SCAMP New Build

[Christine DeMerchant]

I've tackled the deadlights. I found out portholes that don't open are deadlights.



The opening is around 6 inches. I'm using scrap 9 mm ply. After rough cutting on the bandsaw I used a table saw jig to get a perfect circle. Since they are very visible this needs to be quite accurately cut.


I had never cut a circle with the table saw but it turned out to work really well. I don't think I needed to use the band saw at all to rough cut the shape. I could have used the sled to just gradually cut the corners till I had a circle.



I used the circle cutter to do the inside. This is a photo of the circle cutter when I did the hatch liners.


I had picked up this rabetting bit in the cheap bin at one of the wood shows and it's paid for itself many times over.


It cut a nice 3/8 th rabbet just a little deeper than the thickness of the acrylic I have.



I made a pattern and marked it on the plastic. It comes with a coating on both sides so it does not get scratched. The plastic does not cut terribly well and tends to chip a bit even with a very fine blade. I sanded the edge and called it good enough.

[Christine DeMerchant]

I taped paired frames and drilled the mounting holes. Just a bit over 1/4 inch.



After a good sanding I put a coat of epoxy on the frames. I also put some on the side panels of the cuddy.

[Christine DeMerchant]

Fitted a small corner piece. Here we are looking down the bow. This will give me something solid to screw in. I'll be putting a couple of screws through the gunwales and also some from the top to position the deck.


There are few things in woodwork that are more pleasing than making nice shavings. I don't know why I enjoy it so much.

After gluing the corner pieces on I put in some screws and let everything set. I've also started cleaning up the side of the gunwales and adjusting the angles. I tried the block plane but it gets beat up with the dry epoxy. I eventually settled for a coarse file. I have a huge one that is working really well.



I still need to check that the 2 sides are symmetrical but otherwise the side and front deck could go on. I'll do my filleting on the bench tops and sanding inside the front section first.

[epoxyboy]

http://www.christinedemerchant.com/files/for-woodenboat/trim-gunnels.jpg[/IMG]

I still need to check that the 2 sides are symmetrical but otherwise the side and front deck could go on. I'll do my filleting on the bench tops and sanding inside the front section first.

Christine, I found the Stanley Surform extremely effective for that sort of job - the 'blade' is sort of like a cheese grater on steroids, and long enough to hit the gunwale and carlin at the same time. They eat epoxy blobs and bronze ringbarb nails for breakfast, and will run over stainless screws etc without getting trashed. And being open like a grater, they dont clog like a file. Think of it as the plane you use, when you dont want to risk you plane.
This is the flat one, but they do half-round version too.

http://www.stanleytools.com/en-us/pr...t-blade/21-296


Pete

[Christine DeMerchant]

I have a sureform but I've never liked using it. Maybe mine is just not sharp. Maybe I'm not using it right.

I have a little file card brush thingie and clean the file occasionally.

[Falcon1]

For this type of work, I love the Shinto rasp. I have two now, I use them so much. A wood-butcher's best friend!

https://www.amazon.com/Shinto-SR-10-.../dp/B004DIHDU0

Looking great, Christine!

Mike

[Sailor]

I think we all love making beautiful shavings. It's peaceful and serene and one feels productive as they float to the floor of the shop.

[Christine DeMerchant]

Thanks
I'll get one.
It looks like it would work better than my big file.
Christine

For this type of work, I love the Shinto rasp. I have two now, I use them so much. A wood-butcher's best friend!

https://www.amazon.com/Shinto-SR-10-.../dp/B004DIHDU0

Looking great, Christine!

Mike

[Christine DeMerchant]

I went into the shop and cut the opening for the deadlight/porthole. THEN I spent 3 hours fixing my mistakes.

I did a total of how much I've spent so far on the SCAMP. I'm up to 4300 Canadian.

I estimate that I will have to spend about 1000 more to finish and get it on the water. This includes the hardware, more fibreglass, paint, and some lumber for skeg and some carlings. I have a trailer that can be made to work.

[andrewpatrol]

Sail?
i find it best not to do any totalling of $ or hours otherwise I'd stop.

