A fishing, cruising, racing birdwing SCAMP

[MoMan]

Hi Kenjamin--Just curious about how your build is going.

--Mike

[kenjamin]

Not much has been happening with my SCAMP build. It's been very hot around here lately so not much has been getting done. It's only cooler when it's raining. When I realized my SCAMP wouldn't be done in time for the Mystic Seaport WoodenBoat show, it took off a lot of the pressure to complete it any time soon so I've been goofing off.

[fred4win]

Kin
When it cools down ( more ways then one ) Hope to see more pictures of your bird wing mast and pictures of your build. Pictures really do help in some of the things you say. Still curious about how your build is going. I just l want to see how this all works out. Motor mount and offset rudder for me, birdwing rig (with a bowsprit and a jib). Wow! Can't please every one. You have some very good Ideas in your build.

[Hwyl]

Get cracking Ken

[fred4win]

Yes ken
I will get cracking. All my ply just showed up today and even have 3 sheets of particle board for the jig. Start a new thread tomorrow and start cutting the jig. Like you (Plans Only Man).

[kenjamin]

Sorry guys, I've been slackin' lately. Some dear friends are coming from Tallahassee to visit me in my new digs in St. Augustine so I got motivated to paint the living room and the dining room but there was some progress on the SCAMP build just before that. My nephew needed some money so I hired him to help me do some gluing on the SCAMP. We glued on some more planks and set some longitundinal stringers. He was a great help. The most helpful thing he did was frequently break me out of my trance as I admired my work by asking, "what do we do next?" So I do have some new photos to take and will do so soon. I promise!

fred4win, make sure you download the latest revisions to the longitundinal seat supports from the SCAMP site:

http://smallcraftadvisor.com/message....php?f=3&t=435

[fred4win]

Ken Thanks for the info....I did down load the revision. I like the hand holds on the redesigned skids.
I will be watching for your new pics.

[fred4win]

Hi Ken I am now lofting the seat Longitudinal on sheet 2. I have checked the sheet 2 revision dated July 30 and unable to see anything different against my plans..now not talking about the skeg there is plenty changes on the skeg and for the good. Does any one see an update on the plans. Maybe it could have been for older plans.

[kenjamin]

Due to summer heat and humidity I've completely ignored my SCAMP build in favor of bicycling and painting. Now that it's starting to cool off a bit, I'm back at it but I fear my SCAMP build (to be named Gabrielle) has developed a bad attitude. Is it just me or is this boat sticking out its tongue at me?



Here's the bowsprit pulled out and laid across the bow transom.

[James McMullen]

That curved bowsprit looks pretty nice, I gotta admit.

I beg you to use that artists training of yours and paint lips around the 'mouth'. And squinty eyes on the fwd cabin bulkhead. Please!

[ChrisBen]

That curved bowsprit looks pretty nice, I gotta admit.

I beg you to use that artists training of yours and paint lips around the 'mouth'. And squinty eyes on the fwd cabin bulkhead. Please!

And the bowsprit red.

[skaraborgcraft]

Nice sprit Ken! I did laugh,but maybe james has a point if you can paint your sprit anything like a tounge? I quite like the idea of a clear finshed "nose" but they may be the worst place for varnish. Will that be a self launching sprit on ropes?

[htom]

It's going to be a tongue with a piercing, too.

[Paul G.]

Its a fantastic project, well done for thinking outside the box. John is a lateral thinker so I can see him really enjoying this. Personally I dont care much for the birdwing, thats just my taste, but looking forward to sailing reports

[kenjamin]

That curved bowsprit looks pretty nice, I gotta admit.

I beg you to use that artists training of yours and paint lips around the 'mouth'. And squinty eyes on the fwd cabin bulkhead. Please!

I had asked John Welsford for a commissioned drawing to locate the birdwing mast step on the SCAMP and also asked about a curving downward bowsprit. His drawing graciously showed the curved downward bowsprit but mounted on top of the deck of the bow. I couldn't resist sending it through the bulkheads because I knew I wanted to use those extra slick pieces to make it work easily in and out and also that the polyethylene would not hold up in the sunlight. I can't help but wonder if graphite power in the polyethylene would help protect it from sunlight while enhancing the slickness of the material. I don't need a patent, but maybe a pex pipe sponsor would be nice.

