25 ft Hooper Island Draketail construction, Part 3, planking & onward

[Draketail]

All,

There have been several previous threads chronicaling the construction of my 25' Hooper Island draketail. At the end of the last thread, construction had reached the stage of the keel, molds, frames, shear strakes, chines, and draketail stern all ready to accept planking. Details can be found in the following threads:

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69784&highlight=draketail

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75334&highlight=draketail

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80664&highlight=draketail

Here is a picture of where things stood at the end of the last thread.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DcszObLdh58/URPm-mNeFAI/AAAAAAAAANk/Qhi-HFbq-xU/s576/IMG_5087.jpg

The draketail is a hard chined Chesapeake Bay work boat with horizontal side planks and a cross planked bottom. Some original boats had side planks as wide as 22". I don't have that luxury, but do have some nice 11" Douglas fir stock for the side planks.

I would appreciate some advice on lining off the sides for the planks. I've made an attempt at it based on the following thoughts:
_______________________________________

Some background:

The plank stock is 3/4" x 11" x 22', recycled Douglas fir.

At the stern, the width to be planked is about 18".

At the bow, the planking totals about 36".

Our thoughts are to use as much of a full width plank as we can get away with at the chine. If we leave the "shear" edge of the plank straight, it goes from about 10 1/2" at the bow to 8" or so amidships, back to 10 1/2" at the stern. The width puts the first side seam about 4" above the waterline. At normal loads, there will no side seams under water.

The second plank (the one above the chine plank) would start at about 8" wide at the stern (station 20') run out of it's 11" width at about station 11'. At station 11', we'd start the first stealer plank by nibbing in a 4" end for the first stealer. (would 3" work?) Stealer # 1 and chine + 1 would then both swell back to about 9" at the bow.

Then, Stealer # 2 would start at station 4 1/2', nibbed about 4" into stealer # 1, and again swell to about 9" at the bow.

As best I can tell, this arrangement makes the best use of the available stock. I assume that's the way the old folks would have approached the problem. Will this approach work? Have I crossed any horrible aesthetic boundaries in the process of lining off?
_________________________________

Here's a picture of a plank roughly in position of the second plank. (minus the stealer) The lower edge of the plywood spiling batten on top defines the shear (upper) edge of my proposed first plank.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4V3OwYOduXI/URPm-sJQp-I/AAAAAAAAANk/Xe1AsrXRJvk/s576/IMG_5100.jpg

And here's a rough sketch of the proposed plank layout:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FTj5I5elGGs/URPm_hEK6LI/AAAAAAAAANk/39v3AXEmppY/s576/IMG_5104.jpg

All comments and suggestions gratefully accepted.

Grigg

[Draketail]

Today was spent installing the shear strakes and chine logs for good. After fit up, the pieces were removed and red leaded as appropriate. Then the contact surfaces were coated with dolphinite. Finally, the pieces were refitted, working from the middle, fore and aft, one frame at a time, to keep the clamping strains even on the building jig.

This also means that the draketail stern is now permanantly attached to the rest of the boat. At the end of the afternoon, we couldn't stand it and had to start beveling the planking surfaces on the underside of the stern.

Below is a picture of the snaggle tooth stern that we've been looking at for the last year, waiting for permanent installation. (details of the stern construction are given in one of the earlier threads.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CDW-0yoKkxY/URPm_9FDyCI/AAAAAAAAANk/bFU3-4KC5aE/s576/IMG_5111.jpg

Here's the stern after the bevels were trimmed using a power plane, slick, and rabbet plane. I used the power plane to get close and then refined the fit with a batten and the hand tools.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vW88v7vlLL4/URPnAaSm0oI/AAAAAAAAANk/ngooO2SNa4U/s512/IMG_5114.jpg

And a shot from the side. The point of the stern is just about at the waterline if the boat floats as planned. (That's Bubba, the shop cat on the strongback)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3wf3j7UEioM/URPnBKLmehI/AAAAAAAAANk/G5QP1X7jPs4/s576/IMG_5122.jpg

The process of cleaning up the bevels also exposed the fit between the various parts of the stern assembly. This picture shows the fit of the laminated white oak stern hoops, the heart pine chine log, the osage orange transition plank, and the vertical heart pine staving of the stern assembly. It was gratifying to see the fits as the planing exposed them. For scale, the slick is 3" wide.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HRYnuTmkDlQ/URPnAs6awAI/AAAAAAAAANk/6sScI1aPlkc/s576/IMG_5119.jpg


Tomorrow we continue with the chine log and keel bevels, working on toward the bow. We hope by the end of the week to have some of the side planking installed.

Stay tuned....

[Draketail]

You can see to the right of this picture that the keel and chine log bevels finally have been shaped. More importantly, after 18 months of living in fear of miss cutting the forefoot, I basically said "screw it, do something" and started. Clamped a sacrificial chine log in place and started timming...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-m0jIxxoPM-o/URPnBhPIKrI/AAAAAAAAANk/IpV598Xs6Z0/s576/IMG_5125.jpg

It seems that the Swedes are on to something with their carpenter's ax. It worked just fine to rough out the shape, to be followed with a hand plane.

rough shaping

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Wbm_iW6CdMY/URPnCpxD2gI/AAAAAAAAANk/UUYbYWqcwRk/s576/IMG_5127.jpg

After planing. Still some detail to finish.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pCwUR3g6ob8/URPnCRWlr8I/AAAAAAAAANk/iYSm5KGBFL0/s512/IMG_5129.jpg

The front 2 1/2 feet or so of the forefoot is too twisty to plank, so it's being "chunk built" as per the old timers. First I rough shaped a sacrificial shunk to see how it would work. Then I used the test piece as the pattern for the two production chunks.

Testing.....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KtSYWADps8E/URPnC_-W9mI/AAAAAAAAANk/vl9uBx0Bc0s/s576/IMG_5130.jpg

Production chunks

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-05QuM__tvNc/URPnDpCDZAI/AAAAAAAAANk/_Qay6eCTKrs/s512/IMG_5132.jpg

The chunks were cut oversize so they could be glued in place and shaped to fit. I'll remove the red lead from the keel in the contact area and epoxy the chunks in place, backed with silicon bronze through bolts. My plan is to not attach the chunks until I have the sides planked. That way I can more easily fit the side plank that laps the chine and also better refine the contact between the chunks and the planks.

[Draketail]

As for planking, I thought it would be better to make my mistakes in cheap plywood than in my planking stock. So, I scarfed together some plywood "planks" the width of the planking stock and long enough to cover. The real planking stock is long enough that there will be no butt joints in the side planks.

A lot of time was spent draping the plywood planks on the boat to maximize the use of the real planking stock. My stock is 11" wide by 22 feet long. The 35' Sewell draketail at the Calvert Marine Museum has full length lower side planks that are 22" wide!

I know it seems a bit odd to be planking from the shear to the chine. But, the bottom is cross planked and laps the side planks. This way I can plane the lower edge of the lower plank to the proper bevel before starting the bottom planking.

False planks

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NoHJUETlE7E/URPnEDvOV1I/AAAAAAAAANk/kBSJJ3lHibs/s576/IMG_5142.jpg

Scribing the first plank pattern to the shear strake

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GkppthnFQ6U/URPnEGWjb_I/AAAAAAAAANk/Jz4ml9NmFUc/s512/IMG_5143.jpg

Marked plywood pattern

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZebYUIc2Kaw/URPnGJmoiVI/AAAAAAAAANk/kc-XvIUTBu4/s512/IMG_5145.jpg

The pattern was rough cut with the saw and then block planed to the line.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HLBYl28rRqQ/URPnGCryT1I/AAAAAAAAANk/Sd9GnS8o52A/s576/IMG_5147.jpg

Two patterns in place.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EIlxCwDrnMg/URPnGFwfUtI/AAAAAAAAANk/Y3jG5H_TT4c/s576/IMG_5149.jpg

There will be a 12' or so stealer plank for the bow. I'll post that picture later....

Since school is in session and I'm back to teaching, progress is slower. But, I hope to be hanging side planks by Thanksgiving. All for now...

[cccomander]

"screw it--do something" I laughed when I read that, It's often my philosophy when I don't have a clear answer. It usually works out and sometimes it gets me in trouble. You look like your on the right track and wood forgives---usually

[Draketail]

Here are the (almost) finished plank patterns:

A view from the side. There is a little extra width along the chine just behind the bow. I'll leave the extra for trimming to make sure the forefoot chunks fit well.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Qupt0rFuYLM/URPnGzYeSuI/AAAAAAAAANk/uAg8dUZrALs/s576/IMG_5988.JPG

A view from the bow:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nZtSFLWexgI/URPnHn81vdI/AAAAAAAAANk/snzBDwrn8kg/s512/IMG_5992.JPG

And a view at the start of the curved stern.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5U68veUNwh8/URPnHNoryQI/AAAAAAAAANk/TSny6AUqIj0/s576/IMG_5990.JPG

Time to start cutting and fitting real planks.

[Draketail]

So, its summer time again, graduation has happened and I've finally had time to get back to the boat. Seems like the spring semester had no spare time at all....

As of Christmas break, I had worked out the patterns for the planks in cheap plywood and that's where it stood. Using the plywood patterns and a top bearing router made it very easy to get out the planks. Rough cut with the circular saw and then finish up with the router.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lG29YCHfRzQ/URPnHngaRzI/AAAAAAAAANk/cDoKtSGBSeU/s512/IMG_6222.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pUEOnB_Duak/URPnKFpRE5I/AAAAAAAAANk/pAx3ufvdRtI/s512/IMG_6599.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FpaNvcMCuXY/URPnIA9pDOI/AAAAAAAAANk/Ia2lDxO2xYE/s512/IMG_6224.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Jc5WDms_MpU/URPnIsK-WxI/AAAAAAAAANk/H7uYhM44wSA/s512/IMG_6573.jpg

The planks were primed with three coats of Zinser oil based primer on the inside.

Before installing the planks, I also had to cut the caulking bevel. If you do the math on the usual recommendations of bevel width to plank thickness, it comes out to about 10 degrees. I found a 10 degree dovetail bit to fit in a laminate trimmer, made a fence from a block of wood, and greatly simplified cutting the bevels. A pass with the trimmer and a quick touch up with a block plane if needed; done.



https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GuJLJ7qHPJA/URPnIhbWQqI/AAAAAAAAANk/BBaVY-5DdsY/s512/IMG_6576.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uaIPVZuu84w/URPnJDNTtXI/AAAAAAAAANk/RhebTMA03VM/s576/IMG_6579.jpg

[Draketail]

Once the planks were cut, primed, and beveled, they were installed. It seemed easire to start at the draketail stern, register the plank on the transition board to the vertical staving and them clamp and screw the plank off moving forward. I did the planks in pairs to even out the strains on the strongback. Clamp and screw three frames on one side and then do the other side... The planks ran long at the stem to be trimmed flush and fitted with a false stem.

There were some gyrations trying to pull the planks together at the stem. There was no easy way to get the clamps to stay put. Then I remembered a trick from Mr. Bass, my 7th grade shop teacher. He had taught me how to glue up a block to turn a casting pattern using newspaper at the centerline. Turn the blank, and the a quick nudge with a chisel separated the the pattern into two halfs. Seemed like I could use the same approach to glue clamping blocks to the planks at the bow. I got the appropriate angle for the blocks from the lofting and went to work.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sOfKpOF13Mw/URPnJNe1T5I/AAAAAAAAANk/1QZOnlaHSqU/s576/IMG_6580.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZAKX_2fNQT8/URPnJmOZu0I/AAAAAAAAANk/gZWcq4tdvvE/s576/IMG_6584.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a5wv7nFEOuM/URPnKG1tN_I/AAAAAAAAANk/_qA44mO9Iiw/s576/IMG_6593.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KHrUudsyFDs/URPnKBOpD2I/AAAAAAAAANk/0O_FP7Q25AA/s512/IMG_6592.jpg

Then a quick stroke with a slick would remove the block. I actually removed the blocks in pieces, removing one clamp and sawing through the block so a small piece could be removed. The screws were then installed where the clamp had been. Repeat as necessary untill all screws are in place. The rest of the newspaper will disappear during the sanding and fairing process.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ieSPxtjItWo/URPmoUzSWVI/AAAAAAAAANk/3i7O6sAr_To/s576/IMG_0032.jpg

And the results with all the planks in place...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qmC4MQGTjBI/URPmoc1jPsI/AAAAAAAAANk/r7HwcAiqKAk/s512/IMG_1553.jpg

[Draketail]

Once the side planks were in place, it was time to bevel the chine logs and planks to receive the cross planked bottom. The chine had previously been pretty well beveled. This operation refined the bevels and matched the planks to the chine log. The initial beveling was done with a slick to get close, then followed up with a block plane and a try stick at the stations. Once the stations were at the right bevel, the job was finished between stations with a larger hand plane. The stick was moved between stations to check progress. Lumber crayon was used to mark high spots as needed.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VVmWFn-KrBo/URPmpVQNnkI/AAAAAAAAANk/OlrxrriQuuk/s576/IMG_1554.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bqfJQAkQJ64/URPmpeyntlI/AAAAAAAAANk/_LZHjq5HaRs/s576/IMG_1555.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ONWrwAjr_Us/URPmqAMeINI/AAAAAAAAANk/SN2trM1h5C0/s576/IMG_1557.jpg

The process seemed to work fairly well....

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aTnNXHanMeQ/URUBTWVhhwI/AAAAAAAAAP4/-rTEi7fJFuQ/s640/IMG_1550.jpg

[Draketail]

In preparation for the bottom, a couple of other jobs were also done...

Caulking around the stern post.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1pHH2Up-YpY/URPmq8hAKgI/AAAAAAAAANk/s1OWuv2UYTo/s576/IMG_1559.jpg

And painting the inside of the draketail stern. Seemed like the job would be much easier with the boat upside down and the bottom off. Crawling under the slope to paint later didn't seem like it would be a lot of fun.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iDk_G8T6Jus/URPmoY1WnAI/AAAAAAAAANk/GA-ijExnuAU/s576/IMG_1547.jpg

[skaraborgcraft]

I often looked at the plans for the draketail in a book....cant remember which one...Sucher i think. Anyway, lovely job, but that planking looks huge! Cheers

[Draketail]

Skaraborgcraft,

Thanks for the kind words.

The lines and offsets for the 25' draketail came from Sucher's "Simplified Boatbuidling, The V-Bottom Boat", copyright 1974. Work on my boat started from the one page (p 336)of information in Sucher's book. Bill Platt, a naval architect helped fair the lines and make sure the boat was actually seaworthy. All I knew from the book was that the lines were from an existing 25' draketail. Whether the boat was good or bad, Sucher didn't say. We also widened the beam by 10% to a whopping 4' 7".

As for the planking, as best I can tell, the original builders of these work boats went for acerage, not esthetics. I've been to the museums along the Chesapeake and crawled through three draketails and examined "as built" drawimgs for several more. All of them used wide planks on the sides. The 35' Sewel draketail at the Calvert Marine Museum was originally built with the lowest plank being a 20" wide full length Douglas fir plank.

[Draketail]

More progress....

I've now finished planking the stern 5 feet of the bottom. The process was a bit of a wrangle as I wanted to leave the planks proud by about 1/2" to protect the fragile end grain of the vertical stern staving. The 1/2" was then diminished to fair with the sides as the hull approached full beam.

The process was something like: Install plank with some overhang, trace stern with 1/2" offset, remove plank, bandsaw to shape, reinstall shaped plank, fit next plank, continue until all planks were fit. Then fair the curve of all the planks, tapering the overhang to zero at full (almost) beam. Remove all planks and use round over bit in the router to shape both the top and bottom edge. Renistall all planks for the last time....

So, pictures to follow:

All planks fit, shaped, and ready for installation:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0Q-YOXF8OyI/URPmrR6fkWI/AAAAAAAAANk/PUB3333ncn0/s512/IMG_1868.jpg

The bed for the first plank, coated with Dolfinite and with the string in place to seal against the side planking:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jXqRoYBYFeA/URPmrw_T8CI/AAAAAAAAANk/nT6F4D7wix0/s576/IMG_1869.jpg

The first plank, which sets the angle of the restof the planking. The kerf is to allow the plank to bend slightly. The kerf was primed with red led and packed with linseed oil soaked string before installation. The string compressed enough to allow the bend.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-V_kSFNNzuCY/URPmrxSzN9I/AAAAAAAAANk/ZJocbbjRn_s/s576/IMG_1870.jpg

And the result, the planked bottom from the outside:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1SZH2BVh1hI/URPms4AjA1I/AAAAAAAAANk/aUD6FEdcDW4/s512/IMG_1872.jpg

And from the inside:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zM3uqmL_xCM/URPmqzfJg6I/AAAAAAAAANk/b7FhJbB8DEY/s576/IMG_1569.jpg

[Draketail]

And some details of the stern bottom planking:

The lip of the bottom planking at the extreme stern:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YybcydIy4LM/URPmsaX8jpI/AAAAAAAAANk/1s4sy0NF1vE/s576/IMG_1871.jpg

The planking transitioning to fair with the sides (right side of picture):

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LG81P6wz88Y/URPmtsWXgwI/AAAAAAAAANk/S-ig3wekuyc/s576/IMG_1874.jpg

And the general shape of the stern bottom:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9k10wBTcdeM/URPmsx1n1eI/AAAAAAAAANk/wWabWkWgIYg/s576/IMG_1873.jpg

The rest of the bottom planking should go more quickly as it only has to be installed once. The plank can be screwed in place and then sawn off fair with the side planks. No fitting and re fitting and rounding...

[Bill Perkins]

Congratulations , things are really coming together .I see from the profile drawing that the keel diverges from the chine moving forward of your current work .Can your planking take that twist ,or will you have to plane it into thicker stock ?

[Draketail]

Bill,

The 15 degree sweep of the planking makes it so very little twist is required to have the planks settle in. Also, so far I have been using 5" and 6" planks. I can get away with the 5" ones for a bit more, but will then step down to 4" planks. Not much twist required at all. I think the last 4 feet of bottom planking (or so) will have to be installed thicker and planed to shape.

I also now understand your earlier discussion of taking a 2 degree taper in the forward planks to bring them perpendicular to the keel. Now that the hull is in the flesh, I see where the taper will become necessary towards the stem. Thanks for the earlier advice.

[Bill Perkins]

You’ll get a little sharper entry if you do that .Sucher includes that critical area of the planking in the drawings for that reason . It determines the exact shape of the bow . The aft slanting plank yields a slightly convex surface as you get forward of the boat’s maximum beam . As the plank run is brought perpendicular to the keel this flattens out , forming a straight sided V bottom as shown in the body plan . Slanting the last 5 or 6 planks forward ,as shown in the drawing , will create a slight hollow at the entry . You should really plank this area as drawn . The offsets don’t give the true shape of these bows . That information is supplied by the planking layout shown in the profile drawing .

A detail I've liked on my boat (spec'd by the designer) is a keel scupper .This is just a good sized hole drilled through the keel athwartship ,the bottom of the hole tangent to the bearding line.I lined mine with hard 3/4 in. copper from the plumbing store . Yours would logically be placed at the lowest point on your keel . Then a single pump can drain all the bilge water . I still have two pumps for redundancy .

[chuckt]

Nice work man. I appreciate the effort that all that fitting, scribing, etc takes. You are gettign some quality fits there man. Nice

[ddqarch]

Hello, just saw this thread for the first time and wanted to say what a beautiful job you are doing. I own a 39' Hooper Island Draketail built in 1991 off lines taken from the Martha, a 1920's designed hull. I did not build her, and am a newbie to wooden boat construction, but if you have any questions I could tell you how it is on my boat. She was built by some old watermen using mostly traditional deadrise building techniques (but not traditional wood species, thank god). Keep up the good work, you are inspiring me to really fix mine up.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51298126@N02/4717709706/sizes/m/in/photostream/

[ddqarch]

Ahhh, finally figured it out. Here she is...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4717709706_e330f7fdeb.jpg

[Black-Jack]

Nice work! What wood are you planking her with?

oops never mind- reread and see its doug fir

[Draketail]

Bill,

Thanks again for the further explanation on the bow planking. I went back to the Sucher drawing (plate 76) and do indeed see what you are talking about. I didn't understand the effect of the detail until you explained further.

I think in an earlier discussion you had mentioned the keel scupper. I've got it marked on the keel, but am waiting to install the scupper until the planking gets close. That way I can drill through the keel and miss the screws holding the planks on.

I appreciate you advice over the past couple of years. Long ago I downloaded your construction drawings to use as references.

chuckt

Thanks for the kind words. It is gratifying when things fit together well.

ddqarch

Beautiful boat! Martha was the boat that started me down this path long ago. The CBMM sells a set of drawings that I have used for reference. Also, they have been kind enough to let me crawl all over Martha.

A 39 foot version seems like a delightful slightly smaller version of Martha. Tell us more about your boat, please. What sort of power, how do you use her, where is she, etc.?

Black-Jack

Again, thanks for the kind words. Actually, the side planks are Douglas fir and the bottom planks are heart pine.

[ddqarch]

Ah, I'm glad you know of the Martha. Given the level of work you are doing, you could probably teach them a few things at the CBMM. My boat was originally the John Gregory, named after one of the master boatwrights who built her, but she is now the ElsaBella, named after my youngest daughter. I found her rotting at the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore. She had sunk and been raised but never repowered. I had her repowered at Tolchester Marina by Allan Bramble, who claims his ex-grandfather-in-law designed the first draketail. He says the design came from racing boats that his grandfather saw in New York and liked, and not from any of the other reasons tossed around out there (not getting knocked off line in a following sea, etc...). I repowered her with a 351 Crusader gas engine, which is really too large, but I thought was in keeping with the tradition of watermen putting the very largest engine they could fit in their boats. She glides along effortlessly at 12 knots with the engine loping at 2600rpm, and burns about 4 gallons an hour there. I use her as a family boat and keep her at my house on Sinepuxent Bay, behind Assateague Island. Two issues I have had with her that may or may not be helpful to you. One, at any speed over twelve knots her sharp bow and limited flair makes her very wet. She throws spray straight up in the air from the bow. 12 knots suits me fine, so its not a big issue. Second, she leaks like a sieve through the bottom planking to keel rabbit seam. I think she was built with a full keel, but the seat for the planking came from beveling the bottom of the keelson rather than notching or rabbiting the keel itself. This has been a constant problem I have yet to be able to resolve, even with the help of this forum. If I am reading your photos correctly, you are using a better method of shaping the planking seat out of the keel itself. Hope that information is helpful.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4717709830_3ef0523787.jpg

[Draketail]

ddqarch;

Seems like a heck of a note that a boat built in 1991 was already abandoned and rotting. Glad you got a hold of her and set things right. I'm sure your family enjoys the boat.

