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Steam bending is a lot of fun, I built a steaming box out of 12mm cheap ply & some pine framing in half a day - with dowels pushed in so that the timber being steamed does not lie on the floor of the...

I built the Fulmar's little sister, Gannet. Her name is Plockton and she sails like a dream so you will enjoy the Fulmar.

My trailer has bunks either side to stop her rolling side to side & a set...

Hi Jeff,
Yes, the Illur is lovely - I haven't built one though I have just finished my 3rd glued clinker hull - a few suggestions:-
a) Decide which glue you will use - I use Wests epoxy & non of...

Just wondering how easily you can get in & out of the cabin with your waterproofs on - reason I ask is that I do wonder if the opening at the top should extend a bit further forward. But I'm now...

There are some videos out there of people pouring keels for Haven 12/ 1/2's, Somes Sound 12 1/2's etc..................... Can't remember where they are right now but some digging on this forum or...

Are you thinking of a catalogue of plans? If so, they are available via several websites - wooden boat website for the USA perhaps.

Regards Neil

Suggest the cleats should be close to where you will be sitting. If you plan to largely single-hand this boat when you are sailing then you should be sitting roughly halfway between bow and stern -...

You could build a glued clinker boat using plywood rather than timber. I am currently building my 3rd glued clinker hull (a Caledonia Yawl which is a 19' 6" double ender) and find the process of...

Good progress :-) Nice to see the shapes coming together.

Yes, our boat/garage craner was very resourceful though also rather eccentric - when living out West he and his neighbour built themselves...

I would avoid floppy spars - you need something that will help retain a good sail shape :-) You could make your own - it's great fun as long as you follow the method.

Regards ...

Looks great :-) When doing the mast/mizzen steps please remember to ensure that they can drain out - a soggy step swells which jams the foot of the spar!

Regards Neil

I marked out the floors for my CY by marking the shape off the mould frames before I laid the garboard planks on - I will cut & fit the floors after I have flipped the hull. We shall see if they...

"Helping" is such a subjective term........................................................................though I have seen dogs who love boats.

If I put all 4 pieces of lead in the boat, about 55 kilos - the single ingot in the photograph weighs approx 18 kilos. I believe Iain Oughtred suggests around 120 pounds of ballast if the owner...

Onwards and upwards Moriarty :-)

All the planks are on :-) Whisky consumed :-) And now adding more timber to the bulge in the aft outer stem. Have made (not finished) boxes to cover up the lead ballast I plan to lay either side of...

Ballentines (USA spelling) sells brackets made for Haven 12 1/2's - it allows owners to hang a small outboard off the side of a 12 1/2. They are not cheap!!

Or, there is a video on Off Center...

A member of our wooden boat group unbolted his garage roof, had a crane lift the roof off, and the lifted the boat out. After the boat was out the roof was craned back in and bolted to its frame...

Hi David,
Sorry to hear your first day out was a bit tricky - I know this sounds a bit overly clever clogs but you really will have learnt a lot - and next time will be much easier as a...

You are not alone - I and others have experienced leaked centreboard cases at time of launch. I would be wary of using fibrrglass or other tape to fix the issue. With my Gannet ( which leaked...

Yes, paint before roll. Think this design is clinker (?) and you want the paint to run into that lap joint :-)

Regards Neil

Good news Mike :-) I had similar issues with the joint between centreboard case & keelson in my Iain Oughtred designed Gannet. Took ages to fix and many trial launches at the boat ramp. She is now...

With my lack patience I'd jump in and sail her :-)

She looks ready to go. You can lots of tuning on the water if you have light winds.

Regards Neil

Lovely looking boat you've built there. Bimini's are ugly but skin cancer is one of the worst cancers down under....................

You can build a sun screen using timber - though it is time...

Gorgeous boat - enjoy sailing her :-)

Loved the photos of Francois's designs on the water.............