Sorry to disappoint, but the paint will be very traditional. After years of showing up at WoodenBoat shows with an oar-looking mast for a mizzen, bamboo seats, and a sheerline by a drunken sailor from the Lord of the Rings, I'm done with trying to be entertaining. I'd like my SCAMP to be very business-like (except, of course, for the twin rudders, extended birdwing mast, and a tongue of a bowsprit).

Thanks so much for the compliment. It's high praise coming from you. By the way, that beer tender was a hoot!!!

[kenjamin]

Nice sprit Ken! I did laugh,but maybe james has a point if you can paint your sprit anything like a tounge? I quite like the idea of a clear finshed "nose" but they may be the worst place for varnish. Will that be a self launching sprit on ropes?

The bowsprit will launch and retrieve from inside the cuddy cabin. Had to do a bunch of head scratching to figure out how to get it past the mast if it were stepped but I'm optimist that it will be possible. Still need to add more laminations to the base of the bowsprit for that to happen as planned. With a little luck the polyethylene slick sticks will give me a tight fit for the bowsprit but one that releases with a good yank from inside the cuddy cabin. There will be a nice strong red oak handle at the base of the bowsprit to facilitate that. The only hardware on the bowsprit will be a d-ring set at the outer-most plane of the bowsprit so it will still go through the slot in the bow transom with necessary sheets and block already attached. There will be more pictures after I work through those details. Thanks for your interest in my SCAMP. And yes, the bowsprit will just get a clear finish. It only has to look good once for next year's WoodenBoat show. After that it may get paint.

[kenjamin]

It's going to be a tongue with a piercing, too.

Yeah, there will be a d-ring attached at the outermost plane of the bowsprit with one of those new Harkin lashed-on blocks utilized. The lines will have to be already disappearing into the bowsprit slot on the bow transom when the bowsprit is pulled inside the cuddy cabin. Some tension may need to be put on the lines to keep them clear as the bowsprit is inserted into the bowsprit channel. If all goes well the bowsprit could be deployed or retrieved while underway.

[kenjamin]

Its a fantastic project, well done for thinking outside the box. John is a lateral thinker so I can see him really enjoying this. Personally I dont care much for the birdwing, thats just my taste, but looking forward to sailing reports

John Welsford has shown some curiosity about the birdwing mast's performance and did a very nice commissioned drawing to help me locate it on the SCAMP. My hope is that my birdwing mast designs will be developed further so that these early prototypes will seem crude compared to what I'd like to see in the future. In other words, they are not to my taste either. They could be much more aerodynamically efficient to windward and much, much lighter. It will probably take someone with much deeper pockets than me in order to see that happen.

[fred4win]

Yes Beautiful pictures of your bowsprit . It sounds by the many post you get that you have allot of friends. I have as much fun reading them as I get from your pictures. Keep them pictures coming Ken.
Some day we can race together, that is if your promise not to bet me too badly.

[kenjamin]

Yes Beautiful pictures of your bowsprit . It sounds by the many post you get that you have allot of friends. I have as much fun reading them as I get from your pictures. Keep them pictures coming Ken.
Some day we can race together, that is if your promise not to bet me too badly.

Hey Fred,

Too bad I don't do as much building as I do posting. A gentleman's race would be perfect for me. In light air, you might have to circle back and see what's taking so long. SCAMP's "as-drawn" huge lug has the advantage there (unless I can pop out a secret weapon or something).

It was a gorgeous start to the day here in St. Augustine. Hope to finish my mast extension and add some more laminations to the bowsprit today. Of course there will be pictures so I can do some more blabbing on the forums. Good luck with those Dynamite Payson butt joints, my friend.

[fred4win]

Yes while I have you on line I have two questions for you. Which bulkhead did you start first on your boat. And the next question is a biggie. I don't have ay companies on my Island that sales aluminum poles that I could use for a mast. I also don't have a router to make a six sided mast. In some ways you are some what like me.Thinking outside the box. Can I use only four pieces of 1/2 wood stock and just taper from 3" to 2" for the mast...and round up the corners some. I can use 6 ft boards and not make any joints together on the 18 ft mast. in other words stage all the but joints in a different place up and down the mast and then fiberglass an epoxy it all . In other words it will be a square mast with rounded corners.. could even put quarter round inside the mast corners so the outside round would not be very thin or weak. need your thought on this.

