VIKA-19' Sharpie progress

[SBrookman]

Since she was starting to look like a boat, she needed to be called something other than a 19' sharpie. So VIKA it is. Scottish for "from the creek" and since my workshop is feet from Rockaway Creek and we're heading to Scotland for vacation this fall it seems appropriate.

Here's the latest: http://otterwater.com/Sharpie/sheerstrake.jpg

I can almost smell the water from here, and the trailer to get here there is on order, a Trailex. (I got tired of calling and driving around the state looking for a suitable used one.) There is still bunches of stuff to be done: mast, sails, floorboard, finishing everything, but it's not summer, yet. I'm hoping she'll be floating, maybe even sailing, before it's fall.

Has anyone titled a home built in NJ? I was just wondering how much fun that was going to be.

[JimD]

We won't complain if you post more pics, Steve.

[ahp]

I hope I get to see it. It looks like you have done a great job in a short time.

[SBrookman]

Here's a few more:
http://otterwater.com/Sharpie/May09sternsheets.jpg
Black locust w/tung oil. I now see why they call it the American Teak. I never thought it would look this way especially after planing it and all the yellow saw dust it produced.

http://otterwater.com/Sharpie/cleat.jpg
I liked the BL so much, plus I have so many odd pieces laying around, I tried my hand at rough cutting a few cleats
http://otterwater.com/Sharpie/camcleat.jpg
I used leather from an old briefcase to line the mast partners. Not sure if it will be adequate but the price was right and I hadn't used that briefcase in decades.

More pictures and whole building process is posted at http://otterwater.com/Sharpie.htm

While I've been a boater for many years, this boat building is new to me and I'm really enjoying it. I can hardly wait to start a thread contemplating the next project.

[Thorne]

Great choice on the trailer, and what a lovely boat! More pics....

[Pernicious Atavist]

Sweet! Mix some beeswax and neatsfoot (NOT linseed) oil and treat your leather with it and it'll be fine.

[davebrown]

i'd like to hear a bit more about working the locust: i just cut a fairly large locust knee down in TN, which is now air-drying in a shed. did you plane the locust in your benchtop planer? how dry was it?

[RodB]

Very nice work, please post more pics when you can. You chose a really sweet design.

Thanks for the post.

RodB

[SBrookman]

Here's what she should like when done:
http://otterwater.com/Sharpie/ModelNew4.jpg
I plan on putting a removable "doghouse" on her, literally for the dogs, to get them out of the sun. I think I'd make the real one a bit shorter, with a hatch to be able to set a mast in the center if needed, and maybe even some BL trim?

As for the black locust, I planed it with the DeWalt planer, and it was pretty green at the time. The main thwart was 11" 5/4 that the sawmill up the road milled for me. It only air dried for about 6 mos. Haven't noticed any checking yet or whatever else can go wrong when using not properly dried lumber. I need to state that I'm a pretty much a wood working hack and learning as I go. I know it should have dried for a year, but I was impatient and I'd like to go boating this year sometime.