As an aside you can add stability to a dinghy style boat by adding lead to the centreboard. I have put about 6 kilos in the board...

Sorry, can't help with this one - my wee boats don't have windows or cabins. I have seen some messy window installations in boats so some time spent researching may well be worth it. Perhaps a walk...

1 more plank left to glue on :-)

Did I mention we live in a nice spot - here is a photo from this mornings walk..................
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And yes Steamboat I do now try to tire them out...

Yes, you don't needs buckets of water to remove amine blush - just a panful will be fine. I prefer to use warm water rather than cold.

Regards Neil

Excuse me chaps but your floorboards are, I suggest, sole boards. Picky I know but I was castigated by a real expert boat builder when I started and he persuaded me never to use floor again unless I...

The mysteries of clinker boat building, how a plank like this:-
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Can look like this on the hull :-
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Perhaps I should ask D'Arcy, our latest addition he seems to like lying outside...

Hi David,
You are certainly getting closer to launch :-)

You might want to have a glance at the following - I came across it whilst wandering around the splinternet on a rainy day. I've...

Goodness me - I'd never do that....................................................fibber...................

It is part of owning a boat, making mistakes, owning up to them and amusing onlookers...

Lovely yachts sailed in a beautiful part of the world (I used to sail out of Helensburgh in my younger days) - I believe the Portsoy festival was also on just recently.

Thanks for the photos.
...

I forgot one of my favourites that I gleaned from Geoff Kerr's videos. For thwarts and sidebenches round the top edge, and bevel the underedge - using a router/trimmer - it makes a 25mm thwart look...

Looks good Ken - big step forward getting her turned over. The hull will stiffen a lot after you have added floors, breasthook, transom knees and inwale (if you have one).

Before you recycle the...

Like most boat things, it depends..........................
My Gannet has a curved sole which is lowest midpoint and bends upward at bow & stern. So I use silicon bronze screws to bend the sole...

Well done with the trial launch, lack of water in the hull is an excellent sign. I know Dick Bedell loves his boat - know he has been in contact with you. He'd probably be happy to discuss sailing...

If it is clinker design then paint the outside of the hull whilst upside down - the paint will run into the plank edges. Leave a bare strip along the top of the sheer plank where you will glue on...

Glasgow - very remote??

Yes, go ahead, build the boat - you will never regret it (though there may be days during the build which will challenge you). There is Nothing like launching & then sailing the boat You built!!

I...

I'd suggest - it depends.......................
Do you want the boat to look like a traditional timber pin & rove clinker build and what would the edges have looked like after a traditional...

My boats are glued clinker hulls designed by David Payne or Iain Oughtred - they live on trailers and are doused in the water sometimes. The oldest (Bella) was launched in 2018. I have no sprung...

Well done David, and no water around the centreboard case which is just excellent. And yes the trailer fixup just usually takes a few trial runs + some fiddling, then it will be fine. Looking...

Just wondering if you have seen the Off Center Harbor website videos about fibreglassing, filleting, etc........................ I watched them yesterday and am now looking for 3mm plastic to make...

At last 5 planks on each side. Recent progress has been glacial due to lots of complexity including a stretched Achilles tendon which was (for me) surprisingly sore but now much better. Weather has...

Hi Tom,
I was thinking of rocker in the hull shape rather than any rocker in the keel - my 17' David Payne Snapper boat has a completely straight keel from stem to aft but lots of rocker in the...

David, certainly you are not the only one who has had to spend time tuning their trailer. As someone else said many modern trailers seem to be built for hulls without rocker - which makes me wonder...

I'd be tempted to put as few hatches in the sole that I could get away with - none preferably. Except for a hatch that allows access to the sterntube & sterngland.

Quite a few motor boats only...

Very true - try watching the recent Tally Ho video regarding centre-of-buoyancy and centre-of-gravity. Altering proven designs has its risks, but perfectly ok if you accept that there is a process...