[James McMullen]

Fred4win, those are horrible ideas. Your plan as stated will result in a weak, stiff, heavy mast where what you need is the exact opposite in a strong, lightweight, resilient mast. It's also more work to build.

You really ought to think inside the box until you at the very least have a little bit of experience as a foundation to build from. And even then, you better ask yerself why you imagine you can design and engineer as well as the illustrious John Welsford who has decades of experience and practice. Or are you more interested in playing around than in merely having an excellent performing boat?

The SCAMPs that are known and proven to work well are the ones that have been built to spec.

[kenjamin]

Yes while I have you on line I have two questions for you. Which bulkhead did you start first on your boat. And the next question is a biggie. I don't have ay companies on my Island that sales aluminum poles that I could use for a mast. I also don't have a router to make a six sided mast. In some ways you are some what like me.Thinking outside the box. Can I use only four pieces of 1/2 wood stock and just taper from 3" to 2" for the mast...and round up the corners some. I can use 6 ft boards and not make any joints together on the 18 ft mast. in other words stage all the but joints in a different place up and down the mast and then fiberglass an epoxy it all . In other words it will be a square mast with rounded corners.. could even put quarter round inside the mast corners so the outside round would not be very thin or weak. need your thought on this.

Fred, definitely learn the bird's mouth method. It's stronger and lighter and looks great too. Do you have a table saw?

I think the guys at SCA are working on a video for mast building as a result of the mass SCAMP build just completed by John Welsford and Howard Rice and the guys.

http://smallcraftadvisor.com/message....php?f=3&t=452

You've got plenty of time to figure out how to build a proper mast. The mast is the most important piece on the boat except for maybe the rudder. Even a weak, used, half worn out table saw can do the necessary cuts for a birdsmouth mast. You don't need a router for it but they are mighty handy for some other stuff (like making birdwing masts like mine). I know it's not what you wanted to hear but you did ask for my opinion. Good luck with your build my friend.

[fred4win]

Well I have my answer from Ken and James. You are wright, not the answer that I wanted to here, but thankful for the feed back.The problem is I have a sander, jig saw and a drill. I live here on this Island that have very few resources. I don't even have epoxy here,,,I have to ship it in from another Island on a ferry boat. I would have to fly to Manila (300 miles) If I was to buy any bigger tools. A few small fishing boats here use a plastic sail on a bamboo mast. Looks like it is upside down on the boat. Here to own a hammer and hand saw is a carpenter. There is no yellow pages here to locate any thing....it is all word of mouth. My last boat I built was a 19 ft Motor Sailor. I use plumbing parts for Gugdens & Pintles and bamboo mast but after one year you need to replace the mast. It's funny but it all worked.

I do really want to make the best boat I can. But when faced with building problems you have to be a MacGyver. Just finding a small pulley for the motor sailor was difficult. Ordering any thing from the USA take two months to receive and the shipping is unbelievable with the possibilities of it getting lost in the mail. Not all companies will ship here either.

From what I see in the forum of building the mast which seems to be beyond my ability here for lack of proper tools. There has to be another way to build one for this boat. If I was to lay down my tools and admit defeat that this is the only way this boat could be finished then I should stop now. God gave me a brain and I have gotten through the challenges before, no doubt that this is also a bump in the road for me. I hope I didn't come across as though I could design and engineer as well as the illustrious John Welsford . I would love to follow all the specs of the plans. But the living conditions here you have to have some flexibility. James why would you say that. Is it because I am trying explore my options. I do thank all for the feed back and I look forward to more of it. Please keep it coming.

[James McMullen]

Fred, I'm sorry that you have so many challenges finding proper materials. What you need is a handplane to cut your scarphs with, and then you can make a proper birdsmouth spar using shorter pieces of wood glued together to make your staves. This is a tool you could even make yourself, actually, but I bet you can find one even way out there. You don't need a whole lot of power tools, but a simple plane is essential, and will help you get the best out of the short lumber you have readily available.

