Damo's Sailing Boat and Tow Vehicle

[dmulally]

Hi All,

I've been working on both the car and the boat since August but know I'll regret not having a build diary. I'm really enjoying it so far. 

A quick recap of where I'm up to: 

The boat is a John Welsford 6m Whaler design. I did my apprenticeship in wood machining as a teen and my goal was to complete that and get into wooden boat building but life got in the way and a billion years later I'm ticking this off the bucket list. Thing is I have never built a boat before and have no idea what I'm doing. But that's never stopped me before. 

When I decided on the Whaler some time ago I actually found a similar design for sale with a hot dipped trailer for $500. I thought I might be able to get away with an easy project for once but the hull was completely rotten so it's scrap. But thankfully a lot of the stainless and brass fittings are usable and the trailer is spot on for what I need. Just needs a birthday. 

I ordered the study plans to see what I was getting myself into. That was a few drawings and 6 pages of high level sequence steps and tips on building. It didn't make much sense to me but I figured the full plans would. What I didn't realise were that the study plans were the actual plans. The full plans just contained more detailed drawings but the steps were exactly as in the study plans. Yikes. Thankfully a nice chap in Australia was very kind to send me the CNC drawings for the bulkheads. I used a small outfit in Porirua called Matt Makes Objects who was a pleasure to work with. I was very fussy about the type of plywood I wanted to use and he didn't bat an eye at my diva like demands for meranti ply. For hardwood in the construction I'm using kwila decking I had left over from the deck and rose wood for the skeg. For soft wood I'm using dressed pine and whatever wood I've managed to scrounge from the tip that looks semi straight. 

The first step of the build was to knock up a jig. I was on a gravel floor which was leveled by a mk1 eyeball. So it was a lot of trial and error to get it vaguely straight. One thing I haven't even bothered to strive for is a semblance of perfection. So it is what it is. To ensure it stays fairly rigid I dug some post holes and concreted in some posts fore and aft. Turned out to be a bit of a waste of time as with the sun hitting it for a few months it has slightly warped anyway. Let's hope it warped it straight. 

 

The next part was putting on the bottom panel which was the first part I had to epoxy. I am using West system and they have the handy measured pumps. So to get 5:1 you just pump one of the resin and one of the hardener as as the pumps are different sizes it is 5:1 off the bat. 

Once that was done, I gave it a coat to protect it and set about putting the keelson on. That was my first scarf joint and I would do it better next time but it is what it is. I did it at 3:1 and I should have done it at least double that. It's glued and screwed to the bottom panel so not hanging in the breeze so probably doesn't make a difference. 

After that the next part to work on was the centreboard case. I got quite lucky in that a gentleman from the South Island ditched his centreboard for an inboard motor on his so I got it for a song. It weighs over 80kgs so got it transported up no dramas. 

The centreboard case was quite complex and there were some bits I didn't understand on the plans so I decided to go my own way with a lot of it. I get the feeling that will be a common theme on this project. I built it much stiffer than the plans called for whilst deleting the rowing seat stays. Where the pin holds the centreboard in place I made twice as thick. On the inside where the c/b rattles around I put in a few layers of glass sheets to protect the hardwood packers inside. I'll never be able to get to them again so I didn't want to leave it underdone. 

 

The pin is 316 stainless and has a threaded hole through the middle to screw down a large washer. I'll glue said large flat washer (after I dress the area since drilling took a chunk out) and hope that will keep the water out. It's under the water line so will need it. 

Where it's up to at the moment is that bulkheads 1-8 are in place with only bulkhead#9 to go. That kind of hangs in the air not touching the bottom panel so I'll have to think about how to do that. This weekend I'll do the flooring support stays and put some more doublers (pacman looking things that the stringers pass through) and seat holder thingies on the bulkheads. Each bulkhead has about 15-20 things to get glued on it, sanded smooth, then reglued and filleted whilst wet. Then the fillet needs to be sanded. It's the white toothpaste looking stuff below. 

I've run out of filesize on this post so I'll make another one on the tow vehicle. 

[dmulally]

So the tow car is going to be split into two. Mostly because one will be ready before the other and by the time the boat floats (if it floats at all) I'm not sure which one I'll have. One is a series 3 landy for crusty boat ramps and the other is a 66 chev ute which is getting a BMW M57 swap. 

The landy was found locally in Featherston from an older chap who's son owned it and from what I could tell was no longer among us. Didn't want to pry. It has a 186 red motor in it and like all good things it came as a non runner and dragged it home behind the C20. 

The engine didn't need much to get it to run correctly. So that involved a new electronic dizzy and a rebuild of the strommy carb. The clutch was rooted but thankfully a trailer master bolted right in and a quick bleed and we had gears. Brakes were reasonably good and gave them new fluids and a bleed. Haven't driven it out of the gate yet so aren't sure if it needs a balance yet but that shouldn't be hard. 

Spent quite a bit of time working on the body and that was about as fun as it sounds. For a mostly alloy body there sure was a lot of rust to cut out. To get to that point however the first thing I did after taking the roof off was to get the whole thing blasted. It was covered in about 10mm of bog around the entire vehicle and it was starting to crack and peel in places which I hated. 

