25 ft Hooper Island Draketail construction

[Draketail]

Well folks,

The process has started. I have begun construction on a 25' x 4'6" Hooper Island draketail. The lines plan is:

http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/40031/2947508890102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2947508890102980561gctvSQ)


I've built the construction jig, a lofting table and have pretty well finished lofting the boat full size. All that is left to loft are the joinery details of the stem and deadwood.

I decided to make the draketail stern as a piece to then be connected with the keel, chine logs, and shear strakes on the construction jig. To that end, I built a construction jig for the stern to allow steam bending the laminated white oak stern hoops in proper position.

http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/31303/2678338730102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2678338730102980561iwfeof)

The past two weekends were spent steam bending the stern hoops. What with making the steam box and boiler last weekend, only one hoop got made. This Saturday, we were able to bend the other two and glue up the one made last weekend.

http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/28163/2657642680102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2657642680102980561kazrrG)

I'm sure the old timers had an easier way of doing this, but this is what I could think of.......

I'll keep you posted as I go along. I appreciate all the advice from my earlier thread about the draketail.

Anybody interested in pictures of the steam apparatus?

[Jim Ledger]

Well folks,

Anybody interested in pictures of the steam apparatus?

Excellent solution to a tricky problem.

Please don't be shy about posting pictures of the build. I, for one, would like to see a detailed, piece-by-piece series of the whole process as it progresses.

And, if you could show a bit more of your shop and building area...;)

And, is that AutoCad I see on that screen? How's that working out?

[Banjo]

Wow, nice jig, nice job, nice workshop! :D

More piccies mate, looking interesting so far.

[Draketail]

Before I start answering questions, here's a picture of the 35' Sewell built Draketail at the Calvert Marine Museum. Shrink by 25% and you've got what I'm trying to build...

http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/40969/2608422920102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2608422920102980561hZTrlw)

And here are pictures of the steam box and steam generator used to bend the stern hoops. The box is built of 1/2" exterior plywood with dowels for the racks. The steam generator is an air tank from a truck that my son welded legs and a piece of exhaust pipe to. Once the white oak is loaded into the steam box, the generator is connected using a piece or radiator hose. Wait 30 to 45 min and bend the hoops.

http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/40475/2620161180102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2620161180102980561pNYHZf)

http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/39835/2223267230102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2223267230102980561rbydKh)

Now them, in answer to Jim's questions;

I'll keep updating as I go along. The shop is a 28' x 36' timberframe built in 2000. It's interesting that there's presently another active thread on this forum (2/5/08) about a timberframe shop. More pictures of the shop and building area will appear as I post more pictures. We're up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Much of my equipment is teen's to 50's vintage 3 phase industrial stuff. A 2000 lb 16" table saw for the price of a new Craftsman is hard to refuse.

The plans have been done in AutoCAD. I am working with Bill Platt, a naval architect out of Connecticut. He generated and refined the hull shape in the ship drafting program that he uses, and then ships me the plans as AutoCAD files. I work out the details in AutoCAD and on the lofting table, and then go back to Bill with questions. We've been at this since September and it seems to be working out fine. But, then it has to on my end because AutoCAD is the only drafting program I know.

Jim and Banjo both, thank you both for your kind comments.

Draketail

[Figment]

Sweet.

More, please.

[Draketail]

An update,

As of this afternoon, the stern hoops have been steam bent, and glued. They have now been planed and sanded to almost final form and have been primed with red lead.

http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/36673/2550260430102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2550260430102980561XYeCKa)

http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/39881/2492317770102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2492317770102980561blEfZg)

The next step is to secure the hoops in the form and plane the bevels on the outside. Then the stern staving can be applied.

On most boats, making the transon to affix to the backbone is not such a big part of the effort. On this boat, the reverse sloping, barrell staved stern is the back 5 feet of the boat. The stern assembly is needed to complete the backbone so the rest of construction can proceed.