The crusdaer 351 seems fully in keeping with the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 V8 that is in Martha. The folks at CBMM do say that engine is a bit much also.

Glad to hear 12 knots is possible. The drawing I'm working from quotes a speed of 12 knots from 10 to 15 HP. Seems like my whopping 66 cubic innch, 12 hp motor should be enough without being too much.

What have you tried to stop the leaking between the keel and keelsons? Sounds like a difficult one to fix without major work. You are correct, I hope I won't have the problem of leaks between the keelson and keel. The planking rabbet in mine is made by cutting down the 4 1/2" wide keel blank by 1 1/4" on each side. No joint to leak.

Pretty boat! Thanks for the additional information.

[Draketail]

OK, so having gotten past the fiddly stern bottom planking, things are speeding up a bit.

Everything I have read says to clamp the planks tightly and/or drive in a tapered plank at intervals of about 3 or 4 feet. I didn't have a way to conveniently clamp the initial part of the stern planking. So, as soon as I got alongside the keel, I put in a set of tapered planks to a) wedge the stern planks tighter and b) leave an opening to clamp the planks as i move forward.

Here's the two tapered planks and the opening left for clamping.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CzIkZRArWkM/URPmuAZzshI/AAAAAAAAANk/mZK1v7PnKZM/s576/IMG_1875.jpg

The taper was a little less than 1 degree (about 3/8" in 24"). Easy enough to cut with a tapering jig on the table saw. Two planks on each side were cut with the same, but opposing tapers. That way, the angle of the planks to the keel remains the same, but the driving the tapered plank in will tighten things up.

Here's the taper jig. This shot was staged after the fact with the saw turned off.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z7zgF8-vKzs/URPmvbY9QlI/AAAAAAAAANk/tG5l4h_i0bA/s512/IMG_1877.jpg

And here's the plank put in by hand as far as it wants to go. If it won't drive home later, light passes on the jointer should allow for fine adjustment of the fit.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AMkRzJR6nFk/URPmue-xA-I/AAAAAAAAANk/8GOVRkLstxs/s512/IMG_1876.jpg

A shot of installing additional bottom planks. I also made up a little shelf to slide along the keel to hold tools. I could set them on the planks at the relatively flat stern but that will be harder as the deadrise increases... And, now I don't have to carry tools from side to side as I plank.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QEc0a3i8UQE/URPmvZBP16I/AAAAAAAAANk/Y6yg6gs8NUI/s512/IMG_1880.jpg

Each of the planks is left a bit long and then trimmed with a Japenese pull saw. There is enough flexibility in the saw that I can pretty well trim the planks to the final, fair, length. The saw is flattened against the side planking, which sets the bevel and curve nicely. Just don't get in a hurry.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hzXf69-JzDs/URPmwLL9eII/AAAAAAAAANk/30zK_Ou2ddM/s576/IMG_1882.jpg

And, finally, some new bottom planks at the end of installation.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9WQmydzN5eo/URPmwph4hKI/AAAAAAAAANk/3Znq4-A7vBQ/s576/IMG_1883.jpg

Work will slow down for a bit now as I'm leaving this weekend to teach a rigging class for timber framers. More later, I hope.

[Bill Perkins]

I chose to plank my boat glued double diagonal , because I planed to store her dry for long periods . So I don’t know anything about caulking . My reading did indicate that the seam between the bottom and chine was caulked in the traditional construction ; also the seam along the keel . This would require caulking bevels at those intersections of course. Do the existing boats in fact have these ?Culler spec'd a caulked seam at both those places on my filebottom.-Bill .

[Draketail]

Bill,

Culler or Sucher (I forget which) lists 1) close fit 2) caulking bevel or 3) string between bottom and side plank as ways to provide a watertight joint between the side and bottom planks. I decided to go with the string as driven caulking fighting directly against the screws holding the bottom planks bothered me and I wasn't sure I could make close enough fits. You can just see the string in one of my photos where the tapered plank will be driven. Bedding compound to be added before setting the tapered plank.

There is a caulking bevel between the plank ends and the keel. The caulking along the keel doesn't try to lift the planks so badly.

There is also a caulking bevel between the planks. I don't know if this is the best solution for my intended use, but I understand the process and felt like I could accomplish a quality job. Does a good job with a less that perfect solution beat a poor job with a perfect solution? You can just see the plank bevels in the pictures. Time (and bilge pumps) will tell.....

[Draketail]

Black-Jack,

Heart pine was chosen mostly for rot resistance. The backbone of the boat is also mostly heart pine with some locust. The pine came from timbers from a fertilizer warehouse on Baltimore harbor. I've got a friend through timber framing who recycles old timber, so the stock was just a 'phone call away.

If you go in the woods in the deep south (North Carolina and below) and kick an old downed pine log, the sap wood will fall off, leaving the indestructible heart wood. The resin in the wood seems to give termites and fungus a serious belly ache. Some of the wood has enough resin in it that it almost looks like plastic.

Besids that, the heart pine is a joy to work, smells wonderful, and the scraps and shavings make excellent fire starters. Might as well enjoy the building process.

[Bill Perkins]

Now that you say that the string is plain as day in your last photo. I guess I took it to be the joint between the planking and the chine . I can smell that pine from here .

[Draketail]

Some more progress was made over the holidays. Basically on two fronts: 1) bottom planking and 2) making the false stem.

Some further details on the bottom planking:

About every three feet I taper two planks and leave a gap. That way I have some place to clamp the planks tight before screwing them down.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BiYX5bGri_U/URPmvlFT-5I/AAAAAAAAANk/T4gykdJXZJM/s512/IMG_1881.jpg

Both ends of the planks get bedded in Dolphinite spread with a notched putty knife. I filed the notches with a triangular file. All the contact surfaces, including the underside of the planks, are first primed with 3 coats of red lead.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hff53_QxXrw/URPmylqwUzI/AAAAAAAAANk/OaccEkBfR7A/s576/IMG_2511.jpg

Setting the next tapered planks. I draw the inner plank back from the keel a bit and then screw down the outside tapered plank. When the next run of bottom planking is complete and the next pair of tapered planks and the next gap for clamping are ready, the previous tapered plank is driven home and screwed in place. So far, (4 tapered planks) no problems with getting the planks to go home and snug up.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zz_7jkIgCko/URPmy-k_DuI/AAAAAAAAANk/QizRdn3zLlY/s512/IMG_2512.jpg

The next gap ready to continue on...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZkgvFaVUEq8/URPm0ak2NyI/AAAAAAAAANk/M-DxqOExsU4/s576/IMG_2527.jpg

And, enough bottom planking that it's starting to look like a boat...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oPS12TKTJdU/URPm0gguIYI/AAAAAAAAANk/FxZLd1wn288/s576/IMG_2531.jpg

[Draketail]

And some details on the flase stem. As noted earlier in my threads, I'm pretty much feeling my way with the front of the boat. I've given up trying to do the technical, engineer (who, me?) solution and am quite literally going by eye and feel.

I had always planned on using a false stem, rather than a rabbet for the hood ends of the side planks. As planking continues toward the front, I knew I had to resolve the flase stem sometime. Rather than waste time, energy, and material on a first try with white oak stock, I decided to make a trial stem out of cheap SPF framing lumber. When the trial stem looked right, then I could go to the oak stock.

On the left is the original shape I glued up and on the right is the blank with some additional pieces to fill in what finally needed carving.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kpX8ONh_7WE/URPmwiEiA8I/AAAAAAAAANk/ZY2Z3rA72so/s576/IMG_2497.jpg

I set the straight blank up against the stem and then scribed the inner curve. After several iterations of chalk, plane, chalk, plane, etc, the fit was good enough. (Oops, later picture after trimming to width. But, the fit remains the same)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zvk4NpGPiog/URPmyFrJAzI/AAAAAAAAANk/TTl24MWRdIE/s512/IMG_2507.jpg

Now then, to cut the blank to final width (I never have gotten "sided" and "molded" dimensions straight in my head) I set up this point fence on the bandsaw. Just be careful to keep the inner face of the blank at the contact point parallel to the blade.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-E88ijt-H4wE/URPmxNTsJvI/AAAAAAAAANk/eNOesriPs1c/s512/IMG_2501.jpg

After some trimming and shaping, I finally got the SPF blank to look like an outer stem. At least close enough that I was ready to trace the pattern to the good white oak stock. Since I had enough oak, I made two blanks just in case I screwed une up later.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aNUvLRslko0/URPmzsmx0lI/AAAAAAAAANk/wB7B-MsCOpE/s576/IMG_2516.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qaufzH4QS1w/URPmzq7g0kI/AAAAAAAAANk/fDKihx0pOH8/s512/IMG_2517.jpg

[Draketail]

I also had to decide where the through bolts for the stem would go. Once that was done, marked centerlines on both faces fo the stem and then drilled from both sides to be sure the holes remained true.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y0Tp-OBHj1Y/URPmxIqXaYI/AAAAAAAAANk/4qPIiRjdM1M/s576/IMG_2505.jpg

The holes in the trial false stem then acted as drill guides to (for now) spot the holes in the inner stem. Furniture assembly dowels were handy to hold things in place while shaping the false stem. Later I will set the final oak stem and use the holes in the inner stem as drill guides.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rc6NxiSJ3sI/URPmyZN9S_I/AAAAAAAAANk/aLYeHIO_NTU/s512/IMG_2508.jpg

The same process described above was used to saw out the oak stem blanks. Again, with some judicious planing:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HyUOstcADBI/URPmzgd6LiI/AAAAAAAAANk/lmqO-jmThpc/s576/IMG_2521.jpg

The fit was refined to an acceptable level.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-URuRtfuI8AA/URT-P9ScX5I/AAAAAAAAAOU/8Y-kfHYfw9c/s512/IMG_2526.jpg

I'm leaving the final shaping of the oak false stem until I get closer with the bottom planking. Until then, the progress to date is one less construction detail I have to worry about.

[chill]

What a great job. That is a wonderful boat. I just love them. Great work

[ILikeRust]

You, sir, are a patient and self-disciplined man.

I just went back and read all of the prior threads leading up to where we are today.

It appears you are crafting a piece of floating furniture, with the care and attention you are devoting to the joinery. But I am confident you will be glad for all of the painstaking care later, when you're out in the bay!

I have to say - I'm wondering what possessed the boat builders of old to come up with such a construction - it seems so complicated, yet unnecessary - although absolutely aesthetically pleasing.

[Draketail]

Bill,

You are correct. The draketail stern is purely esthetic. The story is that some old timer on Hooper Island saw a WWI era torpedo stern destroyer and thought "well, gee, that looks neat" and built himself a similar, but smaller boat. Other folks liked the look enough that more were built. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bainbridge_class_destroyer

And the draketail stern is indeed unnecessary and complicated. It is not unheard of for the draketail stern to come loose at the transition from the vertical stern staving to the horizontal side planking. The usual fix was a box stern replacement. Then folks just bypassed the "fall off and fix" stage and went straight to the box stern.

Still, dang but draketails are beautiful boats! I wouldn't be the first guy seduced by a shapely stern.

[BarnacleGrim]

According to modern naval architecture it's supposed to increase speed while decreasing fuel consumption.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn199/c_gull/2009-01-23-2142-04.jpg

Modern naval architecture has also found a way to make it really, really ugly.

[Draketail]

Whew! That's almost enough to drive you to the "eye bleach" site that someone keeps posting in the bilge.

[Bill Perkins]

It seems that the Smithsonian has the missing link between the naval and work boats in the form of a half model in the Watercraft Collection . The text is by Howard Chapelle.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/5395850269_0cbeb97f2e_b.jpg

[David Cockey]

According to modern naval architecture it's supposed to increase speed while decreasing fuel consumption.....

Interesting. I haven't heard that one before. Can you provide more information or a source?

[Draketail]

At the suggestion of Bill Perkins, I have installed two drains perpendicular to the keel at the bearding line at the lowest point of the keel so that bilge water can drain from one side of the keel to the other. The holes are lined with 3/4" copper pipe set in epoxy putty. The drains make it possible that one bilge pump can keep the boat pumped out from normal seepage. (I'll still fit a pump on either side of the keel as safety/back up)

The holes were drilled half way from each side using a 13/16" auger. Alignment was done with a square on top of the keel and a helper sighting level from the bow.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OcX7rK-9_FI/URPm3WkBWMI/AAAAAAAAANk/tkWzmgtMJqA/s576/IMG_2545.jpg

Looks like the drilling was successful:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KPVZePDgzds/URPm2vedh9I/AAAAAAAAANk/2ygeEDVzl4A/s576/IMG_2544.jpg

And the copper liner:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-evVr7NvZXlE/URPm2gWlwzI/AAAAAAAAANk/Lnhpm_tTq7k/s576/IMG_2540.jpg

Before installing the liner, one end was plugged with a cork and the other with a stopper from a good single malt. (Had fun sourcing that requirement!)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w9KTIn-_2PE/URPm3zwQK4I/AAAAAAAAANk/nUA1jdI__Jk/s576/IMG_2547.jpg

The hole was then gooped with putty and the copper pipe was twisted into place. The stopper provided both a convenient handle and depth stop.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YDZJoBTl_3E/URPm4F5Mb-I/AAAAAAAAANk/eKrBvQVP918/s576/IMG_2548.jpg

And, after some cleanup... Also notice in this picture that I didn't locate the drain holes until the planking reached the area. I had to know where the planking screws would go so that the pipe could be located in the gap. You can see the layout marks on the rabbet, with the pipe centered between the marks.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FzaStAh9tEg/URPm4FBXx7I/AAAAAAAAANk/jFogAG_UyeQ/s576/IMG_2551.JPG

Planking has now progressed past both drain holes. But you've already seen enough pictures of the planking procress.....

[SMARTINSEN]

I always look forward to the updates for your boat. Great job.

[BarnacleGrim]

Interesting. I haven't heard that one before. Can you provide more information or a source?
This one (http://www.deltamarin.com/technical-papers/EnergySavingInShips_MeriliikenneJaYmparisto2005.pd f) claims an increase in efficiency. Conveniently, Delta Marin also happens to sell these things.

The other purpose, when added as a modification, is increased buoyancy and improved stability.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RGDz4Z0_1Es/SedM-PpE6qI/AAAAAAAAAtM/c_8DyOz4sn4/s400/Athena.JPG

The former MS Stockholm, a once beautiful ship, after far too many rebuilds.

[Jim Ledger]

It's such a pleasure to watch your careful progress, Grigg, to actually see the construction of a type I've only seen in plans. The craftsmanship is superb and your careful documentation a pleasure to read. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Jim

[Draketail]

Smartinsen, Thank you. I'll try to keep the progress pictures coming. The Academic year (my real job) sometimes gets in the way...

Thank you also, Jim. That's high praise indeed coming from you!

And to keep you both interested here's a short and completely out of sequence video of bending the stern hoops.

http://p.webshots.com/flash/smallpla...561%26source=v (http://p.webshots.com/flash/smallplayer.swf?videoFile=http://videoserve.webshots.com/video/32854/3079432460102980561kaNiZf_v_0.flv&audio=on&displayImagePreview=http://videothumb15.webshots.com/thumb/32854/3079432460102980561kaNiZfstill_002_0.jpg&videoPageUrl=http://entertainment.webshots.com/video/3079432460102980561kaNiZf&autoPlay=false&shareLink=http://cards.webshots.com/ecard/personalize?photoId=3079432460102980561%26source=v )

[Eddiebou]

Draketails, keep up the good work and your documentary on the build! Coles point Va would be a great place for you to launch. I've got a buddy who runs a railway if necessary, docking is pretty cheap right now, too. How do you like that Stanley #113? I've got one but the handle's broken. I've used it a little, but I imagine it would be easier to handle if it weren't broken.

[skaraborgcraft]

glad to see progress.Keep it up,you are doing fine work.

Those duck tail additions to some passenger ferries running in the baltic came in after the Tallin ferry capsized with a loss of life. Some of the Sila Lines were modified also, strange they couldnt have worked out a good design from the very start!

[Draketail]

My last installment ended with the observation that you folks had probable seen enough of bottom planks being installed. Well, it's almost done. Here are a couple of pictures of where things stand as of the end of April, 2011.

Looking toward the stern, which is finished:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Wh-hpuA-bDo/URPm9DCq3ZI/AAAAAAAAANk/JEuk-28Xljo/s512/IMG_3125.jpg

and looking toward the bow which is now down to the fiddly detail work.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ckLrvxEZvhY/URPm9Fmyg2I/AAAAAAAAANk/CRavKRTqpyY/s512/IMG_3123.jpg

Those of you who have been following this saga might remember that the bow stalled me for a while as I sought an "engineer's" (me) solution to all the odd shapes. As previously discussed, I got past that by using a carpenter's ax to start the process of removing everything that didn't look like a boat.

In the bottom planking process, I have now reached the stage where I need to start at the bow and work sternward towards the other planking. This means shaping the chunk built bow so planks will fit and then beveling the side planks for the bottom planks to drop in. Somewhere about six or seven feet back from the bow the bottom planks make a transition from meeting the sides at an interior bevel to lapping completely over the side planks and being trimmed flush. Supposedly the planks will tell you where the transition will happen. Also in the forward six or seven feet, the planks fan from being almost perpendicular to the keel to angling sternwards at about 15 degrees to the keel. There's a lot going on in a small section.

It's only taken me four years to sort out in my head how all this is to happen.... So here goes.

I left the bow chunks only roughly shaped, the side planks too wide, and the keel rabbet unfinished in the bow area. Here's where things stood for a year or so.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4F2iEpmvs3c/URPm4VslLJI/AAAAAAAAANk/uLiqFlngrik/s576/IMG_3095.jpg

Discussion to follow in the next post.

[ILikeRust]

<tapping fingers on desk, expectantly>

[Draketail]

First a discussion of beveling the side planks. The first step was to transfer the line of the outside surface of the bottom plank to the outside of the side plank. This was done using short sections of bottom plank that would rest on the keel rabbet and the chine log, and a purpose made marking gage.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fA-j7UmyZQM/URPm47GQx2I/AAAAAAAAANk/beBLZfT_0mo/s576/IMG_3096.jpg

Pencil marks were made at short intervals and then connected with a batten. I then kerfed down to the pencil line with a pull saw.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CXBYr5uV80A/URPm5RNQV2I/AAAAAAAAANk/FFVUmGWr3hw/s576/IMG_3104.jpg

Then I started the process of trimming the side planks using the same trusty Swedish carpenter's ax.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8RtNTfP91KY/URPm6es03JI/AAAAAAAAANk/-ozX8LV8-lI/s576/IMG_3106.jpg

The ax was followed up with a slick to get closer to the line.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e4KkyNF_QvY/URPm6gMLjDI/AAAAAAAAANk/xfQhcipVanQ/s576/IMG_3110.jpg

Which was followed with a block plane.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7MO55Skcjao/URPm7I5d9PI/AAAAAAAAANk/c_no_zQXFUQ/s576/IMG_3112.jpg

The plank was brought to the line, but with no bevel. The trimmed top edge of the plank was kept horizontal and then rubbed with carpenter's crayon to highlight the edge.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SWcgYLPRHgc/URPm7wJXp_I/AAAAAAAAANk/gjK90iOb-yU/s512/IMG_3115.jpg

[Draketail]

After coloring the top edge of the side plank, I began creating the interior bevel using a slick. The idea was to leave just the finest line of colored wood at the outside of the plank and connect that line with the outside edge of the chine log.

Starting the process

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Y7jbsbZvpc/URPm7yy0kUI/AAAAAAAAANk/Pg-tAHFV5C8/s576/IMG_3116.jpg

And the finished bevel.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-67Kvle5kh60/URPm8u2O6oI/AAAAAAAAANk/AhJ5HoO-Rp8/s576/IMG_3118.jpg

Now the process of shaping the lumpy, rough shaped bow chunks and finishing the keel rabbet to 1) look like a bow and 2) accept bottom planks.

The lumpy port bow chunk also showing the unfinished section of keel rabbet.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xP3UmLnUQ0s/URT-P-RxpHI/AAAAAAAAAOU/zim5UvIe9Wc/s422/IMG_3095%2520cropped.jpg

Final (almost) shaping the bow chunk started by connecting the keel with the outside of the side planks with a series of pull saw kerfs.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dL_elUsNAdU/URPm5d6di9I/AAAAAAAAANk/NnFm4qdoZvc/s576/IMG_3099.jpg

The excess wood was then removed with the trusty ax and then a scrub plane until the kerfs just disappeared. Then the end of the chunk and the keel rabbet had to be finished to accept planks.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LSEIF-bTW1o/URT-P7KEL4I/AAAAAAAAAOU/--feJupYJao/s640/IMG_3126.jpg

The end of the chunk was cleaned up with some chisel work and the keel was kerfed to depth with a 4 1/2" Dewalt battery saw.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l6wXtFEPk1s/URPm-N1B9WI/AAAAAAAAANk/sSwd7SYC-c0/s576/IMG_3130.jpg

[Draketail]

And here's the area all cleaned up and painted with red lead.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5H0eWq7JZOM/URUIz_yAuJI/AAAAAAAAAXA/uZbl0ULOeOs/s640/IMG_3691.jpg

And the starboard side before painting.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qGlIX94J0H8/URUIx18S0ZI/AAAAAAAAAXA/eHq-4OX2PVM/s640/IMG_3127.jpg

Fitting the planks starting at the bow chunk was the next step. There is enough twist in the planks that they have to be made of thicker stock, the ends trimmed to lie flat, and then the outside planed to "look like a boat".

Picking up the end bevels with a gage:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oTHF_FEKQOg/URUIxyXztDI/AAAAAAAAAXA/El6leAWQ6cI/s640/IMG_3680.jpg

And determining the length pf the plank with dividers.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HTD9jk5EW6o/URUIydBy7mI/AAAAAAAAAXA/HeKkcoUDiOE/s512/IMG_3682.jpg

Transferring the length to the plank and marking the bevel. I marked just a bit long and then trimmed for a snug fit. If I missed, a couple of passes on the bowward (is that a word?) edge of the plank let it snuggle in tighter again.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HSfVmarzRnw/URUIyipnEfI/AAAAAAAAAZc/DeB0ocDGruE/s640/IMG_3683.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J2f0JWc4DgE/URUIy2EyhWI/AAAAAAAAAXA/m2MQfrVmoCM/s640/IMG_3684.jpg

[Draketail]

Here are some of the fitted planks set in place. You can also see the cleaned up surface of the bow chunk.

