Swampscott Dory First Pics!

[Jeff Evans]

Finally some progress photos. I am building John Gardner's 16'3" Modified Swampscott Dory from "Building Classic Small Boats." As many of you know, the floor is 7/8" white pine, the frames, transom knee, and stem are natural grown hackmatack crooks that I got from Newman Gee in Maine. The transom is glued up from 2 pieces of white oak. Next step is to rivet the frame knees together, although the square cut copper nails are so soft that they always bend when I try to drive them into the pilot hole! Then build the strong-back. Hope this link works!Swampscott Dory Photo Album (http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=4291819155&mode=&idx=0)

[ 05-15-2002, 11:17 AM: Message edited by: Jeff Evans ]

[Donn]

I've never seen this boat (that I can remember) but I can see a little of it in your pics. Can't wait to see it finished...keep the pics coming.

I have an old tool that I call a "brad pusher." It's a handle with a retracting tube that is designed to drive brads by merely pushing them into the wood instead of hammering. The tube supports the brad as you start it, and retracts into the handle as the brad is driven. The pushing surface is a dimpled bit of steel. It's used for making picture frames and such, and drives bits up to 1.5" long. Maybe something like this could be fabricated for your copper nails? Maybe a Craftsman screw-guide...hold the nail in the screw-guide and hammer the chuck end.

[Albie]

Good job. Looks like you've caught the sickness. Think about it constantly? I do when I've got a boat building.

[Art Read]

Boy that brings back memories! Looks like a great start. Gotta ask though... Looks like you're working in a basement? I don't see the door in your pictures. You DID remember to measure the opening three times before starting to cut wood didn't you? No sharp corners to negotiate are there? ;)

[Cedarhill Boatworks]

I'm thinking the same thing as Art. I hope you can get it out when it's together. Looks good so far.

[Wayne Jeffers]

Beautiful work so far, Jeff.

Keep us posted.

Wayne

[Jeff Evans]

Oh no!!! The door! I forgot the door!! Maybe santa will fly it out the chimney next winter?

Actually, your concern is a good one. But I believe the problem was properly addressed before lofting was begun. I made a full sized mock-up of the half-bredth view doubled (would that be the bredth view?) So I taped a bunch of paper towel boxes together, drew the sheer line on the assemblage, cut it out, and christened her the SS Brawny. I then fastened some stiffening battens to the 2 dimensional paper ship, and proceeded to manuever the whole thing all around the basement and eventually out the door and up the steps. The whole process has to happen with the boat on its side, but I'm hoping that if I put enough beer out around the lawn, the muscle will show up!

The shop is in the basement of my rental apartment, so I figure that I'm doing pretty well just by having a wood shop as part of my one bedroom apartment. I arranged with my landlord to have full use of the basement and power for my tools on his bill in exchange for leveling the dirt floor (with a shovel) and pouring the concrete slab over it (one bag at a time). We scratched "Mansfield Basement Boatworks" into the last batch of cement as it set. It's an old house, and I think those jack screws could be temporarily removed if proper alternate supports were put in place before hand. But as far as I could imagine, the boat fits around them. tongue.gif

Ed, you've seen it. Sceptical? My alternate plan is to open a small boat museum in the basement!

[ 05-15-2002, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: Jeff Evans ]

[EdenRose]

Jeff,
I enjoyed your pictures and efforts.
I am also building a 16' Swampscott, but a glued lapstrake designed by Paul Fisher. If you would like to compare progress and pictures I have
listed link below. Look in folder "swampscott."

Good luck and I will check in on your progress
as you go.

I am building a rowing version to be completed this summer. I will add sailing rig over the winter. I have cut down some nice fir to make into a mast and sprit boom. They will be seasoned and ready in about 9 months.

What kind of rig are you going to use?

The link to pictures. Let me know if it does not work:

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/SFD_builders_sailors/lst

[Jeff Evans]

Howdy EdenRose,

That's a great looking boat you've got there. Quite a different construction process than the one I'm going through, although you're giving me clamp envy in that last photo!

I originally though I'd be out and about this summer, but as summer has all but arrived, that's seeming like a long shot! I don't know what kind of rig I'll put on her just yet. My fantasy is that she'll have a jib and main, altough I'm not sure if that's pracitcal in such a small boat. Sprit rig is a likely candidate. And I say small, but she looked pretty darn big all clamped together when I has a second look at the basement door that night! I especially like the look of that door in your photos!

What plans do you have for your rig? And have you got any more of those fir trees around? LOL.

I'll keep looking in on your photos.

Cheers

[EdenRose]

Jeff,

I will be using a Sprit rig, single sail. The designer had a stayed mast with small headsail out on a bowsprit. I have opted for the simpler
unstayed single sprit sail. Performance will be
less, but I want to just use sail for easy downwind sailing and have the ability to put mast up and down easily. I might use the sail to troll for salmon at slow speed.

I do have more firs. The one I cut was being shaded out by much larger trees, which gives the
tree lots of tight growth rings. Of course I wish
I had some spruce to cut, but someone would have had to think of that a long time ago.

Good luck getting her out of the basement. I am building in a barn. You might envy my big door, but I envy your warm space to build in.

[Dave Williams]

Edenrose,

Can't seem to access those pics,but would like to see them. I built a 16ft. Swampscott (Stickleback) some years ago mostly for rowing and have campcruised her Many days around the San Juans and BC, great little boat, always felt comfortable even in one run down to Clark from Sucia when one of the ferry boat crew said it was 6 to 7ft seas in Rosario that day. It was NW wind and I was heading S. and the tide was ebbing so they were big long rollers but I kept looking back at a big one roll up behind me and thinking it was going to come aboard but only had to bail a bit.

