Building a Brockway

[Greg Stoll]

I have an unexpected two weeks off from work (starting yesterday) and I'm going to see just how far I can get on building a 16' Brockway Skiff. Today I picked up some MDO plywood and lumber from the local lumberyard, brought it home and cut out the sides and transom. The transom is doubled 3/4" plywood and the sides are 1/2" plywood scarfed together with a 3/4" plywood butt block. The glue is drying on these pieces now, I'm hoping to attach the sides to the stem and transom tomorrow.

I'm lucky to have Auroradan's 16' Brockway in the driveway for reference during this project. He built his a little different than what the plans show, and I plan on building mine a little different than the plans and Dan's example show. My primary modifications will be external chines (instead of the as-planned internal chines) and 1/2" plywood for the bottom (as opposed to the 3/4" called for in the plans). I'm also going to cover the bottom and external chines with fiberglass and epoxy with a graphite-epoxy finish coat, all hot-coated in one day.

No pics yet as I got into the process and didn't take any. The parts are sitting on the flatbed trailer/workbench in the driveway, covered up to stay dry until tomorrow.

Plans at http://www.soundschool.com

Direct link to the free PDF plans here: http://www.soundschool.com/brockway16ft.pdf

I'll post pics here as I go along!

Greg

[Yeadon]

Why external chines versus internal chines? What are the pros and cons?

[Greg Stoll]

Why external chines versus internal chines? What are the pros and cons?

IMHO the biggest con to internal chine logs is that they catch and retain water unless you cut the top of the chine log at an angle. Notching frames is kind of a pain too. External chines have neither issue and are well-used by many designers (notably Bolger and Michalak). They also provide something to hold on to when the boat flips over ;-) They'll give a good "edge" to the fiberglass covering on the bottom and the screw heads will be inside the boat, down in the bilge where you can't really see them (as opposed to outside the planking, like with internal chine logs).

They're also sort of easier to install, and I'm lazy like that.

The con is that some folks think they're ugly. They can probably interfere with water flow and/or increase drag and therefore lower efficiency, or something like that. Having a major structural member outside of your boat can theoretically make it more prone to damage too.

Just my opinion of course, your results may vary!

Greg

[Yeadon]

That's a great list of pros and cons, thanks. I've been pushing around the idea of building a small outboard skiff to keep at a friend's place on the Hood Canal, and hope to get moving sometime within the month. I'm still weighing designs.

I'll be watching this thread, too.

[jerry bark]

I would think that trying to bend external chines (of 2x4s) around the bottom of that boat will change the shape of the boat some. when you bend in an internal chine the chine tends to force the plywood OUT, when you try to bend it on the outside it will try to bend the plywood IN.

Good luck meeting the deadline, I think you will make it!

Jerry

[Rob Hazard]

I built a Phil Bolger dory with external chines years ago. Installing them was easier than installing internal chines and made absolutely no difference to how the plywood sides curved. The principal downside to them is they make the boat pound more in chop than it would with internal chines. Otherwise they were a good idea, leaving the interior of the boat easier to clean, as well as giving the sides a bit of protection against rocks when exploring interesting shorelines. If you consider them ugly I won't argue that one.

[Spokaloo]

Greg I love the lines of that little boat, so I want a ride when she's done!

Let's see some photos.

Oh, and if you have time off this week, why not go tuna fishing?

E

[Greg Stoll]

E - I'd love to go Tuna Fishing! I'm able to go any day between next Thursday (the 9th) and the 18th, just let me know!

Progress pics forthcoming...

Greg

[Spokaloo]

We are unfortunately just fishing the 8th, then a couple shifts of work, then a quick trip to Munich for Oktoberfest, Czech Republic, back to Munich, Salzburg Austria, then home for the winter preparation season.

E

[Greg Stoll]

First off, I'd like to say that my plan to go 3D with the sides and transom today was unrealistic. I forgot to take into account the drying time needed for the glue on the stem.

Today is going well, I started by attaching the sides to the stem. Here's one side attached to the stem:



And with both sides attached:



The glue joint is going to be left to dry over the next 24 hours. The plans state to drive the stem into the ground a couple feet before attaching the sides. I have to admit that doing that would have made the process easier.

I then moved on to constructing the temporary mold from some 2x4's:



I added some cross-bracing after I took that pic.