[skaraborgcraft]

Fred, although a birdsmouth hollow section mast would be ultimate,dont think for a moment that a square stick with rounded corners wont work. It may be a little heavier and a little stiffer maybe,but much of that depends on the timber it is made from to start with. Everything from dinghies to my friends 25ton 55ft ketch have been built with wooden box section spars.
As far as i know, there are no Sea-Gods that are offended by squarish masts.

[fred4win]

OK It good to hear from you guys and I still have all my options on the table. I will be in the big city here next week and I will look for a hand plane. I have seen carpenters using them so I should find one some where. Unable to locate hand clamps also but I do use screws in there place, it works fine for me. The locale wood here is Mahogany, any size and shape you want, and plenty of Marine ply wood of all thickness. Because needed for fishing boats. There is an ACE hardware store in the city but very limited on items they sell. Will try them first.

keep the comments coming,,,, willing to consider anything.

[kenjamin]

Sorry Fred, I was blissfully ignorant of your circumstances in the islands. A good hand plane is a great thing to have but it better be extra sharp to use or you will need the patience of a saint to use it so make sure you look for a good sharpening stone as well. I use a little Bosch power plane with 1/32" increments of adjustments. I can't help but wonder if it wouldn't be worth the wait to get your hands on one. I love mine and have become very skilled at using it. I am very spoiled when it comes to tools and have always had a table saw when building boats so it's hard for me to relate to your situation. I my opinion you still need something to rip the wood along its length in an orderly manner. I would want at least a skill saw that could be used with a fence to get the job done but I'm just thinking out loud here.

At the risk of receiving the wrath of James, let me also throw this into the think tank for mast building. I have become accomplished at sheathing bamboo with expensive hybrid materials and epoxy. This does two things. It protects the bamboo from the marine environment and doubles or triples its strength. You still have to protect the epoxy with a good UV protective vanish but it then makes for an incredibly strong, weather resistant stick. Composite bamboo can even be bundled together (in the Chinese tradition) to reach strengths exceeding those of a normal wooden mast at a weight similar to or less than wood (in my opinion). I have also seen bamboo split and then epoxied back together again around a mold to make a very light and strong mast. The problem with this line of action is that experimentation is very expensive especially when using expensive materials like the hybrid cloth sleeves and epoxy that I use on my bamboo. It's easy for me to envision a crab claw sail like the locals use only much stronger and much more weather resistant but the costs would likely be prohibitive. Makes me wish I could fly over there and experiment with the local bamboo and the hybrid sleeves in order to make such a high tech/ low tech sailing rig. One thing about the hybrid sleeve material, it is very light and ships easily but like I said, I spent a bundle figuring out what sizes to use and how to keep the bamboo rotating as the epoxy set. I love to experiment. It is my passion but there are usually a bunch of failures before success is reached. Don't know how deep your pockets are so can't tell you this would be a good course of action or not but you could probably buy a nice table saw and have it shipped in for what you would spend experimenting with composite bamboo. Wish I could give you a better solution.

[Woxbox]

Ken,
Is that board built to the NACA 0008-34 section you posted? The photo looks good to my eye, but the diagram looks to have a sharper leading edge and the thickest part further aft that most boards I've seen. I'm going to build a couple of new leeboards, and want to use a proven section instead of eyeballing it. Most references say the thickest section is 30% back, but that diagram looks like 40%.

Also, I'm just catching up on this thread. The boat is looking good - just wondering how a live well works on a sailboat. What keeps the fishies in when you heel 20 or 30 degrees?

[skaraborgcraft]

Fred, am i to believe in your previous post that you were considering BUTT joining your mast sections? I may have suggested that square sections masts are fine, but even they have boards that have proper scarf joints in. Butt joints, even if staggered AND glassed is asking for the wrath of the Sea Gods.

As an example,you could build a box mast with your mahogany as for and aft parts, and plywood as the side cheeks. Sam Rabl made simple masts like these on his Picaroon. The 24ft mast on Picaroon had 3x1in solid timber fore and aft with 1/4in ply sides. Every 4ft up the mast was a butt-block to land the joints of the ply on,so even if the ply was butted on blocks,the solid timbers should be scarfed,and also have backing blocks. I dont know if its availiable online, but just 2 pages from his "boat building in your own backyard" could save you a lot of grief,wasted energy and angry Sea Gods. You will,without doubt need a good hand plane. If i can suss out how my scanner works,i could probably email you that info. Drop me a PM if you want it. Cheers

[fred4win]

I am getting some good advice about building the mast...I now see that too many but joints will make it much to weak for the way I suggested to build this mast. I checked out the forum about the video on mast building...to bad I don't believe they have made that video yet.....check out some of the others on YouTube but very complicated. They use all kinds of tools that I only dream of...Out of my league.

