Bryan Rolfe

The boat has been turned over and I'm gearing up to glass the bottom. I just realized the glass cloth I purchased for this job is actually 10oz woven rather than 10ox plain weave. I think the consequence is that it's going to be more annoying to work with (as the weave has much more tendency to separate, especially at cut edges), and probably won't handle the chines as well. I'm also worried that it will absorb more resin than the plain weave and make the boat heavier? Should I ditch the woven cloth and get some plain weave?

Still mostly spending tape glass taping (re-enforcing the nesting bulkheads, inside/outside of the aft seating). Apply epoxy coats to the interior of the aft seating too. Haven't come up with good technique for the epoxy coatings -- the epoxy is quite viscous and does not paint well. This might be a product of my cooler temperatures though (low 60s). I did use a heat gun during the process to help a little. Might also switch to a roller for the rest of the interior. Seat tops are not glued on quite yet, nor is the bow seat. I'm actually not totally clear where in the assembly process to glue on the bow seat top/frame, but I'm also not in a rush to do it.

"selvedge" -- that makes sense. I guess that's also a term used in the Denim world, probably with woven fabrics in general. I've continued to cut it off in places where I know I'll need to add layers of glass ontop, and it hasn't been too much trouble yet! I am a little nervous about the nesting test, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Another thing I found, and this might just be me, but I find that: I get nicer fillets if I immediately apply my glass tape over them, rather than waiting for them to cure slightly. I find that once they've cured slightly, its harder to mush down and bumps or imperfections. I actually prefer not to wet out the glass prior to applying it to my joint. If I'm applying over a cured joint, then I'll wet out the area and then put the dry tape on top. If I'm applying over a wet fillet, I'll just slap it on. Wetting it out is very easy and doesn't seem to disturb the fillet. I think part of the reason I prefer this method though is that I'm using peel-ply on all my joints, and I'm not too concerned about applying too much epoxy since it will just soak into the peel ply and be removed. So cool that you owned a Vega! Do you remember which hull #?

Here's an update! It doesn't look like a lot has changed, but that's because I've been busy filleting and glassing all the joints. This has taken more time than I expected, mostly because it's a new technique to me, and figuring out how to get smooth fillets and lay up glass on top of these nicely has taken time. I've also been using peel ply everywhere which slows things down. I've also been wetting out my glass directly on the wood of the dinghy floor rather than laying out plastic since it'll all be painted anyway. However I'm not sure I find this significantly easier than laying the glass out dry and wetting it out on the joint itself. A few things have either not gone as planned or have been a little confusing: I wasn't sure when/if to glass the transom joint to the hull. I didn't see it specifically called out in the assembly instructions, but the plans do call for all interior seams to be filleted and glassed, so I went ahead and did this prior to trying install and fit the aft seat compartments. That meant that the corners of the CNC-ed panels had to be sanded/cut to accommodate the fillets, but that wasn't a big deal of course. (one) edge of the 10oz glass tape I'm using produces a rather harsh "lip" that does not accommodate a second layer very well -- it will form an air pocket like you can see below. This might not be unique to my glass tape, but one edge does seem to be "stitched" and I've been cutting this edge off moving forward. If I let the tape fully cure below applying an additional layer, I sand down the edge. This only applies to the nesting bulkheads. The reinforcement panels on the nesting bulkheads create a hard 90-degree edge that the tape can't bridge across the bottom of the nesting bulkheads. The glass either needs to be cut in these locations or a fillet made. I decided to just add fillets to these edges to make my life a little easier and also maybe improve the appearance of these panels -- not sure if this is a typical thing. 4 layers of glass, haven't added the 6th layers to the top 1/3rd yet. Air pockets are visible at the glass lip from the underlying layer. Layers have been offset ~1/2" Fillets added to the reinforcement panels: I've started to install the aft seating compartments -- the forward panel (the smallest piece) required a lot of planning and checking to get to fit, but I think this is expected since every boat folds differently. I used hot glue and then tack-welded. I'm not sure if these panels are meant to be glassed in place or just filleted, but I will see if it's explicitly specified anywhere.