Port

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SteHLs3ia24/URUIzbYSTsI/AAAAAAAAAXA/XS99hGu_YZE/s640/IMG_3688.jpg

Starboard

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iwYcStqIk1U/URUIx_7XxbI/AAAAAAAAAXA/t7EpQ9cvMWM/s640/IMG_3678.jpg

After some experimentation with planes, slicks, saws, and chisels, it appears the best tool for shaping the twist in each end of the plank is once again the ax. Keeping it razor sharp makes it possible to do the initial shaping with controlled swings. Final shaping can be done by holding just below the head and pushing with a shearing motion.

After the first four planks, each plank was beveled from chine to keel by about 1 3/16 degrees to start the planks fanning backwards. I kept dry fitting planks until I got eight done on each side. At that point it seemed like a good idea to install the 1st eight planks permanently before shaping any more. So the pieces are getting three coats of red led on the inside, and then will be installed before work progresses further.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gj5lGWIN67k/URUIzd_lObI/AAAAAAAAAXA/35VqA_PgBDc/s640/IMG_3689.jpg

All for now. Exams and graduation are going to keep me busy until mid May.

[Draketail]

Well, I got distracted from woodworking for a bit and my son and I have been spending some time assembling the motor for the draketail. Long ago I mentioned that we had found a 1930s era launch engine on eBay for the boat. It's period appropriate both in type and horsepower.

The Michigan Marine Motor Company converted Hercules industrial engines for maring use. This particular one is a 2 cylinder, 66 cu in (1.1 L) block married to a Paragon OXKB-90 reversing gear. A whomping 12 horsepower at 1550 rpm from only 350 lbs. And as if one isn't enough,we found a second locked up version as a spare..

I also mentioned that my son is a trained machinist who can fabricate just about anything in metal. so...

Here is the state of the engine when last posted (some time in 2008).

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rk6s278ynb0/URUIv7EDBDI/AAAAAAAAAXA/LQd95XJMLBQ/s640/IMG_1362.JPG

Notice the broken aluminum end to the lower right in the above picture at teh transmission end of the oil pan. There's more to that story in a bit.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IIPLKHFsO14/URUIwJGiSTI/AAAAAAAAAXA/JfdDwWui1jM/s640/IMG_2707.jpg

Above are all the pieces disassembled and parted out for clean up, rebuilding, powder coating and general fettling up.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eglSl8kA1mI/URUIz-k8yWI/AAAAAAAAAXA/QXg3ohQuFxM/s640/IMG_3907.jpg

And after fettling.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-KcZwj6Kx0bg/URkOn9JJ-GI/AAAAAAAAAZw/uzHLQfZrl80/s640/IMG_3908.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O0TTEY1G-GY/URUI2_xhkoI/AAAAAAAAAXA/CDGZYkAZ1t8/s512/IMG_3957.jpg

Partially assembled

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-85-8TILmTgA/URUI3eUcA0I/AAAAAAAAAXA/u7h6YujcGUk/s640/IMG_3958.jpg

And buttoned up waiting for all the auxiliary parts.

[Draketail]

Back to the broken aluminum.....

The marine conversion relied on an couple of cast aluminum flanges on the oil pan for the transmission end mounting points. The flanges weren't strong enough if the owner wasn't very careful with transmission end engine mountings.

Below is a picture of an oil pan with intact flanges and also the flange pieces that were broken off another pan.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3VtvkegKSCM/URUI1Ra8ERI/AAAAAAAAAXA/WhHB-a0faRU/s640/IMG_3937.jpg

Fortunately, one of the oil pans had the flanges intact. Unfortunately, the pan was not from the "good" running engine, but was from the locked up one. It looked like this:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g-xvoZ-pHkY/URUIvwg-LTI/AAAAAAAAAXA/HBTz0HmJeq8/s640/IMG_2724.jpg

Which is where my son the machinist comes in....

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U_OwEp6IvCQ/URUIwuYLyFI/AAAAAAAAAXA/uu7qFoSQ5ZQ/s640/IMG_2859.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-teCTYxk4smc/URUIxK743sI/AAAAAAAAAXA/eC2H1JV74VI/s640/IMG_2862.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XYGv8yhkHBI/URUIxNLy-bI/AAAAAAAAAXA/yxjfnOrOy5k/s640/IMG_2867.jpg

Nice repair job, even if it is the proud father speaking!

[Draketail]

To further complicate things, the original generator was a 6 volt system. The generator was gear driven from the engine timing gears. It would be much more convenient if the boat could be converted to a 12 volt system. Unfortunately, the rebuild facility was unable to convert the generator to 12 volts. Fortunately, my son figured out how to mount a 12 volt alternator instead.

Another feature of the old engine installation was gravity fuel feed to the carburettor. So the engine had no fuel pump. Gravity feed isn't going to work in the draketail, but the generator was too large to allow mounting a mechanical pump on the block. So, killing two birds with one stone, my son went to fabricating.

Here's the old, gear driven generator. The nub on the front of the gear shaft is also the drive for the engine water pump.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3B3X3N13qVI/URUI05gbjBI/AAAAAAAAAXA/xx-6NN_pJ0U/s640/IMG_3918.jpg

Son Grigg found a 12 volt, 45 amp alternator from a small Kubota that might work.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qhogTDuLIP4/URUI0TyN_8I/AAAAAAAAAXA/0LIEn2wa10Y/s640/IMG_3916.jpg

Seems like the alternator might fit. Now then, how to make a new mounting plate, gear drive, and make all the various parts line up to keep the bearings happy.



https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-V0DnbeRxAMw/URUI09LMhlI/AAAAAAAAAXA/njz_fCdck2w/s512/IMG_3919.jpg

Upper in the picture is the new mounting plate, including oil seal. The alternator itself will serve as the rear bearing for the assembly. Bleow is the old front cover modified to replace a bronze bushing with a sealed ball bearing.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CKzgkbN8owY/URUI1XEU9qI/AAAAAAAAAXA/PvVhOlKuZ7U/s640/IMG_3940.jpg

Here's a new gear shaft Grigg fabricated to screw to the front of the alternator shaft.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PBRYXqdwZV4/URUI1-37mxI/AAAAAAAAAXA/GH0QYuEyxgk/s640/IMG_3943.jpg

And some more of the various parts.. Notice the original mounting ears have been trimmed from the alternator case. The alternator now registers and is centralized on the fabricated mounting plate.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tZ6svh5mVLI/URUI1hOsAvI/AAAAAAAAAZg/7DZ6xCBJ20I/s640/IMG_3941.jpg

[Draketail]

A few more details...

The alternator test fitted in place:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZfDi7QSFJy8/URUI2NGShJI/AAAAAAAAAXA/s_gHGOWJcSY/s640/IMG_3945.jpg

And notice how the shorter alternator uncovers the mounting boss for a mechanical fuel pump..

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aG0a6fEZh_8/URUI2a68WUI/AAAAAAAAAXA/dDMjYttEE14/s640/IMG_3946.jpg

Alternator in place, timing cover fitted, and water pump drive nub visible through modified cover plate with new ball bearing for water pump shaft.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0wGqsisr2do/URUI25mYrkI/AAAAAAAAAXA/trNQ2CalWtA/s640/IMG_3953.jpg

And a bit of post assembly touch up.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JTowQ5PKuc0/URUI3RwdTXI/AAAAAAAAAXA/TGp7A5QnsUA/s512/IMG_3962.jpg

All for now.

[ILikeRust]

Interesting to see some similarities between that engine and the Atomic 4. Of course, the A4 uses the same Paragon reversing gear.

As impressive as that alternator installation is (and it is) my one concern is whether it will spin fast enough to generate the output you need, and also whether it can remain cool enough not to get cooked, that close up to the block.

Very cool - glad to see you're back at it!! I've been wondering what's been going on out there...

[Draketail]

Bill,

The alternator will be spinning at the same speed as the old generator. It is driven off the cam gear which is at half crankshaft speed. But, the alternator gear is smaller than the crankshaft gear, stepping the alternator speed back up to something above crank speed. As to whether or not an alternator running at around 2,000 rpm will generate enough juice, that i don't know. Interesting question. I hadn't thought of it.

As for the heat... the alternator will be along the oil pan part of the block not beside the cylinders. That should be the cooler of the options. It also sits under the water cooled exhaust manifold. With that and the fact that the engine will be open to the atmosphere (top cover only) I hope the alternator will remain cool enough. I expect it will be cooler than under the hood of a modern car. Again, a good question that I hadn't considered.

As for the Atomic Four similarities... I used the A4 manual to help with the reassembly and have bought the fuel pump rebuild kit and carb float from Moyer Marine. Michigan Marine Motor is long out of business and has no one carrying the flag like Don Moyer does for the A4. The similarities have been helpful.

[Duncan Gibbs]

Very nice work! Well done!

[ILikeRust]

That oil pan repair is amazing.

[SMARTINSEN]

I love this stuff, and would not mind seeing more of the mechanical end of things, but I suppose that would be getting away from the central mission, after we are about wooden boats. Great work.

PMJ you have some serious competition, you had better get back to work and bump that old Mercury engine thread.

[ILikeRust]

I want to know more about that old truck that's hiding just off to the side. I love old trucks, and that looks pretty bitchin'. What is it, Grigg?

[Draketail]

Smartinsen:

I have no problems about continuing to post pictures of the mechanicals for a 1930s era wooden Chespeake Bay work boat recreation. We're solving the same sort of problems the old timers would have done then. What have you got? And how can you make it work? More to come with dressing the engine, fuel and cooling systems, gages, engine mounting, steering gear, rudder mounting, etc. Patience, please. Much head scratching involved.

I think PMJ is safe. This is a much simpler engine and we're working to work boat levels.

Duncan;

Thanks for the compliment.

Bill,

1) I went back and counted gear teeth in my pictures. The alternator will be spinning at 1 1/2 times crankshaft speed. Meaning that at wide open throttle (1,500 rpm) the alternator will be spinning at 2,250 rpm. Seems like that should work.

2) As for the old truck.... That is my son's project. He's converting a 1948 Chevy two ton grain truck to a daily driver. Modern axles and brakes, power steering, Detroit 453 power and more whistles and bells than you can think of. If you're interested in more detail, go to the Stovebolt web page and look at: http://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=144214#Post144214 and various follow on threads.

3) And, yes, thank you, my son does some amazing fabrication. Just sort of mulls it over and goes to work. No drama, just very competent work. The Orange County Chopper guys should be so good....

[Draketail]

Some more engine assembly pictures:

The engine was originally set up to accept a hand crank as a back up to the electric starter. When we got it the ears for engage the starting crank had been broken off the crankshaft spigot. Below is a picture of the broken spigot beside the replacement that my son machined. He also changed the way the starting handle engaged because his experience shows that the handle is less likely to hang up on the pin thorugh the spigot as opposed to ears on the end of the spigot.

I also got him to center drill a mark the spigot to help with initial engine alignment. There is a similar center mark in the transmission output shaft.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XsrCJ9JxkfQ/URUI4FSmuwI/AAAAAAAAAXA/b0x37S_wdEo/s640/IMG_3979.jpg

Initial fitting of the flywheel before torqueing the mounting bolts. I had never seen the short chain trick to stop the engine from turning so the bolts could be torqued. Could have used that when I was rebuilding my TR4 engine...

As an aside, the flywheel weighs 51 lbs all by itself. Should smooth out the 2 cyl engine....

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-F2HyRpdJWZ0/URUI4Fj8QsI/AAAAAAAAAXA/jQcdBPLLJNk/s640/IMG_3981.jpg

Starting to dress out the engine with starter, mag, etc.... If you look at the mounting ear to the right you begin to understand how the mounting lugs on the cast aluminum oil pan got broken. The blue mounting ear will have to be fully supported right up to the aluminum lug to avoid having them break again. I'm expect that will make shimming the engine for final alignment to the prop shaft a bit more difficult.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tys189VMMcU/URUI4mL85fI/AAAAAAAAAXA/Izsee-raspY/s640/IMG_3982.jpg

[ILikeRust]

Lookin' good!! How convenient to have such a capable machinist in the family. Not fair!

Also very interesting how similar that engine is to the Atomic 4.

I am at the tail end of a complete tear-down and overhaul of the A4 in my 1968 Pearson. Of course, right now it's not "in" my Pearson - it's in my workshop at home, 85 miles away from my Pearson.

[Draketail]

Some more progress pictures on the engine rebuild.

Since my son reconfigured the crankshaft spigot for the starting crank, that meant he also now had to make a starting crank to fit the new spigot.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fs2uETh-1Dk/URUI5Etvj7I/AAAAAAAAAXA/5lstdYSFB6c/s640/IMG_4028.jpg

And here's another picture of the set up with the flywheel cover in place. As you can see, we have also taken the engine off the stand and set it on a mocked up set of engine beds.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GpUbYywdDd0/URUI5EMzNdI/AAAAAAAAAXA/ootNdwj7NSw/s512/IMG_4030.jpg

We're now closing in on finishing the basic engine. Everything is rebuilt except for the carburettor, and the rebuild kit is in hand for that. Here's a picture of the starboard side of the engine. The mag has been rebuilt and sparks well. To the lower left you can see a modern oil pressure sensor. One of the advantages of the switch to a 12 volt alternator is the ability to use modern gages.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L0foLHxV33w/URUI5q00AMI/AAAAAAAAAXA/-5lJmfBdRdU/s640/IMG_4033.jpg

And a picture of the port side. The carb is just bolted in place for the picture, but not rebuilt. Notice how changing to the modern alternator made room for the fuel pump. Not visible in the picture is the oil temperature sensor installed in the oil pan drain plug. The port side is really pretty busy....

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a5eTVGJ1pPw/URUI5vDSySI/AAAAAAAAAXA/VpVq8eo7UyE/s640/IMG_4037.jpg

We still have to figure out the cooling system, so none of the various connections for the hoses are yet in place. The engine was originally raw water cooled, but was used on the Great Lakes. My cruising grounds will be the Chesapeake Bay and I'm not interested in raw cooling with salt water.

We're headed towards a thermosiphon system for the engine itself with a raw water cooled heat exchanger. The original cooling system uses a gear pump with 1/4" copper lines. (Yep, that's small, but did work.) Raw water went through the block (all 1/4" lines again), through the exhaust manifold, and then out the exhaust.

A picture of the water pump before the cleanup and rebuild.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-je6yiOHTdI4/URUI2X4XlSI/AAAAAAAAAXA/HgYfMlxXPXw/s640/IMG_3951.jpg

We're figuring that full size hoses (1 1/4") in the block/heat exchanger loop will allow for adequate thermal circulation. Plus, we're adding a temp gage, so if it doesn't cool adequately we'll find out during the sea trials stage.

As for the raw water side... Does anybody have a suggestion concerning a raw water filter? The small pipe size makes normal 1" inlet (or larger) filters seem pretty ridiculous. My thoughts were to carry a stock of the clear plastic in line gas filters for the raw water intake side. Is that feasible? Anybody have any experience?

Thanks.

[Draketail]

On the nights I can't con my son into working on the engine, I've been making some progress on the bow of the boat.

Earlier I had shown pictures of the mocked up false stem. I made the piece out of cheap framing lumber. Well, time has come to drill the inner stem to attach the false stem. The plan was to use the bolt holes in the cheap stem to guide the drill through the inner stem. Then align the permanent false stem and drill back the other way....

All but one of the attaching bolts goes completely through the inner stem. The lowest bolt had to be connected using one of the bed bolt assemblies described earlier in the thread on the keel construction.

A picture of drilling the forefoot chunk for the bed bolt assembly. The small rod in the drill guide fits in the 3/8" bolt hole and properly positions the 3/4" drill for the bed bolt.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-n7FHQAN15vk/URUI4m_F-GI/AAAAAAAAAXA/QUQ7dkwoTTo/s640/IMG_3984.jpg

Here's the real outer stem in position. While i'm still fitting and fettling, I am using a piece of all thread. For final installation, that will be replaced with a counter sunk silicon bronze bolt. (more fabrication work for my son...) All the bolt holes have now been drilled. The location on the inside of the inner stem wasn't completely up to Jim Ledger's standards, but will still work just fine. The exit holes may have missed the centerline by 1/8" or so....

Hole locations on the back of the permanent false stem were located by running the bit back through the holes in the inner stem. The path of the bolt in the false stem was found by putting bolts in the inner stem, setting the false stem in place, but off center, and tracing the bolts onto the false stem. The holes on the outside of the false stem were then started on the centerline. Holes were drilled 1/2 way from each side. Any small missalignment was removed by running a drill bit all the way through after the holes met in the middle.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pdjcYwm55zI/URUI63ucAEI/AAAAAAAAAXA/Gi-fI89JoT8/s512/IMG_4049.jpg

The point has also come where the bow chunks are permanently attached so planking can proceed toward the stern. The chunks were attached in a bed of PL Premium and secured with both silicon bronze through bolts and several screws. The glue line will disappear as the area is planed to final shape.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SradZ2frS3o/URUI6RZLkII/AAAAAAAAAXA/tKDf1lJYkYk/s640/IMG_4040.jpg

And a couple of shots of the bow as the whole thing starts to come together. These pictures show the (almost) final shape of the permanent false stem. It is set in position, but not yet permanently attached. Length will be trimmed after the worm shoe is installed on the keel.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-imN1RoqV6GQ/URUI6u6WedI/AAAAAAAAAXA/tXmTHlRgPnM/s512/IMG_4048.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3e5kfU-01uI/URUI6j3VmmI/AAAAAAAAAXA/shYrlLbR0oU/s512/IMG_4044.jpg

Time to fit more planks! All for now.

[ILikeRust]

I can almost taste the beer as we're standing on the deck and slowly putt-putting up the creek...

That is, presuming you'll allow me to set foot on your fine vessel once she's afloat.

[Draketail]

We could have a beer earlier at the turn over gathering. I'm working on it......

[BarnacleGrim]

Very nice work! I'm steaming for Baltimore right now, but alas, the fast pace of modern shipping doesn't allow for much shore leave, or I would have dropped by your shop for a look.

[Draketail]

BG,

Thank you. And you would certainly be welcome to drop in. PM if you ever get the time to visit. We have plenty of extra beds..

[Eddiebou]

Drake,
You're doing a great job. This is such a cool thread. All I can say is keep up the good work.
I got my skiff turned over back in April? and I'm hoping to get in the water within 2 weeks. I sure did underestimate the amount of work left to be done after the turning. You say you're gonna make it to a boat show this fall? Where? When?

[Draketail]

Eddie,

Thanks. I was wondering how your skiff was coming... Have you posted pictures yet? Please.

I expect I'll find that finish work also takes me longer that I had expected. But, then, that's been the story of this whole build.
I am hoping to go to the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival, October 1, at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St Michaels, MD. In the starry eyed depths of about March I thought I would be taking a completed boat. Reality may be less fulfilling... But I'll keep plugging away.

[Eddiebou]

I have plenty of pics, but unfortunately, I have not figured out the best way to post 'em. We have some issues with the hosting sites, and a very sketchy connection.
I would love to join you at the sm craft fest, but I have issues with getting there, too. Like I don't have a big enough trailer and I need a new truck. I'm boat-broke between SiBr screws and the sails.

[Saltiguy]

Thank you for this great thread. Very informative and well done!

[Grigg]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjqlibzXWRw

[Draketail]

So, you can see that Grigg, the young and talented, (as opposed to Grigg the old and bald) has posted a video of the first firing of the rebuilt Hercules engine. Being a man of few words, Grigg appears content to let the video speak for him. What he's not saying is that his careful attention to detail allowed the engine to start on the very first crank. Proper magneto timing, book perfect carb adjustments, prime the fuel, touch the starter once and off she went. What you see in the video is the first touch of the starter button in four years. And, obviously the start with 1/4 turn of the hand crank was just a satisfying. Nice work, Grigg!

And, yes, that low syncopated idle is the real thing. The full power speed on this motor is 1500 rpm. You begin to see why we felt it was a perfectly appropriate motor for a 1920's era work boat recreation.

[ILikeRust]

Suh-WEET!

That has the exact right sound for that kind of boat! Kuh-plip, kuh-plep, kuh-plerp, kuh-plip... Love it.

I plan on hauling my engine up to my boat sometime this week and dropping it back in there. Then I'll have to spend a day or two hooking everything back up. Then hopefully I can get back in the water!

[Draketail]

At the request of Smartinsen, some more engine building pictures:

The original Michigan Marine Engine set-up was for raw water cooling. We've decided to go to a closed system through the motor and cooling with a heat exchanger. Below are some of the various parts being used make the change over. Some Grocco hose nipples, a likely looking NAPA hose, and a heat exchanger of undetermined origine but pleasing size from eBay.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QbUC5lhzGHU/URUI7XMTeXI/AAAAAAAAAXA/BUCmxlwwlHA/s640/IMG_4062.jpg

Paper patterns were made from the hose mounting bosses on the block and then transferred to 3/8" brass plate. The picture below is for the lower hose mounting. Also notice the hex on the Grocco nipple.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-w2WcyYHLtXg/URUI7eEeS6I/AAAAAAAAAXA/StKKZQL8ZII/s512/IMG_4064.jpg

Now then, so much for the hex....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_29UQ8P_KHU/URUI77dEw1I/AAAAAAAAAXA/oAc826zwZ4A/s512/IMG_4066.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oSvPpEiFQZs/URUI74wbfTI/AAAAAAAAAXA/XyKhC-fVkdE/s640/IMG_4069.jpg

Once the nipple was modified, it was time to make the mounting flange. The paper pattern was scribed on the brass plate and the nipple carefully centered:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TXUdfSlnZCk/URUI8bWVUqI/AAAAAAAAAXA/ooGNEuSEGAI/s640/IMG_4074.jpg

Then the plate was cut to (very) rough size on the band saw.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CZVX-lpm5Ok/URUI8QvlwoI/AAAAAAAAAXA/Mpno6lNHljw/s512/IMG_4075.jpg

[Draketail]

Continuing on with the cooling system.

Boring a hole in the rough flange blank:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5TdrCYCTYEg/URUI9JFf4YI/AAAAAAAAAXA/a-fowzZxgJA/s640/IMG_4082.jpg

The hose nipple now fits in the flange blank.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eOC7yXOUJOs/URUI9GJwGRI/AAAAAAAAAXA/Mv3tYQHOEt4/s640/IMG_4083.jpg

More detailed shaping of the flanges.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QFcbNDNd_kE/URUI9pupXPI/AAAAAAAAAXA/9ziQbChnaxE/s512/IMG_4087.jpg

And the finished product, including the drain fitting.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PKBnEY49A74/URUI-H1xE2I/AAAAAAAAAXA/5n6V9lnZFK4/s640/IMG_4094.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Gi6SQNLJSo/URUI-PRdZqI/AAAAAAAAAXA/aGx_UFZA8kA/s640/IMG_4093.jpg

And the general idea of the setup roughed in place on the motor.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5y0eX64Saac/URUI9tx3hzI/AAAAAAAAAXA/a7gOKLXb50k/s512/IMG_4091.jpg

[Draketail]

And now the extra credit question.....

