Building the Bay River Skiff 15 #152

[Chick Ludwig]

I used to have a business repairing fiberglass on boats and "skis" here in the mountains. You wouldn't believe the dumb things Bubba did with his purty metalflake bass boat. He also loved to do the same dumb stuff with his ski. Lotsa times he'd do it to both at once. Many Monday mornings I'd get both a ski and a boat that had "tangled" together over the weekend. Hopefully Thrillsbe won't meet up with him, too!

[Action Tiger]

I will sometimes deploy a staff with a pennant on it, or a big red square, like a diver down flag, especially with bad traffic. Usually, though, my rule is to leave the water if I see more than three powered craft. Heck, I've been pre-tired most of my life, so I rarely boat or fish (or run or ride my bike or open water swim) on the weekends.

And I try not to judge or be angry, because we're all the same, really. Just because it ain't my kind of fun, don't mean it ain't fun.

[Don Silsbe]

Tonight, I finally completed a major task.  The deck is finally completed.  All that remains is for it to get one more coat of epoxy, and then several coats of varnish.  I am so pleased with the outcome.  In addition, mast steps and tubes are completed.  I'm hoping to be done with interior paint before I leave for the Frozen North next week.  (A deadline???)

[Action Tiger]

I believe the proper response is something along the lines of, "Whoa, Mama!" That looks fantastic.

[Chick Ludwig]

Yep, Don is "doing himself proud"!

[PAR]

Are you going to put on margins and king planks?

[Don Silsbe]

Paul-- I have inwales that extend to the stem, plus a 3/4" doubler at the bulkhead.  These, and the king plank are my glue base.  My intent was to rely on the epoxy bond (filleted on the underside) to hold everything together. I figured that if it ever came apart, I would either re-glue and screw it together, or replace it with a piece of painted okoume.  Thoughts?

[JPower210]

Robert (aka Action Tiger),

Chick said it pretty well, but let me put in my two cents.  To step a mast without the tube, you have to hit two holes-- the deck or thwart hole, and then the mast step hole.  This can be a little tricky, given the size and weight of the masts.  It's bad enough doing it on a trailer.  If I had to do it in the water (such as relocating the mizzen for rowing), that would be an ugly process.  The tube guides the mast into the step.  Once you've hit the first hole, you're almost home-free!  Here's a photo of my main mast tube, without the bottom step.  FYI, the clinometer in the photo was NOT used to establish mast rake!

 

Thrillsbe-  Question on the clinometer-  why not use it to set mast rake?  Just curious-  that tool is on my wish list, and I thought it might be good for setting the mast base and the rake on the 17 that I am building-  Thanks-

[Don Silsbe]

JP6210-- a clinometer is simply not accurate enough to do the job.  Those little one-degree increments are closely spaced.  It's easy to be a mark or two off.  A spirit level & block are the best thing.  (See Alan's video.)

[Action Tiger]

It is just to cold in the garop today, so I'm inside doing art, and now my hand is all cramps, so I came here.

Is your deck glassed like a strip kayak deck? Just curious, because there are rumors I may be building myself a new mid-sized sailboat here come springtime. One for taking an open ended trip of unspecified duration...

Maybe I'll put some bright stuff on a boat again for a change.

[PAR]

Maybe you misunderstood the question.

 

http://messing-about.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=11729

 

This is a CS-17 I did with teak planking and mahogany kings and margins. A mahogany toe rail and oak rub finish it off.

[Don Silsbe]

OK, I understand.  I remember this photo of your gorgeous work. I was going to keep it smooth and clear.  I don't see myself actually standing up there, as it is small enough to reach around.  Other BRS15's also keep the foredeck clean, as shown in these photos.  I will go with the large cleat and chocks as shown on the red one, but that's it.

[PAR]

I love it when people say that ("I don't see myself actually standing up there"). Famous last words. On a recent build the owner suggested there wouldn't be any need to texture the foredeck, as he figured he would ever be up there. Me being the hardheaded type, put in texture anyway and the first time I stepped the stick, which is in the eyes like your boat, I had to stand on the pointy end and was grateful I had the texture between me and the morning dew that hadn't burned off yet. In any case, you doing a fine job, keep up the good work and there's lots of ways to skin this kitty.

[Don Silsbe]

Well, a family matter is pulling us out of town early, so I didn't quite meet my objective.  But I did get one coat of color on her before I left.  

[Don Silsbe]

Action Tiger-- yes, I did put a layer of 4 oz on the top and bottom, before gluing it down.  So, you're thinking of a strip-built canoe?  I've got plans for a Wee Lassie, but "other things" take a higher priority right now.  Maybe in a year or two.

 

I'm in Michigan for the holidays, visiting relatives.  I did take my sails in to a sail loft in Muskegon today.  He's gonna sew on some luff-sleeves, as well as those nifty webbing loops for the aft end of the sprits.  He also gave me some spinnaker scraps to make a little red and yellow pennant to fly atop the mainsail.  So, even though I'm away, I still got something good done on the boat.

[Action Tiger]

I've done a round dozen strip/glass boats and that is enough! Light, strong, pretty, sure, but sandsandsandsandsand. No thanks.

The wee lassie is a fun boat, btw.

[Steve W]

Thrillbe, that looks great. Not sure about the yellow, but the off white looks really classy. Tell me about that little punch out in the sea storage frames.

[Don Silsbe]

Graham's plans called for a false floor/flotation chamber.  So, I incorporated the mast step into it at the forward end, as well.  I also put a couple of walnut cleats on the floor, to keep things from sliding around, maybe.  Hopefully.  And I'm excited about the yellow and black walnut combination.

[Scott Dunsworth]

Looks very nice and the color is perfect :)

[Don Silsbe]

With the painting mostly done, I shifted my efforts to parts.  I'll let the photos do the talking.  (The hardware arrangement on the tiller has changed from what is shown.)