That's awesome! Good for her, seems like she's going places. Also, that's a pink boat! You're indeed correct. It doesn't actually say this, I think the wording just made me think that they should be on top of the seat.

Will post some updates soon. But right now I have a question about the aft seats and inspection hatches. I'm going with 6" inspection ports because we will probably use these areas to store small things on occasion since this will be our primary means of transportation. The plans call for these to be added to the seat tops, but I've also seen people add them to the sides, and this is my preference as well. Should I reinforce these areas with an extra layer of plywood, or some laminated stripes of wood, or am I over thinking this?

So I got the gunwales planed and sanded down fair. I then moved onto tack welding the fwd bulkhead in place and adding my first glassed fillet to one of the nesting bulkheads. I used peel ply on the tape to make my life easier for the next layer. After peel ply was removed, looks ok from a distance. A couple small air pockets up close though that I'll need to come back and fix. I drilled my holes through the nesting bulkheads prior to this step (and prior to installing the bulkheads into the boat) because I didn't see the note in the instructions about doing it after the bulkheads were glassed in. One question I have, is should the tape be fully covering the places where the bulkheads will be bolted through? If so, I'll need to adjust where I place the other layers of tape. The other question I had is: presumably the sides and bottoms should be taped separately, as it's impossible to make a piece of fiberglass tape round that 3D corner (without cuts). I did mine in separate pieces, with about a 2" overlap. Is that acceptable?

Both gunwales are now bent-on and laminated! Next up, planing, and sanding them flush -- hopefully not too much of a chore, but the places that have epoxy squeeze out that I couldn't clean up will probably be annoying.

I got the port side laminated on today -- it sure was a chore getting all 3 strips to comply with the 2D curvature at the bow, but it eventually got there. When the epoxy cures, should I cut the gunwale flush with the starboard side, and bring the starboard gunwale over the top of the port gunwale: I originally cut my fir strips to 5/16", but looking at them they may be a tad thicker. The outer ash strip is probably 1/4". I probably would have had a slightly easier time if I had done 1/4" on the fir strips as well. I didn't use every clamp I had, but just about every small one. The bow required the strongest clamps. I also used a large bar clamp to span across the entire stern (not shown) to old the aft end of the strips flush with the shear line there, as it was difficult to clamp anything against the knee, and I didn't really want to screw into the knee right now. I did my epoxy in one batch, and it was fine. I'm using a slow cure hardener, and the temperatures here right now are in the 60s, so I had ample time to work with it. I got good squeeze out everywhere, so I'm confident the lamination will be solid. I mostly cleaned up the extra epoxy on the bottom of the lamination, but will have some sanding/grinding to do on the top as I couldn't clean everywhere between the clamps. (photo is before clean-up)

Alright, tonight I will glue on the gunwales. I got all the pieces ripped, scarfed, and joined, and then dry fitted them to the hull last night. Definitely anticipate it being awkward to get this lamination done, and am thinking of some ways to make it go more smoothly. I also cut my gunwales to 1 1/4" wide instead of 1 1/2" -- it says in the plans that they are specified at 1 1/4", but the material list also calls for ripping 1 1/2" stock (I think). So mine might be 1/4" narrower than others, but it's fine. For the scarf joints, I did 8:1, which is about a 7-degree angle. I originally thought I could do these with my shooting board and my jack plane, but it proved too difficult/awkward and instead I made a simple jig for the table saw which worked fine. It's a little bit sketchy since the drop pieces are small and sit close to the blade, but as long as you put a piece of tape over your blade cut-out to make a zero-clearance notch, it shouldn't be too much trouble. I also designed the jig so that I would be standing off-center from the blade in case anything did get flung back at me. I also used Titebond III wood glue instead of epoxy for the scarf joints. My reasoning was that it was all going to be epoxy laminated and epoxy coated, and so the joint only needs to be structurally sound for the final glue up to the boat. Also, the scarfs end up lying at a location where there isn't a lot of bending force on them. Finally, wood glue is arguably a stronger bond then straight epoxy for this kind of joint (since epoxy really needs some small gap to create a good bond. I think overall, I've spent way more time on the gunwales already than I was expecting to -- if you can move 12' lumber around, I highly recommend doing that over trying to scarf a bunch of thin strips together to make long enough strips.

