sscoville

What does the author mean by "folded-plywood?" And how about this Miss Stephie? I'd like to see more of her.

Some more pics:

Any thoughts on the stability of this design? I'm wondering if two people could stand up and fish comfortably without the boat sliding out from under them. http://www.robbwhite.com/sportboat.html

Anyone coming? Showing a boat? I know Tom usually comes and Graham told me he use to, but has not been in a few years or something. I hope to have BRS 17' #134 finished for the show. Gonna be tough. I would offer my guest room but my mother in law will be here and my baby is due about the same time - another reason I need to finish. http://www.woodenboatshow.com/

If I even understood Robb White's set up on his I might take a stab at it. Hell, for that kind of money I might just educate myself. http://www.robbwhite.com/rescue.minor.machinery.html

I spoke briefly with a Beta Marine rep in N.C. about a Beta 20 and estimated the total package, including prop, would run about $6,800.00.

Well, looking at some other threads, it looks like 1/8" total - 1/16" on either side.

The plans say the centerboard trunk needs to allow for between 1/16 " and 1/8 " clearance for the centerboard. Is that on either side of the board - thus, 1/8" to 1/4" total clearance? Or is it 1/32" to 1/16" on either side? I've got to build up my kingposts before I install the trunk because it is currently too tight.

Have you decided on an engine? By the way, is this going to be Wally's boat, or yours?

I know there is much about this already on here, but I failed to read it before glassing my centerboard. I have glassed the sides of my centerboard and the inside of the trunk. I did not run the glass over the edges of the centerboard. Thus, the leading edge is bare wood at this point. I was going to add a bead of epoxy thickened with cabosil to the leading and bottom edge to serve the same purpose as the epoxy saturated polyester rope others have used. Any thoughts on this?

Steve: have you started on this yet?

Also, I see longleaf pine scattered around here in the lowcountry of S.C. - I have a few in my yard and several in my neighborhood. They're all young though. Several areas around here that are protected preserves have a good bit. I wish the lumber companies would plant more. Interestingly, I was down at Disney World in the Spring and noticed much of the forest down there was nothing but longleaf and saw palmettos.

I could be mistaken on this, but I think "Southern Yellow Pine" is generic for several species in the lumber industry - shortleaf, longleaf, loblolly, and slash according to one website. My understanding is that Longleaf Yellow Pine does in fact grow very slowly, is rot resistent (at least the heartwood, has long been used in boatbuilding, and is very strong and dense. I don't know what particular species my selection is. I was told by an old hand at the lumber yard that the best way to try to identify the longleaf when looking at "Southern Yellow Pine" is to look at the growth rings for indications that the tree grew very slowly. I also found this: "Southern Pine has long been the preferred species for pressure treatment because of its unique cellular structure that permits deep, uniform penetration of preservatives. Some 85% of all pressure-treated wood produced in the U.S. is Southern Pine." This might help explain my problem and is consistent with what someone else said above - the wood may have starved my joints by absorbing much of the epoxy. I always try to precoat, but I probably have never waited long enough to see absorbtion. Instead of starting from scratch, I think I'm going to attempt to disassemble all the pieces of the board, sand them, clean with acetone or something, precoat, then glue with thickened epoxy. One more lesson in the bag.

Some of the joints seem to have bonded well. I used yellow pine because it's readily available and much denser than cypress, which I use for most all else.

I was just about to glue the "handle" on my centerboard. I had the rest of it shaped already. I happened to drop the cutoff of the laminated board and it split in two, breaking at one of the joints. There was a visual gap I could see light through at that joint already - why I positioned it to be cut off when I shaped the board. But, I thought, the glue should be stronger than the wood. So, I slapped another piece of cutoff on my table and a piece of it broke off. I proceeded to beat my centerboard into several pieces. I did something wrong when I glued it up and I need your help to do it right the second time. I used yellow pine - not overly sappy - but you can smell the pine when you cut it. I did not thicken the epoxy when I laminated the pieces (I suspect I should have thickened and this is the problem). I adjusted my clamps more than once to make sure I had no gaps, but was not over clamping. Anyhow, I glued the lamination at least 3 weeks ago. The pieces were joined together on their finished surfaces. Talk to me.

I've been reading Robb White's Flotsam and Jetsam. Anyone interested in boats, the South, or who just liked Robb White and good stories will enjoy it, I think.

I get Ocume through my local lumber yard which gets it from McEwen Lumber (part of Hood Distribution) in Charleston. I think they'll sell it retail if you buy at least $500.00 worth. I get great prices through my local yard. 1/4 inch is 43 dollars and some change. 3/4 is 116 dollars and some change. I called McEwen and asked where they get it. I was told "Navy Ply." It's also supposed to be BS1088 - I've been assured that it is. Can't find any info on Navy Ply though. I think they're out of FL. I'm considering building a shanty boat and Hydrotek sounds like it would be best when weight does not matter. When I called McEwen, the lady I talked with had never heard of it.

I'm in Georgetown, SC - between Charleston and Myrtle Beach. I have a supplier in Charleston that can get me Ocume, but I'm looking for a Hydrotek supplier. Any information would be appreciated.

There's something about Rescue Minor that really charms - and White's version, in particular. I got the bug to build one too about two months ago. Problem is, I'm in the middle of a Bay River Skiff 17' and then hope to build a 20' houseboat - probably by Sam Devlin. But that didn't stop me from getting all the info on the Rescue Minor I could find. The mania has subsided and I've placed the idea in safe storage. Robb White did an article in WB #189 - you probably already know this. If not, you should get it. I also talked to Mark Bayne - Sea Island Boatworks - Charleston, S.C. - who built one of those on the Atkins site. He said he used either 3/8 or 1/2 inch but that the bottom on the box keel was 1", I think. You should call or email him, I'm sure he'll be very helpful. He also seemed to know a lot about what other builders of the boat had done. He suggested a replica of White's could be built out of ply from bottom up to the chine and then strip built up from there to get the tumble home and drake tail stern. He told me that he thinks builders should leave the design alone from the chine down. Please post pictures!

And how many yards of Xynole at 62'' wide do I need?

I decided to use a piece of yellow pine without all the fat - yellow pine "light". I am planning to sheath my hull with Xynole. At what stage should I do this? Should I do it before or after installing the centerboard and trunk?

Richard, those aren't mahogany saw horses in your photos, are they? ;D

I like your dog. I am building the BRS 17' and have been documenting it on a blog: http://brs-pelican.blogspot.com/. So far it's gone together pretty easily. I obviously have not sailed it yet, so I can't tell you anything about that. You'll find this forum very helpful when you start building. Good luck!

I am planing to use some old growth yellow pine for my false stem. It has a lot of sap in it and I'm wondering if the sap will cause any trouble with the epoxy bonding. Anyone have an answer?

It's history now. I tried one side with the heat gun and then chisel, starting at the transom and wedging the stringer from the side as I went. On the side I used the heat gun on, I also took off the first layer of plywood from the side in some areas. I did not have this problem on the other side. This may have been a result of a better glue up on the first side and not because of the heat gun, but I don't know. But I got them corrected and filled the gashes in the sides with thickened epoxy. Won't be any bright work on this boat! Thanks for y'all's suggestions.