[Christine DeMerchant]

I was curious. I've set aside about 5000 CAN for the project and I don't think I will go over it. This was never intended to be a cheap project. It keeps me from spending on other things This includes one of Michael Storer's Really Simple Sails. I think I am getting the first SCAMP sail he is putting out. Since I bought mine I found out he will be selling them through Duckworks/SCA. I liked the looks of the Goat island skiff sail.

[brucemoffatt]

I teckon I've spent $3,500 $AUS, and that doesn't include epoxy, which I got in lieu of cash for boat repairs for a friend, and I don't have a trailer yet. You should have money left over from your budget, I reckon.

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[Christine DeMerchant]

My epoxy was about 800 I think without looking. Maybe a bit more if I include shipping and taxes. I think the Canadian and Australian dollars have been pretty close in the last couple of years.

[brucemoffatt]

That sounds about what mine would have cost. Reminds me, I have to make a call about a trailer

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[Christine DeMerchant]

Painted the window frames.


Spent a day getting hatch doublers ready for the floor.



Glued on the cubby floor hatches. Once the hatches were glued I used the router to cut a finished hole in the floor panel. I had just made a rough opening before. Much faster.
It took me quite a lot of time to figure out where I wanted the hatches. In the end I decided away from the centre where I am likely to sit in the cubby and in line with the side hatches on the floor.



Dry fit of the bottom floor pieces. The floor is made of 2 layers. The lower layer is a full floor but the top layer has a small gully all around. I still have to make the smaller hatch opening for the water ballast tank.

Luckily there were no surprises and the floor fits nicely.



I spent a day sanding the under floor compartments. I'm not going for perfect surface but I want a smooth finish so that when I put my hand in there is nothing to snag me. I will also put another layer of epoxy on the water tank. I had modified it on the advice of John Welsford and Howard Rice. It has an added layer of ply on the bottom so it drains completely, and some extra glass tape in the corners to absolutely ensure that the compartment does not leak.

[Christine DeMerchant]

After shaping I installed 2 wedge support for the floor. I had not done this when I did the rest of the supports.

The 2 little compartments on the side are where the water accumulates and are open. The central bit is under the floor.



I made a cardboard copy of the centreboard. I wanted to check that it fit all right and to see how the top cover would fit. There is lots of space so I'll be able to put a screw from the side to fix the access cover that is cut out of the seat and which allows access to the centreboard. The real centreboard is too heavy to handle easily by myself.



This will also help me sort out the lines that raise and control the centreboard. Here the board is lowered and has adequate clearance in the case.



The mockup is not as thick as my real board but is accurate otherwise. There is about three quarter of an inch at the top. Just right I think.



When I got sick of sanding I put 3 coats of paint in the compartment. The water ballast compartment is better paint. I had a half can of brightside polyurethane left over and I used that. It covers better and dries faster. It is also a much harder finish.



After painting the floor underside I sanded the areas where the glue was going to be placed. I had masked the area.

[Christine DeMerchant]

After spending most of a day sanding the front compartment I had a reasonable finish. I was also touching up various rough areas.



The top support beams fit in a chiselled depression but I had not made them as deep as I liked so I added a small supporting piece. Much stronger and it also look a lot nicer than the gooped on epoxy.



When I installed the filling / draining opening I had touched the inside threads with my dirty epoxy glove and mucked up the opening. I used paint stripper to soften the epoxy from the threads and gradually free them. Took a bit of doing but it worked out. This might work to clear some of the clamps too.
All the cans on the top are supporting the cuddy floor which has just been glued down.


The front floor is glued,



The back piece got a third coat of paint and I removed the tape and sanded. It's now ready to install. Here it is before the final paint. I wanted to mark the opening onto the top floor panel. I'll open the hatches after everything is glued down using the router. I'll be installing the back floor tomorrow.

[Christine DeMerchant]

Side decks, side of cuddy, and coamings are getting a second coat of epoxy. There are never enough flat surfaces in the shop!