Even for the interior two strips? I'll have a hard piece of ash for the outer 3rd strip in the 3-strip lamination.

I'll be making the gunwales tomorrow -- unfortunately I can't fit 12' lumber in my car, so everything I have is < 10'. I'll need to scarf and glue strips together, and I think I'll make a temporary jig for that process to make sure everything gets glued together straight and flush. My plan was to use some redwood strips I already have from a surfboard I built a few years ago. These are already 5/16" thick, and just need to be trimmed in width a little. For the outer layer, I was planning to use ash, since I happened to have some, and the assembly guide suggests it for durability of the outer layer. Any reason I shouldn't use redwood in place of fir here?

In that thread, I found the link to the seabiscuit build, where he used a lacing technique: I think this method could work, although it does seem to be a bit of a pain for the initial setup. I imagine it probably works better, aerodynamically, than using velcro "straps" though. The other thing I was thinking was to utilize and entirely different rig, like a sprit rig.

That's a good idea! I think you're right though, if I can live with it, then I probably will. once the fillets and glass are in on the inside, I should be able to afford to plan off the portion that sticks out while I'm rounding over the chines without compromising the integrity of the hull at that location. I've been thinking ahead about what I want to do with the mast and sail, and I'm wondering what solutions are available to make raising and lowering the sail easier while in the dinghy, on the water? I don't have any experience with sleeved sails, but it does seem like lowering the sail isn't really an option with a sleeved design, or it has to be lowered and unzipped at the same time. Obviously a track is out of the question on a mast that breaks down into 3 sections (right?). Are "hoops" an option, or is there too much loss in efficiency/issues with the tapering? We'll be using the dinghy as our tender, and anything that makes sailing it easier, including setup and breakdown, will mean we'll be more like to sail the boat, over motoring it.

That's a good idea in terms of re-enforcing the inside. My plan was, before I close out the forward compartment, do apply some glass on the inside, but also sand down the outside slightly and apply an extra patch of glass there as well. The bump is pretty small, but it would give me peace of mind to know the area has been toughened up. This morning I continued with the build and got the bow breast hook, transom, and transom knees installed and epoxied in place (epoxy is currently curing). Dry-fit: I noticed that I made a mistake with the transom and cut the strengthening pine pieces flush with the transom, rather than chamfering them at an angle to match the hull shape. In hindsight, it makes sense that Alan would not have arbitrarily had these pieces cut oversized for no reason. It's not an issue, and I just made sure the gaps were adequately filled with thickened epoxy. I only mention it so others may learn from my mistakes. My latest question is what I should do about the chine near the FWD bulkhead. The lower panel is still pushed out slightly on both sides, and I cannot get the copper wires tight enough to pull it in. I was thinking of adding a copper wire to the lower section of the forward bulkhead and pulling it from there on both sides:

Once the repair had cured for 24 hours, I continued where I had left off, but with some new strategies. I wetted out the interior of the forward two lower panels with hot water and rags for ~45 minutes. I only wetted the exterior (as I should have probably) later. I also added a "batten" to the side that had not cracked, just to prevent something similar from happening. I ended up adding a batten to the repaired side too, but only later in the process. The photos below only show the forward section after I removed the starboard batten. For the most part things went well. To secure the nesting bulkheads, I used the rachet straps again, but instead I used them, with a board running along the underside of the boat adjacent to the nesting bulkhead location, and with each end of the straps hooked over the edge of the lower panels. I then racheted to "open" up, and flatten, the floor at this location, which allowed the nesting bulkhead to settle in place, and I could then use my screws to secure it. The only hiccup was again at the bow. I thought everything had gone well, but then noticed a hairline crack developing along the same extended line as the original blow out. I suspect that either the interior plywood was slightly damaged here when it originally tore, or the glass/epoxy repair has added a hard point which has caused this area to crack. After I noticed it, I liberally wetted out and steamed the area (with a steam cleaner) before proceeding to tighten up my wires. I also added the port-side batten at this time to maybe relieve some of the bowing stress here. The crack can be felt as a little "bump", even though it doesn't look significant in the photo. My question for Alan, or anyone else is, should I be concerned about this? The hull will ultimately be glassed, which will certainly help, but should I take other actions now, or in the build to prevent this from worsening over time?

