better at the time. The only apparent issue was that the scarf joints failed and had to be butt-strapped. That's something I could probably live with. When I price up the materials that are going in to the project, it will cost about 40% less in total if I use the cheaper ply. So it's pretty tempting. But it would be a false economy if the whole thing falls apart after a few months use...

I probably know the answer to this already. The boat I want to build (S11N) needs four sheets of 5mm okume ply. I have found a source for this but it is at the other end of the UK and the price is of course rather eyewatering, no surprise there. I can pick up 'marine' plywood, BS1088, for a fraction of the price and much more easily at any local supplier. I am in absolutely no doubt that it would be poorer quality, more liable to check, with voids, and most likely just 3 ply rather than 5. But is there a chance that it would be good enough to last a few years? The boat will be a tender used daily, and does not have to look pretty. With the money saved on the plywood I could probably spend more on epoxy and glass and sheath it. It would work out cheaper but heavier. I know the best thing to do is to buy the correct ply. But it would be interesting to hear from anybody who has tried using lower grade stuff, and how long it lasted. This will be my first attempt at boat building, and I am willing to treat it as something of a trial run, so long as it would last me at least a couple of years.

Thanks again, the rasp especially looks like it could save hours. I suppose it's a little like a surform rasp, but probably much better.

Thanks both, I did figure that a plane would be necessary, will start looking around for a good one. Just yesterday I did buy a wet and dry vac, but it's fairly small at 1000w. It will be used for the car and also I can use it on my yacht from either my small genny or from an inverter, when I upgrade my electrics. I'll see how powerful it is when it arrives, but maybe a bigger one would be better for workshop use. I have two spaces available for the build. Firstly my shed which is totally unheated and drafty, not ideal for epoxy or painting, but good for setting up the table saw when ripping timber to size. And secondly a holiday cottage next door which will be empty for two or three months at the start of the year. Perfect temperature and humidity, but I need to limit the amount of mess I make. There are exposed overhead ceiling beams so perhaps I can build a sort of tent from plastic sheeting to contain my mess. Another fun little project!

In the new year I will start work on a Spindrift 11N. I'm wondering about adding to my tool collection, maybe via a wee request to Santa Claus when the time comes. Presently I have the following: - table saw (315mm, for rough ripping work only) - pillar drill - router (confession: I've never actually used it, and don't know where to start!) Then my cordless stuff (all Makita 18v) - drill - impact driver - 4" grinder - oscillating multi-tool - circular saw - random orbital sander For hand tools, I have an assortment of fairly low quality stuff, some of which is up for replacement, so suggestions welcome there. At the moment I'm wondering about adding a decent hand plane, and perhaps a jigsaw. Open to suggestions

Tie them to the back of your car and go for a drive, much less tedious than standing there with a sander

You can use brass in saltwater but it won't last forever, and it may discolour and de-zincify, rendering it soft and crumbly. For occasional use it will be fine. Brass through-hulls were approved under the EU's RCD regulations, meaning that they can be expected to last five years. Bronze or stainless would be better choices but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

For the paranoid, you could drill an oversized hole where each fastening will be, fill with thickened epoxy, then the screw taps into the epoxy. But I agree with the comment above- probably unnecessary, especially for boats that spend little time in the water.

Excellent video, I've been following them for a year or two now. In fact it was their videos that first made me aware of the Spindrift design.

Has anybody thought about using plastic keel strip? Obviously not as durable as bronze etc but lighter, cheaper, no corrosion or rot, and perhaps the low friction would be handy at times.

The usual rule of thumb is 1.5x times the beam of the boat, so that there is twice as much oard outside the boat as there is inside. So for a S12 that would be about 6'9" (and checking the dimensions I've just noticed for the first time that the S12 is actually narrower than the S11! What's that about?)