Did you know that copper plumbing fittings can be TIG welded? Any guesses as to what this assemblage of a "T" fitting, a shortened 90 degree fitting and a short length of brass pipe is for?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DkgBGQKVf-M/URUI-TkHUtI/AAAAAAAAAXA/qVtXlP0bvN0/s640/IMG_4096.jpg

Answer given as the adapting continues.........

[ILikeRust]

Does that engine have the block bypass T, like the Atomic 4?

That's some seriously fat cooling hose for such a small engine. The hoses and fittings on my Atomic 4 are only 1/2".

Again, I say "no fair" to having free access to such a skilled machinist.

I plopped my A4 back into my boat this morning. Still need to hook it all up, but it's sitting on the beds now.

[Draketail]

Bill,

Congrats on dropping the A4 back in place. Must be satisfying!

As for the big hoses, they're the size that fits the heat exchanger (1 1/4"). But, since we're relying on thermo siphon to move water through the block, the big hoses seem like an advantage. There is no water pump for the block cooling circuit. On the other hand, the raw water pressure feed to the heat exchanger and on to the wet exhaust will be through 1/4" pipe. We may upsize to 3/8", but still....

No block bypass "T" yet... 1) I don't actually know what one is. Could you explain further? and 2) if the engine runs too cool, I'm thinking of adding a restrictor valve of some sort. Easy enough to cut the top hose and add in.

[k4lmy]

Have been following your great photo documentation.. It looks great.. and also the excellent machine work of your son.. Please run up the flag on your turn over as I am always ready to return to Lexington..

Henry

[ILikeRust]

Grigg -

The Atomic 4 has a thermostat and a water pump, so obviously its cooling system is quite different than yours. The "early" style A4 is a little different than the "later" style, but generally speaking, the water pump sucks in water and pushed it towards the engine block. There is a T on the side of the water jacket, where the water can either enter the block or bypass it and head up to the thermostat housing on the head. From the thermostat housing it goes over to the exhaust manifold, flows through the manifold and then out.

The way it works is that when the engine is cold, the thermostat closes off the passages that allow water to leave the block. Since no water can leave the block, no water can enter it. So the water bypasses the block through the T, goes across the thermostat through the housing, through the manifold and out.

Once the temp warms up, the thermostat opens and allows water out of the block. This allows water to enter the block through the T, and then you have water flowing through the water jacket, through the head, then up through the thermostat and out through the manifold.

On the later models (which my engine is), this required a "double-acting" thermostat, which no longer is made. So what most people with A4s do these days is install a restrictor valve with ball valve in the line downstream of the T, to provide some backpressure to control how much water flows through the block versus how much bypasses the block.

If you're interested, take a look at Moyer Marine, Inc.'s website (http://www.moyermarine.com/).

[s1120]

Im new to the thred, and just wated to say AWESOME work!!! Im a engine geek so love the engine mods also!!!

[Draketail]

k4lmy (Henry), Thanks for the kind words. I'll indeed run a flag up for the turn over....

Bill, Thanks for the details of the A4 cooling system. Seems like we have an apples & oranges thing between our two cooling systems, but the information is still helpful. The Moyer Marine site has already been a big help.

s1120, Thank you. Glad you're enjoying the thread. I'll keep posting as progress continues.

[ILikeRust]

I'll indeed run a flag up for the turn over....

As much as I'm really looking forward to seeing this beauty upright and closer to completion, I'd suggest you don't rush that. I just came in from working outside all day long, replacing rotten clapboard on my house.

I would suggest the turn over should take place sometime in, say ... October.

[flyinwall]

are there any updates on this wonderful project
do you have plans for this boat or are you doing it from eye. If you have plans could you please direct me to where you got them from

[Draketail]

flyinwall,

Sorry, no updates for the past couple of weeks. I've been off on a covered bridge project (www.tfguild.org), Wason Pond Bridge. And then on to Nova Scotia for a weeks vacation with my wife.

As for the source of the boat plans..it all comes through "Simplified Boat Building, The V Bottom Boats" by Harry Sucher. There is a one page set of lines for a 25 ft draketail launch. I had the lines reviewed by Bill Platt, a naval architect. We made the boat about 10% wider (4' 7") and added some volume towards the stern. The original drawing gives timber and plank sizes. Beyond that, it's by eye and advice... A more detailed discussion of the lines can be found in one of my earlier threads about the boat.

I should have an update or two by mid August.

[Leatherneck]

Absolutely no apologizing needed Drake: those sound to me like noble efforts indeed. Not all boat builders need to be crazed. Your son is obviously a gifted machinist, and you're rightly proud of him.

Do send up that Mayday when you need muscle. Depending on the timing, many of us in the area would be willing to help.

Tom

[Draketail]

Will do. Flag to be raised for the turn over when appropriate. There will be barbecue and beverage involved.

[Draketail]

All right folks, the last of the engine rebuild story until it gets mounted in the hull. A while back I left you with a question about a copper plumbing fitting that my son had welded (yes, welded) up. To answer the question, the widget allows plumbing a header tank into the closed loop thermo-siphon cooling system that we're developing.

The motor was originally raw water cooled, but was used in fresh water. I plan to use the boat on the Chesapeake and don't want to use raw water cooling....

So, here's the motor with a header tank mounted as the highest point, connected into the top of the heat exchanger. You can barely see the copper plumbing widget in the upper left of the picture. The header tank is salvage from some Ford big truck application. The tank has to be the highest point in the system so that any air that might be in the closed loop can burp out the top.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wl-HZe-BZJc/URUI-QjGHAI/AAAAAAAAAXA/4YrZXCSmOE0/s512/IMG_4459.jpg

And here's the heat exchanger mounted in position. The exchanger came from eBay, original purpose unknown. But it looked about the right size. We'll see....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hgyWno86-LU/URUI-51c3ZI/AAAAAAAAAXA/HR4VSyaxYuQ/s512/IMG_4465.jpg

You'll notice the pipe fittings on the heat exchanger. They are for 1/2" tube. Everything else in the system is 3/8" tube. So, my son made some stubs with the proper flare to mount to the exchanger and then used the collett chuck in his lathe to swage the 1/2" tube down so 3/8" just slipped inside. The he soldered the 3/8" tube into the stub.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qcqnG5k9BPs/URUI_JSzx1I/AAAAAAAAAXA/IxG1cvX721w/s512/IMG_4467.jpg

After that, it was a matter of bending the various tubes to go from the raw water pump to the bottom of the heat exchanger.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Xntqd09jrxw/URUI_gmGZSI/AAAAAAAAAXA/EkMM9BNbl00/s512/IMG_4469.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PnfvmfOkXoM/URUI_jfaYxI/AAAAAAAAAXA/fUx70trDHeg/s640/IMG_4470.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mJMTCyd5rqg/URUJANB-DZI/AAAAAAAAAXA/KCxIW7ZCFwM/s640/IMG_4472.jpg

[Draketail]

Then the top of the heat exchanger was plumbed into the water cooled exhaust manifold. Eventually, the outlet from the manifold will go into the wet exhaust. For now we just stubbed in a tube so we could test run things.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eR6phD2WJVk/URUI_H5haOI/AAAAAAAAAXA/HkwJZkDx7u8/s640/IMG_4468.jpg

And everything plumbed up.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-G9Zbhl3fwlw/URUI_3cJ3QI/AAAAAAAAAXA/itWMbVf6tQY/s640/IMG_4471.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wc2WUjDSv_w/URUJAlzzsbI/AAAAAAAAAXA/MORLQ2sJdws/s512/IMG_4474.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4tuC0OkJnAA/URUJAWelsDI/AAAAAAAAAXA/0ydajrEwies/s640/IMG_4473.jpg

Finally, we filled the system with water and gave it a test run.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jKMKHsWHocI/URUJBNNizMI/AAAAAAAAAXA/1cZLxDivmXM/s512/IMG_4480.jpg

We ran the motor long enough to get everything warmed up. All indications are good. No leaks. The bottom inlet to the motor stayed cool. The top outlet heated up. There was a noticeable difference in temperature between the bottom and top of the heat exchanger. And the water coming out of the exhaust manifold was definitely warm.

So, that looks like the end of the engine story until we can mount it in the hull and test it under load. Sometime before then we'll also figure out the choke and throttle linkages and mount gages.

So... back to woodworking!

[ILikeRust]

When you look in the dictionary under the definition of "bitchin'", there is a picture of that engine.

[Saltiguy]

When you look in the dictionary under the definition of "bitchin'", there is a picture of that engine.

Absitively!

[Draketail]

Thank you, gents, for the kind words.

[flyinwall]

are there any updates on this build (i hope there are more pics for you to share with us)

[Draketail]

Flyinwall,

Unfortunately, no updates right now. All that has happened is the bunging of 4,327,821 screw holes in most of the bottom that has been installed to date. Then the academic year started and my time evaporated as it always does. But, your nudge has given me the impetus to try and complete the bottom by Christmas. I'll post progress when there's something to show.

Thank you for your interest!

[Soundman67]

thats great, I really like this build. cant wait to see how it works out for you.

[Crazer]

Glad to hear it's moving along, albeit slowly. This is a really neat project.

[ILikeRust]

Excuses, excuses! We want more pics and more progress! hehehe...

Whenever you're ready; we'll be here waiting...

[Bill Perkins]

What a neat repair of the oil pan (the only part of the mechanical work I could fully comprehend).

Will the boat ,especially haveing been widened, require significant ballast to bring her down to her waterline?

[Draketail]

Bill,

Thanks again for the kind comments and your ongoing interest. I do understand that my son is a wizard machinist and fabricator. It's a pleasure watching both his mind and his hands work. He tolerates my help, but mostly because I'm his old man..

As for the boat floating on the lines, I don't think ballast will be required. Naval architect Bill Platt took the original lines from the Sucher book and adjusted them. All we knew about the original lines were that they came from an existing boat. Whether it was a good or bad boat was unknown. Calculations indicated the original wanted to float down at the stern. Bill added some volume from midships back and adjusted the beam by 10%. The bouyancy calculations were done using the new lines, fairly accurate estimates of the actual materials and actual weights for the motor and accessories. Given that, there's a reasonable chance the boat will float at the (new) waterline as drawn. I just hope I can spend enough time on the build to find out soon!

[Draketail]

And, finally! A small wet stain on the planking

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ngeCjbb4iEg/URkbFrdQj6I/AAAAAAAAAlU/ztJUS5__Ees/s512/IMG_5237.jpg

Because of:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8GTxVCOS6Bg/URkbFIx1RfI/AAAAAAAAAlU/u8j82qaccrE/s640/IMG_5234.jpg

Last plank in place

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aa7-iSEHQ6w/URkbFhQ0gNI/AAAAAAAAAlU/hRokrM7O49U/s512/IMG_5236.jpg

Time for Brian (pictured) and I to celebrate the 5 years it took us to finish planking during our one year build... It's still progress!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EK6n91etXxc/URkbGLi07kI/AAAAAAAAAlU/-xhMu9aqKaU/s512/IMG_5238.jpg

[Draketail]

And the details of the last plank....

Prepped:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eVpmge4azx0/URkbDrKMqUI/AAAAAAAAAlU/ofx4RxeNfTI/s512/IMG_5221.jpg

signed, since it is a work of art...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iWzu-GStJFk/URkbEGXGK9I/AAAAAAAAAlU/DKcrg77N8zI/s640/IMG_5222.jpg

fitted in place:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hpsV-pgYVrg/URkbEBi36EI/AAAAAAAAAlU/yRq_PIfV_PA/s640/IMG_5223.jpg

screwed home:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YTh4BEH135s/URkbEsN8K4I/AAAAAAAAAlU/Mkhu8ZHvZqI/s640/IMG_5224.jpg

Cut to length:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2MxtlWtINI4/URkbFJOD1TI/AAAAAAAAAlU/B9BxGAeDqyo/s512/IMG_5230.jpg

and planed to match:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-caAOP3gjWXs/URkbFD71VxI/AAAAAAAAAlU/3l2V5nRd03w/s640/IMG_5231.jpg

There you have it!

And now some planing, sanding, calking, and painting followed by taking her for a spin...(turn her over).

[Breakaway]

Slainte! Congrats!

Kevin

[ILikeRust]

Hey, let me know when you're turning her over! I'd love to make a road trip out there to watch everyone flip that beast... |;)

[Draketail]

Thank you, Kevin. It is indeed a relief to reach this milestone.

Don't worry Bill. There will be plenty of notification to the WBF denezins for the turn over. Plus hamburgers, beverages, and fellowship.. And I hope it all happens early this summer. But, I've given up trying to predict a schedule for this build. Life keeps getting in the way

[Draketail]

Ok folks, a bit of a photo essay on the chunk built bow of the draketail. This is one part of the boat that really had me buffaloed. I've done enough furniture making and timber framing that the straight forward, plank to frame assembly didn't bother me too much. And then there was this bow assembly to be sculpted out of chunks of wood attached to the boat by magic as best I could tell.

First picture shows the front end of the keel at the start of construction. I wasn't at all sure how to start the shaping process. So I didn't. For the first year or so that the keel was in the building frame I avoided the bow out of fear of doing something wrong.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GP9R46fT_xY/URkbARf1mOI/AAAAAAAAAlU/u4m0Q4Gqy-w/s512/IMG_5071.jpg

Finally, as I've mentioned earlier in the thread, I basically said "screw it" and started whittling away anything on the front of the keel that didn't look like a boat. The Swedish carpenters hatchet turned out to be vary useful with the initial shaping and later on with other jobs also. I started to recognize its utility at this stage.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-quzYY_ogXN8/URkbAt9J--I/AAAAAAAAAlU/g77U4G3-XRY/s640/IMG_5126.jpg

After the initial hatchet work some work with scrub and then smoothing planes got to this stage.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jkpvUdG00dk/URkbBOsuiVI/AAAAAAAAAlU/Pe8Uw_TAnEo/s640/IMG_5128.jpg

Then applied to the side of the keel are the "chunks". The area is too tight to plank so the boat shape is carved from solid wood. The initial shaping was done on the bandsaw, trying to follow an upper and lower layout line at once. The blade didn't protest too much.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wxkxoFAR7lI/URkbBNJnbXI/AAAAAAAAAlU/S387DEKMEfs/s512/IMG_5132.jpg

Here the chunks are set in place. They were cut well oversize to ensure I had enough material to carve away. You can't carve away everything that doesn't look like a boat if you start with less than a boat.


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XRPxLzkohJc/URkbBegaViI/AAAAAAAAAlU/KlSULhg9pbM/s640/IMG_5134.jpg

[Draketail]

The chunks were temporarily bolted in place with all thread rod. As shaping progressed, I could pull a rod, deepen the counter sink, shorten the rod and continue. The thread rod held the chunks plenty firmly enough to take initial shaping with the hatchet. That was followed with a slick and then planes.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lz71tMCoNY4/URka_fJDpWI/AAAAAAAAAlU/U_mMuIFk0wI/s640/IMG_3097.jpg

Further shaping and also the beginning of cutting the rabbet in the back of the chunk where the first of the thicker, shaped planks will land.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AG6Js9zqz_c/URka_JThn4I/AAAAAAAAAlU/8tDeaUOevq0/s640/IMG_3100.jpg

And the chunk at pretty near final shape. The threaded rod has been replaced with fabricated silicon bronze rod threaded only on the ends. Final installation was done by slathering the mating surface with PL Premium adhesive and bolting everything tight. Several silicon bronze screws were also used nearer what would be the thin edges of the chunks.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--6kuOLt2V-s/URka_X2U7TI/AAAAAAAAAlU/GwAzRgLrjIA/s640/IMG_3102.jpg

Again out of indecision, I had left the front foot or so of the rabbet uncut until I could see the shape of the chunks develop.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CHpM8g2fBWs/URka_9Rj96I/AAAAAAAAAlU/ILuWP9SlxAI/s640/IMG_3128.jpg

The rabbet was finished mostly with a framing chisel to do the gross excavation and then a slick to refine the shape.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hp7VtpGGy5M/URkbAW6_HuI/AAAAAAAAAlU/yOzisQWB9fc/s640/IMG_3691.jpg

[Draketail]

The landing surfaces on the keel and the chine log were considerably out of plane near the bow. And the planks were short enough that there was no way to twist them into shape. So the short planks were shaped from thicker stock to be carved to final shape. The inside mating surfaces were shaped with the hatchet until the plank would lay flat. Then the calking bevel was cut on one edge. The outside of the planks were left wild to be carved later.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4-saMGH8_eM/URka_57UdBI/AAAAAAAAAlU/QTTQb36RAdY/s640/IMG_3676.jpg

Here are the first eight shaped planks for each side getting a coat of red lead. You can pick up some of the twist cut into the mating surfaces of you concentrate on the ends of the planks. The planks were also cut on about a two degree taper to transition from being perpendicular to the keel at the very front to being swept about 15 degrees rearward where they met the planking coming from the stern.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IDcNpyOALK4/URkbALv-eoI/AAAAAAAAAlU/zMjGZluZD_U/s640/IMG_3689.jpg

Eventually the bow planking worked far enough rearward to join up with the planking coming from the stern. In this area the planking also transitions from meeting the side planks at a bevel to lapping over the side plank.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S1YLetWUKxE/URkbB8SDGdI/AAAAAAAAAlU/KmDIrCWfzQg/s640/IMG_5180.jpg


To get the shape of the last four planks needed to fill the gap I used dividers. First I stepped off the keel rabbet until I had the dividers adjusted to make four even divisions for the planks. Then I repeated the process along the chine log. The divisions along the chine were wider. I could then pick up the rabbet and chine locations on the plank and set the widths at each location with the dividers.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lbWnLo_79tY/URkbBpjTVmI/AAAAAAAAAlU/ssF9fhymtm0/s512/IMG_5177.jpg

The "dots" on the rabbet and chine lines were then connected with a pencil line defining the taper. The taper jig on the table saw was adjusted until the pencil line was parallel to the fence. Then the fence was set for width and the plank ripped to shape.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O4BYQjsSrtA/URkbCID2XgI/AAAAAAAAAlU/dzcGvGw9zg8/s640/IMG_5189.jpg

[Draketail]

The last couple of planks could almost be made from regular 7/8" bottom planking stock. They would almost twist into place, but were complaining loudly. So I gave them a sauna bath. A big pot of water was boiled with a rejected bath towel in the water. The boiling towel was flopped out on a horizontal surface, the planks dropped in and wrapped up and left to soak for about 10 min. Extra boiling wwater was poured on the towel during the soaking process

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Cg8_Z63rWOQ/URp138a2wWI/AAAAAAAABBs/WJ2gkpUoEY4/s640/IMG_5178.jpg

Leading to some pretty steamed planks....

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pr4ykKt-WDg/URkbBtEq8EI/AAAAAAAAAmM/1fnf_23I-A8/s640/IMG_5179.jpg

The last two planks meeting the side plank in a bevel had to be steamed into place. The bevel in the side plank was then sawn off to the stern of (to the left of in this picture) the last plank. Then the final two planks were installed to the left of the transition from the bevel to lap joint. It was a whole lot easier to finish up with the lapped planks. Just leave them long and trim in place.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l90OCNDuWqg/URkbCF0jXGI/AAAAAAAAAlU/l85GP5porPA/s640/IMG_5184.jpg

Here's what the bow planking looked like after final installation, but before shaping.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JbaRLto8C_4/URkbCQ2C7HI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/3B4_XjDogas/s512/IMG_5196.jpg

And another photo...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NU9-YTv8dxI/URkbCi5Dd0I/AAAAAAAAAlU/8rSkBJHbkDU/s512/IMG_5197.jpg

[Draketail]

And finally the process of shaping the thick planks at the bow. The outside ends of the planks were trimmed to the chine line using a slick.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XPWiw3lEbhU/URkbDF0FkCI/AAAAAAAAAlU/m2nRkuSurpk/s640/IMG_5200.jpg

Shaping then started with a scrub plane.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RDy5QOxQIl8/URkbC4WWCpI/AAAAAAAAAlU/A7PbqEpPgwM/s640/IMG_5202.jpg

Followed by a smoothing plane and block plane. A lot of time was spent rubbing the surface and feeling for lumps and bumps.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fDNKWjDE-6A/URkbDYZi4II/AAAAAAAAAlU/ST9K_1ghB4I/s640/IMG_5205.jpg

In the process the chunk also got some final fine adjustments. The false stem was removed to make planing the hull to shape easier. The stem will be marked and planed to final shape later

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JcSoWQ32yl8/URkbDDFOZSI/AAAAAAAAAlU/MZ8n0bAfRHA/s640/IMG_5207.jpg

And the final result. I guess I don't need to be buffaloed by the bow any longer.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--Y5sLbQ5k6k/URkbDnNblGI/AAAAAAAAAlU/EZnSZi3sKHw/s512/IMG_5211.jpg

[Bill Perkins]

Yes I think you've resolved the problem .

[SMARTINSEN]

This is wonderful to watch. How much more do you have to do before you flip her over?

[Draketail]

Bill,

Thanks for the kind words.

Steve,

Looking for some time in early June to flip her over. I still have to get through exams and graduation. The end of the semester is a bit hectic.

Plus, after the last series of post I spent the next weekend plus two days producing the following timberframe structure. Having 90 volunteers working in the side yard for four days took some time away from the boat...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0IFGh-D2AvA/URkbGlY8R4I/AAAAAAAAAlU/uaUFilR57wk/s640/IMG_5450.jpg

But, while I was otherwise involved, the caulking elves made an appearance.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eC6rDkOJ1ps/URkbGC17U7I/AAAAAAAAAlU/FMlumUZoMa8/s640/IMG_5314.JPG

In and amongst the timber frame work, the elves finished caulking the bottom! Talk about shooting right past a mental hurdle.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pqWVcZ7h0Dg/URkbGzhqQCI/AAAAAAAAAlU/863gAbs72q8/s512/IMG_5453.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z7PKO7mRHM4/URkbG2AmStI/AAAAAAAAAlU/QXf0Pwt8nmw/s640/IMG_5456.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UgwDJrvf8H4/URkbHIhNvEI/AAAAAAAAAlU/MvTmBgU9MO0/s640/IMG_5458.jpg

On the advice of the head elf (a professional boat builder) the sides won't get caulked until the boat is flipped and settles into its new position.

So, what's next?

Well, before turning her over

- finish planing and sanding the sides
- fill blemishes with Quick Fair and sand
- fill seams with seam compound
- paint with primer and sand, and prime, and sand, and prime, .....
- mark and scribe water line
- paint with bottom paint
- install the oak worm shoe
- install rudder stay
- install false stem

What did I miss??

Shooting for turnover in early June.

