18' Carolinian Carolina Dory - Launched !!!

[douge]

Finally put the boat in the water.




















Still lots to do .....

Thanks for all the help.

Doug

Raleigh, NC

[Vernon]

Very nice, congratulations on you launch.

[Robert Meyer]

Wow, nice work. I really like the a-symmetric aft thwart - the grain pattern fit it perfectly. Thinking outside the box really payed off.

[Jefe]

Beautiful job...really looks great.
Congrats!

[JayInOz]

Nice job Doug! Congratulations. You picked a good motor too. JayInOz

[jsjpd1]

Congratulations! Looks like a real nice skiff.

Jim

[gstanfield]

Very nice job Doug! Don't forget to send Jeff some pics

[J. Spira]

Beautiful job, Doug!

[jim_cricket]

Nice work Doug!
How about a performance report. How does she trim? What is your speed with the 30, at what rpm? Have you had her in any rough conditions/
I've always liked these boats, and think this is a great economical, stable platform with good performance. Does the Spira design give any info on center consoles?
And finally, where are you using your boat. Looks South Carolinaish.
Cricket

[spirit]

Lovely little boat, Doug!

How long are the three keels on that rocker-less bottom?
Would you show us a side picture of the boat on a slow plane and a fast plane, please?

[mcdenny]

+1 on that great looking back seat, really emphasizes the connection to the tree. Brilliant!

[switters]

nicely done!

[stevebla]

Very nice work!!! Please tell us more as I am building one myself. How fast with the thirty?

[douge]

Thanks for all the positive comments.

Also, thanks Mr. Jeff for the design.

I'll try to answer some of the questions.

The boat is probably twice as heavy as it could have been. I kinda went overboard on most everything. I added a 3/4" ply sole and the forward compartment which added lots of weight. Also, the frame is cypress (real 2x4, 2x6 stock) that I got from a local guy in Wake Forest. He also supplied the walnut for the rail cap. The walnut slab was from another local guy. Someone asked about the 3 keels, ... I mean "runners". They are made from white oak and are attached using 4200 (or was it 5200... I hope not) to a 1/2 piece of marine ply which is attached to the hull. They may need to be replaced
down the road.

Here's a mock-up of the layout.





Here's what it looked like after attached but before cleanup, etc. Note the power plane. Best tool ever for this project. Also, you'll see the bottom in black here (graphite and epoxy). Didn't like it.






As far as the motor. I restored my Dad's 1969 Evinrude 25, but decided to get a new 4 stroke instead.

I looked long and hard. The Tohatsu (25 and 30) had some points that I really liked.

* Electric start
* 3 cylinder (smooth running)
* Backup recoil start (don't even need to be connected to a battery)
* EFI
* Tiller
* Electric tilt

Couldn't really find this anywhere else except for a new Honda.

I need to figure out how to tap in so I can install a "real" hour meter. I currently have to manually turn on the hour meter with a switch. The remote steer model gives you a place to connect a wiring harness, but the tiller model doesn't.

Don't have any real performance numbers yet because it's still in the break-in period, but I have gone WOT for brief periods. First time out, I was really disappointed. Lots of cavitation, couldn't get on plane. Just bad. The prop is a 4 blade SS 10" dia / 10" pitch.

The next day, I installed a SE Sport 300 Hydrofoil. I'm calling it fixed. It'll plane now, but I have to keep the motor trimmed all the way down (~ -14 degrees). 22MPH - 25 would have been better. I have the engine mounted exactly as the manual instructs. Cavitation plate is just below the bottom of the hull. I'm thinking I should have gone lower.


22MPH will be okay because this boat isn't going to be used for fishing (no rod holders). It will primarily be used in the sounds in and around Emerald Isle, NC. Cruising, island hopping, going out to eat, cocktail cruises, etc. Basically it will take the place of our current Sea Ray CC below. We usually take a boat out to one of the islands around the inlet. Ocean side is good too, but we like the sound side.




Someone asked about a center console. Many people have put consoles on this boat. Check out all of Jeff's designs at http://www.spirainternational.com/ Here it was early on.





I was so excited last year when I flipped it over. Little did I know that there's just as much if not more work on the inside.





I also had several F-ups.

* Had to raise the height of the transom for the new motor
* Had to cut off ~3 inches in the motor well part of the transom to allow the motor to get full turning range (bad day)
* Had to move the bow-eye down about 10 inches
* Stem leans to the left (I think I'm the only one that can see this)

.... many more

One thing that surprised me was that I only needed a tape measure for the initial frame layout. After that you eye-ball just about everything else.