Some of this afternoon was also spent making a 1/4" plywood pattern for the keel from the lofting. Spring break is coming soon and I hope to spend the time setting up the molds and backbone. Shown below is the pattern on the 4 1/2" x 12" x 29' heart pine keel blank. (The ring shake at the end of the timber will be cut off)

http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/33951/2259519660102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2259519660102980561wMNYpw]http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/33951/2259519660102980561S500x500Q85.jpg)[/URL]

Finally, the motor has been disassembled and cleaned up. The motor is a 1940's vintage 2 cylinder Hercules industrial motor adapted for marine use by the Michigan Marine Motor Company. The transmission is the same straight through Paragon that is used behind the Atomic 4.

The generator, starter and magneto have been sent off for rebuilds. Various aluminum pieces have been cleaned and are getting a clear powder coat. The block, crank, pistons, etc have been cleaned and checked and the outside repainted. Full reassembly should begin soon.

A whopping 12 hp at 1500 rpm from 66 cubic inches and it "only" weighs 375 lb. But it is perfectly appropriate for the vintage of this design. Besides, it sounds very purposeful, like an old John Deere tractor. (The same Hercules motor was used in the 1938-40 JD LA models.)

Here's a "before" shot of the motor:

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/46393/2470645910102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2470645910102980561nfnTbQ]http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/46393/2470645910102980561S500x500Q85.jpg)[/URL]

All for now.

Draketail

[jerry bark]

I love it!

keep up the good work, I, for one, am impressed.

cheers
jerry

[Iceboy]

Very nice! I look forward to watching this develop. Jim....

[Paul Pless]

This is very very cool, can't wait to see more.

[JimD]

I am enjoying this as well.

[Draketail]

Thank you Paul and Jim...

As for an update, Spring Break was spent cutting out and setting up the molds. That also means the strong back was shimmed level and secured in place.

Here is a shot of the molds ready to attach to the strongback:

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/23646/2116569130102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2116569130102980561hcWdub)

And here are the molds attached, leveled, braced and ready to receive the keel and frames:

http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/39742/2298394590102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2298394590102980561vhPUnF)

Getting all the work done took several days.

Next is finishing the lofting of the deadwood, stem and keel to be followed with making those pieces and securing them to the strongback.

This boat is being built in the classic Chesapeake Bay style, with a cross planked bottom. So, there are no floor timbers, just side frames to hold the side planks in place. The side frames are secured to the chine log and shear strake. The bottom planks run about 15 degrees off perpendicular towards the stern from the keel to the chine log. The longest bottom plank in the boat will be about 2 feet

Below is a shot from earlier in the year showing the lofting table. The batten is pinned down on the shear, looking from stern to stem.

http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/47623/2255730360102980561S500x500Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2255730360102980561fkEtZU) (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2658796240102980561ixjqqT)

More to follow as progress continues...

[RonW]

Neat, the 35 footer looks real sweet.
I took several double takes on the beam of 4'-6" then I realized that Adkin had all but 2'' exactly the same dimensions on a boat of his.
Here is the link, obviously a different under water shape, there are pictures and they show about how your dimensions will look and ride.
His looks very smooth on the water.

http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Utilities/SergeantFaunce.html

I take it that the 35 footer had a beam width of 6 ft...

[paladin]

Nice shot of the motor and boat construction....but on the motor...what are the two little white thingies sticking up on top of the block...never saw those things on deeezils before.....

[Draketail]

Ron,

Thanks for the link. The information on Sgt Faunce is encouraging. Looks like my 12 hp motor should generate a decent turn of speed.

As an aside, I got the length/beam ratio on every draketail I could get information on. The average was 5.47 to 1. Using that ratio, I widened my proposed boat to a whole 4'6", giving a lenght/beam ratio of 5.45 to 1. The original lines were 6 to 1. I hope the slight increase in beam will provide some useful space.

Chuck,

Them white thingies are the sparking plugs... Seemed to me like a 20's era workboat should have an appropriately 20's sounding slow revving motor. The motor will be in the center of an open boat, under an open sided cover. My thoughts were that ventilation would be sufficient to dispel the gas fumes. Advice?

[Eric Hvalsoe]

Very interesting - missed earlier threads on this - keep sharing pictures.