I just started my first build, a plywood version of Shorebird by Weston Farmer

[DanSkorupka]

I have started building Shorebird By Wes Farmer. Went down to the garage first thing without breakfast except for one doughnut, and worked until after 4:30 pm.

I got the transom made and fitted with a motor pad first.

I resawed some plywood from an earlier badly botched attempt at building a 12 foot Gator Boat Plans Croc, and did a pretty bad job of it.
there were some nasty voids and the skillsaw had a slightly bent blade. I have not used them much before either and the result was a slightly wavy cut that was 1/8 inch off in places. I have a lot of rasping to do.

The middle frame went together without a hitch, I drew the dimensions on plywood and lined up the wood that would become the frame proper with a crude jig made by putting long nails partly through the ply so they stuck up and held the boards in place.

I am using Yellow Pine 1x4s for the frames, 3/4" ply made of alternating layers of oak and some softwood for the transom and floor, 1/2 inch acx pine for the sides (the stuff is awful, it is more like cd than ac). The chine logs will be external as used in some brockways and will be made of douglas fir, really nice, possibly old growth, and costing about $4 per board foot for 1x4s

will post pics tomorrow

[DanSkorupka]

Went 3d this morning. spent hours lining up the middle frame and transom. Would have been much easier had I not attached the sides to the stem way off parallel.

The boat is literally severely twisted. The stern half looks to be like it has been done right.

The stem is thoroughly nailed and bedded in dynaflex, so my course of action will be to cut off the stem, and put a new one on. Will do that tomorrow.

[DanSkorupka]

I have pics

[DanSkorupka]

[DanSkorupka]

[Kyle Horton]

Very nice! You're moving fast.

[Badger]

Great to see you are progressing with your build. I have "just begun" the build of the Bluegill skiff by Redmond. Read the plans and blue prints 10+ times, that is part of the fun, and have 3 components cut so far. Made a mistake with the bevel cuts on the transom so had to redo it. But you know what ? If I wanted it perfect from the get-go I would have bought an aluminum boat at the store. To me the build is not just the finished product but the time enjoying doing every step. Anxious to check back with you in the weeks to follow.

[DanSkorupka]

Thanks for your kind words everyone. It would have been ready for water within a week of starting had the following not happened:

one side split from top to bottom under the mere load of bending the chine log on the other side after i had already gone 3d requiring me to go almost back to 2d with the exception of the intact side being left attached to the frame and transom. I had to cut out a new side.

A large crack running most of the height of the frame vertical on one side requiring me to add a dew one next to it.

removing the horizontal members of the midship frame way to early causing the sides to un bend quite a bit. This was remedied by brute manual force bending it back as far as I could by hand and nailing part of the frame back back together.

the chine logs were very uncooperative in bending and I capitulated to them not lining up properly instead of risking breaking something important again. note the line in the chine log in post 3: this is where I had to take off too much material to get things to line up with the transom. I do not own a power planer. The lower piece is a separate piece of wood cut and bent into place, and bedded in dynaflex 230 (i know there are better options but this is what I had on hand, anyway everything I am using (at least when it comes to caulk) comes with a 35 year outdoor warranty so it should be good enough for a boat that likely wont last 10)

RE: Badger: good luck on your Bluegill. I made a large error on the transom bevel of my own project; my saw has a mind of its own. I am pressing forward even with an imperfect transom, mostly because i have no choice that plywood is $70 per sheet iirc (it was leftover from when my mom made shelves and cubbies for the entryway and kitchen at her house about 6 years ago)

I suffered another large setback not seen in the above photos: a 30 lb weight I was using to bend the bottom was jostled by vibrations by an electric saw used to rough out the bottom. under the unified laws of Newtonian gravity and Murphy it landed on my only plane with this result:

this wasn't some hardware store cheapo thing this was a nice stanley, an old one made in england if the label on the blade is to be believed. I cant find anything this good anymore for under 50 bucks.

ps this is the first large scale woodworking project of my adult life, and the only large project that was done almost entirely by me. My younger brother was a big help however, holding things and giving advice, he took and aced wood shop in high school. He claims $4.00 per BF for old growth fir 1x4s is too high, is this true. Regardless of price it is the best wood I have ever worked with outside of the basswood I used in rocketry in my early teens, and that is comparing apples and oranges.

[Badger]

I am using 3/4" ACX plywood for the transom. 2' x 4' from a Fleet Farm store for $14.00

I will be using ACX for the sides 3/8" $40.00 for a 4' x 8' and bottom 1/2".

This store has good quality (only 2 knots on the "C" side of a 4 x 8 ). Our boat will be on a trailer when not out fishing so should remain in good condition. Will be using a 4-5 hp motor so no problem.

[DanSkorupka]

Sorry for forgetting to post more pics, got done with the bare hull a while ago.

http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN4041.jpg

http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1330613813

http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1330613939

all photos:
http://s1096.photobucket.com/albums/...r%202011-2012/

[DanSkorupka]

After sort of forgetting about it for a few months I finished it on saturday.

Painted outside with Acrylic Latex exterior paint on friday, saturday flipped over, removed horizontal from midship frame and put a seat in its place, coated inside with linseed oil, downloaded, printed and filled out registration papers from the Mass. Environmental Police website, had my mom bring an outboard and oars from her house, tested outboard, and now it needs only oarlocks. I plan to use cast ductile iron with hot galvanizing, way stronger than zinc or mild steel, will not corrode as fast and are under 15 bucks for a pair of oarlocks with edge sockets (i am smart enough to not buy from west marine).

Early this week I will have it inspected/appraised and get a hull number assigned by our men in blue (green?) then head to the station to fork over the taxes and finally have it legal. Should be in the water legally with an aircooled 5 horse by next weekend.

Measurements are 13'9" loa with a four foot beam, 3/4" bottom and transom, 1/2" sides, but surprisingly light. I have not weighed it but is under 80 kg and easily lifted by two people, but difficult to cartop on a tall vehicle.

It will be used for fishing the Merrimack and Sudbury rivers and local ponds, and sightseeing on the Concord and Assabet (very polluted with mercury and PCB: unhealthy to eat fish)

I have named it the Ugly Phoenix as it has rose not only from the ashes of the Croc 12, but an aforementioned incident wherein a side panel split from top to bottom and the boat went back to 2d to fix it, the "ugly" part of the equation comes from its heavy but very crude construction and rough finish and one side being a bit longer than the other leaving it noticeably lopsided. My best guess is that it will veer to one side under oars but otherwise be okay because it should be no different under water than a sailing skiff that is slightly leaning.

Pics to follow.

[DanSkorupka]

bow and stem by Dan Skorupka, on Flickr

[DanSkorupka]

inside and motor by Dan Skorupka, on Flickr


Interior of bow by Dan Skorupka, on Flickr