Kennneee Posted October 12, 2021 Report Posted October 12, 2021 My Outer Banks 26, Rosie is done. Her tender, a modified Spindrift 9 is also complete. A couple of months back my wife Luanne AKA Lula asked what my next project was going to be. For the first time in many years I didn’t have an answer. She suggested I build another boat! I believe she lives in fear of a Ken without a project. With 12 kayaks and surfskis hanging in my shed it is hard to justify building another one. Since a good bit of my boating life has been around sailboats the gears started turning. I had admired the Lawpwing 16 for a long time. We live most of the year on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. I have a good shop and lots of tools. In the Winter months we try to go somewhere warm and that is usually San Diego. San Diego would be a great place for a sweet daysailer like a Lapwing. Hmmmm. I now have a plan and a project. In San Diego I have use of a double car garage and almost no tools. With the idea of having a project for the winter and going south I wasn’t sure if doing a build from scratch would be an exercise in frustration without my tools and machines. Long story short, Graham and Allen are putting a kit together for a Lapwing. Before building my Spindrift Rosebud, I had never built from a CNC cut package. After having that experience, I am sold on the concept. I have cut enough plywood in my life and don’t feel short changed when the CNC parts fit together so beautifully. I believe this will be the first Lapwing built with all of the strakes pre-cut. Having the kit will make building this winter possible without having a lot of my tools. Since it will probably take more time to build than I will have when in San Diego this winter, I hope to have the hull far enough along to be able to buy a trailer down there and haul it back to Salt Spring for the final touches. Since the kit will be shipped down south I decided to get going on some of the parts that I can build in BC with the luxury of a well equipped shop. I have been saving some spar grade Sitka Spruce for 25 years or so. When I dug the boards out in hopes that I could use them for this project I was disappointed to find that I had enough for only one of the two masts. I have a local source for Alaskan Yellow Cedar. I was tempted to make one mast out of the Spruce and the other out of AYC but I decided it would look tacky. I picked up enough boards last week to build 2 masts and started butchering them up to make the masts. So, AYC all the way. None of the AYC boards were long enough for the 18’+ and17’ masts so after milling them down to the rough dimensions for the birdsmouth staves I have been scarfing strakes together. Today I finished the glue ups and later in the week I plan to start cutting the birdsmouths and tapers. Any tips or ideas always welcome. Ken Quote
Hirilonde Posted October 12, 2021 Report Posted October 12, 2021 I tackled the masts first while waiting for my plywood order. It is a tedious job and I was glad I did it early. I wish I had used AYC instead of Douglas Fir for my masts. It is a little lighter and still fabulous in all the characteristics needed. I balked at the price. Though I bet you can get it a lot cheaper than I did. Is B&B making all the planks for you? Spiling and fitting the planks was probably the most time consuming part of the build. I think the Lapwing is the perfect daysailor. It is less than 16 feet and still carries 4 in luxury. On a trailer it is 19'8", so it fits nicely in a 20' garage. It is quite stiff, hence forgiving, yet still performs well when the wind picks up. I have had mine planing several times, it is exciting. FYI, there is no such thing as too many boats. 1 Quote
Kennneee Posted October 12, 2021 Author Report Posted October 12, 2021 Dave- After looking at your build thread for your Lapwing, I have a high bar to come close to that quality. Glad you paved the way. Not that many years ago I could buy beautiful vertical grain fir here for a song. It has gone off the charts as far as price these days. There is a great guy here on the island that sells AYC very reasonably. He often throws an extra board or two into my pile when I visit with him. It would be far more practical to make aluminum masts. Practical is not what this project is about. I have never done a birds mouth mast so why not, eh? B&B are making all of the planks. Similar to the “Lapstitch” technique. I guess Lula will be the beta for this new kit. My guess is this is will inspire a few more Lapwing builds since it takes the most intimidating part out of the mix. Do you have any detail pics of your masts? I have not decided wether to mortise the mast heads for a sheaves or to hang blocks for the halyards. I like the way you think (enable) when it comes to boat quantity. Ken Quote
