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Spindrift 10N #1089


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I learned to sail on dinghies years ago. I have a Laser, which I enjoy, but of course it's a one person boat. I also have an old J/24 which I sail mostly out of Marina Del Rey, and we also trailer it to local regattas. We sail to Catalina a few times a year and while we're there we have a Zodiac we use as our dinghy from the mooring to shore.

 

I've wanted to learn a new skill and building a small boat seemed like a pretty good idea. I looked at a lot of different plans and designs, I even did my own simple design. I wanted something small and light, primarily oriented to use as a sailboat but that also happens to row and motor. I plan on using the spars and sails from my Laser. I also liked the idea of a nesting boat that in theory could fit on the foredeck of my J/24 for trips to Catalina. Whether that really works out well or not is another story, we'll just have to see. I also like the idea of car-topping the boat and exploring the area's waterways. I finally decided on the Spindrift a few months ago and ordered the plans from Graham. I digitized them into an Adobe Illustrator file so I could make templates.

 

I bought the lumber on September 3. There's a source called Forest Plywood near Los Angeles that stocks Okoume plywood. Bonhoff Lumber supplied the rest of the wood. I decided on spruce for most of the stringers and mahogany for the parts that require harder wood like the breasthook and knees. The gunwales are a lamination of mahogany and spruce.

 

Lumber wonderland of teak and mahogany:

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Is it possible that this will soon be a boat?

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I printed the pattern on my big HP Designjet 500 and cut the plywood.

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You'll notice that my scarf is at the nesting bulkhead. The 10N has plenty of wood from 4 sheets of plywood to do this. I was very accurate in my cuts and the result was as good as having the joint closer to the stern. I know that in theory it shouldn't matter to have a scarf joint, but I just wanted to see if this way worked.

 

Wired.

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I did the butterfly trick by myself so sadly I don't have any photos of the process. It was amazing to see flat plywood turn into a hull in 15 seconds. Everything went together relatively well. There was a little trimming and adjustment to my forward bulkhead. Everything squared up and leveled OK so I did the first glue layer in the seams and removed the wires. It all held together just fine.

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Since I was working alone on gunwale day, I decided to make helper blocks and 'goalposts' at the stern to keep the slippery layers together. The mahogany is firm and the outside layer is closer to 3/8" than 1/4", so it was a real wrestling match. The clip clamps simply weren't strong enough, so I had to use some screws from the inside along the gunwale to hold them together. I also held the gunwales back about 2 inches from the bow and I made a bowpiece out of mahogany that curves around and connects both sides together. The mahogany and spruce look beautiful sanded down and rounded off. This will be left bright, of course.

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I flipped the hull on Friday and smoothed down the chines and keel. They were glassed off and yesterday I installed the keel. I had a trimming of mahogany that ended up working perfectly as the keel- I had originally planned on using spruce but I think the mahogany will be much stronger.

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Next up is to finish sanding the bottom of the gunwales while the boat is flipped over then it's time to pull out the saw and chop this thing in half. I can't wait!

 

-Lars

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Workspace & Tools:

 

I have a relatively small workspace. Technically it would be a 2 car garage, but my house is from the 1920's and 2 modern cars don't fit in there. I have space for 1 car and a bunch of bikes & tools. But it's enough space to build a 10 foot boat. The Spindrift 11 would have fit, but anything bigger would have required some rearranging. The garage door opens right to the street, so when I'm working I often have neighborhood passers-by stop and have a look. I have a side door, and so the cross breeze often blows the dust out of the way. Even still, there's a fine layer of dust on everything. Nothing the vacuum can't sort out.

 

As a kid growing up, my dad had a very well equipped woodworking workshop. He had full sized planers, drills, saws and all sorts of other tools to build clocks and fine furniture. He'll turn 81 this year and he's building my rudder and daggerboard in his shop.

 

After college I lived in a small apartment and never had space for a workshop. I learned the hard way that using the bansdaw in the living room was a bad idea. Now that I have a house I have a workspace again. I had some decent tools before I started this project. Nothing great, but good enough. I have a tabletop sized bandsaw which has been great for all the details like the knees and breasthook. I cut the keel on the bandsaw and then finished it with the sander. I have a decent handheld scroll saw which was really good to cut the plywood. I also have a handheld radial saw which did a great job on the straighter cuts of the plywood. Believe it or not it's Dewalt 18v battery powered saw. The 6" blade meant it could handle curves pretty well.

 

I had a cheap Black and Decker square handheld sander, but i upgraded to a Bosch random orbital sander. That was the best money spent so far. It can't handle sharp corners, so I still keep the square sander handy, but anything else is a dream with this thing.