The transom was dry/cured, next step was to cut out a space for the motor:



I'm leaving the top uncut until I finish the build, as I'm not exactly sure how tall I will be making the sides.

Last for today is scarfing the chine logs together. I have four 8' pieces of CVG Fir from the local lumber yard. Truly beautiful stuff, tight straight grain. I have 1 1/2 scarfs cut. For the purists out there, I'm cutting the scarfs with a Bailey #5C handplane and doing final cleanup with a Stanley 60 1/2% low-angle block plane.

See, I'm not a complete heathen ;-)

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Last pics of the day. It took me about half an hour to get the hand planes up to snuff, but after that they worked beautifully!

Four neatly hand-cut scarf joints and a pile of wood shavings to prove it:



The chine logs epoxied and clamped in place. I'll pull the clamps apart tomorrow afternoon:



That's all for now, tomorrow should see the boat start to look like a boat!

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

I would think that trying to bend external chines (of 2x4s) around the bottom of that boat will change the shape of the boat some. when you bend in an internal chine the chine tends to force the plywood OUT, when you try to bend it on the outside it will try to bend the plywood IN.
Jerry

I'm not sure how that would happen, but if that's your experience I won't argue it.

If you consider them (external chines) ugly I won't argue that one.

Oh, -I- don't consider them ugly, I'm just saying that some other folks might. I'm more of a function over form guy myself, so aesthetics aren't of huge importance to me. I'll work in beauty where I can, but I'd rather have an ugly boat that performs well than a useless showpiece.

Greg

[wharf rat]

Greg, are you going to increase the freeboard, like Auroradan did to his boat?

I like the external chine idea-- the pros definately outweigh the cons for a boat like this.

John

[David G]

Greg,

Lookin' good. Missed you at Brian's today, but we had a plethora of warm bodies and got his Lily Pad turned over just fine. Since Dan wasn't any good for lifting, we laid him down to cushion the rollover. Other than the volume of his complaints, it worked great <G>

Noticed a couple things about your fotos. I see that your planed scarfs looked good, but the second from the bottom was off by about 1/32" at the heel. I'm sure it went together fine, though. Also... that poor little green skiff looks dwarfed between Titan and the FireEngine Brockway. I think you should find him a new home before he develops in inferiority complex. Maybe somewhere with only similar sized boats, eh?

Seriously... I think it's great that you're building a Brockway. They seem to be great boats - esp. for the time/money invested. Could be the beginnings of an Oregon Brockway fleet. And I'm willing to bet that yours won't sink straight to the bottom the first day, like Dan's did <G>

[Greg Stoll]

Greg, are you going to increase the freeboard, like Auroradan did to his boat?

I like the external chine idea-- the pros definately outweigh the cons for a boat like this.

John

Probably not. The plans call for a 2x6 to be molded along the top of the plywood sides to act as a gunwale. The 2x6 is to overlap the plywood by 1 1/2", giving a 4" addition in height to the freeboard. I'm debating whether to even add that! I probably will add that height, either as 1/2" plywood like Dan did or as a 1x6. I'm just not sure yet.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[Spokaloo]

From a workboat standpoint Greg, I'd put, at a minimum, the 1x6 up there. It will obviously stiffen the boat significantly, but also gives you a big, strong rubrail to scare lesser, more expensive boats away. It also is very handy when hauling pots or gear over the rail as you don't have to gingerly avoid rope, chain, or objects hitting the planking at the top. Maybe a stepped gunnel of 1x6 and 1x3 layered on one another to improve bendability and reduce weight? Or a 1x6 and an outer shoe of HDPE or something industrial for the rubrail? Just spitballin' here.

E

[Greg Stoll]

Greg,

Lookin' good. Missed you at Brian's today, but we had a plethora of warm bodies and got his Lily Pad turned over just fine. Since Dan wasn't any good for lifting, we laid him down to cushion the rollover. Other than the volume of his complaints, it worked great <G>

Noticed a couple things about your fotos. I see that your planed scarfs looked good, but the second from the bottom was off by about 1/32" at the heel. I'm sure it went together fine, though. Also... that poor little green skiff looks dwarfed between Titan and the FireEngine Brockway. I think you should find him a new home before he develops in inferiority complex. Maybe somewhere with only similar sized boats, eh?