Thanks for the reply Alan. For the repair, I ended "chamfering" down the plywood around where it had cracked (on both sides, but only one side is shown below). I then traced the area on plastic, and then onto fiberglass cloth, and cut out incremental patches Then on this same piece of plastic (since it acts as a guide), I wetted out the patch in order of smallest to largest, then took this wetted patch "assembly" and flipped it upside down so the largest patch was on the bottom. I then applied this to crack, added peel ply, and plastic. I repeated the process for the other side. After the patches were cured enough to not be tacky (overnight), I removed the peel ply and added an epoxy fairing compound to both sides, since the patches do not perfectly "fill" the chamfer. I then sanded these down to be flush with the surround ply -- I did sand into the glass a little since it was proud in some places.

Haha, I never would have spotted that. Very nice -- I'd like to make a half-hull of my last boat, which was an Albin Vega 27.

Hmm. I was going off the build instructions which just specify to use a 2" square piece of 9mm plywood, or similar, and to screw them tightly together. The photo included directly under that part of the build instructions shows two screws in each of the blocks as well. It might be different for other builds. Anyway, wouldn't the hard point be formed by the edges/corners of the wooden block, not the screw locations?

Here's another photo prior to trying to insert the nesting bulkheads (and also before I removed one of the braces on the right).

Well, bad news. While going "3D" tonight, the plywood near the bow tore in much the way warned against in the build instructions. I did not use the hot wet rag method as suggested in the build-guide because my garage is not air conditioned, and the humidity here, near the ocean, is about 60%. The tare happened not while I was doing anything, but while I was looking for some clamps, I just heard a terrible cracking sound and looked around to see the horror at the bow. I think it was a result of the sides not being fully supported, and via gravity, putting a lot of force/twist on that section of the bow. However, I also was having an extremely difficult time getting the nesting bulkheads into position by myself -- is it even possible with one person? As you can see in the photos, I was attempting to use a ratchet strap to assist with this, and before the tare, I was getting ready to pass a board under the bottom and clamp it to either side to "force" the centerline up into the nesting bulkhead. In any case, I I have time to think about how to approach that, but right now I need to figure out how to repair this piece of plywood -- if it it's even possible?

Went down a rabbit hole and watched all of Alan's videos on that build, that was super helpful! I started the build this week: Glued the side and bottom panels together (finger joints) Glued the re-enforcements on the bulkheads and transom Glued the panels together to create the "butterfly" Mistakes I made: Did not adequately wet out the first finger joint and there are some gaps on the underside I'll need to fill in later Glued up the wrong bottom pieces to one another (such that the CNC-ed lines are not on the same side). Not a big deal, but means I got to transfer some lines I used peel-ply throughout so far, mostly to experiment with using peel ply, but also it has made things a lot easier and has helped ensure things are wet out (when done correctly) and help reduce the amount of sanding.

After a lot of deliberation, we decided we are going to build a Spidnrift 10N as our tender for our Westsail 32. We have big plans for our Westsail, so this boat will be our primary means of transport for groceries, hauling supplies, snorkeling, diving, etc. I had a 27-foot boat prior to our current boat, and cruised with an inflatable dinghy. We went back and forth for a long time on whether or not it would be practical to have a hard dinghy, but in the end I think we've made the right choice. I'm especially excited to be able to sail around anchorages and in our home port here in Monterey Bay. Currently though, I work way too much, and decided that if there's any chance of this project being finished in a timely manner, that a kit was the right approach. I don't know exactly how many hours we're saving not having to source marine plywood, transport it, loft patterns, and cut the pieces, but I suspect it's a decent chunk. I am lucky that I get to work from home, so I will probably be spending about 2 hours a day on the boat during the work week, and likely one full weekend day a week. I may also take a week off work just to push the project through when it's at a stage where that time can really be spent (rather than time waiting for epoxy to cure). I have no experience with stitch and glue, but I did build a hollow wooden surfboard a few years ago, and have plenty of additional experience with epoxy from my big-boat projects, so fingers crossed all goes well!