Oh Ken I forgot to add to my list a sears craftsman circular saw. I clamp guide strips on the wood to make straight cuts.

By the way Ken, Woxbox ask you: "What keeps the fishes in when you heel 20 or 30 degrees?" Now I know you plan to use that for fishing but you never told anyone that you plan on catching fish. Now is that going to be a big box, medium box or a small box. You kinda catch my drift?

[skaraborgcraft]

That live bait/catch well better be the whole width of the cockpit eh Ken?

Fred, hope the mails got through and the diagrams were clear enough to be understood. Cheers

[skaraborgcraft]

Im posting these links for Fred,as there seems to be an email issue. Should link to photos of Sam Rabls hollow box section mast technique.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-A...-002.jpg?gl=US

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K...-001.jpg?gl=US

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--.../Top.jpg?gl=US

As far as i know, you should be able to access from here. I dont want to post them as i kept them large size for clarity.

[keyhavenpotterer]

Fred,

When David Perillo's Welsford Navigator mizzen mast broke approaching the Yasawa Islands, Fiji, the islanders replaced it with a tree called VaiVai. It aparently grows very straight (from the book Something about Navigator). Might be worth asking the locals about.

Ed

[kenjamin]

Just got back from St. George's Island. Had to take my fishing buddy fishing because his favorite cousin died and so a fishing road trip was called for. We didn't catch anything much – just bait pin fish but we got some good talking done on stuff like living and dying. We've been fishing together for over thirty years so when a buddy like that calls you and says "road trip!", you go.

I'm using the "as-drawn" water ballast as three live wells. The one in the middle will have a 7" width that runs fore and aft and used for bait and the two outer ones will have the clear inspection ports for seeing what's in them. The central bait section will have a simple completely removable ply lid while the two larger outer ones will be sealed tight with the clear inspection ports. SCAMP likes to be sailed flat and with the partitions, I don't think the angle of heel will be a problem. The bait well will have a fresh seawater flooding feature while the outer fish compartments will have drains that seal or can be opened. All three compartments will have bubble jet assist for keeping things alive.

Fred, that old craftsman table saw is all you need to make a good birds mouth mast but I would try to get a hold of something lighter than mahogany for mast making. Can you get clear pine from Australia?

[kenjamin]

Ken,
Is that board built to the NACA 0008-34 section you posted? The photo looks good to my eye, but the diagram looks to have a sharper leading edge and the thickest part further aft that most boards I've seen. I'm going to build a couple of new leeboards, and want to use a proven section instead of eyeballing it. Most references say the thickest section is 30% back, but that diagram looks like 40%.

Also, I'm just catching up on this thread. The boat is looking good - just wondering how a live well works on a sailboat. What keeps the fishies in when you heel 20 or 30 degrees?

Woxbox, yes I believe those are the right numbers for that centerboard. See above for live well details. The fishies will get air but no chance for escape.

[Woxbox]

Ken, I hate to belabor a point, but if the two outer wells are sealed tight, how does one pump air into them? If the drains are open, won't you just empty the wells as they fill with air?

[kenjamin]

If the drains were closed and the inspection ports were screwed on tight then yes the ports would need small vent holes in them in order for the bubbler to work properly. Probably would need to be similar to the size hole in a gas cap for a lawn mower. And yep without the vent holes the air bubble pump would drive the water out of the drains if they were open. And, no, I hadn't gotten that far on the figuring yet so thanks, Woxbox. I'll drill some small vent holes so the bubble pump can work correctly or just cut the holes for the air hoses a little bigger than they need to be and let it leak out around them. Thanks again for the heads up!

[fred4win]

Hi Skarabrogcraft
Want to thank you for the links you sent me....Yes I can access them and made copies on my USB drive and tomorrow I will take them to the Internet Cafe to print out. I had my own printer but the ants made a home inside of it and had to throw it out.

