An Off the Grid Calendar Islands Yawl Build

[DeniseO30]

I've always wondered why dogs eat things that aren't food, more than once I've seen dogs eating fiberglass batting on construction sites. Plywood edges do tend to break away when you least expect or want them to, I can't imagine what it took, that size forstner bit slows down the wood lathe when doing horizontal drilling!
So I looked it up apparently it's called PICA https://m.petmd.com/dog/general-health/what-causes-pica-dogs

[Pete Bergquist]

Today I spent cleaning up all of my epoxy mess(es). I can say that I've started to get MUCH better at estimating how much epoxy a joint will need in order to get some good squeeze out without leaving a big mess.

I fastened the seat cleats to the aft and center bulkheads, then used the remainder of the epoxy, thickened with microballoons, to fill as many screw holes as I could in the 3 bulkheads. Next epoxy session I'll do the same thing to the other side of the bulkheads and the holes for the locating screws for the seat cleats.

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I know I'm not very far along here, but so far - damn - the parts from this kit fit SO well. I had an expectation that there would be much more "minor" adjustment than I've seen so far. Secondly, I'm very impressed with how well thought out things are that will need adjustment. Little things like the marks on the transom to guide shaping the bevel, and stepping the doublers so that the bevels are cut "corner to corner" is going to be a huge time saver.

[Pete Bergquist]

I got a little time and some energy late in the day, and decided to cut the bevels on the transom. I figured it would be the ultimate test of the words of my last post. Well, the results are really amazing if I do say so myself. I was able to bevel the entire transom in about an hour and a half. I left the bevels **slightly** proud of the marks to allow for some adjustment come build time on the strongback.

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Now, if you're someone who is familiar with the CIY build process, you might notice something odd about the picture above, and the previous transom pictures... There are no slots cut for the sternposts that run forward from the transom to the aft bulkhead (and frame the lazerette and watertight compartments aft). This is a stroke of luck on one hand (no big slots to fill and then mar the beautiful transom) and a bit of a problem on the other (how to attach the sternposts and provide the necessary strength). I messaged Clint and after he thought about it suggested I epoxy a cleat to each sternpost, then drill and countersink screws into the cleat (with epoxy on cleat and inner transom) to provide the necessary structure. We discussed wood choices, but I remembered that I happen to have some scrap sapele hardwood from another project that will make excellent cleats when I get to the assembly point next spring. I'll be cutting and doing a preliminary shape on them a bit later. I'll also take any sapele cutoffs and make up some "sapele wood flour" with the sander to hopefully cover the countersunk screws (almost) transparently.

The sternposts have tabs that are supposed to protrude through the transom before trimming, but I will be cutting those off when I attach the cleats.

[Pete Bergquist]

Ah. Inner Stem lamination day. The first real challenging step, as it is a 5 layer laminate. I mixed up FAR too much epoxy - it seems my estimating skills are still in the toilet. I used 4 oz of resin with 2 oz of hardener, but I think I might have gotten away with half that. I did run into one smallish issue along the way. The kit has 5 1/8" holes in each of the 5 laminates to precisely locate them for the stem build up. For past laminations I used (unwaxed) 8d finishing nails as temporary alignment tools, which I then replaced with (waxed) drywall screws once the assembly was complete. Well today took *just* long enough that one of the nails was trying to become a permanent part of the structure. It was quite a battle to remove it, but the "get a bigger hammer" (or in this case claw) technique did the job. The bent nail evidence is still laying there mocking me.

I need to rethink my waxed paper usage though. I was not able to do very much cleanup while the epoxy was still wet. I think I need to go to small pads for any future clamp protection (or packaging tape). The waxed paper and the clamps themselves made quite a set of obstructions.

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Next up will either be the daggerboard or the rudder laminates, depending on my mood. The daggerboard in particular is going to present some clamping (or other method to press the layers together) challenges, so stay tuned. My thought at this point is to complete the daggerboard entirely before I start on the trunk. That way I will have a much better idea of where I might need to clearance things to get a nice sliding fit.

Which brings up a question. I have a fair amount of graphite here, but I have no idea how much graphite should go into how much epoxy when I graphite coat the sliding area of the board and trunk. Any good rules of thumb?

[DeniseO30]

Pete, my opinion on graphite, it doesn't make epoxy slippery at all no matter how much you use, you can make it opaque or translucent, I'd still paint it with black paint if you want black. We used it on a few of our strip canoes going over rocks and such, it didn't make a difference,

[BBSebens]

Agreed with Denise. Don't bother with the graphite on the dagger board.

[Pete Bergquist]

Rudder it is. The rudder components consist of 6 pieces on this vessel.

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4 compose the rudder head, with the center section of the head being 2 pieces with a puzzle joint.

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Once I had it glued up and clamped (Irwin and hand clamps are still in use on the stem) I realized I did not have enough left to do the foil, so that'll be tomorrow's project.

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I had just a bit of epoxy left over, so I peanut buttered it up with flour and thixotropic powder and filled some more screw holes. Boring stuff so no pics of that.

I guess it's Honey-Do afternoon now. Hmmm... there must be something else I can do down here...

