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Spindrift 11N build in Scotland


Aphers

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8 hours ago, Novice said:

Aphers, I'm also in Scotland and hoping to build a Spindrift 10N. I see you got your plywood and timber from Robbins. I wonder where you got your epoxy and fibreglass tape. The materials list calls for 3” X 10 oz silene treated fibreglass tape (75mm X 350gsm). I can't find tape of that weight on any website in the UK. The only source seems to be B and B Yachts in the USA. Can you tell me where you got your tape please - and indeed your epoxy?

 

Hi there, I sourced my epoxy and the tape from MB fibreglass who are based in NI. I used the 'Epolam' epoxy which was substantially cheaper than any other option I found. Their tape is 315gsm. When I ran out of that, the second roll I bought was from Fyne Boat Kits and that was only 200gsm. I'm not just how critical the weight is, I doubled up in a few places when I had to switch to the thinner tape.

 

I would say there is a certain degree of wiggle room in exactly what materials you use, and the quantities you'll need. E.g. the bill of materials suggests considerably more epoxy than I have used, but only one roll of tape. I bought 4 lengths of 25x50mm ash and will have hardly any of that left over.

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And the boat is now painted. Two coats of a two pack polyurethane. It was hard to bring myself to cover up all those lovely details- the knees, the laminated gumwhales. But this is a utility boat, a tender, not a show pony. The 2 pack paint will be the hardest wearing and most UV resistant finish possible.

I did leave one tiny section of wood- the capping for the daggerboard case. It's not especially beautiful, but unlike e g. the knees if it did deteriorate it wouldn't be too hard to repair or replace.

 

From a distance the finish is acceptable, but the paint really highlights any imperfections underneath. I thought I was going a bit OTT on the fairing and sanding, but actually it's ended up looking pretty rough in places. I didn't really want to risk sanding through the epoxy coating and durability is more important than aesthetics to me.

 

Next step is to install the hardware. Bailers, rowlocks, rudder pins. I also have to make the thwart and the foils, and adapt the rig from my donor dinghy.

PXL_20210325_223813960.jpg

PXL_20210325_223743257.jpg

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Aphers,

 

The Spindrift looks great. I like the natural wood on the daggerboard trunk- it's a nice touch.

 

I was also repainting the interior of my Spindrift today and I'm amazed how many flaws and imperfections made it to through to the final build. I have to say that I don't even notice them when I'm using the boat. You don't really notice them at all unless you go looking for them, so from the dock or from afar I doubt anyone else will either.

 

They'll just see a really sharp little boat that splits in half- always a novelty and always gets lots of questions.

 

Congrats on getting this far. Cheers!

 

-Starboard

 

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I try very hard to make the exterior of my boat and some interior details near perfect. Good enough is my standard for the inside of the hull. There is a limit to how much sanding and refilling I will do inside corners, concave surfaces and other such places.

 

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The longer I live with the boat the less I am noticing the bumps, runs, and dents that are showing through the paint.

I have to say I'm extremely impressed with the two pack paint. Excellent coverage from just two coats, and very very hard. I have painted a yacht with expensive marine enamel (one pack) and that was nowhere near as good, taking weeks to reach any sort of hardness.

 

Today was spent turning an old shelf in to the thwart. It was a battered old piece of wood given to me by a friend, and it turned out rather well after some aggressive sanding back. I found fitting the thwart to be quite a fiddly job.

 

Any suggestions for ways of securing the thwart? 

PXL_20210330_215307041.jpg

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20 hours ago, Aphers said:

 I found fitting the thwart to be quite a fiddly job.

Flashback building horror! I made a beautiful thwart out of Spanish Cedar, carefully measuring. Wen I beveled the slots to match the slope on the sides I did it on the wrong side. That screwed up piece taunted me until it became trim for the companion  way on Skeena.

BTW, she looks great!

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The little blocks to support the seat... hardwood or laminated ply?

I'm also wondering about using some hard foam rubber that I have for the aft supports. These would give a nice friendly surface for the bow section to rest on when nested. Only problem is I don't know if I can secure them to the sides of the hull well enough...

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I slightly modified the center seat so that it can also be stowed in the stern when sailing. I suppose you could sit on it back there too, but so far it doesn't get much use in that position, especially if the outboard is mounted. It's obviously a little smaller than the usual seat as it it sized to fit perfectly in the stern. It doesn't affect usability at all since you couldn't sit at the very edges anyway.

