Penobscot 14 St Jacques New Build

[RowAndSail]

Middle seat and case cap installed. Working on slatted side seat, deviating from plan a bit. Plans call for a solid seat with a straight inner edge. We are also going to have access to the bow and stern compartments from the top, and use XPS foam in the compartments and fenders lashed under seats for desired flotation. Fenders will be handy as beach roller as well.





Primed with Rust-Oleum Marine Wood and Fiberglass Primer.


Happy New Year!
Kent and Audrey

Log of St. Jacques

Good call to have the access hatches to the flotation compartments on top. Mine are on the bulkheads per the plans, but I have found in a capsize that they do leak a bit when submerged. The water depth on top of the compartments would be little to none compared to having them on the bulkheads.

[signalcharlie]

Worked on the side seat. We are going with curved slats vs solid slab. The seat will be open to the bulkhead compartment, we will account for flotation in other ways. The slats started off pretty chowdered up but we tuned them with a belt sander and 1/4 inch roundover bit.







First coat of Oyster White applied to the starboard side.



Happy New Yeabr /> Kent

[signalcharlie]

Side seat starboard finished, first coat of wood sealer.



FMI: St. Jacques Log

A little info on vintage look lines, R&W Rope sent some samples.

[signalcharlie]

Painted inner transom. Cut out the aft seat, brushed on a coat of Jamestown Distributors Wood Sealer Varnish Primer.





St. Jacques Log

[mwethers]

Hi Kent - that looks really good now it is all finished out. Good to start to see your ideas for the interior start to become material.
I am still at the modelling stage but closer to final cuts. You are giving me inspiration to pull my finger out. I have stalled a bit because of the weather and also because I am waiting on some bronze rod to finish off my centerboard case so I can build around it.

Mark

[signalcharlie]

Hi Mark

Thanks, we are very happy with this stage of the build. I hope to work on the front seat and mast thwart today for the sprit rig. We stalled during our Summer working on anything, at the time we were focused solely on the 1880s rowboat but in August we were getting strings of 116 F heat index days. We had a window of about 1 hour in the early AM but we spent most of the month watching TV inside. The paint wasn't drying right and staying hydrated was a challenge.

I've been lucky to have a cypress mill about 25 minutes away, had to make a few return trips when I cut a few too many times. One of the slats has a saw kerf towards the end but not using that piece would have meant another mill run and I am trying to finish up with the lumber I have on hand. I suppose I should order the oarlock sockets, she might be needing a float test soon.

I am contemplating ideas for line(s) to adjust the centerboard. I don't know if it will stay down by itself. And I definitely need something to grab the handle and hold it up. I also made the aft seat removable, so I'll need a toggle or something to keep it from flipping forward if you put weight on the forward edge and and to keep it from floating away in the event of a capsize. I was going to leave the side seats ratting around as well but have decided to tack them in with a few screws. My reason for not setting them in permanent was that I wanted access for paint and repair as needed.

Anyone have some detail pictures of how sprits are attached to masts?

Cheers from Florida
Kent

The official Number 2 Lego pencil spacing tool.



I wanted a curve along the front edge of the seat and remembered that I had made a template from Barbashela's breasthook that had about the same sweep I was looking for, so I grabbed it to see if it would work. It did!

[RowAndSail]

Hi Mark
I am contemplating ideas for line(s) to adjust the centerboard. I don't know if it will stay down by itself. And I definitely need something to grab the handle and hold it up. I also made the aft seat removable, so I'll need a toggle or something to keep it from flipping forward if you put weight on the forward edge and and to keep it from floating away in the event of a capsize. I was going to leave the side seats ratting around as well but have decided to tack them in with a few screws. My reason for not setting them in permanent was that I wanted access for paint and repair as needed.

The rudder, because of the angle of the transom, will snap forward on its own (once you push it far enough), due to the buoyancy acting on it being mostly in front of the pivot. Of course, due to drag when in motion, I'm not sure it would stay down all the time, so I have a thumbscrew and wingnut for the rudder pivot to clamp it a bit to make sure it stays down, but it will let the rudder go up if grounded.

The centerboard will not stay down on its own, it wants to pop up and splash water all over you. I use a bungee that I wrap around the handle and attach the other end to hold it either up or down. I wrap the bungee around the thwart to keep the board down, and to a small cleat on the front of the centerboard case to keep it up. I attach it there prior to recovery onto the trailer.

[signalcharlie]

Put the front seat in a few days ago, only had to cut 2! One coat of wood sealer and one coat of varnish. Took measurements to make a pattern for the bow seat, we are maybe going to set ours at an angle so I don't have to scribe it around the risers.





FMI: St. Jacques Log

[signalcharlie]

Worked on the bow seat, a few modifications to the design. Ours will slope up a bit with the stringers so I don't have to notch it. It is removable, there will be ventilation and storage in the forward compartment, an anchor and some XPS foam or float cushions.







Gunwales next.