Seriously... I think it's great that you're building a Brockway. They seem to be great boats - esp. for the time/money invested. Could be the beginnings of an Oregon Brockway fleet. And I'm willing to bet that yours won't sink straight to the bottom the first day, like Dan's did <G>

Yes yes, I'm still going to get the green one to you, I promise. I just haven't had a chance to unload it yet.

I did just realize that Dan bought a whaleboat after I did and now I'm building a Brockway after he built his. Huh.

From a workboat standpoint Greg, I'd put, at a minimum, the 1x6 up there. It will obviously stiffen the boat significantly, but also gives you a big, strong rubrail to scare lesser, more expensive boats away. It also is very handy when hauling pots or gear over the rail as you don't have to gingerly avoid rope, chain, or objects hitting the planking at the top. Maybe a stepped gunnel of 1x6 and 1x3 layered on one another to improve bendability and reduce weight? Or a 1x6 and an outer shoe of HDPE or something industrial for the rubrail? Just spitballin' here.

E

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. It would be possible to replace the gunnels when they get worn out too. Dan used some sort of plasticish stuff for his rubrails, I'm going to try and find out what it is and use the same stuff. It's almost a trex-type material.

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Short day today, some progress and a setback.

First, the progress!

The glue holding the sides to the stem was cured, so it was time to make this thing start to look like a boat. The plans call for one mold approx. 5' 5" forward of the transom-end of the sides. Unfortunately, the plans don't say whether to measure from the gunwale-end or the chine-end. I measured from the chine-end; I figured that if I was going to screw it up I'd rather have a boat that was too fat up front than too narrow.

A spanish windlass was rigged up and the sides drawn together until the mold fit snugly. It was secured with two screws per side, one top and one bottom. The screw holes should be sealed when the chine and sheer clamps are added. Here's how it looked:



The windlass had to be reset three times as it pulled in the sides. I drew it in so that the transom was loose by about an inch, then performed a test-fit. Everything looked good, so on went the PL Premium. Screws are holding it together as well. Here's how it looked:



Screws were driven into the center of the stem, mold and transom; they lined up perfectly. The transom was triangulated off the mold center-screw and was found to be almost perfect (1/8" off is acceptable to me). The stem was likewise triangulated to the mold edges and found to be 1/2" off. A quick nudge of the stem and we were within specs. Hooray!

Now for the setback...

The chines I scarfed together yesterday came out of the clamp this morning. The epoxy was still a bit tacky. I looked at the scarf joint edgewise and was horrified to see light. Lots of it. I had apparently carved a hollow into the scarf faces. The hollow was large enough that there was too much space for the epoxy to bridge at the consistency to which I had mixed it. I tested one chine on the boat and it broke. I tested the second and it passed. Hmmm.....

The broken one was glued back together with thicker epoxy and better clamping. The unbroken one had thickened epoxy injected into the joint with a syringe and the edges capped with extremely thick epoxy to hold the rest in. The broken-and-reglued one is on top, the injected-epoxy one is on the bottom:



I'm leaving everything in place for a couple of days to allow adhesives to set. Next will come chine log installation followed by floor timber installation, which will then be followed by bottom installation. She's coming along!

Greg

[jclays]

Probably not. The plans call for a 2x6 to be molded along the top of the plywood sides to act as a gunwale. The 2x6 is to overlap the plywood by 1 1/2", giving a 4" addition in height to the freeboard. I'm debating whether to even add that! I probably will add that height, either as 1/2" plywood like Dan did or as a 1x6. I'm just not sure yet.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Attach 1 1x6 then add the second one over the first. bending 2 1x6's one at a time and glueing them together with epoxy is easier than bending a 2x6.

[Greg Stoll]

Attach 1 1x6 then add the second one over the first. bending 2 1x6's one at a time and glueing them together with epoxy is easier than bending a 2x6.

Yeah, I could, and that's what the plans call for. I'm just not sure that I need/want a sheer clamp that thick. These boats were made to be used by folks who worked them every day with rakes, traps and nets. I just don't think I need that much material (and weight). I'm about 85% sure I'll use a single fir 1x6.

Greg

[Auroradan]

Greg,

She's looking great! Good move not to cut down the transom corners like I did on mine. After mine went 3D is when I relized the shear needed to be taller forward amidships for planned standing wheelhouse. Now I have to go back and fill in transom corners where shear cap meets it. She is a bit heavy but I'm a big guy and plan to take her out to the Pacific Ocean fishing and want to come back on my own and not after a Mayday call on VHF!