Hirilonde Posted October 12, 2021 Report Posted October 12, 2021 As to pictures of my masts, let me know what detail(s) you are looking for. I used the block B&B sells. As the main halyard leads from the base of the mast to the port side deck and aft, and because the mast rotates, I didn't think a shieve leading the halyard fore of the mast could handle all the angles leading aft. There is an outdoor lumber yard, as in it sells outdoor lumber, that was 10 minutes from my house when I built. That had gorgeous Douglas Fir and Alaskan Yellow Cedar. They probably still do. My DF spars look and work just fine. But I do regret not paying the extra for ALC. Your birdsmouth sampler looks right on. The fun parts are tapering the staves and then the epoxy goo/assembly. Wear clothes you should have thrown away long before, you may wear it well. I built 2 cradles to hold the pieces while I assembled. They were concave half rounds just over 3" d. and attached to saw horses. Getting the last 2 staves in place is definitely amusing. Quote
PadrePoint Posted October 12, 2021 Report Posted October 12, 2021 7 hours ago, Hirilonde said: Getting the last 2 staves in place is definitely amusing. I need to keep this word in mind… “Well, fiddely dee, isn’t this amusing?” (I’m sure my wife would appreciate it.) 1 Quote
Steve W Posted October 12, 2021 Report Posted October 12, 2021 "I have cut enough plywood in my life and don’t feel short changed when the CNC parts fit together so beautifully" I struggled with the concept of having the parts cut out, but it sure sped up the process. I am over my issue and proudly proclaim that I built my boat. I sometimes think the B & B advertising that focuses on the kits should be changed to focus on their wonderful boats, but they aren't wrong that it's pretty nice building from them. Also, you are lucky your wife supports your building. I'm on sabbatical of not my choosing right now!. I look forward to watching your build. Quote
Kennneee Posted October 13, 2021 Author Report Posted October 13, 2021 Dave- If you have a picture of your mast head block and snotter attachment I would love to see it. No worries if you don’t. I have my stand up wardrobe for sloppy epoxy work. The pants will almost stand up on their own. I have quite a pile of pants and shirts that should be tossed since they are more resin that cloth. I look forward to being “amused” Steve- I think once you put a boat together with CNC cut parts it is hard to go back. Yes, I am a lucky guy. Hope your sabbatical ends when you get to choose. Ken Quote
Murray Posted October 13, 2021 Report Posted October 13, 2021 Nice too see another Lapwing! I'm slowly grinding away on mine, and as Dave notes, spiling takes a lot of work and it's not easy to get right. I think a kit makes great sense. Still, I'll get the first coat of paint on the hull this week, then we can turn her over and start the inside. Keep posting! Quote
Kennneee Posted October 13, 2021 Author Report Posted October 13, 2021 Murray- I will if you will. Ken Quote
Hirilonde Posted October 13, 2021 Report Posted October 13, 2021 The mizzen. It shows the snotter, halyard and downhaul as I leave them, ready for the next launch. The snotter block on the main. This shows the halyard block on the mizzen, as well as the pennant and halyard block. A different angle of the previous. Quote
Kennneee Posted October 15, 2021 Author Report Posted October 15, 2021 I have been doing some work on the masts. The 10:1 scarfs worked out well. I cut the birds mouths but made a rookie mistake on the mizzen. Thought I could get one mast done before dinner the other night and rushed my set up. Long story short, the staves are slightly narrower than they should be but I am pretty sure it will be ok. Woodworking has a way of keeping me humble. The next is tapering the staves. I gave it a lot of thought and decided my track saw would be the best way to do it quickly and accurately. The set up took some time but then each taper takes less than a minute to cut and yields a pretty perfect taper. I did one mast so far and will do the other one later today. Well, maybe I should do it tomorrow as it is getting late and I should learn from my mistakes! I put the mizzen together without glue to check the fit and it seems pretty good. Years ago I built a 20’ strongback on wheels for my strip boat builds. It has been really handy for building these masts so far. I have been noodling on the best way to glue up the mast and the strongback will be a key player in that step as well. I am waiting for some epoxy to show up here before I can do the assembly. Won’t have it until mid week so I might start cutting wood for the centerboard. The weather here has been pretty lousy or we would be doing some short trips on Rosie. Glad to have this project to work on in these wet British Columbia days. 2 Quote