The full story

[signalcharlie]

Worked on the gunwales



Started shaping the stem and keel.

[mwethers]

Hi Kent - looking great and pushing me onwards as well. I find it brilliant to have other builds to compare against and see the thought process of others in solving the same problems. I have just closed up my forward compartment and wished I took your approach of not going around the stringers. Would have been much quicker but I just wasn't sure about how the finished angle would look in the boat.
I am giving some thought to the Gunwals but I have to tidy up the interior first. I think I will probably use hoop pine for mine as it easy to get the lengths I will need at a reasonable cost.

By the way - why is the wife in the moaning chair - did you buy another tool and she is keeping an eye on you??

Mark

[signalcharlie]

Hi Mark

I applaud everyone who built that front seat to fit! You boat is looking great, I like the centerboard setup.

I had long enough cypress for one side, for the other side I scarfed 2 pieces together. It won't be noticed sitting under the rail cap.



Skipper is indeed supervising, lately she won't let me cut anything without her approval. And she's afraid I'll sand off all the paint, which I tend to do...sand...paint...sand...paint...

Cheers
Kent

[signalcharlie]

Worked on templates for the thwart knees.



Cut out the first breasthook and butchered it. Have to go find the missing piece to glue back....moaning chair time....







Cheers
Kent
FMI: http://smallboatrestoration.blogspot.com/p/penobscot-14-st-jacques.html

[signalcharlie]

Oh yeah, I'll need something to hang that rudder with. The head is about 2 inches thick, I could inset the hardware a bit if needed. I'm thinking bronze. Any suggestions on suppliers?



Thanks
Kent

[mwethers]

Hi Kent. I had some bronze rod left over from the centerboard pin which i bored out to 1\4in to use as a bushing. I have a 1/4in bolt which will be the pin. That was my take on the problem anyway.

Yours is looking good. I am not too far behind, thinking about the breasthook and oarlock pads now.

Mark

[Ed Armstrong]

Oh yeah, I'll need something to hang that rudder with. The head is about 2 inches thick, I could inset the hardware a bit if needed. I'm thinking bronze. Any suggestions on suppliers?



Thanks
Kent

Hamilton Marine has a 1-1/2" pintle that might work, if you inset it 1/4" on either side. It's been a few years, but I think that's what I used on my Acorn dinghy. Your Penobscot is looking great! I seriously considered that design prior to building my Acorn (which Ian later renamed the Puffin).

[signalcharlie]

Cut out breasthook v2.0 and rough cut the thwart knees.

[mwethers]

I'm watching your progress carefully - just a couple of steps behind. I am intending on working on the breasthook over this weekend after my rowlocks so interested in that especially. I hadn't decided yet on what to finish the stem with between the forward compartment and the breasthook. But looking at your last photo the gap looks small and out of sight so paint may be a far better option than varnish.

I like how the plans allow for individualising the interior of the boat. Mine is going to look very different to yours but both will be excellent reflections of our tastes. Because I have mounted the thwarts on knees I won't use the knees on top like yours which I think will give a clean uncluttered look but yours looks just right for a more traditional perspective. I hope I don't turn off the traditionalists too much

Mark

[signalcharlie]

I'm watching your progress carefully - just a couple of steps behind. I am intending on working on the breasthook over this weekend after my rowlocks so interested in that especially. I hadn't decided yet on what to finish the stem with between the forward compartment and the breasthook. But looking at your last photo the gap looks small and out of sight so paint may be a far better option than varnish.

I like how the plans allow for individualising the interior of the boat. Mine is going to look very different to yours but both will be excellent reflections of our tastes. Because I have mounted the thwarts on knees I won't use the knees on top like yours which I think will give a clean uncluttered look but yours looks just right for a more traditional perspective. I hope I don't turn off the traditionalists too much

Mark

I'm trying to keep the paint/varnish upkeep ratio at an optimum level, so I'm trending towards a workboat finish with satins and only a little varnish on the seats, rail cap, transom and rudder. If I start getting mildew problems I'll switch to more paint.

The thwart knees, hmmmmm...that aspect of the boat appears a little overbuilt to us, I put those into place and thought they were a bit much. "Hell for stout" as my Father In Law says. So we spoke to our French Sea Captain today and he said "non plus" about the knees which we think meant add no more. So we will launch for sea trials without them and see if the stringers, breasthook, rail caps, gunwales, seat cleats, thwarts, transom quarter knees and mast thwart are sufficient to distribute and carry the rowing load. If we see flex then we can add them at that point.

[signalcharlie]

Shaped the breasthook and sanded the outer gunwale, sheer plank and sheer clamp flush.

[signalcharlie]

Well the yard looks great and we have new trailer parking, it was time for yard projects before it gets too HOT.



But some bronze bling arrived today from Port Townsend Foundry, pintles and gudgeons. They had patterns from the Penobscot 17 and they fit great, PTF moved the rudder bolt hole to match the P14 plans. Got them attached to the cheek today and applied a second coat of varnish.