[ILikeRust]

Whoa, she's so long and skinny - looks like an eel. I bet she'll be slicker n' snot slipping through the water. Prolly won't take hardly any power at all to slide her through the water at a nice pace. The best part will be that cool old engine going kachunkachunkachunkachunkachunkachunk...

[Draketail]

Yep. At some point I collected data on 11 draketails. The L/B ratios varied from 4.75/1 to 6/1 with an average of 5.47/1. Mine has a L/B ratio of 5.45/1.



length to beam ratio for Hooper Island draketails












Length
beam
length/beam



(ft)
(ft)









Sewell at Calvert Museum
35.00
6.35
5.51


Clark from Calvert Museum archives
34.94
6.31
5.53


Chapelle from Calvert Museum archives
35.75
6.83
5.23


Sucher plate 74
34.50
6.50
5.31


Sucher plate 75
38.00
7.08
5.36


Sucher plate 76, original lines for this project
25.00
4.17
6.00


Penguin at Calvert Museum
48.00
10.08
4.76


Martha at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
43.25
8.25
5.24


Old Coot, built from wreck, 2005
36.00
6.00
6.00


Barbara Sylvia, 1954, Hurley built, Cambridge, MD
43.00
7.00
6.14


Mary E, now in Deale, MD
45.50
9.00
5.06










average
5.47








New boat, 5" added beam
25.00
4.58
5.45




The original lines drawing says "Suggested power: Acadia or Atlantic two cycle 8-10 hp twin cyl, ditto Atomic Four, Palmer 22 hp, Stokes SeaScout, etc. for speeds of 9 to 13 knots".

The Michigan Marine motor I'm using is 12 hp. Seems to fit right in the recommended range. I'm looking forward to seeing what she'll do....

[Eddiebou]

Reading your to-do list above, I might offer one consideration. Perhaps don't scribe the waterline the first time. I'm making a small change in mine after last season, and I'm really glad I don't have to sand out a scribed line. I will eventually scribe it, but....

G'luck

[Draketail]

Thanks Eddie. Will (not) do...

[Draketail]

All right folks. Progress is being made in preparation for the roll over in June. Lots of time has been spent with Quick Fair and a long board, which doesn't warrant pictures as it's boring as ....

But, some other stuff. The white oak worm shoe has been fitted. It was installed wide and then planed flush with the keel. The red lead will get touched up when painting starts.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-26gCvGRp_UU/URkbI6b0l4I/AAAAAAAAAlU/tO7P9VDtZIc/s640/IMG_5682.jpg

And my son has made the various bolts to permanently attach the false stem. Time has also been spent refining the transition from the planking to the false stem. Mark, remove, plane, refit, mark, remove, plane...repeat as necessary. Pictures of some of that to follow later.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IthpPNO7AD8/URkbIrc2n-I/AAAAAAAAAlU/xjbbdUYCFis/s640/IMG_5681.jpg

[Draketail]

But, of a bit more interest, we made the lower rudder stay. Seems like that would be much easier to fit before the hull got turned over...

If you remember from way back in an earlier thread, the keel, stem, and deadwood is held together with a bunch of bronze bed bolts. Turns out that one of them, after some modification, became an excellent way to afix the rudder stay to the sternpost.

Below, to the left, you see the end of one of the 3/4" bed bolts. To the right you see the hole where one of the 3/4" "nuts" has been removed. It was removed and each end got reduced by 1/8", the thickness of the side "ears" on the rudder stay, and then threaded to accept 5/16" bolts.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uI-GzMx9Zh8/URkbHtGUcuI/AAAAAAAAAlU/zwdWJSRXhEI/s640/IMG_5660.jpg

Once the pieces were blanked out things were set in place to get the alignment right. The modified and tapped bed bolt was put back in place, the ears attached and squared up, and then scribed around.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jdT3u3Mrbws/URkbH6p4UmI/AAAAAAAAAlU/1ri0yr9QORM/s640/IMG_5665.jpg

You can see the scribe lines and the tapped end of the bed bolt here. While the scribing was going on the ears were also scribed to the rudder stay stock and marked for alignment. The scribed stern post was routed out by 1/8" to accept the rudder stay ears.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oLDYiil3S10/URkbIMEN0tI/AAAAAAAAAlU/wrUyy7LdXoA/s512/IMG_5666.jpg

Then it was off to my son's shop for some of his usual magic.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--8DsH7BNBpY/URkbIPzoQFI/AAAAAAAAAlU/0vtBe6tCM88/s640/IMG_5674.jpg

And here you go.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gM0aG1_Uphw/URkbIKePObI/AAAAAAAAAlU/Jc7CpbJI4vM/s640/IMG_5678.jpg

Finally, as installed. The lower fittings for the rudder will be finalized once the hull is turned over and the rudder is installed. We can mark them, remove the stay, and my son can do some more welding. I guess I'd better stay in his good graces.


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0ZimLgtWMrk/URkbIrkthzI/AAAAAAAAAlU/IHEfndnPaHQ/s640/IMG_5680.jpg

[Eddiebou]

Man, I wish I had some caulking elves. Everything looks great. What's the flipping over date again? I'd like to be there. I've got a lot going on in June and you're like 3 hrs away.

[Draketail]

OK Eddie,

Here you (and anybody else interested) go. From People and Places...

OK folks, I'm sticking my neck out. Progress on the draketail is such that I am setting the date for the turnover. Planking is done. Planing of the bottom is done. Sanding is mostly finished and the bottom is caulked. Final fairing is almost done. I should be able to finish any other upside down work in the month after graduation. Several folks on this forum have expressed interest in attending. So, here you go..

The evening of Friday, June 15, 2012, we will turn the draketail over some time between 6:00 and 7:00 PM. To be followed immediately with celebration, burgers and beverages.


PM me if you want directions.

Grigg

[Draketail]

The turnover date of June 15 is rapidly approaching. It occurred to me that once the hull is upright some way to keep it that way was needed. And, if the boat is ever to see water, I would be needing trailer supports and bunks. Why not combine both in one operation as I'm going to have to build a custom trailer anyhow.

So, my understanding from all I've read is that the boat should be supported on the keel with the side bunks serving only to keep the hull from tipping over, but not bearing any weight. So why not build a support frame that will hold the boat (waterline) level on the strongback to facilitate fitting out the interior. And then later the support can be bolted to a trailer frame, modified as appropriate. (It helps having a son who is a fabricator.)

I started by clamping a double 2"x 12" x 20' beside the keel and leveling it end to end with a water level. Then just trace the keel onto the planks, remove and saw to the line. The planks now provide full length support for the keel and the bottom is parallel to the waterline and strongback. Next I fabricated three cross pieces to support outboard bunks parallel to the keel.

Here is the sternmost cross piece. You can barely see the end of the keel support above the rudder stay. The bunk on the left has been scribed to fit the hull. The one on the right is set up to begin scribing.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-P3BH53hgu5w/URkbJmUWJzI/AAAAAAAAAlU/_sK0eJWUOeM/s640/IMG_5803.jpg

There are two things to notice in the picture below. First the batten nailed to the end of the cross piece. Each cross piece has a batten on each end. The cross piece was then leveled side to side by measuring down to the building frame. Once the distances on each side were equal, the battens were clamped to the building frame. That way the bottoms of the three cross pieces are all parallel to the frame and waterline and are also all the same distance distance from the frame and waterline. Secondly the 2" x 10" bunk blank was spaced parallel to the waterline using a spacer block that you can see between the cross piece and bunk.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VIJI1KIVs9k/URkbJGpXswI/AAAAAAAAAlU/y0AXecn0pys/s640/IMG_5801.jpg

Here's the bunk blank clamped in place ready to scribe.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Xf_K-omsrT8/URkbJB9v-6I/AAAAAAAAAlU/8gqJ6ytTWoc/s512/IMG_5802.jpg

Now I needed to scribe the bunk to match the shape and bevel of the hull. The bunk would have a rolling bevel of some sort to conform to the hull. I made up a scribe with the pencil spaced equal to the largest air gap between the bull and the bunk blank. Using the speed square it was possible to keep the scribe oriented vertically while also keeping the scribe pressed against the bunk. Then the square was moved along the bunk as the tip of the scribe followed the hull. It was easier to keep the scribe in good contact with the hull by moving so that the scribe was travelling "uphill".

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ryZmaWs-uEc/URkbJ9hxEnI/AAAAAAAAAlU/ChTnycbupBo/s512/IMG_5810.jpg

Here you can see the line scribed on the outside of the bunk. The process was then repeated on the inside.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZT1WVvFpmLI/URkbKHzRp-I/AAAAAAAAAlU/TPFOjlFwl8M/s640/IMG_5812.jpg

Once both sides were scribed the bunk was removed, taken to the shop, and sawn to the outside line using a circular saw set just deeper than the plank thickness.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qnweDmCb3rQ/URkbKnV6MZI/AAAAAAAAAlU/d8iZr8-6WPo/s512/IMG_5813.jpg

[Draketail]

Sawing the outside line defined the widest part of the bunk at each station. The outside of the sawn surface was then marked with carpenters pencil. You can see the darkened edge on the right side of the plank below. On the left side of the plank you can see the scribe line for the inside face.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DGtyT1WVKSM/URkbKy4K-TI/AAAAAAAAAlU/8jNkKuk-rM4/s640/IMG_5814.jpg

Once again the carpenter's ax came in handy to connect the two lines. Closely spaced shallow chops were made to almost connect the lines defining the the rolling bevel on the bunks.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UvZWutNlxhc/URkbLH6_3qI/AAAAAAAAAlU/DnqPn4oTKGE/s640/IMG_5816.jpg

The bulk of the wood removal was then done with the ax. Near the center of the plank in the picture below you can see the transition from close chops on the left to the roughly shaped bevel on the right.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2G_Nrz8mSYE/URkbLf-uHRI/AAAAAAAAAlU/YlGYudPumO8/s640/IMG_5817.jpg

The bevel was then refined with a drawknife, spoke shave, and compass plane. The idea is to just remove the carpenters pencil line as you also cut to the inside scribe line.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rQ-aw8jIOHE/URkbLXgqsHI/AAAAAAAAAlU/OtUaj-an0ic/s512/IMG_5818.jpg

Here's one bunk fitted in place after scribing. The bunks were attached leaving about 3/8" space to the hull. The space allows for final shimming of the hull for level as we start fitting out the interior. And, the space allows for some padding on the bunks when the whole assembly becomes part of the trailer.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-D5keImYPIUI/URkbJhb2eNI/AAAAAAAAAlU/NtO4A1LSdfc/s640/IMG_5804.jpg

And the whole support cradle, even if it is still upside down.....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5LZrx8hlCeI/URkbLkHtRqI/AAAAAAAAAlU/ROlwNGcRBb0/s640/IMG_5830.jpg

The first coat of primer goes on the hull tomorrow. Progress is being made..

[ben2go]

Bunks and keel rollers on a trailer should support the weight of the boat evenly.To much weight on the keel could cause it to hog.

[Draketail]

Ben,

The keel is supported full length by a scribe fit piece. I'm not sure it can change shape to hog. However, are you concerend that the sides will droop if the bunks aren't on solid contact with the bottom?

And here are some pictures with the first coat of primer. Seems to cover a multitude of sins.. Sanding and a second coat tomorrow...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2S77GY_UPHE/URkbL_z0u4I/AAAAAAAAAlU/7xWATIQjBqc/s512/IMG_5835.jpg

The false stem is not yet permanently attached so the bolt holes aren't filled yet.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DkEwczS-1AU/URkbMZ1ejmI/AAAAAAAAAlU/vp08TwjfbvU/s512/IMG_5837.jpg

The side seams are not yet calked on the advice of a professional boat builder who said wait until fit out is finished.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XI2qByR3TZ4/URkbMk_sH5I/AAAAAAAAAlU/YJUSw0SA_pI/s640/IMG_5838.jpg

And the cradle turned upright.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QwEe2-IaToY/URkbL_ZF1YI/AAAAAAAAAlU/StyrX8uGyXY/s512/IMG_5833.jpg

[ben2go]

I think the sides could droop over time, while sitting on the trailer.That's a fairly unusual shaped hull that I am not familiar with, so my concerns may be unfounded.She is a real looker tho.I can't wait to see her upright and ready for the water.

[Draketail]

Ben,

Although I left about 3/8" of space between the bunks and the hull, my thoughts were that padding or carpet, etc would fill that space when the boat is on the trailer. So the hull would be in contact with the bunks keeping the sides from moving appreciable. For now as we finish the build the unpadded space over the bunks allows a little room for leveling the hull side to side using shingle wedges.

I appreciate the kind words, as I also think the hull is quite attractive. Her big sister, Martha, at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum stole my heart about 30 years ago and started me on the path to this build.

[ben2go]

Ben,

Although I left about 3/8" of space between the bunks and the hull, my thoughts were that padding or carpet, etc would fill that space when the boat is on the trailer. So the hull would be in contact with the bunks keeping the sides from moving appreciable. For now as we finish the build the unpadded space over the bunks allows a little room for leveling the hull side to side using shingle wedges.

I appreciate the kind words, as I also think the hull is quite attractive. Her big sister, Martha, at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum stole my heart about 30 years ago and started me on the path to this build.

You got it covered. Y>

I look forward to visiting the Chesapeake Bay Museum in a couple years.Hear lots of good things about it.

[Draketail]

Waiting for Friday.........

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CM2GzB1MgsU/URkbMpPA_WI/AAAAAAAAAlU/3Qo-Fd0nc70/s640/IMG_5845.jpg

[orbb]

I was hoping to be able to come to the turning - you are only around 3.5 hours from me, and I passed through that area last week on the way to and from Warrenton. Alas, a trial will keep me on this side of the mountains.

Good luck with the turning, and takes lots of pictures. An upright boat will make a nice Father's Day present for you.

[Draketail]

Orbb,

Sorry you can't make it. We will indeed take and post pictures. Next time you travel by, holler and stop in.

Seems like a decent Father's day present to me too....

[Draketail]

OK. What is it we're about to do???

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ukpVT2R92JM/URkbM7vQojI/AAAAAAAAAlU/JR3wd1VQ2CU/s640/IMG_5856.jpg

Oh, that's right. We're taking the boat for a drive.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r4Xq30f4D6Q/URkbNRfZvJI/AAAAAAAAAlU/51JdM-iaNAw/s640/IMG_5860.jpg

Oops! We're headed the wrong way. Dang this thing is hard to steer!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Y2fPkGZRu5I/URkbNi7EmPI/AAAAAAAAAlU/7wahF4lCSRw/s640/IMG_5865.jpg

Now we're headed in the right direction

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lHwy-x8EHQA/URkbQrGe8_I/AAAAAAAAAlU/uuvN8GtobrQ/s640/P1040410.JPG

Oh! You meant turn it the other way! That takes a different approach!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eaRR5KqdnnI/URkbNu0FNTI/AAAAAAAAAlU/yqCHOe-Sjn8/s640/IMG_5881.jpg

Hey buddy. Can I have a lift?

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6Q23sv8VFbQ/URkbN__jwgI/AAAAAAAAAlU/oxsFGp4AW34/s640/IMG_5884.jpg

[Draketail]

Well, looks like we won't be needing this piece for a bit.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MurrB1tOf6Q/URkbOPbqKZI/AAAAAAAAAlU/p3Z_xK35Dbg/s640/IMG_5891.jpg

But we may need this part a bit later.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q75S6qAjLQg/URkbOyXuijI/AAAAAAAAAlU/p07CkUL778g/s640/IMG_5906.jpg

What is it we're hanging around for?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PERLid4hS0g/URkbOJXM-4I/AAAAAAAAAlU/vgOfq8AWoy8/s640/IMG_5894.jpg

Something like this, I think....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SBSEon3Hgtk/URkbOmLdNaI/AAAAAAAAAlU/OZL1rky5nZo/s640/IMG_5898.jpg

Bottoms up! No, wait a minute.. that's supposed to be bottoms down!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tW1a4cPKYTY/URkbO6m7NkI/AAAAAAAAAlU/7a3FVbp5H6o/s640/IMG_5899.jpg

Or perhaps we should look at it from a different angle?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iYdoYSg0pmU/URkbRrqjDiI/AAAAAAAAAlU/QW91jJABG8U/s640/P1040432.JPG

[Draketail]

Just out taking the boat for a spin.....

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-occyiW1cnZ4/URkbRjsmiRI/AAAAAAAAAlU/vz-wRJLgXRk/s640/P1040434.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-28FUP1hcrJk/URkbRzR5ilI/AAAAAAAAAlU/qNJsw0aDu0k/s640/P1040436.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ChHz17EUvfE/URkbS3gGgFI/AAAAAAAAAlU/BriT97Rr3BA/s640/P1040438.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LdE02q99PSI/URkbS22wQvI/AAAAAAAAAlU/Bp8B6v-uJ04/s640/P1040441.JPG

Yep, looks like we did need that gray thing a bit later...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4ev6Jxm3PHQ/URkbPQB-A2I/AAAAAAAAAlU/27B-Qfnl7WM/s640/IMG_5910.jpg

Setting on blocks to get the rigging out of the way.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rIuiXyh4PeQ/URkbTLx4D9I/AAAAAAAAAlU/HmBBupNdl38/s640/P1040474.JPG

[P.L.Lenihan]

What a darned fine build thread and all with good old fashioned lumber. Beautiful! If I knew I could have caulking elves like yours to help me too, I dare say I would start building another boat real soon. Mind you, that would also be the quickest way for me to end up 6 feet under, give or take an inch!

Glad the roll-over went so smoothly(so many hands!) and looking forward to the happy day you launch her!



Cheers!


Peter

[Draketail]

And down in the cradle to stay.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vehqK9Ww99Q/URkbUWkcmtI/AAAAAAAAAlU/SLR23JC5h7E/s640/P1040482.JPG

First time in daylight and right side up.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w9td02Z2Y-w/URkbUQMXKII/AAAAAAAAAlU/COR-PRNCoz0/s640/P1040483.JPG

And the best part of the whole thing: A little help from your friends! (OK, a lot!) Thanks to all who turned out to make the roll over of Ms. Sue a resounding success! The "happy snap" was followed hamburgers, beans, salad, cherry cobbler, and beer. A good time was had by all!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4IijOZK_zZQ/URkbPuVaaEI/AAAAAAAAAlU/5qJPnCKxg0s/s640/IMG_5943.jpg

[tigerregis]

A boat turning bee, with all the fixin's. Just wants one to weep for the pleasures of yesteryear. Best wishes for your splash.

[ILikeRust]

Very sorry I couldn't make it! But as I mentioned to you, it always was kinda "iffy" as to whether I'd be able to make the trek out there... looks like I missed a really neat day. My loss. Ah well, hopefully someday I'll be able to see that fine vessel in person when she's afloat!

[orbb]

I love this picture - this young lady doing her best Hermione Granger to turn the boat over. If only you old people would get out of the way!

http://thumb1.webshots.net/t/81/81/8/62/91/2750862910102980561EpvWZF_th.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2750862910102980561EpvWZF)

[Draketail]

And after a day of fiddling around with the upright boat...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dZmyVHbKrto/URkbQDuN5HI/AAAAAAAAAlU/XfVtYXdDH9g/s512/IMG_5958.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nUQnYC7XQ4I/URkbQHh4BCI/AAAAAAAAAlU/QKOIdyjDSdg/s640/IMG_5963.jpg

[Draketail]

Peter,


Thanks for the kind words. Part of the challenge of this build for me has been learning how boats are built using traditional methods and materials. As for the calking elves...You're right. I think Springsteen has an appropriate line in one of his songs. But they really did set themselves to the task of calking.

Tiger,

Much like a timber frame raising, many hands make light work. And living in a small community does have its benefits.

Bill,

We missed you. But I knew you might be scarce. I'm sure you and I and the boat will all end up in the same place sometime soon. They were representatives of the WBF here. UCanoe2 (Reese) and WoodboatCoop (Ed) lent a welcome hand.

Orb,

I had'nt made the connection to Hermoine. Thanks. Belief and wonder are delightful things.

Thanks all,

Grigg

[wollybugger]

I love this picture - this young lady doing her best Hermione Granger to turn the boat over. If only you old people would get out of the way!

http://thumb1.webshots.net/t/81/81/8/62/91/2750862910102980561EpvWZF_th.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2750862910102980561EpvWZF)

That picture immediatly caught my eye as well ... She really captures the excitement of the moment! What a great picture!

Congrats on the turn Grigg!!!

[ILikeRust]

http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/50940/2544477360102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2544477360102980561bIduMp)

That's a sexy sheer line! Like a fine lady's slipper. She's already a lovely vessel. Very much looking forward to the rest of the build.

[Eddiebou]

Grigg,
Glad to hear everything went well. I wish I could have been there. This page has gotten so long, I can't see but pieces of the pics, so I'll be glad when we go to the next page. What sort of antifouling did you use? Does it keep indefinately while out of the water? All I can see is the rooftop of your shed.

[ben2go]

I really like that fine entry and rounded stern.Looks like an old launch.

[Draketail]

Thanks wolly (Rob). Very excited to have her turned over. And it was a pleasure to have all ages excited and involved.

Bill: I too was surprised with the shear line once we got all cleaned up. All I'd ever seen was upside down and cluttered with frames. I just had to trust the original builder (1920's, I think) had a good eye. Hats off to whoever that gentleman was.

Eddie: I hope your wedding catering went well. We missed you here. The anti fouling is Petit Hydrocoat, which from all the reviews I read is supposed to last just fine on a trailer sailed boat. The Hydrocoat is supposed to reman effective even after long spells out of the water.

Ben, she is indeed a recreation of an old launch. Good eye!

Today was spent starting the process of putting in deck beams and king planks. It's beginning to feel like there might be a complete boat sooner rather than later... But I'm sure Murphy will be back to visit at least once more, though. We'll get past that, too.

[ben2go]

She's gonna turn heads everywhere.

[Bill Perkins]

Congratulations Grigg. The turnover is so dramatic a change . Maybe that’s when trailable boats are really born ? Speaking of trailerable ,and I think you said she would live on a trailer , such boats logically have a drain plug at the low point of the hull , right? I mention this because that’s the conclusion I came to concerning my own boat ,but I had to over come a strong reluctance to bore a hole in the just completed hull .It took months to finally do the deed :just a simple bronze screw fitting that has never leaked a drop of course.

[Draketail]

Bill,

Thanks. Somehow the boat has suddenly gone from looking like a narrow backed turtle to wide mouthed (well, relatively speaking) boat. Once the turnover crowd cleared out I will admit to spending a bit of time sitting in the empty hull just imagining the possibilities... It all seems much larger all of a sudden.

Thanks for the advice on the drain plug. I've already got to make my peace with a thru hull for the cooling water intake. Looks like one more hole to come to terms with. Hopefully it doesn't take me as long to do this as it did to get up the courage to shape the bow.