After that was done I had to start cutting the rust out and weld in fresh steel. Thankfully it's getting the weatherbeaten look to match my face so I didn't have to worry about making it look nice. 

Once that was done, it was covered the etch primer with some satin 2k top coat. Went for the limestone which was the original colour this car was going by what lay underneath. It looked awful being so bumpy and having new paint so I "weathered" it with some brown oxide primer and then sanded that back. The compressor died during that activity so I'm not sure if I'll put on a matte clear coat over the top or just get on with my life. 

I was very lucky that @CaMpylobacter gave me a free tailgate that matched the rest of the snotted body and fitted on well. I have a truck cab in the shed I'll eventually put on it when it gets a little cooler. Was able to weld on some trailer latches I had laying around and got some locking pins button it up. 

Present activities are to do with a full rewire. The old loom seemed to have 1.5 looms in there and when I waved the idiot light in the engine bay or behind the dash it lit up everywhere. I have no idea how it didn't short before but I assume that rust wasn't a good enough conductor. I am putting in a new relay and fuse block and will run everything from/through those to keep things reliable. I don't mind wiring and am lucky that there are so few circuits that I actually need. 

 

 

[Tiger Tamer]

Aren't boat plans the best. You think you are getting full size plans, but you get them all on one sheet of paper. Luckily you found someone who had done the lofting process.  I had the same when I built a NZ moth. At the time I had no idea what to do and it was pre internet. I did manage to find others that had done the lofting and gave me some full size plans to work from. It would be nice to have a small sailboat again. I will be following along.

[EpochNZ]

Swooning at the Landie, but also came to say I was smitten with many a John Welsford plan after finding his book in the Nelson Library.  Top effort that man!

[dmulally]

32 minutes ago, Tiger Tamer said:

Aren't boat plans the best. You think you are getting full size plans, but you get them all on one sheet of paper. Luckily you found someone who had done the lofting process.  I had the same when I built a NZ moth. At the time I had no idea what to do and it was pre internet. I did manage to find others that had done the lofting and gave me some full size plans to work from. It would be nice to have a small sailboat again. I will be following along.

 

Since getting my hands on the Whaler plans I have found a whole bunch of other plans that are so cleverly done and easy to follow but I guess it's better to learn the hard way. They are great plans but for the experienced boatbuilder so It's very much about the journey and not the destination with this one.

Just today a whaler came up for sale on the west island for $8k. I'll be lucky to come in under double that when it's all done. 

Looks a nice rig and set up for a full compliment of crew. 

 

[dmulally]

I'll give you an example of why I'm struggling with the plans but a seasoned boat builder wouldn't think twice about it. 

I'm trying to put in the final bulkhead and it doesn't rest on the keelson/bottom panel like the rest so has to hover in the air until stringers pass through it. 

q

 

Problem is being a canoe stern it is quite a steep angle and it doesn't really just line up easily. So turning to the plans if you look at where the pencil is pointing to, that 65 stands for -65mm below the water line. Oh which I already have marked on the cb case so to fit it I can just make a temporary brace to hold it in the air and use a laser level from the water line across the whole frame. Frustrating for me but I'm sure somebody knowing what they are actually doing would laugh. 

[dmulally]

Pulled my back a couple of months ago (herniated disc) and triggered it badly on the weekend so am on light duties in the shed. Which is my excuse for having a bit of a mind blank this morning. Just sorting out the wiring for the ignition switch so I can get the Landy started to park next to the boat to work on concurrently. Just trying to think what else I need coming off the ACC switch on the key? 

Thinking coil, gauges...anything else whilst I'm down there? 

As an aside this is how I do my looms these days from scratch. I use a relay block in the engine bay coming from a circuit breaker and then a fuse block inside the cab for the basics. Dirt cheap and the relay block comes pre wired so I mostly just have to run trigger wires through the dash really. 

[dmulally]

So I try to do a day a week on the boat spread over a few days as I'm usually waiting for resin to dry and dont want to "fix" it. 

I don't have the skills or time for perfection so am going for working boat chic. 

I've spent the last week or two cutting and gluing on stringer doublers. My word that was tedious. Next job is all the bulkhead extras such as seat supports and the like. Not too bad but means miles of ripping 20x20 lengths with my table saw which always gives me the creeps. Anything wider and I dont mind but 20mm is quite a tight space even with a pushing block. 

Before I get started on that I did the floor supports today. I found some bed slats at the tip and snuck them in my ute. Originally it was just for ballast to get out of paying too much for a load at the tip but they were in decent shape so on they went.

The plans call for 9mm plywood but the plans say a lot of things. 

I use thickened epoxy into a caking piping bag to lay out the fillet juice.

[dmulally]

Then to smooth the fillet out I use a disposable dentist tongue depressor which does the job. 

I let it sit for about an hour then come back and tidy up any sagging at the tops and scrape away the waste. 

A day later and it feels like hard plastic. Very rigid. I put it on over the normal resin after about 30-40mins so it sticks to that well. 