I still have lots to do. Need many more coats of finish on the wood, then I'll buff it out. Also, need to buff out (3M Finesse it II), polish and wax the hull.


Also need some sort of end cap for the 1" rope rub-rail. Any ideas here?





Thanks,

Doug

Raleigh, NC
Go Pack !!

[CharleyMac]

Great boat.

For rub rail end cap take a look at - Taco Stainless Steel Rub Rail End Cap F16-0039. Stainless Steel – Marine Grade 316, caps rub rail to finish end of rail and ensure inserts stay intact. The dimensions of the Taco Rub Rail(s) that this is designed to fit are readily available and should indicate to you the likelihood of success
Charley

[douge]

Don't know what happened with the text formatting. Looked okay in the preview pane.

(didn't know you could edit a post. Looks better now.)

[SMARTINSEN]

Don't know what happened with the text formatting. Looked okay in the preview pane.

Add a carriage return (hit enter) after the photograph to put the text on a new line. A couple of spaces between the text and the photos makes everything easier to look at and to read, too.

===

Super job on the boat.

[Robert W. Long]

One inch I.D. copper pipe cap?

[SaltyD from BC]

Good work douge! I like how you left tons of unobstructed room, zero clutter. Great looking skiff.

The next day, I installed a SE Sport 300 Hydrofoil. I'm calling it fixed. It'll plane now, but I have to keep the motor trimmed all the way down (~ -14 degrees). 22MPH - 25 would have been better. I have the engine mounted exactly as the manual instructs. Cavitation plate is just below the bottom of the hull. I'm thinking I should have gone lower.

I've seen this in directions for outboards that I have owned. You want the cavitation plate at, to maybe 1/2" below the bottom of the hull for optimum performance. What they neglect to say is that if you have any skeg at all, consider that the bottom of the hull. You want clean unairated water hitting the prop. The skeg turns up the water, airates it and cause the prop to slip and to cavitate. The fin thingy that you put on as you've found will help a fair bit. Ideally though I think you're right and the motor should be lowered a wee bit; to get the cav plate level with bottom of skeg.

Add me to the list of interested in your boat! Keep us posted as to how she does through various conditions

[neilm]

Very nice! I love the thwart. - Neil

[douge]

Mr. SaltyD from BC,

I took your suggestion and I lowered the engine about two inches. Now the cav plate is below the runner (keel). Had to cut out the transom, which was a pain, but it was worth it. Planes easily now. I still have to have the engine trimmed all the way down, but looks like I'll be getting a max of about 26MPH at WOT, and a good comfortable cruising speed of 21-22 at about 3/4 throttle.






Thanks again for the help.

Doug

[J. Spira]

Very nice job Doug. I added a couple of your pics to my site. Hope you don't mind.

- Jeff

[SaltyD from BC]

Mr. SaltyD from BC,

I took your suggestion and I lowered the engine about two inches. Now the cav plate is below the runner (keel). Had to cut out the transom, which was a pain, but it was worth it. Planes easily now. I still have to have the engine trimmed all the way down, but looks like I'll be getting a max of about 26MPH at WOT, and a good comfortable cruising speed of 21-22 at about 3/4 throttle.






Thanks again for the help.

Doug

My pleasure Doug. Looks like you've got it dialed in pretty nice now. I learned a bit of this from some guys that were in to ocean racing. Its a game of milimetres for them, to get the elevation and trim of the cav plate/prop just so.

[BrianW]

That's a great looking Dory!

[peabody]

Wow. ! Beautifull !

[ben2go]

Sweet ride.I am looking long and hard at Spira designs.I just can't decide which one, and now Mr. Spira has a new design in he works that may fit my wants.

[simplystrick]

This boat is beautiful. I'm also interested in either this or a v-hull from spira. I'm also in NC, do you have the low down on registering and getting a HIN, I looked everywhere on the net with no luck.

Thanks,
Rob

[willburrrr2003]

What a great looking boat you have made there!! Thanks for sharing your launch with us , have lots of fun with you finished boat my friend

Regards,

Will R.

[robray4]

Doug,
Great boat. I have just flipped over my Spria alamitos 15 ft vbottom dory. I am at a stand still and I am having a hard time moving forward. I am interested in your walnut supplier. I am on a budget and I am thinking about ash capital lumber, I was ok when I had jeff's plan to follow. I am such a novice boat builder that I am having a hard time ad libbing. Are you glad you skipped the console? Did you plank the inside sides and the bottom with plywood what lead to that decision and are you happy with it? Sounds like you are pretty knowledgeable about outboard motors I am not do you know anyone that could assit me in getting situated with the outboard motor. Sorry to impose but you are so close and your project is so similar that I had to ask for help.
Robert