Garden Tom Cat

[Dry Water]

Hi Greg
Great to see the progress...keep the photos and dialogue flowing!!
The thread was called "Building a cold molded Tom Cat" - Martin Nelson the Member. All the many posts were done during January 2009. It's still all there on this forum. Unfortunately the photos are not well focussed but what the hell he was building a great boat!
Cheers
Laurie

[gregleetaylor]

HELP! glue up of two 1/4" plys on transom mould sprung back alot! Did not expect this at all. Epoxy cured fine for a day and a half before I released the clamps. Transom ply spring back was about 2 inches on each outer edge of the bend. Now what?

[mcdenny]

A. Live with less curvature. What the heck, lots of boats have flat transoms.

B. Bond two more layers of 1/4 ply to what you have using the original forms. More layers = less spring back. You will add a few pounds of weight (20?) Big deal.

[gregleetaylor]

Denny,

Again, the forum serves and no cat astrophe for me thank goodness... I think I will add the next laminate (three lams per the plans) on the finish side of 1/4" white oak and then, as needed, add another 1/4" on the inboard side.

Very nice modern power boat you build there by the way. We have one electric powered boat at our dock; a glass one with full awning but no candle to yours!

Best,

Greg

[gregleetaylor]

I have added a single, 1/4" lamination of the final, white oak planed for the outermost transom which is clamped on and curing since last night. The springback was about 1" on a 3 1/2' bend. I'll let this sit for several days and we'll see how much it helps!!! I counted the clamps at 30! Lets see now say $15 per clamp on average...Wow! Owned a few of them since high school but I bought 10 F clamps a month ago...

[gregleetaylor]

Inner stem cut out and beveling about half way complete. The sheer plank spiling batten is positioned to check bevel angle. Apron clamped on top of stem to get idea of fit. There's gonna be some wicked strip twisting down by the waterline!!!

[gregleetaylor]

Finished doing most of the inner stem bevel on my sanding machine last night and began to smooth the rolling bevel with the block plane. Going all right by judging the fall of the planking by dry fit; appreciate naval architecture more...

William Garden wrote in his book about this boat that you should think long and hard before deciding to build it, mentioning time, cuts and bruises. Last night as I went past the stern, one of the clamps in place with steel extension end out dragged a few blood reaching scrapes across the shin area. I think it is interesting that these types of injuries are almost completely ignored in my aging. I DO have to be careful about the more serious incidents that await the unwise...!

[capefox]

I love this design. Thanks for your interesting blog.

[gregleetaylor]

All right. I have the third lamination added to the transom with less spring back although there is still about 1/2" back at each outboard edge. I'll go ahead with it and pull it into the last bit as it it set on the strongback.

How to cutout the shape? The plans have no offset; just show the curve. so how do I:

transfer this line to the aft face of the now curving transom? and after this is managed,

when cutting the outline, shall i set a generous bevel and work it down once I see the fall of the planking?

[gregleetaylor]

Wake up next day and have answer, or a plan anyway...

the transom shows on the lines and offset plan as very close to the already lofted station 4 so...

i lofted the transom based on station four and then, i cut out the lofting plywood, set it level on the transom bending form and squared down with a combo square to the face of the curving transon; marked and connected the dots.

Next Ill add a close bevel...

[gregleetaylor]

As Moriarity said on BBC last night, "did you miss me". I have not been totally dormant. A major life event had me not thinking much about creative pursuits. I do love to make things though and what better than nice little boats? Most people I have told are pretty surprised to hear I'm building a boat in the basement with the most ususal remark being "how are you going to get it out?" or some doubts expressed about whether the boat would actually float...

This little catboat has plenty of challenge and reward for a novice like me. I do not, however, want to build it forever as happens with some projects. I want to enjoy this boat before it is too late! I'm not making sails or canvas and very little hardware but she is planned as a pleasure boat and will carry a nice finish.

Shaping the transom has been the hardest thing by far, so far, but is now finished. I have sawn out the oak sheer planks and fit them to the molds. The stem, step and step mortise are final so next few steps of locking the backbone together and beginning the stripping are soon to be underway. I am going to try to cup the sheer strakes the little bit wanted using the steam box; not sure it will provide any effect.

I am pleased at how the building goes along with the lofting and fitting on the strongback. I hope to be able to say that when the hull is all glued up. I will post some pictures in near future and there isn't a lot to see. I've been away... but I'm back

[Falcon1]

Hooray! I like this boat a lot. Looks like you're doing good work. Love the pic of you and the guys in the lumberyard office.
Keep it up!

[gregleetaylor]

little help from son Brandon on rough cutting sheer strakes, resawing into port & stb and then planing both. Then Ollie inspecting the shavings as the apron, stem and strakes are all dry fit.