 

[dmulally]

Productive afternoon on the whaler in nice wind. I was busy cutting out the seat supports and as they run across the bulkhead it just didnt look level to the eye. 

Got the laser level out and as suspected the centre and aft were in line but the bow was well out. This is on bulkhead#2. #1 was out and the stem post wasn't even on the level. 

Turns out the sun has been hitting the front of the jig and warping the pine as it dries.

[dmulally]

Took quite a few hours of notching, cutting, ratchet strapping and redrilling the jig to get it all to line up again. I might coat it in some oil to buy a little more time. 

Now the bow, centrecase and sternpost all line up. As does bulkheads#1 and #2. BH#3 is out by a couple of mm now but I'll survive. I think when the stringers go in it should bring that into line.

I do recall talking to a builder of one who said the middle bulkhead isn't at the correct height as per the plans but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. 

 

[dmulally]

So finally all the stringer doublers and set supports are all on. And bulkhead 9 is temporarily in place. Next step is to build a jig to scarf the stringers with and then a steam box to get them all noodley so I can bend them on. 

For the steam box most people make something out of lengths of timber or PVC piping. I have loads of PVC piping laying around so I'll start with that but am not sure if it will melt it or not. I guess one way to find out!

[dmulally]

So a busy weekend but I'm pretty happy with how things turned out if you squint a little. 

The main goal for the weekend was to get the gunwale on. That will then make the bulkheads a little more sturdy so I can start on the seats and inner bulkheads. The first thing was to make the steam box as per the crappy idea earlier. Whilst it was a success, it will be a consumable item as it has sagged overall and is out of shape already. Thankfully it had support through the middle so it didnt sag there and pool water. 

There are wood dowels every 500mm which the wood sat on to ensure the steam got all around it. Before it went into the steam box it sat in a PVC pipe for a couple of hours to think about what it has done. 

 

 

[dmulally]

Next thing was to scarf some joints as the lengths weren't long enough and I a little bit cheated by making the scarf join right where the angle kicks up the sharpest. Whilst that means the join won't be as strong, I'll cut a curved doubler on the inside to suit and with the outer sheeting on it will be plenty strong. There is still 90% surface area to bond the two lengths together so just needs a little trimming either end. Sadly in the rush to get the rapidly cooling wood on the frame the scarfs are at slightly at different points on each side. Looks out to me now but when I fair it there won't be any noticeable difference. I'll ensure that the doublers are the same either side so they'll have to line up. 

To make the scarfs a handy little jig was whipped up for the drop saw and each one took two seconds. It's a 1:8 scarf joint and will work fine for the stringers. 

The finished scarf fits like a glove. 

 

 

[dmulally]

So with the gunwales on this is where it presently sits. 

It will hopefully dry over the next day or two in that shape and then I'll go from bulkhead to bulkhead backing out the screw enough to pump it full of hardened epoxy and screw back down to bond. The screw is really just there to clamp the wood together for the epoxy to harden. I don't have enough clamps to do all of them at the same time plus they occasionally like to slip. I recall John Welsford mentioning once he rarely uses screws and has used the same set of screws for the last few builds. He just unscrews after the glue has set and puts them in a jar. I don't mind leaving mine in. I wouldn't remember where they all were anyway. 

[dmulally]

Spent the long weekend on the whaler and have ticked a few things off. 

First thing was to finish off bulkhead 9. As per usual I put on everything thicker and stronger than the plans. The mizzen mast and boomkin will be located there and as I wont be having a jib, any storm sail will be from the mizzen mast to the base of the mast so needs to be sturdy. 

After that I painted the entire thing in a coat of epoxy. It still needs to be rubbed back and repainted but figured Id do that whilst everything was still relatively easy to access without sides. 

I also put in the king planks front and rear. The front has a slight curve up so I had to wrap the piece in a towel and pour boiling water over it as it was too wide to fit in my steamer. Still need to glue them in yet but they are screwed in for a couple days to get used to the shape. 

Next up after that was the seat fronts. The plans say they have to reach the bottom plank but with the bulkheads to wrap around as well as no bottom plank in place I just did them to the floor. When the bottom plank is in I can then extend them. Thankfully you wont be able to see them so they can look as shit as I like. You can see the seat fronts here and here is Chev for scale:

So the plans say the next thing is to add all the stringers but it will be a pain to work around them to extend the seat fronts to the floor and have yet to make the inboard outboard well yet. So I did the bottom stringer as it is so low on the sides it wont get in the way. 

I didnt have to steam the stringers like the gunwale but did soak the rears for a few hours and it bent fine. Each doubler on a bulkhead it passed through needed trimming so to do all five will be an exercise in patience. They are currently drying and in a couple days Ill back out the screws to glue and then re-tighten. Using silicon bronze screws which are very soft so any fairing with the belt sander wont upset anything. 

So the next two major things to sort are the outboard motor well (with a rise and fall bracket so hence needing to change it from the plans) and the bottom/garboard plank. Of which at the bow alone has about three different curves and even the instructions mention lots of swearing will be had.