For those interested, this is my photobucket page of my Brockway build about a year ago http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t...%2016%20Skiff/ Used 1/2' MDO plywood, papered and primed (for sign painting) both sides. Transom made of three layers, 1/2" bottom (reason for extra ribs) and 1/2" sides. I need to go back and strip and glass her before completing the wheelhouse.

Dan

[Ymepointer]

Looks great so far. Hey Spokaloo, I was wondering how your boat did, don't want to hijack this thread but wondering how the tuna test went at bouy 10?
I saw ya towing her back threw Nine Mile the other morning and she looks great on the trailer

[jclays]

Greg mi ladd.. I am waiting for more on this build. Please do tell more.
Jim

[Auroradan]

Greg mi ladd.. I am waiting for more on this build. Please do tell more.
Jim

Greg has a cute girlfriend. He may have something other than boat building on his mind....

Dan

[Greg Stoll]

Greg has a cute girlfriend. He may have something other than boat building on his mind....

Dan

Indeed...

I spent the last few days with my girlfriend (she had a few days off). I meant to get some work done today but that didn't happen, so it's a long day tomorrow! The plan is to install chines, plane everything down and install the bottom. I'll post more then!

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

I woke up at 7:00 this morning after a (mostly) sleepless night and got right to work. The next step was chines.

I pulled the clamps off and planed away the epoxy overflow from the re-glue I did the other day. Here are the joints:



Looks pretty ok-ish, eh?

Next was attachment. I started on the Starboard side, putting in 1" galvanized screws every two inches as I went. Since I'm working alone I started in the middle to take advantage of the natural balance-point of the chine without the need for extra support. Worked towards the bow first, clamping a few inches ahead, securing a screw and working my way back to the "wet edge" of the screw line:



As I got closer to the bow it got easier to clamp:



Each end of the chine was secured with 2" coated deck screws, pre-drilled and countersunk into the chine. Here's the stem:



From there I worked from the middle towards the stern, then repeated the process on the other side. Here's the end result:



Chines! You can see the 2x6 DF keel taking shape in the background.

One thing about external chines, I think I'm going to end up planing off more wood than I would had I kept them internal. I don't think it'll be a big deal though, maybe an extra 1/4" gone.

Chines were complete by 9:00, back into the house to update this thread and then maybe a nap. The glue (PL Premium!) should be cured enough to allow planing without gumming up the plane by 1:00. I'll get to work then, leveling everything out, installing floor timbers and (with any luck) securing the bottom.

Everything appears to be on schedule, which is advantageous as I've already scheduled the boat turning for Sunday afternoon ;-)

[Greg Stoll]

A long day, and it's not over yet!

First, the failure. One of my scarfs (partially) failed again. I had to re-glue it and clamp the whole thing with a piece of plywood screwed over the scarf itself. There was a hard spot in the chine due to the partial failure, which necessitated a bit of a patch in the form of a chunk of 3/4" plywood on the back side of the chine. It's the rectangle at the top of the picture:



That will delay the bottom; more on that later...

I managed to plane the chines flat with my trusty Bailey #5C and then went about cutting floor timbers. The Brockway design calls for three floor timbers at 48" centers measured off the aft edge of the transom. The plans give the option of either 2x4 or 4x4. I went with the 4x4 (more room for error).

Starting at the aft end, I measured forward 48" and marked the center and edges of the floor timber on the chine. A little work with the marking gauge to transfer the angles to the 4x4:



I built this jig to hold the floor timbers in place while installing screws:



Here's the aft floor timber in place, ready for glue and screws:



A reasonable fit, eh?



A shot of the midships frame:



I didn't get any shots of the forward frame, it was pretty small anyhow ;-)

I can assure you that they're all in, glued and screwed.

I need to run to the store now for some supplies and a new cheap handsaw. With any luck I'll be able to plane down the last section of chine where I have the clamp now and install the bottom tonight.

Wish me luck!