[Cogeniac]

Great thread. We DID miss you! Welcome back!

[gregleetaylor]

I decided to steam bend the apron/keelson to try to avoid the bulge created forward of the bend if just "dry bent". This is also a , can I say warm up? for steaming the sheer strakes where i hope to get some cupping forced in by the moulds. If not, I think ill still be all right; the maximum width of these strakes is only 4"...

[willin woodworks]

check out Tague Lumber. I've used them a number of times when I've worked in the Philly area and they are great guys. If they don't have what you're looking for they can steer you in the right direction.

Nice work so far; your shop is too clean...leave the broom in the corner where it belongs

[gregleetaylor]

Very nearly ready to glue all my year-old bead & cove cedar over the moulds, finally. The shavings are of wenge being used as an accent strip under the sheer strakes which have now finally been epoxied to the inner stem and the transom corners. Cutting the wenge strips has me wearing the safety gear as I understand the stuff is toxic! It does splinter wickedly. Hopefully it will glue!

[gregleetaylor]

gluing strips is easy and satisfying; at least until the twist gets bad... scarfing has proven simple and quick with a little set up for saw and then glue up.

[gregleetaylor]

[Falcon1]

Wow! Looks great.

[Tom Robb]

Looking good.
Just curious, at what point do wide strips become glued carvel?

[gregleetaylor]

The wide, first strake is carvel glued to the dark thin one. The thin one is carvel glued to its cedar neighbor but then; the next cedar strip, and thereafter is bead and cove glued.

The oak sheer strake and wenge accent strip will be covered in fiberglass with clear epoxy and finished bright. The cedar, also glassed, will be painted. The entire inside is also fiberglass covered.

[Tom Robb]

It was a question of nomenclature. Sort of. As strips get wider, do they, at some point, become carvel. I see that you've got cove and bead glued.

[Ian McColgin]

It looks like a normal stripper with the only wide piece being the sheer strake. Some stripper patterns fool around with tapering and shaping, not unlike carvel planks, but in general they are too thin and numerous for this to be rational. Mostly with strippers the strakes just come together at the centerline and there's not really the equivalent of a long garboard such as you see in carvel and lapstrake.

In carvel planking it's normal to line off the planks starting with sheer, mid and garboard strakes and then fill in, spiling as you go. Strip plank runs are structurally quite different.

[Tom Robb]

In the picture, they looked rather stout and wider than I would have expected. Thus the conjecture/question. Yes the fitting is different. A great many things in boat construction are different. Just a stray thought.

[Breakaway]

It was a question of nomenclature. Sort of. As strips get wider, do they, at some point, become carvel.

I would submit that the edge glueing and/or edge fastening makes it strip.

Kevin

[gregleetaylor]

I am really unsure of what I will do to fit the strips at the forwardmost mould. I know the twist will be bad but what really worries me is the bevel on the stem looks like strips that land there can't possibly land on that forward mould. I will double check my lofting... Used my Toowoomba resource idea of installing a "clamping batten".

[gregleetaylor]

What can a "master plank" do to assist with the "fall" of the strips?

[gregleetaylor]

visitor caught on camera. His name is Jet

[Falcon1]

Since I am a total newbie, you should take my advice with a grain of salt, but my planks ended up floating a little free of mold #1 once they landed on the stem bevel, and it worked out fine. They were about 1/4" to even 3/8" off the mold. Luckily, it was the same on both sides, so it stayed symmetrical.

Looks great so far. I am envious of your plywood-less build!

Mike

[gregleetaylor]

Thanks Mike! I built a strip canoe and had a similar experience. I suppose i'll get by this too. More at stake this time .

[mcdenny]

Greg, is there a lot of hollow in the waterlines at the bow? That would explain the "eyeball" problem.

[Rich Jones]

I've had a couple of builds where the planking just doesn't want to touch that first station mold. If it's even on both sides and looks good, just let it be. The boat is talking to you, saying "Damn the plans, this is the way I want to look!"

[gregleetaylor]

Thank you, thank you. I'm relieved to have these comments!! Yes, there is a distinct hollow around the waterline which the first station mould will be forming while the strips are still landing fair on the stem bevel; at least if those strips will twist like Mr. Garden is asking for. Then, right near the lowest part of the stem, i'm going to have to let the strips "float" as Mike describes, off the very last portion; maybe 2" worth of the mould closest to the stem.

In the mean time, the strips are scarfing and bending nicely so far. I plan to keep going until they don't at which point i suppose i'll be making up shorter, filler strips?

Many thanks again and pictures of course; soon I hope...

[esingleman]

Leave a little room for springback...

There is absolutely NO spring back with that many lams.