 

I have a very cheap handheld router I bought years ago a Harbor Freight. I has a hard time staying set where needed, but I have managed to work with the shortcomings and used it to round off the wood trim pieces. I ordered a very nice Bosch router but I haven't yet put it into service. I might not end up needing it at this point- for this project at least.

 

One tool I really would like to get is a decent drill press. Even a small tabletop size would work. I'd like to make precise holes in the metal keel strip, as well as a bunch of other detail work. My handheld drills have been great so far, but they just aren't as accurate as a drill press.

 

My favorite new tool is my plain old Stanley block plane. How did I go all these years and never have one? I love how easily it transforms the shape of the wood.

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That brings back a lot of memories. I just mounted a "headknocker" mainsheet cleat on my boom for racing at the MASCF this week. I will let you know how it works out. These little boats are a hoot to sail! One quick suggestion. The rudder, centerboard and mast take a lot of time. If you build stuff together, you avoid over runs because extra epoxy has a new destination! When I got my 11N as far as yours I thought I was going to be sailing soon. It turns out the devil is in the details. I made all the extra stuff simultaneously and it worked well. Less epoxy batches = faster!

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That brings back a lot of memories. I just mounted a "headknocker" mainsheet cleat on my boom for racing at the MASCF this week. I will let you know how it works out. These little boats are a hoot to sail! One quick suggestion. The rudder, centerboard and mast take a lot of time. If you build stuff together, you avoid over runs because extra epoxy has a new destination! When I got my 11N as far as yours I thought I was going to be sailing soon. It turns out the devil is in the details. I made all the extra stuff simultaneously and it worked well. Less epoxy batches = faster!

 

Fortunately almost all of my sail rigging is complete since I'll just use the spars and sails from my Laser. I've pawned off the jobs of the rudder and daggerboard to my dad. He's definitely taking his time, but he's getting close to laminating the strips and then cutting them on a router jig he's devised to get the proper foil shape.

 

I don't doubt that I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm keeping momentum.

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That brings back a lot of memories. I just mounted a "headknocker" mainsheet cleat on my boom for racing at the MASCF this week. I will let you know how it works out. These little boats are a hoot to sail! One quick suggestion. The rudder, centerboard and mast take a lot of time. If you build stuff together, you avoid over runs because extra epoxy has a new destination! When I got my 11N as far as yours I thought I was going to be sailing soon. It turns out the devil is in the details. I made all the extra stuff simultaneously and it worked well. Less epoxy batches = faster!

 

Fortunately almost all of my sail rigging is complete since I'll just use the spars and sails from my Laser. I've pawned off the jobs of the rudder and daggerboard to my dad. He's definitely taking his time, but he's getting close to laminating the strips and then cutting them on a router jig he's devised to get the proper foil shape.

 

I don't doubt that I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm keeping momentum.

 

 

Hi - what is this "router jig" scheme?  How does it work?

 

Matt

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I designed a NACA foil profile for the daggerboard and sent that to him as a full size template. He built a jig that will allow the router to follow the general profile, with sanding to bring it to the final shape. The jig works almost like an old dot matrix printer- he does a pass, advances the board, and passes again, repeating until the profile is done on one side. he flips the laminated boards over and does the other side. You have to keep at least part of the board squared up to do it two sided, or it won't have a good reference point for the back side.

 

His first jig was destroyed when the router jumped out of the track as he was testing it. Fortunately he wasn't cutting the real daggerboard.

 

Here's his first attempt. He hasn't sent me any photos of the current jig.

 

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Lot's of ways to skin a cat. I made a cardboard template and then worked with my hand planer. It took literally a half an hour to get it real close and another 10 minutes with a sander to get it perfect. But I'm perfectly capable of over thinking things, so I applaud the jig! The cool part is that threads like these make me think back.

 

Take Care,

Steve

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Updates:

 

I cut the boat in half the other day. It was a fun job and it all went well.

 

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I used foam core to help design the floatation chambers. These are a little on the small side, but I'll test the boat fully swamped and if I need to I can either expand these or I can build out chambers in the bow.

 

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The benches are different than I have seen on a nesting Spindrift so far. I really want this boat to be more sailing oriented, so the benches are on the side and will allow hiking out. I hadn't really seen a great way to attach removable seats, so I designed a way that I hope will work. I made a support bracket with a stop in the middle and a corresponding notch in the bench. I'll drill holes in each bench and run a loop of shock cord that will fit over the ends of the support bracket. It's pretty simple but of course it took a while to make 8 of these and also notch out the benches. I like the result though!

 

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I spent some time shaping the mahogany bow and stern trim pieces. I really love the look of the wood, and it's such a treat to work with. I can't wait to see the brightwork all varnished.

