Stambaugh Sailing Skiff Build in Virginia Mountains

[UCanoe_2]

Here are pictures of the mockup.

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I was worried that my construction would not be strong enough to take the stresses of standing on the centerboard to right a capsized boat. I did some destructive testing with the mockup.

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"Give me a lever long enough and a firm place to stand..." Moderate pressure on a 4 foot pipe easily bent 1/2" steel all-thread, without damaging the epoxy bushing. Looks strong enough to me.

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[UCanoe_2]

Oversized epoxy filled hole for centerboard pin was drilled for 1/2" pin and 3/4" counterbore.

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Counterbore tapped for 1/2" pipe threads. The tap was one of several tools scored at the Habitat ReStore for $10 <};-)

Isopropyl alcohol seems to make a good lubricant for threading in epoxy. Shopsmith is not running in this photo, just holding the tap in alignment with an old dull countersink.

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1/2" brass pipe plug with retain centerboard pin. The correct drill size for a 1/2" pipe tap is 23/32", so the 3/4" counterbore is a bit too big. I'm hoping lots of goop will prevent leaks.

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[UCanoe_2]

The ends of the pipe plugs were concave, so I filled them with epoxy.

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Fitting the centerboard pin and plugs. Magic marker is poor man's layout dye.

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[Breakaway]

Nice1

[UCanoe_2]

Thanks, Kevin!

[newboatgal]

Watching

[UCanoe_2]

Thanks, newboatgal! More work to come in the next few days. Stay tuned!

[UCanoe_2]

Boat work was interrupted for a while by holidays and the need to make shop improvements. The garage is sort of heated, but was never intended to be as warm as the house. In winter, when the outside temperature is 20-30* F, it's about 50 inside. So I needed warm storage for epoxy.

I found unused space inside my sharpening station. The sharpening station is a repurposed homemade kitchen cabinet, with a plastic drawer unit for sharpening tools. I added a shelf, a door, an incandescent light bulb, and a thermometer. The temperature inside the cabinet is now about 10* higher than in the garage. If needed, a higher wattage bulb could be added for more heat.

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[UCanoe_2]

Karl's plans call for a 1" wide doubler along the top edge of the centerboard case. That didn't look very substantial. Screws into edge grain plywood would pull right out. Instead, I installed a 1-1/2" x 3/4" cleat of yellow pine.

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[UCanoe_2]

Beveling the corners of the bedlog with the radial arm saw. Now it won't hurt quite as much when I stub my toe.

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When I was a kid building model airplane kits, the instructions always said, "Paint all parts before assembly." It's still good advice. Here the centerboard case and other parts get their first coat of clear epoxy sealer.

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I goofed when I ordered the sealer from Jamestown. They carry a warm weather variety (>65*) and a cold weather variety. I ordered the warm weather variety. Because the hardener is a hazmat, I can't exchange it.

The temperature in the shop is now 60*, and there's no way to raise the temperature more than a couple degrees. The sealer will still work, it will just take longer and patience is required.

[UCanoe_2]

Uh-oh. It's time for another one of them learning experiences. I tried to speed up the cure of the sealer by applying heat. I set up a couple of floodlights over the CB case and covered them with the welding blanket.

A couple of bad things happened. First, the wood outgassed, leaving lots of bubbles in the epoxy. The finish looks like a trip to the dermatologist is needed. Lots of sanding is in order.

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Second, I got one of the floodlights too close and charred the wood. Nearly all of the damage was confined to the first veneer layer of the plywood. Some heavy sanding and thickened epoxy will correct this blemish.

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The only way to manage this sealing operation is to warm the wood as much as possible, and then turn down the heat after applying epoxy. Epoxy in the heated storage cabinet stays about 20*F above ambient temperature. Still, a lot of patience is required. The second and third coats of sealer have to be applied and left to cure in a cold shop. It takes 2 or 3 days per coat, definitely slowing production.

The epoxy sealer seems to raise the grain of the wood, still leaving a rough finish. That will sand out, but I need to come up with a better plan for smoothing the raised grain.

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[UCanoe_2]

Centerboard case, inner stem, and frames #1 and 3 are sealed. Time to add cross spalls and uprights to the frames in preparation for assembling the building jig.

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Todd, if you are following this build thread, the construction of the temporary uprights will look familiar. I'm copying the L-girder system of model railroad framing. The uprights are 3/4" x 2" and 3/4" x 1-1/4" pine, held together with brad nails and glue. This construction method is lightweight, but quite stiff and strong.

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#1 and #3 frames ready to install on building jig.

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[UCanoe_2]

Makin' progress. Frames #2 & 4 ready to go on the building jig.