Greg

[jclays]

Very nice Greg. I am watching your build with interest. I too now have the plans for the 14ft and 16ft Brockway skiffs from the Sound School. I wish That I could get an 18ft and I have heard that 20ft brockways also exist. Those plans would be good to get a hold of. Keep it up. I have plans for the 12ft Frugal skiff from Paul Bennet's Shoe String Ship yard. Basically a Brockway type. Paul has a main frame that is a permenent installation that is basically like the temporary one on the Brockway plan. I wondering if the Temp frame of the brockway could be incorporated as a permenent frame. I will modify this frame as in the Frugal skiff design when I build my Brockway and see how it comes out.
Jim

[Greg Stoll]

Whew, what a day....

Lets see, I last left off at floor timbers I think.

After returning from the store I set about prepping for a bottom installation. Chines ends were trimmed, various overhangs were planed smooth and the chine bevel was checked (and tweaked) one last time.

Then...........

One more frame.

The plans call for the bottom to be made out of three whole sheets of material, one per major section with a scrap piece for the part up forward. I deviated from the plans a little here by using only two sheets of plywood for the bottom. The aft and middle sections went on as directed, and their offcuts together became the forward section. This, of course, requires a little reinforcement. Enter the 1x5 CVG Fir:



Pretty standard little keel-like thing I think.

Next, I cut out the panels and dry-fit them:



Getting late, note the long shadows...

You'll notice that the major forward section has the seam slightly off to one side. That was to accommodate the different sizes of offcuts from the other two sections. The small triangular sections forward of that were offcuts from planking, which wouldn't have been possible had I used the designed 3/4" plywood for the bottom.

Next is glue, but first we must cut limbers:



Quickly cut with a circular saw, nothing fancy but they'll move water.

It took me a little over an hour to spread the glue, lay the panels down and fasten everything. Here's the result:



It's really starting to look like a boat. The panels overhang the sides a little, but we can easily fix that tomorrow morning. I just barely made it, as the sun had set behind the hills just 5 minutes before this picture was taken. I'm getting pretty excited, tomorrow is filling/fairing the bottom followed by a coat of epoxy & 8oz glass cloth and a finish coat of graphite-enriched epoxy.

Boat turning on Sunday!

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Very nice Greg. I am watching your build with interest. I too now have the plans for the 14ft and 16ft Brockway skiffs from the Sound School. I wish That I could get an 18ft and I have heard that 20ft brockways also exist. Those plans would be good to get a hold of. Keep it up. I have plans for the 12ft Frugal skiff from Paul Bennet's Shoe String Ship yard. Basically a Brockway type. Paul has a main frame that is a permenent installation that is basically like the temporary one on the Brockway plan. I wondering if the Temp frame of the brockway could be incorporated as a permenent frame. I will modify this frame as in the Frugal skiff design when I build my Brockway and see how it comes out.
Jim

Thanks Jim, I'm posting this so folks like yourself can have enough confidence to jump into it. I considered the 14' Brockway as well, but decided it was too small for my needs (it's smaller than the boat I already have). According to the articles in the plans Earl Brockway built a number of "stock" designs of various lengths over his career. The 14' & 16' skiffs were put down into paper-plan form to be sent all over the world as a cheap, easy way for native fishermen to get on the water when they experienced a catastrophe. I'm not sure if anyone ever made plans for any of his other boats.

As for using the mold as a frame, I'm don't think that would work too well. Wait until Monday (I think...) and you'll see what I mean. The mold only uses three 2x4's, which around here totals about $6. No big deal and well worth it.

If you end up building one let me know, I'd like to see how yours turns out!

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Greg,

Am I hearing those funny little 4 letters words in there somewhere????

Oh, I don't know, maybe...

It was a remarkably long and productive day!

Greg

[donald branscom]

Great story and photos of your project. Thanks!
Waiting to see what happens tomorrow.

[jclays]

Thanks again Greg. I cant wait for more. What does the graphite filled epoxy do?
Jim

[Greg Stoll]

Today was the first time I failed to reach my daily goal on this project...

I started off by trimming the overhang from the bottom planking. Trimmed close with a circular saw and then planed down to the chine, first with the Bailey #5C and the later with the Stanley 60 1/2. Here's how it looked:



The broken scarf healed somewhat, but it's still not how I wanted it. Oh well, I have a reinforcement in that area so I should be alright. Here's where I left it:



After trimming the edge I filled the screwheads and various irregularities with thickened epoxy. Then off to run some errands, then back home to the boat.