I appreciate your advice

[Draketail]

Any one want some free molds for a 25 ft Draketail??

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NiLDDa01i50/URkbPw3bk1I/AAAAAAAAAlU/1KzMMn1h2Eg/s640/IMG_5957.jpg

[Bill Perkins]

After your boat has been seen around the Chesapeke for a few years someone may well want them .Maybe one of the museums with a building program ? Are these boats still being built on the Bay?

[Draketail]

Bill,

I don't think a new draketail has been built since the early 90's. And that boat, the John Gregory, was a recreation. Most of the deadrise boats that I have heard being built (admittedly a small set) are fiberglass. But, you're right, perhaps one of the museums that has been of such help to me will want the molds... They'll sit in the equipment shed just fine in the mean time.

[Draketail]

I have spent some time fitting the front deck beams and fitting the forward Samson post. Pictures of those later because... I removed almost all of those pieces to make the process of fitting the coaming and side deckd easier...

The plan is to fit out the draketail as an open launch initially. The coaming will be a steam bent curve at the bow and square across at the stern. Should I want a small cuddy forward I plan to make a it removable like a removable hard top on an car.

So, the next step was to install the support structure for the curved coaming.

In the lower left of the picture below you can see a couple of blocks attached to the side frames. Those define the width of the side deck and will support an inner 3 1/2" wide coaming to provide attachment for the real taller steam bent white oak coaming.

The trick was to define the curve of the coaming. I just fiddled around with a batten until I like the curve.


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L6JoTPW2F6U/URpCfL0FAjI/AAAAAAAABAQ/-sYCBR0Xzk0/s512/Coaming%252001.jpg

Then put the stock for the front support structure over the batten and trace the curve. It was also possible to start to pick up the lines of the deck beam and shear strake by tracing.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O_DdMA5PRUo/URpCfPdVqvI/AAAAAAAABAQ/AMH52kjnVCE/s512/Coaming%252002.jpg

Once the curve was roughly traced, it was refined with ice-picks and another batten.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K4FUEo1woXI/URpCfMsIHFI/AAAAAAAABAQ/_S_u07uq1W4/s640/Coaming%252003.jpg

The piece was them put nearly into position and the bevels at the deck beam and shear developed. Fit, plane, fit, plane, repeat as necessary......

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ph8Y_sNnE_Q/URpCflawrPI/AAAAAAAABAQ/DY83svlx2mY/s640/Coaming%252004.jpg


The two pieces required are mirror images of each other. Once the first one fit it was possible to make the second, including the bevels, by tracing the two sides directly onto the stock. The two dowels ensured alignment.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-f3kMZs8Te70/URpCfzbTlLI/AAAAAAAABAQ/nhIqt-IcOmo/s640/Coaming%252005.jpg

And here are the two support for the curved front coaming.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GMiOPlAjxkI/URpCf4G5FAI/AAAAAAAABAQ/ksBaEOqk6mA/s640/Coaming%252006.jpg

[Draketail]

The inside face of the coaming support needed to be vertical. Since the hull was adjusted to be level both fore and aft and side to side, it was fairly easy to use gravity to define vertical. The face of the support was planed to be parallel to the string line. It was helpful to find some overlap in layout methods from scribe rule timber frameing. Gravity works..

(http://community.webshots.com/photo/2506068260102980561TzIPFn)https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Qn3AbdiPJE/URpCgSqPicI/AAAAAAAABAQ/4lQAPGwrzPg/s640/Coaming%252007.jpg

Than the top surface of the caoming supports needed to be shaped to the deck camber. A batten with lumber crayon helped define the high spots. The work with scrub and smoothing planes cleaned up the surface.



https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EBereaDotwk/URpCgbcRmHI/AAAAAAAABAQ/PcPeaEW-zIQ/s640/Coaming%252008.jpg



https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mjhy7RzhQGg/URpCg34mKVI/AAAAAAAABAQ/fr_TfasY8NA/s640/Coaming%252009.jpg


Moving on to the rest of the coaming/side deck supports... Blocks were planed to fit the bevel between the frames and shear and clamped in place. The top was then cut off at the camber of the top of the shear strake.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3lHCMI6_obg/URpCgxHZouI/AAAAAAAABAQ/3WW2N17gg5c/s640/Coaming%252010.jpg

and marked for the width of the side decks


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cW8Wn3JvJ0A/URpChMiO5AI/AAAAAAAABIA/irHQCepwNhk/s640/Coaming%252011.jpg

Gravity again was used to define vertical.


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y1e5QvaDtUk/URpChqLcjxI/AAAAAAAABAQ/KbJzjb2DCXI/s640/Coaming%252012.jpg

[willin woodworks]

Gravity; not just a good idea, it's the law.....

This a great thread. It's been a lot of fun following your progress. Impressive build.

[Draketail]

Then rip the block parallel to the shear plank and finish up with a block plane.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uLofNtzTlgo/URpCitcfO3I/AAAAAAAABAQ/GOwUuGSVqUM/s640/Coaming%252013.jpg


Once one side was finished the other side need to match the camber, which was accomplished by picking up the angle with a bevel gage.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hFLDJ38WYGg/URpCihsR4II/AAAAAAAABAQ/WofiInrr8-U/s640/Coaming%252014.jpg


and transfering the angle to the other side.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sTBBhOq5odc/URpCjPUTVGI/AAAAAAAABAQ/jZZ8YSvcMik/s640/Coaming%252015.jpg

Cut to height and repeat the process for eight blocks per side...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q1HnTxfWXis/URpCkOwU2oI/AAAAAAAABAQ/yjK5IngH4hE/s640/Coaming%252016.jpg


Once all the blocks were cut, they were removed, the bottom corners clipped to the depth of the coaming, the edges rounded, and primed with red lead.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Xmv4BCyUsO4/URpCjYiQFOI/AAAAAAAABAQ/C3mFPZbV3HI/s512/Coaming%252017.jpg

And re-installed with Dolphinite bedding compound. I also clipped the top inside corner with a Forstner bit and rounded over the edges. The hole will provide a wiring chase under the side decks.


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HbwJSrLDlQw/URpCj72fJkI/AAAAAAAABAQ/d5_ueijVfzY/s512/Coaming%252018.jpg

[Draketail]

Most of the last week has been spent doing a lot of fiddly stuff concerning rudder, prop shaft and various alignment issues. I'll start with the process of drilling for the rudder shaft tube.

Since the boat is presently level in both directions in its cradle, I could line up the first hole for the rudder tube by carefully shimming and clamping the drill stand to ensure the guide rods were vertical. This drill stand is more commonly used to ensure my students are drilling peg holes straight in timber frames. Works fine for boat building also...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xtl8J3ctMvk/URpC2-Y5URI/AAAAAAAABAQ/k6InwwuNzAA/s512/Rudder%252010.jpg

Once the lead screw of the drill just went through, I stopped and threaded the string for the plumb bob through the small hole. That way I could transfer the center of the hole down to the keel.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3Zz-NhoQCb8/URpC3b9fbWI/AAAAAAAABAQ/AgrVshesP48/s512/Rudder%252011.jpg

After locating the hole center on the keel it was then possible to align the bit with an extension using the upper hole and drill the keel.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9p7A1r2sQug/URpC3i6o88I/AAAAAAAABAQ/hW-iJGJMLdA/s512/Rudder%252012.jpg

After the keel was drilled, then the shaft location was transfered down to the rudder stay.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xXnJGopBqJ8/URpC3kTqaBI/AAAAAAAABAQ/tpgB2q9pGss/s512/Rudder%252013.jpg

There needed to be a flat on the keel perpendicular to the rudder tube for the rudder tube mounting flange to screw to. I made up the jig shown to the right in the photo below. After clamping the jig to the keel and ensuring it was level in both directions a top bearing router bit was used to create the flat. Now I just have to convince my machinist son to create the rudder tube...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rrKk436TrjM/URpC3iEJ-xI/AAAAAAAABAQ/Z2EMWPOplgI/s640/Rudder%252014.jpg

And to help with making the rudder proper, it was easy enough to pick up any dimensions needed on a temporary rudder shaft. Also in the photo below, near the top of the shaft is a locust donut I turned to act as a top bearing surface for the rudder. The donut will stick above the stern deck planking by about 3/4".

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uu380TQD7wI/URpC4IGQU6I/AAAAAAAABAQ/RtHcKZjPPk0/s512/Rudder%252015.jpg

[Draketail]

Now it was time to finally drill the shaft hole through the stern post and mount the stern bearing for the shaft. I managed to cobble together enough drill bit extensions to get enough reach.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nDPkgvqV2Io/URpC8UqfKiI/AAAAAAAABAQ/TiIn9zvcgKI/s512/Shaft%252001.jpg

The shaft hole had previously (years ago...) been drilled through the keel. In the deadwood was a separate perfectly aligned section of heart pine shaft log that butted against the stern post. So, alignment of the drill bit at the business end was taken care of.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-60AuSWB6mag/URpC8bd8VNI/AAAAAAAABAQ/HBR71oEWoP8/s512/Shaft%252002.jpg

A sacrificial block was clamped to the stern post to keep the drill from blowing out the back of the post. Just visible below is the hole where the lead screw came through.

Although there was only about 4 inches of (very dry locust) sternpost to drill it turned out to be quite a wrangle. I actually had to replace the D handle Milwaukee shown in the picture above with a Hole Hawg run at low speed. Even then it almost stalled. And when books say to clear chips OFTEN, they mean it.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mPdW7jIkEdU/URpC83VLE4I/AAAAAAAABAQ/yAl3ID97Heg/s512/Shaft%252003.jpg

And here's the basic 1 1/4" shaft hole as it exits the stern post.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ptwaWwGqnW8/URpC9PLCgoI/AAAAAAAABAQ/1E_xQHwZgW4/s512/Shaft%252004.jpg

Now then, the shaft hole and stern post has to be enlarged and modified to accept the 2" spigot on the back of the stern bearing and the bolting flanges on the bearing. And all that stuff has to remain concentric and/or perpendicular to the shaft hole. Time for more jigs.

The angle of the shaft hole was taken from the stern post using a bevel gage. Then a wedge was cut to rest against the stern post and give a face perpendicular to the shaft hole.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yYjgKJ84JCg/URpC950jRLI/AAAAAAAABAQ/DpqXKWsFvIA/s640/Shaft%252005.jpg

Appropriate centerline marks and viewing holes were made so the jig could be properly located on the stern post.


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DmD5TlP_QMw/URpC-KLdOGI/AAAAAAAABAQ/fXxliA4HLqI/s640/Shaft%252006.jpg

[Draketail]

Then a 2" hole (forstner bit) to fit the spigot on the back of the stern bearing was carefully centered on the jig. Because the clamping blocks on the back of the jig were parallel edged, the hole could be drilled perpendicular to the face of the jig. The wegde on the back would then align the jig perpendicular to the shaft hole.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ckm3PmQysvM/URpC-f5cLYI/AAAAAAAABAQ/2fjCFwPTFow/s640/Shaft%252007.jpg

And here's the jig aligned on the keel prior to clamping.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--OsC_HvpA6s/URpC-a2RmrI/AAAAAAAABAQ/O48EXin4iOA/s640/Shaft%252008.jpg


The same 2" forstner bit was then used to enlarge the shaft hole. I had previously calculated how far below the surface the hole need to be at the centerline. I'd drill a little, stop, measure, drill, stop, etc until the correct depth was reached. Here are the results

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CP-sFLhsBYY/URpC-kOwzuI/AAAAAAAABAQ/MuoPv0S0ypA/s512/Shaft%252009.jpg

And then came the job of creating the flats for the stern bearing bolting flange. The 2" spigot on the back of the beaing was inserted in the 2" hole in the jig and the shape of the flanges were traced on the jig.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MgJqZeW8BgE/URpC-ygioII/AAAAAAAABAQ/luML9VpOw3M/s512/Shaft%252010.jpg

[Draketail]

Some careful router and chisel work was done to create the flange shaped hole in the jig.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uJ39THWaqAo/URpC_OA-lsI/AAAAAAAABAQ/0NcE8tQimtA/s512/Shaft%252012.jpg

The jig was then returned to the alignment marks on the keel and the top bearing router bit used to create the flat.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KAqFE5XwlZk/URpC_dkc3KI/AAAAAAAABAQ/O566I5QWB5Y/s512/Shaft%252013.jpg

Followed by drilling holes for the hanger bolts and some red lead paint.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d8tEebkkM4g/URpC_i9iY_I/AAAAAAAABAQ/SrIXrlViNtI/s512/Shaft%252014.jpg

And the stern bearing bolted in place.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--4LuSm0AQqE/URpC_ttuWZI/AAAAAAAABAQ/36DALAmSvDI/s640/Shaft%252015.jpg

At least now I can pretend like this thing may really turn into a boat.....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YXMD1K0Ce8A/URpC_3UD_GI/AAAAAAAABAQ/buHAmTa__QM/s512/Shaft%252016.jpg

[wollybugger]

Nice!!!

[ben2go]

Shaping up.Looks good.I would have never came up with those jig ideas.

[Draketail]

Rob, Ben,

Thank's for the encouragement.

Much of my experience in jig building comes out of timber framing. Particularly when we're trying to do square joinery using natural edge, curved pieces. It becomes a matter of determining centerlines and planes and then working to the desired surfaces. I've had the good fortune to learn from some very talented joiners.

[UCanoe_2]

Just amazing, Grigg! Thanks for sharing your expertise!

[wollybugger]

So, let me ask you a question: When you got that prop in for "fit check", how cool was that? How many times did you stand back and look at it? How many different angles? Was it hard to repress a smile?

[Draketail]

Rob (Wolly),

Busted! It's like after 5 years the end is finally in sight. I do indeed now spend more time than usual in the "moaning" chair that has become "dreaming/staring/contemplating" chair instead. Either that or sitting on one of the cross spalls inside the hull. Quite satisfying! Thanks for asking!

Now then...Have you done the same thing with your crab scrape???

[ILikeRust]

Here ya go, for a little inspiration - from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Facebook page:


http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/314462_10151118319371212_675783740_n.jpg

We're guessing our boat-loving fans have missed our posts about boats with all these events going on. Look who was out on the water this weekend: Martha, known as a Hooper Island draketail (or more precisely a dovetail) because of her unique stern design, was built by Bronza Parks in 1934 and was used for crabbing, oystering, and pleasure. She was completely restored from stem to stern by the Museum's Boatyard staff, and was out this weekend as a chase boat for the log canoe races on the Miles River. Give it a thumbs up if you agree, she's beautiful out on the water.

And:



http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/s720x720/391307_10151118624936212_1424394184_n.jpg

One more of Martha, just for you. She'll be on display, along with our entire floating fleet and more boats from the talbot watermen (http://www.facebook.com/pages/talbot-watermen/117570194933424) on Sunday, August 12 for Watermen's Appreciation Day. Crabs, beer, music, Deadliest Catch's Edgar Hansen and Jake Anderson. Oh yeah.

[Draketail]

Bill,

You're evil!

Thanks for the great pictures....

Grigg

[ILikeRust]

What I especially like in that first picture is the juxtaposition between the lovely Martha in the foreground and right over the captain's head, the ugly modern GRP monstrosity floating in the background.

[Draketail]

It is the lovely Ms Martha, whom I met 30+ years ago, that started me down the path to this build. She has just improved with age!

[Draketail]

I managed to talk my machinist son into making the rudder tube. Timing was perfect as the tube needed to be installed before the covering boards and stern deck could be installed.

He started out with a salvage stainless steel pump shaft from the local sewage treatment plant.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dsThDQdCu4Y/URpDIMJM9fI/AAAAAAAABAQ/iiL5v4e2ECs/s512/rudder%2520tube%252001.jpg

The resultant 1 1/2" by 3" disc was then chucked up in his big (15 hp) lathe

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SM2Js0p2Q_U/URpDJBcrnzI/AAAAAAAABAQ/YG_T_MVlgCY/s640/rudder%2520tube%252002.jpg

And after some magic, produced the flange shown below. Then off to the milling machine for screw holes for mounting.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kcc-UafFLPs/URpDI31WPmI/AAAAAAAABAQ/EHCBafluskw/s512/rudder%2520tube%252003.jpg

Then drill and tap for a grease fitting.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WI7DGSid7fY/URpDI6fNNMI/AAAAAAAABAQ/DV_IBhWz1co/s640/rudder%2520tube%252004.jpg

And the finished tube

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-O4zr9fHB3xQ/URpDJQ-FL-I/AAAAAAAABAQ/B2vv3QvPjDs/s512/rudder%2520tube%252005.jpg

The tube in position ready for final installation

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HWw41aqZt0E/URpDJURCOPI/AAAAAAAABAQ/HP0lZnr1L24/s512/rudder%2520tube%252006.JPG

[Draketail]

The next step was fitting the inwales in preparation for installation of the decks/covering boards. Prior to these pictures the steam box was used to bend the inwales. The 3/4" yellow pine didn't want to take the curve without some assistance.

Here's everything painted and prepped ready for the installation. I figured it would be much easier to paint the insides of the hull before it got closed up. Three coats of Sherwin Williams "Anchor Gray" industrial enamel.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bZNmCHon4Zo/URpDHJxyjxI/AAAAAAAABAQ/-CGZ5TJ8Eqg/s512/inwale%252001.JPG

We started at the bow pulling things into position and clamping. All contact surfaces were coated with Dolfinite. The back side of the inwale also got three coats of gray paint prior to installation.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9UvZKoz9hWU/URpDHLG9uNI/AAAAAAAABAQ/QMUgkH-uhGE/s512/inwale%252002.JPG

As we went along the inside top edge of the inwale was aligned with this jig. The inside edge was the highest finished point of the inwale and needed to be in plane with the rolling bevel of the shear strake top edge.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jia6pynYiTI/URpDHnAPYmI/AAAAAAAABAQ/ZdFtZlu7YLI/s640/inwale%252003.JPG

Once the inwale was screwed in place the top was marked with lumber crayon and planed to the proper shape. The tail of the plane rode the top of the shear strake while the iron adjusted the inwale.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8pfA3kEXYQI/URpDH6hFXgI/AAAAAAAABAQ/hAdHFcWzboo/s512/inwale%252004.JPG
(http://community.webshots.com/photo/2462916940102980561WhGcup)

I worked around the cockpit, planing until the lumber crayon just disappeared from the top of the inwale.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FaGe8wLQJ1s/URpDHx-YwhI/AAAAAAAABAQ/vcG7wPE7KEQ/s512/inwale%252005.JPG

And the finished inwales.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uQZGDmTv1JE/URpDIPKsPFI/AAAAAAAABAQ/vniltB1P5ak/s512/inwale%252006.JPG

[Draketail]

Next came the covering boards. I wanted the covering board along the open cockpit to be a single piece for strength reasons. That meant the board needed to start as a 1 x 10 to yield a finished 5" wide curved covering board. The underside of the board got three coats of gray paint prior to fitting.

The little "tuning fork" helped transfer the line of the shear strake and inwale to the top of the covering board. The cut was then made proud of the line with a skill saw. The curve was gentle enough that it cut fine.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iZTnYsKpReM/URpDE1_0_SI/AAAAAAAABAQ/NijHXIJmrAE/s640/cover%252001.JPG

Then shorter pieces needed to be scarfed into place at the bow and stern.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gXR0MptY7Ak/URpDFG-NJeI/AAAAAAAABAQ/eju3qbIRWrI/s512/cover%252002.JPG

One side done and working on the other side. You can see the jig for the scarf joint screwed in position.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uTaXdiNkywc/URpDFlw_EpI/AAAAAAAABAQ/tJJIQgfkQzA/s512/cover%252003.JPG

And as of quiting time last night all the covering boards had been rough shaped and scarfed in place. A spoke shave and plane will be used to trim the boards to final shape.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-U6HuQzxt8KI/URpDFlHdciI/AAAAAAAABAQ/C831oQfKwj4/s512/cover%252004.JPG

[Draketail]

And here are detailed pictures of making a scarf across the width of the covering boards. In the picture below the 16 ft covering board running the full length of the open cockpit has been put in place and indexed for location with three screws. Now I need to scarf on a shorter piece of plank (3'6") for the stern. The scarf pattern is located tengent to the curve of the stern and screwed to the cockpit side plank with a couple of drywall screws.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4PHXzNsgRBc/URpC6-92KXI/AAAAAAAABIE/VoJeSxQMY4s/s640/Scarf%252001.JPG

Then the plank is trimmed to the scarf pattern using a bottom bearing flush trim router bit. The one inside corner needs to be cleaned up with a sharp chisel to remove the radius left by the router bit.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UA4kTC-kOkc/URpC7fI66wI/AAAAAAAABAQ/8mIefpYbQug/s640/Scarf%252002.JPG

The cockpit side board is then reinstalled in the same place using the three index screws. The scarf pattern is then flipped over and snugged up to the plank.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-b-wJLTZz4Zg/URpC7dpMC_I/AAAAAAAABIQ/_XnTznydBFE/s640/Scarf%252003.JPG

Now the short plank for the stern is positioned as required and screwed to the scarf pattern underneath.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PalBdKAib_I/URpC7mY8m2I/AAAAAAAABIU/5QdEiYuCBNE/s640/Scarf%252004.JPG

The plank with the pattern attached is then removed and trimmed with the router.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cHPEZgetW08/URpC7zfjZcI/AAAAAAAABAQ/8pMDfAghGp0/s640/Scarf%252005.JPG

And finally the two plank halves of the scarf are fit together and screwed in place. There is still some trimming to be done on the edges of the covering boards.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eIqAtZCND7Y/URpC8IpCw8I/AAAAAAAABAQ/bnBwDzMzpvw/s512/Scarf%252006.JPG

This is the first time I have tried this method. Six covering boards including eight scarf havles were fit in about 3 hours. None of the scarfs needed any additional tune up. The stern and bow planks fitted to the initial cockpit side plank and returned exactly to their reference marks after the scarfs were cut. Seems like a success to me...

[ben2go]

That is some excellent work.That takes some time to do and was done nicely.

[Draketail]

Thank you Ben. The best part is that it all has remained fun to do. If it gets to be work, we go do something else for a while...

[ben2go]

Thank you Ben. The best part is that it all has remained fun to do. If it gets to be work, we go do something else for a while...

You're welcome.I get bogged down when a project goes from fun to more like work.That usually when I start loosing interest in the project.I gotta break that cycle on my next project.

[Draketail]

The last picture of my next to last post showed the roughly shaped covering boards mounted in place. Then I needed to start the process of bringing them to final shape. First I laid out the pattern for the screws on 6" centers. Then I installed every other screw, which was plenty to hold things in final alignment while I finish shaped the covering boards. Once shaping is finished, the boards will be removed, Dolfinite spread, and the final instalation done.