Ed I have seen most of the wood available here. Could that have been a bamboo by that name...we have a Japanese bamboo the grows very straight with very few branches on it. I have used bamboo as a mast on a 600 lb motor sailor before and worked out quit well. Only good for a season though. I will check out some of the lumber yards in the city that sells probably any kind of wood. I know that a lot of finish carpenters and cabinet makers buy from them. I was not making a mast at the time so when there I didn't pay attention.

Ken I also believe that mahogany is to heavy for mast building. Local lumber is coconut, mahogany, simalena, teak, narra, and Iron wood. The last five are all very heavy wood. Coconut wood is useless.

[fred4win]

Hi Skarabrogcraft
Want to thank you for the links you sent me....Yes I can access them and made copies on my USB drive and tomorrow I will take them to the Internet Cafe to print out. I had my own printer but the ants made a home inside of it and had to throw it out.

Ed I have seen most of the wood available here. Could that have been a bamboo by that name...we have a Japanese bamboo the grows very straight with very few branches on it. I have used bamboo as a mast on a 600 lb motor sailor before and worked out quit well. Only good for a season though. I will check out some of the lumber yards in the city that sells probably any kind of wood. I know that a lot of finish carpenters and cabinet makers buy from them. I was not making a mast at the time so when there I didn't pay attention.

Ken I also believe that mahogany is to heavy for mast building. Local lumber is coconut, mahogany, simalena, teak, narra, and Iron wood. The last five are all very heavy wood. Coconut wood is useless.

[skaraborgcraft]

If mahogany is all you have,i wouldnt hesitate to use it.....especially if its not going to be a solid mast. If you can find a bamboo with the appropriate thickness,i reckon that would work ok too. A friend has some 5in bamboo poles about 25ft long, and although there will probably be a lot of bend and ultimate strength may not be as high as a built up spar, again i would use it if thats all i had access to...just like the locals. Cheers

[kenjamin]

If all I had to make a mast with was a big piece of timber bamboo, seems like it would be worth the $60 to $70 + shipping to sleeve the thing with carbon fiber/fiberglass hybrid cloth and epoxy. You could put a crank on one end of it and pay some island boy to rotate it for you as you applied the epoxy. Then after a light sanding, paint with a clear UV resistant varnish or polyurethane and you'll have a very strong, weather resistant mast. True, it would be experimental but relatively light and strong especially compared with a solid mahogany one. But that's just one grumpy old man's opinion. Here's my link to my experimental composite bamboo thread:

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthre...ghlight=bamboo

This is my source for composite sleeves (no profit for me in using this source):
http://www.sollerpaddles.com/composi...20sleeves.html

[skaraborgcraft]

Grumpy? Since when? You seem to keep your composure and humour when others start to rant Ken!

[keyhavenpotterer]

Fred it looks like the Fijians call this tree VaiVai: Albizia saman. Lots of local names.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_saman

Scamp' are extremely stable, I'm sure it could manage, even with a heavier mast. You can have a light mast by building a hollow spar or by removing material from the halves. Besides lug rigs do best with really stiff masts, especially needed if its unstayed. It also slows roll speed and makes the boat less twitchy.

Some options for arrangement, depending on what you can get?



Ed

[fred4win]

Hi Ed
I did a Google search and found that link but disregarded it cause I was looking for a straight tree. You can see that it is any but straight.

Many of the mast designs on your post look workable. I found one on the internet that I may be able to build. Check out the link below and see for yourself. Even though it calls for a table saw I may be able to use a circular saw. I will just use strips of wood tack down so the cut will be straight. I can run a small taper on it from 3" to 2" at the top. It is built in two pieces then epoxied together. I have used Bamboo before on another boat, and this time around I want a real wooden mast.

You guys have been great and I have gotten tons of ideas from this forum. I am closing the gap on building this SCAMP mast.

I was wondering has anyone on this forum had any experience with that type of mast.

http://www.idniyra.org/articles/mast_made_easy.htm

[skaraborgcraft]

Thats an interesting mast building technique. I dont see any advantages over the Rabl box mast, except for the fact that its got an areodynamic tear-drop section and a luff tube! If the latter are important,then this looks like a good system. Cutting any long lengths witha circular saw to any degree of accuracy is a challenge. Im positive you will find a good compromise solution to the issue. Cheers

[keyhavenpotterer]

That looks good Fred, suited to your tools. The lug rig will be crossing accross the back of the mast, so maybe put plenty of leather on the yard and boom where it touches, as its more acute.