I'm trying something different on this project; I'm planning ahead and masking stuff off. Here the sides and transom are masked ahead of the epoxy application:



I marked the outline of where the keel timber will be:



And started laying on cloth and epoxy. I'm using is 7.8 ounce cloth from Tap Plastics; the epoxy is West System. It took over an hour, but I finally got it laid out and smoothed over the bottom and the chines.

Ready to see it?



Pretty effing snazzy if I do say so myself.

Unfortunately, I'm now out of epoxy. That means that I have to drive to Oregon City (about an hour away) first thing in the morning to pick up more. Grrrr....

Also, the boat turning has been rescheduled for Monday at 10:00. If anyone would like to come to see the boat and provide some muscular help turning it over you're certainly welcome to do so. I'm located between Turner and Jefferson, Oregon (southeast of Salem about 10 miles). PM me for the address.

Until tomorrow,

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Thanks again Greg. I cant wait for more. What does the graphite filled epoxy do?
Jim

Hi Jim,

I'm treading on controversial ground here, and I'm sure you can find a number of threads on this forum from folks who agree and disagree with me...

Graphite mixed with epoxy helps it stand up to UV degradation and provides a slick, hard surface for a boat bottom. It also negates the need for painting and gives a long-term finish. Some folks disagree with me and that's fine; I had graphite epoxy on the bottom of a previous boat and loved it, so I'm going to do it again.

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Greg,
Don't fret over that broken scarf joint... Have you consider laying glass over the outside of joint or maybe tape it with 6" wide 10 oz Bi-axial fiberglass tape?..

That bottom... he he he effing snazzy, yup... get 'er all slicked up with that graphite fill coat.. We'll be sleddin' come winter...

Boyle,

I filled the offending scarf with thickened epoxy; the bottom 'glassing goes over the chines and covers the chine logs as well.

I chose my chine log orientation bases on the slight natural curve it had. I would have been better served to choose the orientation based on which side of the scarf was better sealed with the gluing epoxy. With outside chines the exposed side of the scarf is in tension, which predisposes this type of failure. If I would have built it with inside chines then the exposed side would be in compression. The tensioned side would be backed up by the planking and this failure would be much much less likely.

Of course, I didn't realize all that until -after- I had attached the chines ;-)

Oh well, there's always next time...

Greg

[jlnel]

love this thread..i cant wait to start mine!

[Greg Stoll]

Today's installment will be split into two parts; "Boat" and "Trailer". Work was done on both projects alternately throughout the day, and for simplicity's sake I'll split it up.

First, the boat!

I ended last night lamenting about how I had run out of epoxy, although that wasn't exactly true...

I had enough epoxy, but not enough of one kind of hardener to finish the whole thing. I sat and thought for a while, finally deciding to see just how far I could get with the 205 "fast" hardener I had on hand. I almost finished one side of the bottom before I ran out. Then I switched to the 206 "slow" hardener for the rest. I also touched up some of the 205 spots with 206; by then the sun was going down and I didn't get a chance to get a picture.

I was worried about mixing hardeners, as I had laid down the fiberglass cloth with 205 and it wasn't fully cured yet. I was also a little leery of the areas where the 205 and 206 would mix on the graphite coat. My fears turned out to be mostly unfounded, for there was a greater problem looming...

Morning dew. The 205 had set up pretty well by the time everything became wet, but the 206 had not. As a result the areas of 205 ended up shiny while the areas of 206 ended up dull and cloudy. Other than that little problem the bottom looks pretty good, and since I'm not going to look at it all the time I'm not too worried about aesthetics. It'll work.

I let the epoxy sit in the sun to set up for a while longer, then proceeded to shave off the overhanging drips and glass fibers. I first used a utility knife for the big parts, the switched to a block plane for the final smoothing.

Here it is:



The bare spot in the middle is where the keel goes. I was paranoid about running out of epoxy, so that part didn't get any ;-)

BTW, I am now for sure almost out of epoxy.

Next came the keel. I had let the 2x6 sit for a few days with it's ends supported and the middle weighted (weighed?) down with pavers. That succeeded in putting a slight bend in it, which I used to great advantage on the boat.

First I laid the keel down, cutting off the forward end at an angle. I screwed the forward end down and stacked pavers on the aft end to get it to conform to the hull:



Then it was stainless carriage bolts (1/4" x 3" astern, 1/4" x 4" forward) in pairs every 16" to secure the keel to the boat. The keel and bolts are bedded in roofing cement (just like the plans say) to allow for future replacement as needed. I also put in a fillet of roofing cement around the keel to seal everything up tight. I used the top of an empty beer bottle for my filleting tool, which actually worked rather well. Final pic here:



I'll do the trailer in a separate post...