After doing a dry run of the front deck, I found that after the first coat of epoxy it had gotten much stiffer and I had trouble getting it to bend. I was worried that after a couple more coats of epoxy even on only one side, it would be too hard for me to bend in shape so I bent it and epoxied it in a curved shape. Hopefully this will work better.



I have just received the sail I ordered from Michael Storer and Really Simple Sails I spread it out on the deck and it looks like a nicely made sail. Hard to judge how it will work but I think it looks good. There is something wonderful about a stiff, crinkly new sail. I'll report after I've used it.

[Christine DeMerchant]

I finally got the decks glued on. I did not have enough clamps to do everything in one go. Instead I did the front then port and finally the starboard decks. I had not joined the pieces because it would make the decks really hard to handle. Instead I joined them in place with small plywood blocks to support the joints. It worked fine.






I used the router with a flush cut bit to trim the extra on the deck edges. I'm not sure if the extra is because my carlings are thinner or because the plans have a built in safety. Because there is a slight angle the trim is not perfect. I'll use my sander to finish trimming.

[Christine DeMerchant]

The floor is made up of 2 layers. Here is the front piece of the bottom layer. I did not use any screws for this piece.



For the back piece I used some screws particularly around the seal for the water ballast tank.


First layer of floor is glued and squeeze out is cleaned up. I took photos of the inside of the water tank and there is a satisfactory amount of glue squeezed out around all the inside edges.


I also took a photo of the front deck edges to make sure the seams were well glued. Everything seems fine. Not a very tidy paint job. I'll try and touch it up.

Moved on to the cabin sides and roof. It took a while to get everything sorted out so I understood how the pieces go together. John Welsford has thought about this. It's interesting that there is a lot of margin for error. That's good for people like me!


Dry fit of the sides. No real problem. I have to do a little bit of adjusting on the bottom where the deck is slightly higher in one spot but it's less than an eight of an inch and everything goes together quite well.
I also decided here where the opening for the deadlights were to be.

After cutting the opening for the mast case I tried the roof on.
I had a lot of trouble getting the roof to curve over the top. It's quite stiff.

[Christine DeMerchant]

Because the plywood is so stiff I tried bending it on the bench first. I was worried that once I had epoxy on the panel I would not be able to force it to the curved supports.


Tried some pre-bending on the bench and it helped. In the end I found a sale on a ratchet gizmo at the farm supply store when I picked up some birdseed. It solved my problem.




I was able to tighten the top and measure to make sure the top fit and the side support pieces were thick enough. Everything seems to be fine.



The front curvey bits get a doubler so I fitted this on and sanded it once it had been glued. I had to figure out how to clamp the sides on. There is not much to hang on to. Eventually I tied the pieces on and used clamps to make spots I could tie on to.



Christine
http://www.christinedemerchant.com/b...amp-cubby.html

[Christine DeMerchant]

I tried my hand at working in a grommet onto the anchor line. It's nylon and absolutely terrible to work. It is so slippery and comes un-twisted really easily. Eventually I quit while I was ahead and worked in a couple of bindings plus lots of inner stitches. I don't think it could come undone but it's not as tidy as I had hoped. Braided rope is easier to work with!





I've also been trying to figure out how to turn the boat around. I've recruited some help but unlike many other scamp builders I don't have a good roof to hang the boat and support it while it is being turned. I've made a 5:1 model of a possible support. 2 of these sufficiently braced might work to support the boat. to be continued...

[brucemoffatt]

Looks great. I got my son and two friends around to turn my Scamp. We just manhandled it. It worked fine, apart from a cut on a hand where I'd missed a tiny bit of epoxy squeeze out.

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[Christine DeMerchant]

4 people don't seem like enough to move the Scamp. It feels HEAVY. Maybe I'm just an old fart.

[brucemoffatt]

4 people don't seem like enough to move the Scamp. It feels HEAVY. Maybe I'm just an old fart.

Yeah, old like me

The other three were younger than me though. I've got a video of us turning it over somewhere on youtube. I'll see if I can find a link.