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[UCanoe_2]

Transom on its temporary support, ready to install on strongback.

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[UCanoe_2]

I was not completely happy with the fit between the stem and the false stem. I decided to use Sam Rabl's method of running a saw through the crack between the two pieces.

Always a sucker for a new tool, I found a "jab saw" at the big box home improvement store. This version will accept any Sawzall blade. This particular blade cuts on the pull stroke, but it is narrower, thicker, and stiffer than Japanese saw blades.

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[UCanoe_2]

What did you do for this weeks Social Distancing Social Activity?

I went with one of my boat buddies to the junk yard in search of lead. We found a total of 60 pounds that we split, mostly in one big chunk. We cut it with a Sawzall. Here is my share, about 30 pounds.


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[Gary Davis]

I wish you were closer. I have a lot of lead to give away.

Good luck - Gary

[UCanoe_2]

Thanks, Gary. I now have way more than I need. If you want to give away lead, the shipping might turn out to be reasonable. The chunk I have would fit in a small USPS flat rate box, up to 70 lbs. for $8.45.

[UCanoe_2]

Moving frames for temporary storage in the lumber shed, to make room in the shop for constructing the strongback.

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Interior of lumber-and-boat-paraphernalia shed.

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[UCanoe_2]

I was not satisfied with the fit of the 1/2" centerboard pivot pin. I had epoxied a piece of nominal 1/2" copper pipe into the hole in the board. (See posts #111 and 112.) Turns out the ID of the copper pipe is really 9/16", making a very sloppy fit. This would cause the board to flop around in the case.

I found a nominal 1/2" bronze bushing in the hardware section of the farm co-op. Just by coincidence, the bushing was 1-1/8" long, exactly the thickness of the centerboard. But, the bushing's ID was a pretty snug fit for the pin, which is a 1/2" bronze rod. The snug fit would be OK for a machine bearing. However, this application calls for a little more clearance to prevent an accumulation of Boat Crud from seizing the shaft. The fit of the pin in its holes in the CB case was also too snug, as I had to hammer the pin to install it.

It's easier to make the pin smaller than to make the hole larger. The ShopSmith became a poor man's metal lathe. Uses for the ShopSmith are limited only by your imagination.

Here, I'm squaring the end of the pin, using a file clamped to the fence on the SS table. A towel protects the way tubes from metal filings.

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Next, I turned down the diameter of the pin.

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Turning metal freehand with a file probably violates multiple safety rules. I did wear a full face shield.

After reducing the diameter of the pin slightly, I was able to replace the drill press chuck with a SS router chuck, more suitable for side loading. I turned the pin to .005" - .006" smaller than the ID of the bushing. I polished the pin with 180 and 400 grit sandpaper, then with crocus cloth.

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Then I heated the copper pipe previously installed in the CB using a 200 watt soldering iron to melt the epoxy. I drove out the copper with a dowel, and cleaned up the hole in the board with a spade bit and sandpaper.

I used a jig previously made to hold the bushing in place. Using a syringe, I filled around the bushing with thickened epoxy.

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[UCanoe_2]

Progress has been slow but steady in the boatshop, but not especially photogenic.

Made templates for cutting the "foil" cross sections in the centerboard and rudder.

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Laid out section lines, but they will quickly become obscured when I shape the CB and rudder with the belt sander. So I cut shallow kerfs with the circular saw that will not be erased.

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No photos, but I overhauled the old ShopSmith jointer. Disassembled and cleaned everything, replaced the bearings, got the blades sharpened, and added dust collection and safety enhancements. Runs like a champ now.

Finally, I disassembled the big work table and began constructing the strongback. Note feline shop helper in upper right corner of photo.

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[UCanoe_2]

More progress on the strongback, trying to force warped lumber to straighten out. With difficulty, I got the 2x6 longitudinals mostly parallel and level.

A miracle occurred, and I had a 16 foot 2x4 that was straight with a square edge. I needed 6 2x4s for crossmembers, so I had to joint and plane a couple pieces.

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Strongback assembly in progress, and getting progressively straighter. 24 clamps on this assembly.

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[UCanoe_2]

Strongback completed, as straight, level, and parallel as I can get it. That's an Optical Aleutian making the legs appear badly out of plumb.

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Attachment 80228
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Uh-oh. Another one of them "learning experiences." The frames don't fit the strongback. Some just need minor dimensional tweaks; others need the supporting structures changed to make the frame fall on the correct side of the station line. It's not that bad. Before working on this project, I thought I had above average spatial skills. Some of this boat stuff just gets me all disoriented.

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Attachment 80231

[UCanoe_2]

To help wrap my head around the spatial relations, I drew a profile view of the transom supports in 1:4 scale. It's easier to do this than to take the full size drawings down from the wall.