 

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And the first hardware went on today as well. Our yacht club has a hoist to get boats in and out of the water, so I have padeyes to clip to.

 

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Here it is as of this evening. I haven't glued everything in yet, so some parts are rough fit for now.

 

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Up next: nesting mechanism, rudder, and tiller.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

The Spindrift has been coming along nicely, despite being out of town quite a bit last month. I'm getting close to laying down my first coat of primer- just a little more sanding and fairing. I want this boat to look really good. In the meantime here are a few photos from the past month or so.

 

I've decided on a 12" round port for the forward flotation chamber. I will store a waterproof box in here with a first aid kit, etc. 

 

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This requires a strengthened forward truss to distribute the loads from the mast. This is very robust and well secured.

 

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My dad backed out of building the rudder and daggerboard for me so I had a go at it myself. I laminated leftover mahogany and spruce.

 

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The foils use a NACA profile for the shape. I created a template for the router and made multiple passes to hone it down to the correct shape, then finished with a sander. It has a proper foil profile when seen from the end. I decided to continue the profile all the way up the rudder for aesthetics- i just made the slot on the daggerboard trunk close to the shape of the rudder.

 

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When sailing, I don't plan on having the center rowing seat in place. Instead of having a one-use piece, I decided to make it fit in the stern when not used for rowing. It will easily move forward and sit on top of the rear benches when needed. You can see it in the stern here:

 

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And the center here:

 

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The foils are looking pretty good!

 

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The tiller is hinged for easier storage. I epoxied in a mount for a tiller extension as well.

 

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I made the nesting brackets from stainless steel. It's a tough material to work with, but very strong.

 

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I went back and forth on different mechanisms for the the top, but decided to go with heavy duty bolts that will fit into permanently mounted t-nuts, since they are well above the waterline anyway. The 1/2" hole for the bolt in the stern section will also double as a solid lashing point when the halves of the boat are stowed on deck of my J/24.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

After over two months of building my Spindrift, I finally launched her today. Here's a summary of the past few weeks:

 

Hull primed:

 

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Hull painted and brass keel strip formed:

 

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I made a special motor mount that both protects the hull and also helps clearance on the upper gudgeon. It's two pieces of plywood connected by a little bit of shock cord:

 

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Here's the motor bracket to show how it all fits together:

 

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The rudder is painted and varnished:

 

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I fitted all the sailing gear:

 

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Here she is, almost ready to go. I carved oars yesterday and I'm still in the middle of varnishing them, but they're really beautiful.

 

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On my old utility trailer, heading to Marina Del Rey:

 

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Spindrifts also fly in the proper situation:

 

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She floats! No leaks anywhere. I'm using my full Laser rig. It's really using what I already have and love for such an important part of the boat. It feels just about right for two people on board- you have to hike out a little, but not as much as on a Laser. I have brackets to attach hiking straps if I feel I need them.

 

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I didn't have any champagne so a few drops of Abita Ale will have to do:

 

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I took her out for a sail with one of my friends and she handles beautifully. The mast step needs a small revision as the mast wants to leap out going downwind. I need to add something to make it more secure.

 

Here's the proud builder with the beautiful Spindrift:

 

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It's been such a great journey for me. This is the first boat I've built and I have learned so much. Working with plywood and resin was a the biggest challenge for me. I mostly used tools I had in my workshop already, though I did make a few upgrades and new purchases.

 

I love this little boat. It was a lot of hard work, but such a rewarding experience.

 

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I have never seen or handled a laser sail in person, but in looking them over, the laser rig seems to be very similar, if not the same, as for the Spindrift. That might prove to be a good way to go provided a low cost laser rig can be found, as you did.

 

The router jig setup for doing your foils looks to be a good one. It helps that the Spindrift CB foil has a consistent profile, vs. a tapered one as would be the case with the rudder tip.

 

Anyway, congratulations. Your effort was rewarded with a very nice looking boat!

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I have to adjust the mast step a little bit as the laser mast wants to get loose while going downwind. It popped out yesterday on the maiden voyage, in fact. That sheared a couple of brass bolts on my brass mast collar, but I have already made a fix and I'll be installing it this afternoon. I just made a riser out of 3/4 mahogany so it won't come out. I actually made my the step removable so I could adjust as needed, unlike the plans which show it epoxied in place.

 

The Laser rig is actually very similar to the Spindrift plans already, so little needed to be done to accommodate. I did mount my mainsheet block right behind the daggerboard as you can see in one of the photos, it's a good spot for it. That meant I had to move the center rowing seat aft a few inches, but I don't think that will make much of a difference.

 

My tasks today are to repair the mast collar, upgrade the mast step, and test my new oars. I also plan on running her with the 3.5hp Tohatsu motor.

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