Anyway, good luck to you and Jeff.

Dave

P.S. Have quite a few pics of the Sticklback but don't know how to post them. I have since rigged her to sail with a lug rig from a Nutshell that I built,use an oar to steer and a leeboard and does suprisingly well even beating.

[EdenRose]

I would love to hear about steering with an oar and leeboards. I intend to do the same thing.
I am putting in a hefty sculling notch in the transom. I have some drawings for leeboards, but
need to figure out a good way to attach it.

I would love to see images. I was considering
a stickleback, but decided to do a stitch and glue, then already ordered plans when I switched to glue lapstrake so the designer made some modifications for me. The boat I am making is a bit heavier than the Stickelback and probably 6inches wider.

You could email me the images if you cannot post them anywhere. I am interested in the sailing rig also.

Let me know if you can't see the pictures of my boat at Yahoo.

[ 05-16-2002, 08:40 PM: Message edited by: EdenRose ]

[Roger Stouff]

Now that's what I'M talking about! Looks great.

[wolfietuk]

Jeff,
Looks great. The 16' I am building (different design) is designed with a sprit rig and a jib so I would believe that yours will be large enough. Good luck

Rick.

[Jeff Evans]

wolfietul and dave,

I would love to see photos of your swampscotts if you're able to post or send them. i'm particularly interested in how your sailing rigs are set up, since I haven't ironed that out yet. wolfietul, who's design are you using? even a drawing would be of great interest! Thanks you all!

[Dave Williams]

Eden and Jeff,

I'll try to get a friend to scan some photos and email them. Otherwise I'll try to answer any questions that I can. The rig is somewhat juryrigged but I hope to do it up better sometime.

Hopefully close to starting on a 23ft. deadrise sharpie if I can quit fiddling with the design.

Good luck,
Dave

[ 05-17-2002, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: Dave Williams ]

[Jeff Evans]

wolfietul and dave,

I would love to see photos of your swampscotts if you're able to post or send them. i'm particularly interested in how your sailing rigs are set up, since I haven't ironed that out yet. wolfietul, who's design are you using? even a drawing would be of great interest! Thanks you all!

[DougC]

Jeff, finally getting caught up here. The frames look great. I'm building the same boat, but going the marine ply (glued lapstrake)over oak frame route. I had a major lay off since I was off making money, but now I'm back on the Cape and with dory-in-progress. The garboard took some persuasion to get in place. If you scarph your garboard plank use a dogleg -- it helps. I used a cardboard pattern when I cut the garboard plank and I'm glad I did.
Are you going to make your centerboard and rudder exactly as drawn for this boat? Gardner revised them a bit when he did his second "modified swampscott dory" (see "More Building Classic Small Craft" chapt. 14 -- part of "Building Classic Small Craft" the book I think we're both using). I think he made some improvements and I'm leaning toward using the later plans for these details. Also take a look at the Dion Swampscott dory in "The Dory Book" for yet another centerboard and rudder design. Keep us posted on your progress.
Doug

[Moses]

Doug,

I'm about to start on the same boat; same way. I'd be interested to hear how fair the offsets in More Building Classic Small Craft proved to be. Any major obstacles you encountered in lofting/building? Also, I have failed to find anybody who has actually used this version of Gardner's modified swampscott. Have you had any first hand reports?

[DougC]

Moses, As far as I can tell Gardner's offsets are perfect. Same with the stem and transom drawings, they are accurate and very helpful. Be sure to look at his other Swampscott dory plans -- another 16 footer (in "Building Classic Small Craft") and the Dion dory (in "the Dory Book"), for design and construction tips. I think the Dion Dory was the basis for his other plans. For some reason he dropped the bow sheer a bit on the "modified 16 foot Swampscott." I like the lines of the Diondory and the a seventeen footer he built at Mystic Seaport. I tried that one out, very stable and solid, though I think a rowboat that big takes some getting used to. You can get the plans (scale blueprints) for that boat from Mystic Seaport (www.mysticseaport.org).
What construction method are you going to use? I did glued lap over frame with a solid sheerstrake. Just finished the hull, now I need to figure out the centerboard (and make that cut into the bottom :eek: ), install the centerboard trunk, fit rub rails, thwarts, rig, etc. etc. Gardner loved these boats and put a lot of care and thought into his plans. Good luck, Doug

Jeff, how's it going? I've been working in a tight space too (16 ft. boat in an 18 ft. shed?)

[TomHaven12]

Dory builders might want to check out this site of construction photos of the Glen-L Alpha 2, 18 1/2 ft. sailing dory:

http://kerchevalave.com/alpha2/index.html

[Jeff Evans]

Howdy Doug and company,

Been absent for a while. I did a Marathon in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago and did a biking fundraise from Woburn, MA up to Biddeford, ME recently as well, both with the American Diabetes Association. So those took up a good bit of my time.

I have just looked back in the shop for the first time in a month. Yikes! Trying to remember what I was doing before I left is tough. I see that I left a plane, a ruler, and some clamps lying around, so it must have had something to do with carpentry. Beyond that, I'm at a loss!

Also, I seem to remember a couple of points in the lofting being as much as an inch or two out of place. I can't remember where they were, but i think i made a note of it in my workbook. I"ll look into it this weekend, perhaps. Glad to hear that your hull is together, Doug. Any chance of seeing it sometime? I"m hoping to head out to provincetown sometime in late August to see Stormy Mayo's Murry Peterson Schooner under construction and will be passing through your neck of the woods.

Best of luck,

Jeff