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[Christine DeMerchant]

After a busy summer I'm back in the shop working on the SCAMP. I'm pretty rusty. It took a while to clear out the junk that had accumulated in the shop and get the tools sharpened and the table saw waxed.

I got the sole liner ready and figured out how to drop it in position by myself. It's too heavy to easily just get it in. It has to be brought in a bit sideways then down into position.

I used little positioning blocks to lock in position, then made some holes for screws. After removing the liner I drilled larger holes to allow air and extra epoxy to get out.


I used a block to suspend the sole liner in position and keep it out of the way so I could get in and put some epoxy glue on the liner and the floor.
It was a simple matter to just lower the liner in position, remove the c clamp and step on to put in temporary screws in the already drilled holes. It worked really well. I cleaned up the extra epoxy and let everything set overnight.


I added a couple of bricks where It did not look like I had enough screws and there was a satisfactory amount of squeeze out. The positioning was perfect with a gully running all the way around.

[Christine DeMerchant]

Next morning I removed the temporary screws and broke 3 heads right off. I'm not very happy with these stainless screws. It took a bit of doing but heating the remaining stubs with the soldering iron worked well to soften the epoxy. The vice grips were able to get a grip and the screws came out.



I had lined up the sole and the liner to rough cut the sole opening for the various hatches. This would make it easier to open them up using the bottom layer as a guide. I made a mistake and did not take the gutter distance in consideration so I made the holes in the wrong place. I had to repair a couple of the openings.
Two steps forward one step back.



Luckily there is a liner under the hole so I don't think there is any strength issue. Just annoying. Did a bead of epoxy fillet around the outside edge and a layer of resin after a quick sand.

[Christine DeMerchant]

I decided to add another deadlight to the very front to bring in some light in the front locker/airtight compartment. It would be quite dark otherwise.



I fitted some reinforcements on the transom. The right side is for a potential motor mount. There is a substantial doubler inside the locker already. The left side is just to have a spot to screw into for a net to keep various bits of kit out of the way.
At the same time I also fitted and glued in liners for the back mooring cleats.

It's hard to make sanding look interesting but there is also quite a lot of that along with invisible fillets under the side decks.


I started looking at installing the back deck/piece that covers the transom and realized there was something not fitting very well. It gave my heart a bit of a jolt but after a session of careful measuring I figured out that the starboard side of the transom was about 6 mm lower than it should be. That's a relief because everything else is well lined up. I cut a small filler piece and I'll glue it on. The transom will be getting a layer of glass on the outside and a fillet on the inside so no real problem. I'm glad I caught it before gluing on the top piece.
The cap piece is quite stiff so I'll pre-bend it for a couple of days. It does not help that the shop is cold until the stove has been lit for a couple of hours. No rush for this there is lots of sanding to do.

[AJZimm]

Looking good!

I like the forward deadlight. Nice practical touch that will look good too.

[John Meachen]

To prevent the breaking screw problem,just dab a tiny amount of wax on the screw before use.

[Falcon1]

To avoid getting those "temporary" screws stuck, I always back them out and re-seat them at least once about an hour into the curing time. If I'm feeling really paranoid, I'll do it a couple more times during the cure.

Glad to see you at work on your little ship again! I like the forward light too.

Mike

[Christine DeMerchant]

To avoid getting those "temporary" screws stuck, I always back them out and re-seat them at least once about an hour into the curing time. If I'm feeling really paranoid, I'll do it a couple more times during the cure.

Glad to see you at work on your little ship again! I like the forward light too.

Mike

I went to the shop after a couple of hours but the epoxy was still gummy and I backed up the screws and put them back in but they stuck anyway. The shop was quite cool by then so the epoxy had not set enough. Went to bed and next morning some screws were quite glued. I'll try oiling/waxing them next time.

[MADOC1]

just finished reading thru your build. great job!

jim

[Christine DeMerchant]

Thanks Jim.
I'm just an old lady (with an attitude and not a lot of skill) muddling through one step at a time.
I'm hoping a boat will happen at the end of the process.
Christine

[donald branscom]

Very nice project and good workmanship!
Thanks for taking the time to post photos for us.