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Now for the trailer!

I have been perusing craigslist for the last few weeks looking for a trailer to use under this boat. They're easy to come by, but hard to afford. Late last night I looked again and found a guy in Portland selling a boat trailer for $100!

Granted, it was just the frame, axle and tires. No bunks, no winch stand, not even fenders! But it was $100, so I bought it. Shortly after I picked it up I figured out that the tires were shot, so I bought a couple wheel/tire combos for another $100. Then I stopped in at the local big-box for lumber with which to build bunks for the boat, spending another $100.

$300 and I wasn't even home yet:



Ok, so I was home in that picture. But I had -just- gotten home, so it still counts ;-)

I had laid out plans in my head and purchased all the wood, but when I arrived home I realized I was doing it the hard way and redesigned everything to use three fewer pieces of lumber. Saves weight...

First I cut a 4x4 into two 4' long sections, laying them out parallel 7' apart. Next I laid two 8' 2x6's across them, gluing and lag-bolting everything together (after checking for square, of course). Turned it right-side up and it fit between the trailer frames:



Ignore that lumber on the right, that's not part of the build.

Next I checked the fit on the boat to see what kind of curve I was going to get:



Kinda dark, I know, but you get the picture. Turns out that the bunks will end up about 1" lower at the center than at the ends. Totally doable.

With the frame back on the trailer I laid the bunks out and put a 4x4 across them. Using ratchet straps I deflected the bunks down 1", then lag-bolted the bunks in place:



The lags are even countersunk!



Then I rolled out the indoor-outdoor carpeting, stapled it down, cut it apart and let it sit until the glue had dried.

(This is the time when I worked on the keel...)

After a few hours I went back to the trailer frame, turned it over and wrapped the bunks with carpeting. I tacked everything down on the underside with staples and 1" roofing nails.

I also had a winch stand and a tongue jack laying around, so I mounted those up too.

Here's the final trailer pic:



You may be asking yourself why I used regular lumber instead of pressure treated. The answer is that today's pressure treated wood can (apparently) cause corrosion of metal with which it is in contact. I wanted the trailer frame to last, so I used untreated wood. It's easier to replace wood than it is to replace steel!

So, there you have it. Everything is all set for the boat turning tomorrow. So far I have four people (including myself) in line to come over and help. Anyone else interested?

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Wow Greg... ya sure did make some progress here..
Pretty good deal for a trailer.. even getting new tires and lumber for bunks is still not bad at all..
I wish that I have a one kind of trailer that fits all the boats I have built.. It just not fun haulin' a 14' boat outta back of pickup with a 8' flatbed..

Looks good! I think the main difference between the actual Brockway and the Brockway-like boats (Ellisville 14, Lumberyard Skiff, etc...) is that the original Brockway has rocker aft while the others have a flat run aft, enabling them to plane. Dan says he's had his Brockway up on plane once, but I'm not sure about that; it just doesn't seem flat enough.

Greg

[jlnel]

How much room does it take to build the 16' Brockway. Looks like the sides are splayed out quite a bit before the transom is installed. I wanted to build in a one car garage but now I think the space may be to small..like how yours is working out, the trailer is top notch too!

[Auroradan]

Today, we turned Gregs Brockway Skiff. Since I have a bum knee (and a nice camera) foto-ing was delegated to me.
Pics here: http://tinyurl.com/36nwkk6

She looks very seaworthy!

Dan

[Greg Stoll]

How much room does it take to build the 16' Brockway. Looks like the sides are splayed out quite a bit before the transom is installed. I wanted to build in a one car garage but now I think the space may be to small..like how yours is working out, the trailer is top notch too!

It should work fine. You may have to glue the sides to the stem and do the spanish windlassing out in the driveway, but after that you can move the whole thing inside. I would guess that they boards had a 14-16 spread when attached to the stem, but I never measured.

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Today, we turned Gregs Brockway Skiff. Since I have a bum knee (and a nice camera) foto-ing was delegated to me.
Pics here: http://tinyurl.com/36nwkk6

She looks very seaworthy!