So, to start the shaping process I used a freshly honed large Kunz spokeshave. This thing will remove wood very quickly.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dJHa_TxbQEo/URpDFgcx4_I/AAAAAAAABAQ/G84zRzyQDcg/s640/cover%2520board%252001.JPG

After the spakeshave, a large jointer plane was used. The tail of the plane rides the shear strake while the iron brings the covering board almost flush with the shear.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ocs4T89DdKU/URpCkN3DUNI/AAAAAAAABAQ/9DaqyUBJEg8/s640/Cover%2520board%252002.JPG

Any small lumps and bumps were then removed with a block plane. The staining on the shear strake doesn't worry me as the topsides will get a final sanding and at least one more coat of paint. Just the cost of doing business....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1Y5gqQV6aZw/URpDGD1OsEI/AAAAAAAABAQ/k8CR_dFdhYI/s640/cover%2520board%252003.JPG

An abundance of spokeshave exhaust both inside and out. It's a whole lot more fun listening to a sharp iron than it is hearing a router scream..

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ToPcKUza9Rk/URpDGYjgFZI/AAAAAAAABAQ/bWIIsX1IlYU/s512/cover%2520board%252004.JPG

And then, as I was finishing up fairing the port side, I looked up and magic had happened! I don't know that it shows well in the following pictures, but all of a sudden the topsides of the boat took shape. After five years of work I was very pleasantly surprised to look up and see a, to my eye, very sweet curve. As Woolybuger accused above, I am guilty of just standing and looking for a while. Oh well, there's still the starboard side to do. Later.....

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3gA7fME87Dg/URpDGZXS11I/AAAAAAAABAQ/qL7HMoRE3A0/s512/cover%2520board%252005.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yQzFZEDxmAc/URpCkQWeURI/AAAAAAAABAQ/vx1LE991xew/s640/Cover%2520board%252006.JPG

[ben2go]

Beautiful lines.

[Draketail]

Cover boards are done and I've spent the last day or two working on the stern deck planks. A bunch of wedge shaped pieces to account for the tapering stern. And then there was the process of developing a fair curve for the final trim. Below are the planks fit up, but not trimmed to length.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c-wR1lFUQ5s/URpDJxp2_zI/AAAAAAAABAQ/_8pkdOaWiu0/s640/stern%2520planks%252001.JPG

I wanted the stern planks to overhang the sides a minimum of about 3/8" to allow for rounding them over. The top leg on the gage shown below is 3/8" shorter than the bottom part. Snug it up against the side, make sure it is level, and mark the cut line.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9iTGlYNHIJw/URpDKJVUAUI/AAAAAAAABAQ/5wm6zrbCbiA/s640/stern%2520planks%252002.JPG

Then a batten and icepicks were used to define the curve. The batten had to be perpendicular to the center line of the boat at the middle of the stern so I clamped the end to a block set perpendicular. A similar block was used where the forward end of the batten came tangent to the covering boards.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RXhKs2wCdys/URpDKJmk2mI/AAAAAAAABAQ/APk_lK3qyQc/s512/stern%2520planks%252003.JPG

A series of circular saw cuts got pretty close to the line. Then the job was finished up with a plane.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HOdgse-js0c/URpDKCzZT2I/AAAAAAAABAQ/RjB0zDqp2cc/s512/stern%2520planks%252004.JPG

And here's the trimmed up stern. Can you spot the scarf joints??

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rjrjM-clrWw/URpDKobejOI/AAAAAAAABLQ/VCv-I0j7jVA/s640/stern%2520planks%252005.JPG

And a wider shot of the general shape of the open cockpit.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-auy5O-_SyGA/URpDKkiwWUI/AAAAAAAABAQ/F--Si-l7URM/s512/stern%2520planks%252006.JPG

[ben2go]

That looks great.I am impressed by her shape.

[J.Madison]

Very nice work. She sure is a skinny thing.

[orbb]

That is looking great. Without jinxing things, when is the projected launch date? And where?

[Draketail]

Ben,

Thank you for your continuing interest. Up state SC? My first job was in Spartanburg. A lot has changed there since 1977.

J.

She is indeed skinny. The better to make use of the low powered motors available in her time in the 20's and 30's. Length 25' 5", beam, 4' 9". Supposedly 10 to 12 knots from 10 hp or so. We'll see.....

orbb,

Thanks. The current plan is to have her at the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival, St Michaels. Md. first weekend in October. May have to launch her with a boat lift as I imagine I'll be struggling to get the boat ready, much less a trailer. As for the jinx; "Man plans, God laughs!" All I can do is try, knowing that something else may well get in the way of completing the boat.... But goals do help progress.

[ben2go]

Ben,

Thank you for your continuing interest. Up state SC? My first job was in Spartanburg. A lot has changed there since 1977.


You're welcome.I hope I'm still knocking around here when she's launched.

LOL! Funny you should mention 1977.I was born May 77.I guess I am still a young one.

I live in Inman which is in northern Spartanburg county.In my mind Spartanburg has changed for the worse more so than the good.Crime is really bad here now.Sometimes I feel like I live in Detroit or Chicago.I have two houses here.One was burglarized 12 times in 9.5 years and the place I live in was hit 3 times within 18 months.The last time my other house was hit was a month ago.It's getting rough.

[Draketail]

Ben,

As I remember the textile industry was dying at a furious rate as I left Sparkle City. Sounds like Michelin and BMW hasn't completely saved the place...

1977 is a fine time to start. We've all got to begin sometime...

And, with any luck, you should be around for the launch. I believe that day is much closer than it was five years ago at the start of this project....

[ben2go]

Ben,

As I remember the textile industry was dying at a furious rate as I left Sparkle City. Sounds like Michelin and BMW hasn't completely saved the place...

1977 is a fine time to start. We've all got to begin sometime...

And, with any luck, you should be around for the launch. I believe that day is much closer than it was five years ago at the start of this project....

Neither really saved the area.Maybe helped a little.

Being around.I was referring to this crappy run of bad health I been having.It started out with my prostate and now it's moved on to my pancreas.:o

[Draketail]

Took a bit of a break to go to a friend's wedding. Back at it now trying to get the rest of the topsides finished. Below are some pictures of completing the foredeck.

Work in progress, weaving in the deck boards after finishing the covering boards.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a9m-OPymj8E/URpCcw3YQPI/AAAAAAAABAQ/rI2j90ulXdM/s640/Bow%252001.JPG

And the rough finished foredeck.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Qz2fDe4g_iE/URpCdAmOyFI/AAAAAAAABAQ/hb1vcZAfQeU/s512/Bow%252002.JPG

Close up view of the foredeck

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Xo8DPxYD_sU/URpCdHb_G1I/AAAAAAAABAQ/cBFmqj0dedY/s512/Bow%252003.JPG

Now it's time to take all the decking apart again, red led the mating surfaces, make the final cuts for the ends of the planks at the front and back of the cockpit and then reinstall everything with Dolfinite. Guess I'll be busy for a bit longer..

[ILikeRust]

You gonna build a little doghouse on the front there?

She's-a-gonna be SUH-WEET!! :D

[Draketail]

Bill,

I thought I'd make a removable dog house. Sort of like a removable hardtop for a convertable automobile. That way I can have the best of both worlds. The room of an open launch when needed, shelter if necessary.

The late Jay Rohman did a similar thing with a small skiff at the Reedville Fisherman's Museum. That's where I got the idea. I'll post pictures if I can find them.

[Breakaway]

I thought I'd make a removable dog house

Outstanding idea!
Thanks for sharing all this.

Kevin

[Draketail]

Thanks Kevin. Glad you're enjoying the thread.

[ejds]

Bill,

I thought I'd make a removable dog house. Sort of like a removable hardtop for a convertable automobile. That way I can have the best of both worlds. The room of an open launch when needed, shelter if necessary.

The late Jay Rohman did a similar thing with a small skiff at the Reedville Fisherman's Museum. That's where I got the idea. I'll post pictures if I can find them.

Is this the skiff with the doghouse?

Egbert

http://rivahrider.smugmug.com/Boats/Boat-Building-and-repair/IMG3384/473582406_STSqb-O.jpg

[Draketail]

Thank you Egbert! That is indeed the skiff and dog house I was thinking about.

[m2c1Iw]

Nice I've been looking for a boat with tapering rear deck planking as I've been thinking of the same treatment for my Coquina and to add to the level of difficulty curved as well as tapered, yours looks great.
Fantastic build with the size of material I think you qualify as a Shipwright.

Mike

[Draketail]

Thanks Mike.

I worked out the taper by first setting the outside (deck) planks. Then I used dividers to divide the remaining gap into eight equal spaces on two different lines. One line was the deck beam at the end of the cockpit. The second was an arbitrary position near the stern that spanned the full width to be planked. By connecting the dots from the dividers with a straightedge, I could draw the line defining the edge of each plank. Then just lay the plank to be fitted in position on the line and pick up two points from the edge of the existing plank.

I found the easiest way to cut the taper was to clamp a straight edge along the line to be cut and trim with a bottom bearing router bit. It did help to first trim about 1/4" proud on the bandsaw so the router didn't have to remove so much wood. I used plank stock that was about 6" longer than final length so the planks could be shifted to ensure they laid on the line. The final plank on each side was driven in snug to help tighten everything up.

I had to have a seam on the centerline so I could fit around the stern post and rudder tube. The process would work just as well with a central plank, you'd end up with an odd number of spaces instead.

[Draketail]

And here are several more pictures of the skiff with the removable dog house at the Reedville Fisherman's Museum.

http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/50854/2495345130102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2495345130102980561wFCEhD)

http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/50292/2100163610102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2100163610102980561QhWvQs)

http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/48803/2319813690102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2319813690102980561OMCDdG)

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/50491/2571026800102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2571026800102980561sueOfs)

[Draketail]

Been spending a fair amount of time on various details trying to get the boat on the water in time for the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival Oct 5-7 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. It's gonna be tight, but I think there is hope....

The first detail was getting the interior shaft log installed on the keel. I wanted to ensure the the shaft was properly centralized on the shaft hole. So, I had to deal with alignment in the vertical plane and side to side in reference to the keel. Had to have the log installed to later guide the installation of the engine beds.

So, somehow, this log has to be properly located...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZYgP5pfAIVA/URpDBJe9GgI/AAAAAAAABAQ/DOZAOnMN3sY/s512/Shaft%2520log%252001.jpg

The first step was to locate it vertically. I used a scrap of plywood held perpendicular to the end of the shaft. By moving the shaft up and down I marked the limits of travel on the plywood. Then I split the difference, finding the center of movement, and installed a block with a shafted sized hole at the center. There is a reference line square to the keel to be sure the bottom of the plywood stays in the same place.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MfagpuDaDR0/URpDJgm4YhI/AAAAAAAABAQ/Ckv7JILFewY/s512/shaft%2520log%252002.jpg

Then I clamped blocks to the sides of the keel and measured the distances to the log to figure out the space to center it side to side.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t_o7QvBqtr4/URpDBJlcVyI/AAAAAAAABAQ/VhnUhr28FLk/s512/Shaft%2520log%252003.jpg

A couple of blocks ripped to width then ensured that the log was centered side to side.


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sfrOMH9vgck/URpDBdZQPtI/AAAAAAAABAQ/mzAympi0V04/s512/Shaft%2520log%252004.jpg

Then, with the shaft fixed in place, I slid the log fore and aft to find the limits of travel. Then, again, split the difference to find the center.


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vBBoN-_fZ4o/URpDBtVnMeI/AAAAAAAABAQ/3qP_gHa18_Q/s640/Shaft%2520log%252005.jpg

And finally locate everything and drill the screw holes for installation.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d_Eu__DBOss/URpDB5-jwZI/AAAAAAAABAQ/ncf7K5b-Wqg/s640/Shaft%2520log%252006.jpg

[Draketail]

Time had also come to permanently install the outer stem. My machinist son had made up various L bolts and fittings for the job. Then, amongst the extra stuff that came with our motor we found something that he adapted for a bow eye. The mounting boss had to be trimmed to match the width of the stem and the bolt was cut to length and threaded.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IDFeFCS7LE8/URpDCxqfn1I/AAAAAAAABAQ/qBimcruZH58/s640/Stem%252001.jpg

So, here's where it goes...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y55U0G4MRwo/URpDDcTDTzI/AAAAAAAABAQ/JtaQ9R_lI5c/s512/Stem%252002.jpg

All gooped up with Dolfinite and ready to go..

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9u0uZGGlWsQ/URpDD-AAKyI/AAAAAAAABAQ/0qd7_Q2vwLQ/s512/Stem%252003.jpg

Starting to bolt everything home.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0pW_i8TVEiI/URpDDz4W4UI/AAAAAAAABAQ/B8xxWt24OIQ/s512/Stem%252003a.jpg

Once the stem was drawn mostly tight, I had to chase the hole for the boweye from its original 3/8" diameter to the 5/8" of the bow eye bolt.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wnOQZ9TKXq8/URpDEDf3DlI/AAAAAAAABAQ/Wc_TqupMUVY/s512/Stem%252004.jpg

And all done.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a3GFgbXERso/URpDEVoUcqI/AAAAAAAABAQ/lHqu6m6VpoA/s512/Stem%252005.jpg

[Draketail]

Now it's time to start fitting the engine beds. The first step (I thought) was to get the boat well leveled fore and aft and side to side..

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1OiGg14X61M/URpCaNNfiUI/AAAAAAAABAQ/OPndh3Qq8nE/s640/Beds%252001.jpg

The level was adjusted by tapping wedges between the hull and the support frame.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jrOnIoE-Ixs/URpCaihFsAI/AAAAAAAABAQ/SEGH2zKVS3I/s640/Beds%252002.jpg

Then I established a level plane fore and aft for the top of the engine beds and the bottom of the sole. A temporary block screwed to the keel made it possible to use a straightedge to find the top of intermediate stations.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lP8oym7__Gg/URpCahgxCeI/AAAAAAAABAQ/885iHFf2ZX0/s512/Beds%252003.jpg

Picked up basic dimensions using sliding sticks and spring clamps.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h8cp7-yEKlA/URpCapBKiTI/AAAAAAAABAQ/L6nWxxWNtKk/s640/Beds%252004.jpg

And then started scribing the engine beds into place.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-aQzOhCDSMzA/URpCbYFiFlI/AAAAAAAABAQ/4MrKTyBgC0U/s640/Beds%252005.jpg

And since the boat had been leveled, I thought I could use a level to define the top surface of the engine bed....

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hi1nDMXdR00/URpCbhB6yDI/AAAAAAAABAQ/_Tg_OSOKU_E/s640/Beds%252006.jpg

[Draketail]

Think again, Bozo!

If you look closely at the ends of the forward engine bed, you'll notice that the ends are of different height and the location of the top of the timber is different when compared to the top of the chine log.


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kHr1yQbN7wg/URpCcDs-iKI/AAAAAAAABAQ/PuYX3xdC1as/s640/Beds%252009.jpg

After stewing on that fact for a couple of days, I went back to the old adage that "A carpenter builds to the nearest 1/16", but a boat builder builds to the nearest boat." I don't know where the inaccuracy crept in. Perhaps the boat is still slightly off level, or the side decks weren't symetrical, or the level itself was bad, or my weight shifted things as I was marking, or....

Anyway, back to basics. The chine logs were originally placed in the temporary frames in reference to the building jig and would be as close to correct as anything else I could think of. So I decided to "build to the nearest boat" and set the engine beds in reference to the chines. So I set a reference board using a block to space each side equally off the chines.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IrKaFMBhFis/URpCblyb1YI/AAAAAAAABAQ/CCGhNloHSH4/s512/Beds%252008.jpg

Then I could measure down from the reference to mark the beds at a constant height in reference to the chines. The proper height was taken from the fore and aft straightedge that had been set earlier.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GxeIYjT_J8Q/URpCcLk278I/AAAAAAAABAQ/TFIlVUSHZf0/s512/Beds%252010.jpg

So new beds, set level in reference to the chines....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kHr1yQbN7wg/URpCcDs-iKI/AAAAAAAABAQ/PuYX3xdC1as/s640/Beds%252009.jpg

[Draketail]

Now it was time to produce the knees to support the engine beds. I had gotten some curved osage orange limbs from Eric Westergaard to make the knees.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BpEz2R2HgPM/URpCyfS-6tI/AAAAAAAABAQ/pjX1vECmHVA/s640/Knees%252001.jpg

If I was really careful, I could get three knees from the blank shown above. So I measured the thickness of the bandsaw kerf.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8LIVcYzxODA/URpCxyyT30I/AAAAAAAABAQ/k5XPk8a5vGE/s512/Knees%252002.jpg

Did the subtraction and division, and set a vertical fence on the bandsaw to the proper width.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4KaenetvWKg/URpCxxrEAOI/AAAAAAAABAQ/5qmEteJ4nh4/s512/Knees%252003.jpg

And commenced to sawing.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9oUMLS2if8o/URpCydH1NNI/AAAAAAAABAQ/sJZEdB3g0iQ/s640/Knees%252004.jpg

And here are the knees blanked out. I did manage to get three blanks. These are the two for the forward engine bed. The set for the aft bed will be slightly different because of the curve of the hull, but the pattern will still work on the blank.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-C8cpzqXPAM4/URpCysiYirI/AAAAAAAABAQ/250Ad-k2API/s640/Knees%252005.jpg

[Draketail]

Once the engine beds were fit, they were temporarily lagged into place and carefully leveled in relation to the chines using a pair of dividers. Just check that the space from the top of the chine to the top of the engine bed is the same on each side. Then set the knee blanks in place and scribe the line of fit against the frames.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NPSyE42InE8/URpCzejQEQI/AAAAAAAABAQ/2KZbS3m8EF8/s640/Knees%252006.jpg

Much of the waste was removed with the table saw, with the final shoulder cut being done with a top bearing router bit.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZwGF-aP1_yk/URpCywfXM5I/AAAAAAAABAQ/hM7SHnqJdk0/s640/Knees%252007.jpg

The knee all trimmed..

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KKdHZncA79o/URpCzfDspqI/AAAAAAAABAQ/Heg55IJjQPg/s640/Knees%252008.jpg

And slipped into position

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T_k8jk2Bk6Q/URpCzU8SsuI/AAAAAAAABAQ/L-vdQGGt6hs/s640/Knees%252009.jpg

And finally a completely gratuitous shot of the shop floor to ask Lefty if I might be trustworthy....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GK4YvV_ueZY/URpCwmtEw4I/AAAAAAAABAQ/RZy7H-QNVUE/s512/Gratuitous%2520dirty%2520shop.jpg

There will be a big push this coming weekend. I'll keep you posted.

[ILikeRust]

Most excellent!

I'm not remembering if you mentioned this before, but where did you get that bronze casting for the shaft log? Is it a new stock part? Reclaimed from salvage? Something you had custom made?

[Draketail]

Bill,

The shaft log is a standard Buck Algonquin part.

http://www.buckalgonquin.com/pages/ProductPages/drivetrain/angled_stan_log_page.html

Retail about $120. I got this one off eBay for about $40.

The kicker is that one came with all the various engine pieces. Five years ago I used the log to make sure all the angles were right before I cut the keel. Then, somehow in the intervening time, the original disappeared. After searching high and low, side to side, and repeatedly, I gave up and went to eBay. I'm sure that once the boat is in the water the original will show up....

[ben2go]

I'm really liking these engine beds.Way different than the stringer or box style that I am used to seeing.

[Draketail]

Ben,

Next step is to add stringers on top of the beds shown above. Probably won't be that much different from what you'd expect when it is all over.

I just finished planing the locust to make better versions of the temporary stringers shown below. The stringers will be perpendicular to the beds shown in the earlier posts.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L0foLHxV33w/URUI5q00AMI/AAAAAAAAAXA/-5lJmfBdRdU/s640/IMG_4033.jpg

More to come later. I've got to glue up the locust to get enough depth before I can make the stringers.

[ben2go]

Ben,

Next step is to add stringers on top of the beds shown above. Probably won't be that much different from what you'd expect when it is all over.

I just finished planing the locust to make better versions of the temporary stringers shown below. The stringers will be perpendicular to the beds shown in the earlier posts.

http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/48418/2037621800102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2037621800102980561uLsueu)

More to come later. I've got to glue up the locust to get enough depth before I can make the stringers.

I remember that little engine.It's going to sing and sweet little song underway.

I didn't realize the engine would sit so high above the keel.It may not be as high as I am imagining tho.

[Draketail]

The bottom of the oil pan is about 6" above the keel. With the slope of the shaft, the back end of the transmission is about 3" above the keel. I'm going to need to cut a shallow curve in the rear cross bed to make room for the tranny. Thankfully I figured this out with the plywood cutout of the engine instead of the engine itself. Much easier to position a pound of plywood than 350 lb of engine.

[Draketail]

Progress is speeding up as we try to get the draketail on the water for the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival. My machinist son tolerated my help as he went about putting together the rudder.