I've got the luxury of a Festool tracksaw for long straight cuts, but without the track, you can easily make a straight 'track' with some plywood or doorskin to run your saw down to get straight cuts. The plywood sheets will have factory 8ft straight edges and 90 degree corners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH5dW-QcgeI

Find a fishing reel on the island and pull the line out taught for over 8ft sections, to give you a straight line to mark, if you have to mave the jig along.

Scamp is a very heavy displacement boat for her length and has very large reserves of stability. I wouldn't be worried by a solid mast in the slightest if it comes to it or a hollow mast made of heavier material than spruce. I doubt Scamp would bat an eyelid.

If its tight straight grain that won't move after its cut - just a 3x3, or more complex, take two 2 x 2 and alternate the grain and end for end them, to minimise warpage (if from same tree) and glue it with epoxy or resorcinol. Then saw the tapers and plane/ sand it round. A hollow mast is lighter for sure, has to be a bit larger in diameter to be as strong, and uses less wood, so in someways the cost of material to buy is lower too.

If you don't have many clamps to hold this mast together, a clever techinique is to gather some used punctured old bicycle/ motorbike inner tubes and cut them into thick long strips. You wind the inner tube along like a coil under tension around the glued up mast and the elasticity holds it together.

If you need to sand it along the grain, another solution, is to find some round gutter pipe of the same or slightly larger diameter than you mast, cut it in half and glue the sand paper to the inside. Attach a handle with countersunk screws and you can 'long board' the mast round efficiently.

If you want to make a round mast you can make a 'spar guage' from a bit of scrap wood and two pens that will give you the marks to plane down to, to go from a 4 to 8 sided shape.

Consider cutting sheave holes when/ if it ever square, as it'l move less when the holes drilled.

Varnished tear drop hollow mahogany spars will be a thing of beauty. Do the P.mahoganies vary in weight/ density?

Ed

[James McMullen]

A teardrop section is a very wrong shape for a lug rig. You want round. Why can't you cut strips with your circular saw and make a birdsmouth spar just like it shows on the plans? You can cut the notch with your saw set to 45° and making the right guide jig, can't you? Or what about clamping your circ. saw upside down though a piece of plywood to make a jackleg mini tablesaw? Scarph your strips to length using the proper 12:1 scarphs and stagger the joints.

I think Ed is giving you bad advice with all those alternative and unsuitable options. You should strive to build the mast to the size and dimensions as listed on the plans.

[kenjamin]

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Oh Ken I forgot to add to my list a sears craftsman circular saw. I clamp guide strips on the wood to make straight cuts.

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Fred, I too thought that a table saw was in your arsenal of tools. I guess you were saying it was on your wish list. I bought my first table saw some forty years ago and never ever regretted it. Christmas is coming, my friend, have you been a good boy?

Don't you just hate it when James is both convincing and correct?

[keyhavenpotterer]

A round mast might be optimum and a tear drop mast for a rotating mast, but if Fred can't make it for whatever reason, then a teardrop mast will work fine. This is a 12ft boat for pleasure and just getting out in. The mast is there to hold the sail up. That's the bigger picture James. There's a ton of turbulence caused by turbulence in a lug rig already.

Marjai showed an eliptical mast section is better to windward, just more windshadow as the windforce comes round to the beam. Scamp has plenty of sail area to push it and has heavy displacement and stability to cope with some extra weight.

As standard without shrouds, the mainsheet will put alot of its tension on the leach, pulling the top of the mast aft as the boom is sheeted in losing drive, a more eliptical mast section will counteract this usual tendancy, a deficiency with unshrouded rigs like yours. You need drive as the lug rig can't point like a sloop and Fred will be sailing on the sea not smooth water, drive is more important.

You don't want sailing optimum either otherwise you'd sail your Rowan, sloop rigged and shrouded and be able to sail faster, closer winded, with less heal and more sail control.

Fred's building a boat on an small island with very limited tools to get to the next beach or go diving from, this isn't the next America's Cup'er.