 

The center seat is supported by the side seats, so I didn't have to add any additional support blocks on my boat.

 

930897826_centerseatB.thumb.jpg.cbba19a08971a3be72a49513e8d71cd5.jpg

 

I mounted two small blocks of wood to help locate it when stowed in the stern

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I have a line with a brass shackle that works in the forward and the rear positions to hold it in place.

 

1981956086_centerseatA.thumb.jpg.ea981d017db5bf469c83e40a8b56b989.jpg

 

1812608513_centerseatD.thumb.jpg.8853cc553f0e777437d7d76e6c6cdda2.jpg

 

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The only down side I can see to your system is that you can't use the center seat without the side seats.  Though in reality I don't know that it is much of an issue. I use my Spindrift for rowing mostly now, just an occasional sail and don't use my side seats except for sailing. I really like the simplicity of locking it all in place you have developed.

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@Starboardyour photos are making me wish I'd left a bit more wood on show! Looks superb.

Is that foot brace I can see running up the middle of the floor?

 

I've got the two halves of the boat hanging from the ceiling beams now, so I could go around with a paintbrush and touch up some random spots where the coverage wasn't great. That's the painting now completely finished. On to the hardware tomorrow.

 

I was thinking about using an over-centre latch to secure the rowing seat. The latch would be mounted next to the centreboard case, with the hook part on the underside of the seat. I have a spare latch lying around somewhere so no harm in offering it up to see how it looks.

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I took a different approach to the seat on my Two Paw 8.  I figured I only needed a seat for my bottom, and not one that goes all the way to each side.  So, my seat is a disc that uses daggerboard cap for attachment. It slides on from the front.  Once in position, there are little pads on either side that touch down to the center bulkheads to prevent wobble.  I do not use the seat when sailing.  I only use it when I’m fishing or rowing.
E2C3A6EE-00D1-4527-A766-FC31C6077C4E.thumb.jpeg.b60adc79b04dc1bf91a686acba9946b1.jpeg

 

 

The bonus is that it is also part of the assembly process.  It is positioned on the middle of the d/b slot.10EE6C50-BC7D-4BA9-85FD-C324FA7CE5DC.thumb.jpeg.290c06847acb14086191d0bb8f5da174.jpeg

I drop the bow section into the quick-connect receptacles, slide the seat rearward, and sit on it.  (This is done in the water, btw.) Then, I secure my two top screws.

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@Thrillsbeyou've got some very clever ideas in that boat.

 

Well I thought today would be easy, bolting on the hardware (hatches, rudder fittings, etc). But boats are never simple. My rudder stock and fittings are from the donor dinghy, and after getting everything carefully lined up and bolted on, I was surprised by how much friction there was turning the rudder. It was also a real struggle to get it on and off the boat.

At first I thought the problem lay with the old rudder stock- the holes have worn a fair bit and it has definitely seen better days. Eventually, though, I realised the problem- my transom is not flat. It curves in slightly at the top, so the stiffening beam across the top is slightly more vertical than the rest of the transom.

Cue an hour or so fiddling around making up an angled plywood packer. I could have packed out either fitting, but I chose the upper one since it carries a bit less force in use. I haven't managed to get everything absolutely perfect, but it's much better than it was.

Now it's just the mast step and the rowlocks to install. Should be on the water next week, weather permitting.

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Well Elvis has left the building. The boat is now safely tucked away at the back of the shed, and I can get the workshop turned back in to a house.

Of course it's not 100% finished. I'm going to add a keel band, and the secondhand rudder needs repainted. I've done nothing about the rig yet- again, this will be modified secondhand equipment. I'm going to try out a sail from a 420, it's a touch short on the foot but otherwise looks a better fit than anything else I could get my hands on. So once that arrives I'll modify the mast and then can fit the mast step. I don't have a boom either, so that's another wee job,

The oars I have just now are far too short, but they were useful for gauging where to place the rowlocks.

 

Anyway the young skipper approves of the boat and can't wait to get it in the water. Currently snowing outside so we might have to wait a couple of weeks for that.

s11n complete.jpg

s11n rowing.jpg

s11n in shed.jpg

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