Below is the "tiller" arm of the rope steering system in its raw state. Somehow this needs to be attached to the top of the rudder post itself.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GZIrkaU5izE/URpC4j4QiII/AAAAAAAABAQ/jhYuR7RFIlo/s640/Rudder%252017.jpg

A visit to our local blacksmith provided the answer.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hB5J6jUKPNc/URpC4nnJQLI/AAAAAAAABAQ/EEW8gBgPPRc/s640/Rudder%252018.jpg

Lots of heat and hammering later, the tiller end looked like this.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gPMeivRLO34/URpC4rERThI/AAAAAAAABAQ/XJ0pFJqX1mA/s640/Rudder%252019.jpg

Which my son then cleaned up, drilled, and broached a keyway in the hole.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qOKKrjOb0Qo/URpC5CiQ3_I/AAAAAAAABAQ/bJBiRjupgE0/s512/Rudder%252020.jpg

Ending up with a tiller arm something like this.. A similar keyway was cut in the top of the rudder shaft.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RhiTPpJK7lQ/URpC5YUNtCI/AAAAAAAABAQ/1DhtaigR2Sk/s640/Rudder%252021.jpg

So, with the top end of the rudder shaft taken care of, we now had to capture the bottom of the shaft on the rudder stay that runs along the bottom of the keel. We made up a stirrup from an extra piece of the rudder stay stock.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uW7WBUMUcUM/URpC5XD0jzI/AAAAAAAABAQ/xC3ocM90TsA/s640/Rudder%252023.jpg

[Draketail]

The stirrup was then welded to the back of the rudder stay.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BKXycxyrqJA/URpC5lQpRfI/AAAAAAAABAQ/ukERtCKfFa8/s512/Rudder%252024.jpg

Next was the process of welding the rudder itself to the rudder shaft.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZRTuIubbQAM/URpC6DbXfmI/AAAAAAAABAQ/Bnd3LD-axSE/s640/Rudder%252025.jpg

Welding in progress. It took a while, welding short sections spaced far apart to keep the rudder plate from warping. Also, at the top of the picture you can see the stirrup on the rudder stay.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0Wc2HbE6Vd0/URpC56srSeI/AAAAAAAABAQ/e2KZoqg4me4/s640/Rudder%252026.jpg

The finished rudder and the relieved welder.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZnonWH3UlGI/URpC6arm2cI/AAAAAAAABAQ/k1hKiz07_Nk/s640/Rudder%252027.jpg

My son also made various pieces to support and capture the rudder above the top deck. I turned the locust donut at the right of the picture as a support for the rudder head. Grigg made the rest of the complicated and difficult stuff. On top of the donut goes a flat bronze bearing, covered by the brass piece, then the tiller and finally a nylock nut.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iohQpWoh2bM/URpC6tYB5eI/AAAAAAAABAQ/UiNHn9Jsms0/s640/Rudder%252028.jpg

And all assembled. The rear decking will be re-installed when we're finished fitting out inside the stern. It will fit around the rudder assembly without any trouble.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nxXT0vUtXWo/URpC6v8BJdI/AAAAAAAABAQ/3bUqYokNzt4/s640/Rudder%252029.jpg

[Draketail]

We've got the steering under control. But, without a motor, there's not much need to steer. So I've also been continuing the process of fitting the engine beds. Once the cross beds were in I began the process of fitting the longitudinal stringers. The tops of the stringers have to be cut accurately to the centerline of the prop shaft. Which means I need to define the line of the prop shaft. So back to the lathe to make a couple of helpers. The one on the left fits on the mouth of the shaft log and the one on the right goes in the stern bearing.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B2AIjyzkQAQ/URpDAOUIBkI/AAAAAAAABAQ/BpnRvcaH_P8/s640/Shaft%2520line%252001.jpg

Each piece was carefully center drilled using the center spurs from the lathe as alignment marks. Here's the plug in the stern bearing in place.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aN9pjXRZ3TE/URpDAe_l30I/AAAAAAAABAQ/Mr1xjHK0Q3U/s640/Shaft%2520line%252002.jpg

And the piece in the mouth of the shaft log.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1uRO_S_UALQ/URpDAlclPVI/AAAAAAAABAQ/1jZYj8Ku0iw/s640/Shaft%2520line%252003.jpg


Using the 1/4" hole in the shaft log guide like a peep sight, it was possible to centralize a string representing the line of the shaft. The maximum angular missalignment of the shaft when the string touches the sides of the hole is just at 0.108 degrees. That translates to 0.006" across the propshaft/transmission flange faces. Everything I read says that up to about 0.004" is workable. So, as long as I keep the string in the center of the hole instead of touching the sides, I should be OK. We'll see....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mfk2OIjHeBU/URpDAm3QCNI/AAAAAAAABAQ/biujERTN8rY/s640/Shaft%2520line%252004.jpg

And here's the string stretched tight. Off to the right is the plywood template of the engine. It's much easier to make the first checks for interference with the template than the whole motor. I've already found that I need to relieve the top of the rear cross piece by about 1".

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oG8TnFxZ-eo/URpDA-ETyBI/AAAAAAAABAQ/dUPzjjnP9L0/s512/Shaft%2520line%252005.jpg

More after the weekend. Several friends are coming to help with a major push...

[ben2go]

Good progress.I can't wait to see that little engine dropped in it's home.

[Draketail]

A couple of shots from a very long and productive day. Six of us spent the day working on the boat.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P1PREMHV35s/UXHzCdQ5LmI/AAAAAAAABL4/77ugGK3uhm4/s640/IMG_6640.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N89SC13amyo/UXHzCVtQlnI/AAAAAAAABL4/NhH0t46p0Ew/s512/IMG_6638.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v9ab8Ff8cIE/UXHzCQtMBcI/AAAAAAAABL4/tU7ZyZh4_s0/s640/IMG_6643.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-B3E9VyACfrQ/UXHzC_kQ9JI/AAAAAAAABL4/I2L8SSM3nFg/s640/IMG_6649.JPG

And we get to do it all over again tomorrow. The Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival is a month away!

[wollybugger]

Godspeed!!!

[Peerie Maa]

http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/52733/2179326760102980561S500x500Q85.jpg
A tip to consider. Make a hole through your rudder that aligns with your shaft, so that you can pull your shaft without having to remove the rudder or lift the engine.

[Draketail]

Thanks Nick. Hadn't thought of that one.

Question, though, with the rudder shaft and prop shaft on the centerline of the boat, will the prop shaft wiggle enough to come past the rudder shaft and out the hole in the rudder??

[Peerie Maa]

Thanks Nick. Hadn't thought of that one.

Question, though, with the rudder shaft and prop shaft on the centerline of the boat, will the prop shaft wiggle enough to come past the rudder shaft and out the hole in the rudder??
No, I doubt it. Your rudder is welded to its stock well enough so that you can probably tolerate a section cut out of the stock. If you are concerned a doubler plate on both sides should compensate for the lost metal.

[Draketail]

Got it, Nick. Thank you.

[Draketail]

And here are some more shots from the weekend. We're starting to get lots of details taken care of, such as rub and toe rail, coaming/breakwater, floor timbers,... Progress is being made.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ku2DpzTrbfU/URpCdsLe3DI/AAAAAAAABAQ/MaB5iBT0_-k/s512/Busy%2520weekend%252001.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Jv1Lryv6B5c/URpCd500IeI/AAAAAAAABAQ/kECTVhPcdnc/s640/Busy%2520weekend%252002.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X8yNLxjdUOc/URpCd48NiQI/AAAAAAAABAQ/7OL2frWrO5w/s640/Busy%2520weekend%252003.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KjOzTSP1fW4/URpCeW6kp9I/AAAAAAAABAQ/Or2NKT8uxrI/s640/Busy%2520weekend%252004.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Zjl5H2Zrl8Q/URpCegsVS1I/AAAAAAAABAQ/9crno0NZ854/s640/Busy%2520weekend%252005.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D0XlvLzQ-Z0/URpCetL3HbI/AAAAAAAABAQ/-fu-bbr9SJk/s640/Busy%2520weekend%252006.jpg

[ben2go]

Y> She's looking good.I really like that fore deck pattern.

[Draketail]

Thanks Ben. I spent a fair amount of time scratching my head on the foredeck. AutoCad is your friend when you're trying to figure out how to weave the planks. Turns out it's not a simple as I thought if the pattern is going to break on the centerline of the deck.

[Bill Perkins]

That foredeck is a beautiful piece of work . Did you use the Auto Cad to make a full scale pattern ?

I don't know if you're thinking about deck hardware yet but I find a pair of cleats placed roughly amidships ;one Port ,one Starboard; are a big help when single handing a boat of this length (actually mine's a bit shorter). The working boats had crew on board.

The boat is brought up to the dock with one of the midships cleats aligned with one of the dock cleats(or whatever you can fasten to ). A short line is ready ,attached to your cleat . Securing this one line ,stepping off the boat with it if necessary , fixes the boat ,even with the wind blowing you off. Then you secure the bow and stern lines at your leisure. This saves allot of fuss ,especially if it's windy or there's a strong tide running .

When preparing to receive guests on board you can tighten the bow and stern lines , but nothing locks the boat in place like tightening down on a breast line . It can really steady a tippy boat as people (who may not be used to that motion) step aboard .

My boat’s narrow beam (not as narrow as yours! ) allows me to use small slips and floats on occasion which is handy , but these are not as long as the boat .Again the amidships cleat is golden for getting the boat properly secured. If you don't like the idea of a deck cleat there could be a faired hole in the coaming leading to a cleat or cross bar fastened to the frames .

[Draketail]

Bill,

I did indeed use AutoCad to get throught the thought process for the foredeck. Once the side planks were installed they defined a triangle to be filled with deck planks. I wanted the pattern to break on the centerline, thinking I would alternate plank ends side to side. Turns out that the pattern has to be a two plank repeat, with the seam between the two falling on the centerline if it's all to stay centered. It's a whole lot easier to "cut" the planks in AutoCad for the trial fitting. Once I had figured out the repeat I just laid the plank stock in place and picked up dimensions directly; no patterns. I did take some initial measurements to set plank width so the area around the samson post didn't get really awkward.

And thank you for the advice about the cleats. Makes perfect sense and I will install a pair midships as suggested. As usual your advice is very practical and timely.

Thanks

[Draketail]

Spent last night in a marathon of engine bed fitting. I had looked and head scratched long enough and it was time to either produce or remove myself from the porcelain facility.

Here's the start of the process. The locust engine cross beds (floors) have been fit, leveled, and lagged to the keel. The outside ends of the beds have been shimmed with shingle stock so I can beat, pry, and lean without worrying about changing level. Laying on the bottom are the various knees, and setting generally in place are the blanks for the longitudinal beds...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EBhAIB2syJA/URpCksvnZBI/AAAAAAAABAQ/7SG42OnAN6E/s640/Engine%2520beds%252001.jpg

The next step was locating the knees. I wanted to affix then in final position, but knew I would be removing everything for painting. So I clamped it all tight and ran a #16 by 2 1/2" screw through the knee into the bed to fix the alignment of the knee. A smaller screw (more screws to follow for the final installation) went throught the knee into the side of the side frame to locate things vertically.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sBnFsZcV36I/URpClGyTIhI/AAAAAAAABAQ/YvE7uG9Tt6U/s640/Engine%2520beds%252002.jpg

The longitudinal engine bed blanks were then clamped at the correct width using spacer blocks and adjusted side to side until the beds were centered on the string representing the line of the shaft. I then clamped blocks to the cross beds to fix the location of the longitudinal beds.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2CXzeFNXJdI/URpClcSJ9hI/AAAAAAAABAQ/3THO5EzK9MM/s512/Engine%2520beds%252003.jpg

Guide planks for a top bearing router bit were screwed to the floors against the outside of the longitudinal beds. Once the beds were trapped by the guide planks, the clamps and blocks could be removed and additional guide planks were screwed against the inside of the engine beds. A top bearing router bit was then used to cut notches in the floors.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-W2b1RJ2tod0/URpCloNPHrI/AAAAAAAABAQ/nz1ctI57AF0/s640/Engine%2520beds%252004.jpg

Once the floors were notched, the longitudinal beds were dropped in place, located properly and the undersides scribed for notching. The beds were clamped together, guide planks attached, and the notches cut.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9LmXFrG5vMQ/URpClyoaZBI/AAAAAAAABAQ/nN7EFyA8LSs/s640/Engine%2520beds%252005.jpg

And here's everything in place. The next step is to transfer the line of the string (shaft) to each side and cut the longitudinal beds to final shape. Maybe tonight....

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yS3sFEldYb0/URpCmBaA40I/AAAAAAAABAQ/QsEDqjLfyFc/s640/Engine%2520beds%252006.jpg

[Draketail]

Spent the weekend fitting the engine beds further and working on the sole for the boat. It all doesn't look like a lot in the pictures, but I know I spent a long weekend in the shed.

Once the engine beds were fitted in place the line of the shaft (string) was transfered to each side. Then I could do the layout of the bearing surface on the tops of the bed. I cut to the line, but still haven't done the dress up curves, ect on the ends..

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IrZU1hRQBfk/URpCmEpst3I/AAAAAAAABAQ/CaWOO_f5mWk/s640/Engine%2520beds%2520100.JPG

Once the top surface of the beds were cut I could check for interference using the plywood pattern of the engine. I thought there might be interference between the rear bed and the underside of the transmission. The test confirmed the problem.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nucIpcO1pXE/URpCmpOkatI/AAAAAAAABAQ/9gt1bph0Nkc/s640/Engine%2520beds%2520101.JPG

Because with the transmission resting on the rear bed, the centerline of the crankshaft (the joint in the plywood) wasn't down to the bearing surface.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CZeqzeHsGqU/URpCm3pxWNI/AAAAAAAABAQ/DNm_UVTJzT0/s640/Engine%2520beds%2520102.JPG

With a little judicious trimming, the problem was solved.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9OvDqkIEScU/URpCnDv_sUI/AAAAAAAABAQ/A-BYQiZ8Rx0/s640/Engine%2520beds%2520104.JPG

The rest of the day was spent fitting the soles. By the end of the day everything was fitted from the bow as far back as the rear engine bed.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3M3tEQnC29Y/URpDDd-aH6I/AAAAAAAABAQ/DT7CuCmjKcs/s512/Sole%252001.JPG

The rear floors are fitted, but I ran out of stock to do the rear sole. I'll need to spend some time planing the remainder. But I ran out of energy about the same time the sole stock ran out.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G68h8GxPygg/URpDDW5fBqI/AAAAAAAABAQ/VcgufWmllcc/s512/Sole%252002.JPG

That's it for now. Three weeks to the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival.

[ben2go]

Looking good.You really whittled that frame down for the engine.

[J.Madison]

Keep up the good work! I know these marathon pushes are hard.

[Draketail]

Ben, thanks for your ongoing interest. Funny how pieces start out too large and then parts disappear down to final shape. But that's easier than starting too small and having to add stuff back, which I had to do after miss cutting one of the rear floor timbers.

J.Madison: Watching your build it looks like you've spent a few long days and nights also. How's progress of late? Or have the mechanical engineering studies taken over for the fall semester? Good Luck in either case.

[J.Madison]

J.Madison: Watching your build it looks like you've spent a few long days and nights also. How's progress of late? Or have the mechanical engineering studies taken over for the fall semester? Good Luck in either case.

Oh no I'm still making progress, though certainly not as quick as you are. I should probably post about it one of these days.

[ben2go]

Ben, thanks for your ongoing interest. Funny how pieces start out too large and then parts disappear down to final shape. But that's easier than starting too small and having to add stuff back, which I had to do after miss cutting one of the rear floor timbers.

J.Madison: Watching your build it looks like you've spent a few long days and nights also. How's progress of late? Or have the mechanical engineering studies taken over for the fall semester? Good Luck in either case.

You're welcome.Thanks for sharing your build.I am learning a lot.

[Draketail]

So, having found the energy to continue, I spent some time generating more sole stock. Anybody need hamster bedding?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nu7hdnwRtQw/URpCz4P7oVI/AAAAAAAABAQ/IkxfUkvDVcs/s512/Rear%2520sole%252001.JPG

And went to work on fitting the rear sole. Almost done except for the two outside pieces. But don't ask how badly wrong "measure twice, cut once" can go, even when you think you're following the rule.... Still, I finished what I wanted for the night.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IIvzSTwvk5A/URpC0OlSJzI/AAAAAAAABAQ/yXux87BUQXY/s512/Rear%2520sole%252002.JPG

And a little bit of fancy fitting to get the cleat on the lift out center section of sole to clear the shaft log.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--yHeztS8sms/URpC0WFRCTI/AAAAAAAABAQ/PMlXe8PNKSw/s512/Rear%2520sole%252003.JPG

And a view looking forward.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dLH4LPYwC2M/URpC0eM8PAI/AAAAAAAABAQ/GJYJnSi6ZSw/s512/Rear%2520sole%252004.JPG

Two more rear sole planks tomorrow night and then it's time to get the engine beds into final form..

[simonmags]

If you finish that boat too quickly you might have to build a new one, just to store all your clamps on :)

Lovely work, it's always a pleasure watching the ways that people approach different problems, like Ben, I've learned a few things from just watching you. Keep up the good work and good luck with the deadline.

[Draketail]

Simon,

Even if I finish quickly, I have a feeling the "honey do" list has grown to proportions that will keep me from another boat build for a while. Thankfully, my wife has been extremely gracious about the push to finish in time for the small craft festival.

Dedicated clamp storage...Hmmmmmmm.. Maybe that's the next project. Can't possibly take as long as another boat.

And glad you're enjoying the thread. I've certainly benefitted from other folks build threads on this forum...

[ben2go]

Simon,

Even if I finish quickly, I have a feeling the "honey do" list has grown to proportions that will keep me from another boat build for a while. Thankfully, my wife has been extremely gracious about the push to finish in time for the small craft festival.

Dedicated clamp storage...Hmmmmmmm.. Maybe that's the next project. Can't possibly take as long as another boat.

And glad you're enjoying the thread. I've certainly benefitted from other folks build threads on this forum...

The sole looks great.I think your wife will let a few of those honey do items slide after a romantic even cruise or two.

[Draketail]

Well, I think I've hit the end of the (admittedly Spartan) interior fit out. At least as concerns getting to the MASCF on Oct 5. Improvements can come later. The sole is complete fore and aft, there is a rudimentry seat in the stern, and the makings of a chain locker in the bow. From here on out efforts get concentrated on the engine and its systems and paint, paint, and more paint....

Looking toward the stern:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VF53GzhQNIo/URpC0yRPSnI/AAAAAAAABAQ/16eIDC0X94I/s512/Rear%2520sole%252005.JPG

and toward the bow:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WzCDqe9DRaM/URpC1NYvHPI/AAAAAAAABAQ/r3FcIX-RYvw/s512/Rear%2520sole%252006.JPG

[ben2go]

Beautiful.

[Draketail]

There was one final bit of fitting to be done before we could button up the rear deck and begin final painting in earnest. The support for the exhaust pipe at the stern needed to be made and the hole for the pipe drilled through the sloped, curved stern. Like most wet exhaust systems the boat will have a length of steam hose between the engine and the exit. But the final section through the stern will be 1 1/4" galvanized pipe.

So first I needed to figure out how to support the exhaust pipe in a horizontal position on a keel that was sloping upwards.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9zmYcvy1_wY/URpCo8daN3I/AAAAAAAABAQ/boenzmCWXWo/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252001.JPG

Once I had found the appropriate slope I could again use the top bearing router and some guide boards and a prop of appropriate thickness to cut the gain in the support.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O1Lbby61gCw/URpCqXQPvNI/AAAAAAAABAQ/a4ttxY5_vDE/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252002.JPG

With the gain cut, the plank could be screwed to the top of the keel and carry a block for the exhaust pipe to pass through. Turns out I had a scrap left of the heart pine keel to make the support block. Drilling a 1 3/4" diameter hole through 6" of end grain took a while.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DYCXtn8AC94/URpCq-5TQfI/AAAAAAAABAQ/09TR6jvM7WQ/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252003.JPG

And a 4" long forstner bit wont drill 6" anyway. Thankfully I was able to presuade my machinist son to make me an extension.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BzOG3XuL-yw/URpCqxb_RgI/AAAAAAAABAQ/DUq2N2Th9js/s512/Exhaust%2520hole%252004.JPG

Success!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-V2fwRzy5Mfg/URpCsKk59eI/AAAAAAAABAQ/gQ1fE9dU8C8/s512/Exhaust%2520hole%252005.JPG

Now I've got to get all this aligned on the keel and drilled through the stern. You can see the gain on the right side of the support plank.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GzD-ZwkPoaw/URpCsFj37kI/AAAAAAAABAQ/hatma7SxnMg/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252006.JPG

[Draketail]

The next step was to get the block scribed to the inside of the stern. That took a couple of iterations of scribe, cut, fit, scribe..... Never knew a compound mitre saw could be adjusted in so many ways..

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-12uMHCOk538/URpCrq_YpzI/AAAAAAAABAQ/X2luHUZIs-4/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252007.JPG

Once the block was fit I wanted to locate the screw holes for attachment. I drove 4 small finishing nails in the block where I wanted the screws to be and then cut the nails off short.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VyUE5QnkOFM/URpCsOGwGBI/AAAAAAAABAQ/cwJS9Mn3INY/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252008.JPG

Pressing the block with the nails against the inside of the stern marked the hole locations. Then I drilled through on the level. The support plank had to be unscrewed from the keel to provide access for the drill. I think I attached and removed that dang plank about 8 times during the whole process.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jR8vdjxJIXg/URpCsgXyJCI/AAAAAAAABAQ/56srHprDoME/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252009.JPG

Once the screw holes were located I could use them and long drywall screws to attach a scrap block to the outside of the stern. That way when I drilled through the stern wouldn't splinter.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cQa8HYudaIc/URpCskx4dDI/AAAAAAAABAQ/DmTRg1q6z_A/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252010.JPG

Success again! Drilling a 1 3/4" hole through the heart pine stern planking turned out to be quite a wrestling match. Trying to push on the forstner bit while laying flat on the slick bottom planking was not a lot of fun. I was finally able to get my feet against the side frames and get some purchase. Even then it took some grunt.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EP_vfeFTHF0/URpCsxqG3LI/AAAAAAAABAQ/7MNQbxq-RVM/s640/Exhaust%2520hole%252011.JPG

And a view from the inside.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-P8r0-SIeAs0/URpCtWKZwnI/AAAAAAAABAQ/rFvrnEyzfig/s512/Exhaust%2520hole%252012.JPG

Tomorrow final painting begins.

[beernd]

Super job!!

And a stupid question comes next:

What is the use of a drake tail on a working boat??
I can't figure it out for the life of me.

[Draketail]

Supposedly the draketail allowed the watermen to tong for oysters off the stern without fouling on something. And, the main reason for the shape (yes, historically) it looked great!

[ILikeRust]

Thankfully I was able to presuade my machinist son to make me an extension.

Yeah, yeah. Cheater!

[beernd]

Supposedly the draketail allowed the watermen to tong for oysters off the stern without fouling on something. And, the main reason for the shape (yes, historically) it looked great!

WOW that's a great reason.
Thanks that's another mystery solved :rolleyes:

[Draketail]

Now Bill...be polite...

I will admit to being greatly thankful for having the services of an in house machinist!

[Draketail]

Today can best be summed up as a long day of painting, calking, bunging, sanding, and puttying. All very satisfying as we're on the home stretch. Not much else to say. Some pictures below.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mJ65D6Mk14Q/URpDGlvOuCI/AAAAAAAABAQ/RUCj5mhdAXQ/s640/finishing%252001.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ooxEAPIoU7M/URpCvF-tb0I/AAAAAAAABAQ/7irR2SChbtU/s512/Finishing%252002.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E9fOcX8mlyc/URpCvnwyWjI/AAAAAAAABAQ/O6QWtfYs5cs/s640/Finishing%252003.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cCn1usgPC04/URpCvvv7g4I/AAAAAAAABAQ/JCb3Nds1ID4/s640/Finishing%252004.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EjVcpDQ-ZYM/URpCvhs8t3I/AAAAAAAABAQ/AcWsqIG5LoU/s512/Finishing%252005.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--W2FqJkmDjk/URpCwKDPtII/AAAAAAAABAQ/BPf1g3QVuZA/s512/Finishing%252006.JPG

[timo4352]

Man - I love that deck pattern too!
I've really been enjoying this thread - and can almost feel the tension too as you close in on your deadline.
Keep at it! Looks great. Can't wait to see it done.
Tim