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Making progress. Here is the transom trial installed on the strongback.

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Transom and #4 frame installed.

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[UCanoe_2]

All frames now installed on strongback, and correctly oriented.

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Trial fitting of stem on strongback. The forward crossmember of the strongback is notched where the forward perpendicular and the sheer line intersect, helping to orient the stem. I clamped a batten in place of the port chine log, and was surprised at how easy a curve it took. Progressing toward a three dimensional boat-like object!

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After taking these photos, I had to knock off boat work for the rest of the afternoon. I cut down two small Ailantus altissima trees. The common name of this species is "tree of heaven," but it is a non-native invasive monster that should be sent straight to hell. To keep the trees from sprouting, I painted the stumps with straight farmer-grade 41% Roundup concentrate. The namby-pamby homeowner grade 2% solution is just a happy tonic for Ailanthus.

With considerable persuasion, the lemon of a new Stihl MS 170 chainsaw agreed to start. (If you are chainsaw shopping, my advice is to avoid this model.) I pruned the branches of two cedar trees that were growing across the property line fence and interfering with our neighbor's farming operations. I hauled away six 6-foot front end loader buckets of trimmings.

We don't burn tree trimmings. Instead we make brush piles for wildlife habitat. This habitat improvement has resulted in a large increase of the rabbit population. Today's brush went into a pile along the boundary line on the opposite side of my property. The objective is to make a barrier that will direct deer across my food plot and into a spot where they will be ambushed.

[UCanoe_2]

A bit out of sequence, but here the transom is centered on the strongback.

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Time for a minor grumble: The quality of mason's twine, like many other items, has slipped in recent years. My closest big box store only carries "twisted" twine, which of course rapidly becomes untwisted. The owner of the local good hardware store retired and closed the store. I have to travel to another town to find proper braided mason's twine. Fortunately, I found this roll of pink braided twine rolling around on the floor of the truck.

Here is the transom, centered on the pink string which is the boat's centerline.

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Transom is level....

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...and inclined at the proper angle.

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[UCanoe_2]

This project is finally starting to look like a three dimensional boat-like object! Here transom, stems, and all the frames are installed on the strongback, centered, plumb, level, and square:

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Here are closeups of the stem bracing:

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[Ed Armstrong]

I recently found your thread. Your description of the incident with the deer brought back memories. When I was a lad, my mom didn't have a lot of money after my parents separated, but she was friends with the local game warden, and he would bring over deer that had been freshly killed on the road. We didn't have a lot of things, but we always had venison in the freezer, and we knew where our meat came from.

Enjoying your build!

[UCanoe_2]

Welcome aboard, Ed!

[UCanoe_2]

"Paint all parts before assembly" is incomplete advice. It should include, "Think ahead and mask off areas that should not be painted." I had to scrape epoxy coating off areas on the frames where I cut notches for chine logs. The epoxy does not accept pencil marks well.

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Cutting the notches. A hacksaw proved to be the best tool for the job, in part because my Japanese saws have gotten dull.

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[UCanoe_2]

Running battens to check for fairness. I'll have to shim out the notch for the Port chine log in #1 frame by about 3/8", otherwise everything looks pretty good.

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[UCanoe_2]

The corollary to "You can never have too many clamps" is, "You can never have too many battens." Here I am planing pine battens to 3/4" x 1/2" for planking patterns. I don't want to put nail holes or hot glue on the black battens, which are my "dress up" battens for layout.

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Observers with sharp eyes will notice that the double doors at the end of the shop are closed in this staged photo. In reality, I have to open them to run a 12 foot batten through the planer.

[UCanoe_2]

More checking for fairness. Battens on chine, sheer, and sheerstrake overlap all align! This means my plywood planking should sit flat where it is supposed to. Maybe there is something to this conic section geometry after all............

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[UCanoe_2]

The images for the previous post did not appear. Let's try again. Checking battens for alignment.

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Attachment 82998

[UCanoe_2]

Running the battens shown in the previous post enabled me to plot the intersections of the sheer and sheer strake on the stem. Now I can lay out the bevels for the stem.

Attachment 82999

The stem design is a bit unusual. It is cut back more where the sheer strakes land than for the plywood planking. The sheer strake is supposed to overlap the plank by 1". I'm still trying to wrap my head around the process of cutting gains for this construction.

Multiple setups of the bandsaw were required to cut these bevels. One bevel could not be done on the bandsaw, so I set up that cut for a bevel rip on the radial arm saw.

Attachment 83000

Attachment 83001

No fingers were harmed in the making of this stem, but accomplishing that took considerable effort and concentration.