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For a basic box the suggested waterproof polystyrene foam is good. I like a plywood liner but also face it with formica which is far more rugged than paint and cleans easily. Isocyanurate (sp) foam...

FWW recently sent me a invite to critique the most recent issue. I usually refuse to participate in such things but did so in this case. As said by others, such magazines tend to get dumbed down...

I thought I was getting the best when I sprung for a set of Fuller taper CSK bits many years ago. They are the best of the taper variety but taper is wrong anyway. They have a tendency to draw into...

I am a decade or two beyond EC capability but have helped build boats that have raced and won in it. Also followed the EC for several years as well as gone to the starts and finish. That only makes...

Captkirk,

Competing in the EC is not cheap no matter what the boat may cost. That is an inescapable fact. The essence of a sharpie is a narrow, flat (or mostly flat) bottom and slab sided hull...

About 20 years ago I coated the bottom of a 26' fiberglass sloop with "Copperpoxy" from System 3. This was part of a stripping of the gelcoat and waterproofing job on a balsa core racing boat with...

I doubt that most of the resistance to the AC72 is a result of concern for safety. We all accept risk when we do dangerous things for sport. My feelings for the AC72 are that the technology is...

Who was celebrating the accident? I did not get that from any of the posts.
Many have been saying that these boats are not really better than the 45s' as an expression of AC competition. This...

The patches are secure enough but the outline of each one is the equivalent of a "check" in the shape of the patch. No reasonable amount of paint will fill them and they will remain visible always.

Well, there is you need to and you have to. That makes two more reasons.

It sounds like you did not use any tape on the outside either. If you are only going to tape one side of the joint, do the outside for several reasons.

While I am a big fan of epoxy/glass...

Mike,

I'm about ready for another run at the spanish out at the inlet. Intended to stop by after the wooden boat show Saturday but the weather got nasty and I got tired after judging the...

Or even more likely, the drive belt is loose. If the motor is not getting hot or smoking, it may be ok.

Sorry about the failure of the Opti. Your conclusion of inadequate filet is correct but the solution is wrong. Untold numbers of Optis have been built with filet and glass chines without a single...

As have many others, I discovered outgassing, much to my dismay and extra work. It has only happened when an epoxied surface was exposed to the sun, never inside or under shelter. This includes 100...

I agree that your problem is too much epoxy and the glass is floating. That the problem only occurs on flat surfaces only makes this more clear. All you want is enough epoxy to get the glass to...

"The boat is rock solid, but needs work."

Mike, I'd be leery of calling my boat rock solid. Someone might get the wrong idea.

Plenty of sailboats have been built with 1/4" bottoms and have seen heavier service than your 8' dinghy is likely to encounter. These are often racing boats that get banged, walked in by overweight...

I've made quite a few laminations with epoxy but have never used maximum clamping pressure and minimum thickness glue line. I'm unwilling to experiment with limited resources and high risk results. ...

Well, I have to say that building a wooden propeller is the most exacting piece of woodworking that I have ever attempted.

Thanks guys, I knew about this and am glad to get some reinforcement on using it. I am leery of using epoxy on such a large surface where high clamping pressure is usually required to get good...

The wooden airplane propeller that was built in my shop a few years ago has been destroyed in a landing accident and we have to build a new one. I find that Weldwood no longer markets Resorcinol. ...

I had one of the earliest Lasers with a three digit number and have also met Bruce through his NIS Sharpies. It's true that there are always several sides to any argument but, in this case, my...

Thanks Dylan,

Reminds me of my years in a Windmill, also based on a sharpie and of similar sail area although only 15 1/2' LOA.

Wow, I guess this problem is all cleared up. We don't solve problems so much as trample them to death.

If you don't like sanding, then don't use any fibrous filler since it will leave a rough...

True enough. Most designers recommendations (mine included) are overkill for tape in doing filet joints. For a filet joint in small boats, most could get by with no tape at all if, and it is an if,...

Rubber squeegees are available from Thalco. The ridges near the edge of the filet is one of the problems. Scraping them off is the usual way to get rid of them but most people will nick the filets...

The best tool for this job depends on the angle of the joint and whether it is a long or short one or if its in a corner. These call for different techniques to get a good filet that does not...

Yes, using a squeegee to clean up and/or coat the surface is the way to a more effortless job. Drips and runs should be cleaned up before they harden. A rubber squeegee from Thalco is far better...

Peter,

Sometimes I do hope for the end of a boatbuilding project but, for the most part, I love the process as much as the end product. In all cases, there seems to never be "the last one" as it...

After more years than he probably intended, Peter Lenihan has launched his Bolger designed power cruiser and it took its place in the Launchings section of WoodenBoat magazine. Good on you Peter, it...

Sam, offwind is where the boom vang is most useful in controlling twist. Vangs are usually attached to a bail near the base of the mast and can slide around a bit to accommodate letting the boom out...

Todd covered most of the points but a sprit boom is usually used on a boat with free standing masts. Bending of the unstayed mast in a gust will free the leech so that is not as big an issue as it...

I'm a decent boat handler but not want to take on that job in that marina without some practice. I think the skipper did just fine in handling the wind in that situation. The telephoto lens made...

The reason for that is that they are designed by and for people that actually use them for the stated purpose. Here is my first beach cruiser on an Easter morning at Cape Lookout, NC. ...

We have cruised in the Keys in both summer and winter. In winter, heat is no problem in a boat at anchor. Same in the summer as long as you anchor in an area that is open to the night breeze and...

Come on guys, be honest. We all know that we use our tablesaws mostly as an assembly bench and storage for all kinds of what-not.

Seriously though, my shop would be deserted without the Unisaw...

I think it has been further out-sourced to Donunderstan.

Add Tom Broadfoot from Wilmington, NC who was there last year also. Clint Shultz has also been attending Georgetown with his BJ27 that he upsized to about 29'. We have gone on a cruise to...

Here is an excellent and well proven 15' beach cruiser. http://messing-about.com/forums/topic/8537-bb-yachts-bay-river-skiff-15-back-on-market-nc/

I have personal experience with building and...

I don't see the need for either jointing or planing the strips for this job. Also agree that a thin kerf 10" table saw blade will do the job and that a 3 TPI hook tooth blade is proper. Unless you...

On the link I sent, I am referring mostly to what you are probably calling beach cruisers. Some of these were built by me.

In designing some boats that have an internal sole/floor like yours, I...

Look at some of these then. None have big thwart boxes and none have frames. They are all light and strong and are capable of sailing in any conditions your body can stand. All larger than 15' can...

On the transom question; it looks like the transom plywood extends beyond the frame because of the building sequence. Apparently the bottom and sides are installed first. If the plywood transom...

The transverse frames under the sole.

The horse may be dead but there is still life left in the flogger. Have to ask again. With the bottom/sole and the longitudinal bulkheads/frames making a torsion box, what is the purpose of the...

From memory, the birdcage had 100% of its strength in the cage and the shell was only strong enough to take the air pressure. Not good for a boat. None of my boats have any transverse frames as...

I have to say that those are the most complicated frames I have ever seen, including FI race cars and space shuttles. Unnecessary in my view. Simple longitudinal bulkhead frames would be better, if...

Good for you. Having done the same, I appreciate the tribulations of building Optis to the IODA regulations that seem designed to intentionally prevent home building .

I suggest that you try to cut some dovetail joints to join plywood and then report back how it went. I know of no one doing that for some very good reasons that you will discover.