[signalcharlie]

Beveled the transom. There was a lot to trim down by the gunwale, but I got it faired with the belt sander. Attached quarter knees.





Worked on oarlock pads.



Our blog

[signalcharlie]

Breasthook cap today and started on rail caps.









Tucked in for the night.





Complete build log.

[mwethers]

Thanks as always for posting progress Kent. I'm not far behind so keen to see how you tackle bits and pieces. I want to get some oarlock pads on and maybe start the breasthook cap this weekend, but between kids winter sport starting up and shorter gluing times I don't know what will happen.

What timber are you using for the cap. It has a nice grain which should look great bright.

Mark.

[signalcharlie]

Thanks as always for posting progress Kent. ...

What timber are you using for the cap. It has a nice grain which should look great bright.

Mark.

Hi Mark,

You're welcome, and right back at ya.

The oarlock pads are a chore, I ended up making 3 small pieces vs trying to fit one or two pieces. I still need to sand them down to a little nicer shape.

As for glueing I had some thickened epoxy with fast hardener left over from the Winter and it set up FAST in our 80F temp! I ordered a new batch with just the regular hardener to finish fastening the rest of the rail caps.

The timber is cypress, local to our part of the country (Gulf Coast). We are lucky to have a mill about 30 minutes away and the guys there are great about picking nice boards for me. We got all the lumber for Barbashela there as well. They are getting most of their cypress from around Vicksburg, Mississippi right now.

Have fun with beveling the top of that transom. Actually it went quick. I'd suggest getting one side cut to the curve you want then make a pattern off of it to guide you on the other side. The breasthook cap went quick as well, but the rail cap will slow you down if you do the birdsmouth detail like Arch suggests. I'm trying it for the first time and going for the "Galloping Horse" finish, in other words would you notice my amateur effort if you rode by on a galloping horse? Hopefully not. Thank goodness for wood flour. I also let the router get away and it went right up the grain, across the cap and split it. Did I scrap it and cut a new one? No, it will be just another character mark. Plus from my Native American heritage we believe that only the Great Spirit can make something perfect. I purposely add a flaw every day to show my humbleness, like the time I chowdered up the edge of one of the seats because it made a handy spot to hold the rudder cheek while I drilled the rudder bolt hole

Have fun!

Fair Winds
Kent

[Rich Jones]

Very nice.
That's quite a collection of daggerboards and rudders on the back wall!

[signalcharlie]

Very nice.
That's quite a collection of daggerboards and rudders on the back wall!

Thanks Rich. That is my "History of ALCORT" wall, several generations of Alcort Sailfish and Sunfish rudders, dating from the 1940s to 1972. Lots of vintage bronze from Wilcox & Crittenden and if you squint you might spot the Super Sailfish handrails. Get out the magnifying glass and you'll see wooden splashguard parts for and early Sunfish and the cool bronze connector piece. Oh wait I forgot about the "new style" rudders stashed in the wall. We definitely like the classic wood blades over the new plastic fantastics.

The little critter next to the Penobscot is an Alcort Standard Sailfish, the 12 footer, the boat that started it all.

Cheers
Kent and Audrey

[Arizona Bay]

I just found this thread, excellent! I'm considering the P-14 (among several others) for a future build, it's good to see the process. Nicely done.

Just a comment,
After building one of Oughtred's boats, which call for very little hardware, I'm surprised at the number of screws securing the planks to the stringers.

[signalcharlie]

Mark

I found it easier to dry fit the caps then epoxy. I found that out after epoxying the first cap and having lumps when I went to the router the next day. Easier to clean up squeeze out when the cap was trimmed. BUT I caught the grain with the router a few times and the cap split along the grain in a few areas, my fault because I was trimming against the grain.



Shop elf says hi...



Don't despair, that knot is going away.

[signalcharlie]

Quarter knee rail caps.

[Ed Armstrong]

I like how the gunwales, stem and transom knees are capped. In my Acorn dinghy (aka Puffin), capping the gunwale was optional (IIRC). I opted not to do so, and it's not as clean looking, since you can see the edge of the plywood sheer strake.

[signalcharlie]

And the rail cappage continues. Fastened the mid rail caps with TotalBoat THIXO Flex. Used every clamp. Belt sanded then rasped then random orbital sanded then hand sanded the quarter knee caps. Sanded the transom again and applied wood sealer.













Cheers
Kent and Audrey

[signalcharlie]

We are using Jamestown Distributors TotalBoat Wood Sealer and Gleam Varnish Satin for the seats, gunwale, rail cap and transom. We like how it flows on so far and it gives the boat a nice soft look. We'll see how it holds up over time.



Cheers
K&A

[signalcharlie]

Aft rail caps cut out, planed, fit and fastened with THIXO.





Mid rail caps sanded

[signalcharlie]

Shaped the stemhead.



Rudder ready for shaping.



Rail cap fastened.