Murray Posted October 16, 2021 Report Posted October 16, 2021 On 10/14/2021 at 2:28 AM, Hirilonde said: The mizzen. It shows the snotter, halyard and downhaul as I leave them, ready for the next launch. The snotter block on the main. This shows the halyard block on the mizzen, as well as the pennant and halyard block. A different angle of the previous. War a beautiful colour Doug Fir is.... AYC is a lovely timber, but the colour ain't as nice. Quote
Kennneee Posted October 16, 2021 Author Report Posted October 16, 2021 Murray- I agree. The fir is definitely a prettier wood. I did all of the trim in my house doors and the kitchen cabinets in fir. I like it. Ken Quote
Kennneee Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Posted October 23, 2021 On 10/13/2021 at 6:28 AM, Hirilonde said: Dave- Did you do anything special when you secured your sail track and eye straps, blocks, etc.? The finished wall thickness of the masts is around 9/16” and I wonder if there is enough meat there for wood or sheet metal screws to be strong enough? The mizzen. It shows the snotter, halyard and downhaul as I leave them, ready for the next launch. The snotter block on the main. This shows the halyard block on the mizzen, as well as the pennant and halyard block. A different angle of the previous. Quote
Hirilonde Posted October 23, 2021 Report Posted October 23, 2021 I used 3/4" #8 316 stainless pan head screws, drilled pilot holes and bedded the hardware base in BoatLife LifeCaulk. My sail track is bronze, and I bedded the fasteners which are 5/8" #6 316 stainless pan head screws. The only blocking in my masts are the first 4" of the head. Douglas Fir and Alaskan Yellow Cedar both hold fasteners well if you drill the correct size pilot hole. The hole should be the same diameter as the screw shaft, not inlcuding the threads or just a tad smaller in softer woods. For ALC I would err on the slightly smaller side. The screws I used are called self tappers, they have a sharp course thread. FYI, bronze and stainless are really close on the galvanic scale and can be used together. I think many people underestimate the holding power of screws properly secured. Just like prep is the key to a great pain job, properly sized and located pilot holes make all the difference. My gudgeons are screwed on Quote
Kennneee Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Posted October 23, 2021 Dave- For aesthetic reasons I would love to find some bronze sail track. Not to say it doesn’t have other attributes. The little bit of looking around I have done tells me it won’t be likely. I think to get what I would need would cost a limb or two unless you know of a good source. I will likely use the B&B track which looks like good stuff, just not as good looking on a wooden spar. I have the mizzen glued up and mostly shaped. Went very well. Will post more soon with some pics. Quote
Oyster Posted October 23, 2021 Report Posted October 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Kennneee said: Dave- For aesthetic reasons I would love to find some bronze sail track. Not to say it doesn’t have other attributes. The little bit of looking around I have done tells me it won’t be likely. I think to get what I would need would cost a limb or two unless you know of a good source. I will likely use the B&B track which looks like good stuff, just not as good looking on a wooden spar. I have the mizzen glued up and mostly shaped. Went very well. Will post more soon with some pics. Sent you a mail,, have some track, sail brackets and nice small bronze cleats, just got to figure out how to get it to you Quote
Kennneee Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Posted October 23, 2021 Mike- That’s great! Thanks for thinking of me. I will send an email and we can figure out details. Ken Quote
Kennneee Posted October 24, 2021 Author Report Posted October 24, 2021 Hi Guys- I spent around 5 hours planing and scraping the mizzen mast. When I got done with the planing and scraping it took less that an hour with 220 grit on my Festool sander to call it pretty much done. I am pleased with the outcome. Planing ATC is a true pleasure (assuming you are a wood nerd). Planes like butter. I could have used a power planer for the roughout but using a well tuned hand plane and some music is much more satisfying then the roar of power tools. If your haven’t worked with AYC, you have saved up a pleasure. Should be able to get the main mast glued up in the next couple of days. I started a Google Photos album to document the build. If you are interested in more pics here is the link; https://photos.app.goo.gl/wG9DSjkDfxqUCJUKA Here are just a few of the photos of the mast. Not necessarily in the right order. Ken 2 Quote
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