Dan

Thanks for the pics Dan. It all went off without a hitch, my thanks to everyone who came by to help!

Greg

[Greg Stoll]

Wow, made it to two pages...

As you've probably seen already, the boat turning went off without a hitch. It took four people to lift it, move it and turn it over. Kinda heavy ;-)

After the requisite post-boat turning conversation I got down to work on frames. The plans call for 2x6 frames at every floor timber. Luckily I had a great stack of 2x6's and was able to pick through it for the best ones.

Working on one floor timber at a time, I cut the frames to length, leaving about 10" sticking above the sheer. Next I beveled the bottom to fit the bottom planking, then took a measurement of the planking-side bevel that would be required to fit the frames to the planking:



I transferred that angle to the frame, set my circular saw to make the cut and went for it. Checking afterwards showed I was dead-on:



Then it was time to lube everything up with PL Premium and drive home the screws. I used 3" coated deck screws spaced every two inches for the frames. The process was repeated with each floor timber until the boat was all framed up. Here she is:





The forepeak:



I'm going to let the boat rest and go hang out with my girlfriend for a couple of days. That should give all the glue time to cure and allow the epoxy to finish setting up.

Greg

[jclays]

Looks good! I think the main difference between the actual Brockway and the Brockway-like boats (Ellisville 14, Lumberyard Skiff, etc...) is that the original Brockway has rocker aft while the others have a flat run aft, enabling them to plane. Dan says he's had his Brockway up on plane once, but I'm not sure about that; it just doesn't seem flat enough.

Greg

Greg
Looking over the Lady Bug web site The boats look like they have rocker both fore and aft. They plane but slightly bow high. Their site claims they follow the lines of the original Brockway skiffs. Their 18ft looks just like a slightly scaled up version of the 16ft plans That I have from the sound school. I was wondering as I reviewed the plans and looked at the lady bug site. There is an area where the plywood hull stops but the internal frame extends about 4 inches above. This area is filled by the 2x6 rail. What if the hull sides where extended that much more and a 1x6 rail was nailed against this extended plywood side. It would look more attractive but would it affect the shape of the hull.

[Greg Stoll]

Greg
Looking over the Lady Bug web site The boats look like they have rocker both fore and aft. They plane but slightly bow high. Their site claims they follow the lines of the original Brockway skiffs. Their 18ft looks just like a slightly scaled up version of the 16ft plans That I have from the sound school. I was wondering as I reviewed the plans and looked at the lady bug site. There is an area where the plywood hull stops but the internal frame extends about 4 inches above. This area is filled by the 2x6 rail. What if the hull sides where extended that much more and a 1x6 rail was nailed against this extended plywood side. It would look more attractive but would it affect the shape of the hull.

Huh. Well, maybe it will plane, who knows... I need to find someone with a 30 hp long shaft outboard I can borrow to try it out.

Greg

[wharf rat]

...18' simply stretched 16 footer... but where that 2' section is added, I wondered???

I would think that it's stretched overall. Stretch the length 10% and you're close to 18'--or simply start with two 18' pieces of ply. Since you don't set up a strongback and there's no frames, and everything is straight cuts, it would be pretty easy to lengthen it to where you want. I'd think that the freeboard-wall height would be increased on the larger boat. I'm not sure how much tho, but I'm guessing that could be determined by how or where the boat is used.

[Greg Stoll]

I would think that it's stretched overall. Stretch the length 10% and you're close to 18'--or simply start with two 18' pieces of ply. Since you don't set up a strongback and there's no frames, and everything is straight cuts, it would be pretty easy to lengthen it to where you want. I'd think that the freeboard-wall height would be increased on the larger boat. I'm not sure how much tho, but I'm guessing that could be determined by how or where the boat is used.

Dan and I were talking about a 20' Brockway during the boat turning. Dan's idea was to extend the sides to 20' with scarfed plywood and insert two molds, one in the standard location and one at roughly 16', then add the transom onto that. Someone should build one ;-)

Greg

[jclays]

Should be pretty straight foreward. You should be able to add 25% to your measurements to get the difference between the 16 and 20. Build a scale model first maybe using 1/8 scale to get the lines right and give you the ability to adjust before putting it down on real materials $$$$. Id use 3/4 inch Marine ply for the sides and bottom 2x8 for the internal frames and keelson 1 1/2 inch thick on the transon with some knees.