[John Meachen]

I totally agree that graphite and epoxy is a waste of time.The only graphite based coating that ever made sense was the long gone Graphspeed as was used on the British C Class catamaran in the 1967 Little America's Cup.The idea was that a good coating was applied and then the surface abraded with fine wet and dry paper to give both smoothness and low friction.Allowing the graphite to be dispersed within an epoxy mix wouldn't give the same result.I also wouldn't use a dark finish on a centreboard or rudder because I have found that with a white finish you can spot the occasional frond of seaweed that gets picked up.Which gives you a chance to remove it and continue with the sailing at the boat's best speed.

[Clinton B Chase]

It's been fun to see this first Sapele version of the CIY-16 underway. Pete is a pleasure to work with. Now, everyone has to give proper advice here!

[Pete Bergquist]

It's been fun to see this first Sapele version of the CIY-16 underway. Pete is a pleasure to work with. Now, everyone has to give proper advice here!

Clint's been fantastic as well. He's putting up with a LOT of questions so far, and his flexibility in not only reconfiguring the kit for the sapele, but in delivering this kit in pieces so I can "build in two places". I knew going in this was going to be a real learning experience for me, and so far I feel like I've really learned a lot from this forum and how others have approached their projects. I can't imagine a novice picking up these skills (even when working from a kit) without years of working with a master craftsman (or several) in the industry. I have a lot of respect for those that learned boat building "the hard way".

Yesterday afternoon I ended up hiding out from Mrs B. I knew before I started that cleaning up the stem would be a pretty tall order, considering I had little access to the part to wipe away the squeeze out. I refuse to show you the before (!), but here's the after. I have not done any sanding yet, and I still need to mark the bevel line on each side of the stem, but I won't be doing an initial bevel until I laminate the outer stem, using the inner stem as a guide.

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Today will be the rudder foil, which is one of the Sapele parts. Since I didn't have the foresight to have Clint vacuum bag the lamination (I didn't have him do the daggerboard either ), I need to be creative to get a good, strong, joint and consistent thickness. I have a strategy, will post up later on today.

[Larchmont Jim]

Hey Pete, good to see that you are finally building. I'll keep an eye on your build log and if I can remember how I did things on my own CIY (it's been 2 years now) I'll chime in if I think my experience could be helpful.

For laminating daggerboard and other flat parts, look at my build log. I found that clamping to a table that has holes cut into it to allow clamps all the way around what you're gluing, is a lot easier that just clamping the thing you're laminating. Remember to cover the table with plastic or wax paper though, or else you'll have a table-board instead of a daggerboard! Also make sure your table (in my case a half-sheet of 3/4" good quality plywood on top of 2 very straight, planed 2x4s on saw horses) is very flat if you use this trick. I did the same thing with my tiller on a not-flat workbench and it is forever bent to starboard. Although it still works and I'm the only person who has ever noticed.

Jim

[Pete Bergquist]

Hey Pete, good to see that you are finally building. I'll keep an eye on your build log and if I can remember how I did things on my own CIY (it's been 2 years now) I'll chime in if I think my experience could be helpful.

For laminating daggerboard and other flat parts, look at my build log. I found that clamping to a table that has holes cut into it to allow clamps all the way around what you're gluing, is a lot easier that just clamping the thing you're laminating. Remember to cover the table with plastic or wax paper though, or else you'll have a table-board instead of a daggerboard! Also make sure your table (in my case a half-sheet of 3/4" good quality plywood on top of 2 very straight, planed 2x4s on saw horses) is very flat if you use this trick. I did the same thing with my tiller on a not-flat workbench and it is forever bent to starboard. Although it still works and I'm the only person who has ever noticed.

Jim

Hey Jim, glad to see you aboard. Yes I remember your clamp trick, now that you mention it. I might be using that for the daggerboard, it's a little too late for the rudder foil (See next post!).

[Pete Bergquist]

Today I laminated the rudder foil. I think the clamping technique I used worked well, but probably won't do for the much larger daggerboard. I pretty much needed 3 hands to get the main body clamps in place where I wanted them.

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This is a sandwich of the following

3/4 poplar scrap stringers
3/8 plywood running longitudinally across the length of the rudder
the very necessary waxed paper, to avoid making the rudder over-thickness
The two rudder halves, epoxied.
another very necessary waxed paper
3/8 plywood, longitudinally.
1/2 poplar scrap stringers.

Irwin clamps were used outboard of the entire assembly between the upper and lower poplar stringers to (fingers crossed) apply even pressure to the center of the rudder foil.

Then PVC clamps were used at every point I could fit one around the edges.

I also finished filling the remainder of the alignment holes on the parts that are completed.

I'm going to pause for about a week at this point, as I have to take a trip out to northern Minnesota. It should give me time to organize my thoughts on next steps.

[Pete Bergquist]

I'm back from my little adventure. 24 hours of driving (each way) to help relocate my son to God Foresaken Northwest Minnesota (GFNM) where he's become a train conductor. Seems like a pretty cool job, with lots of responsibilities. It snowed several times while I was there, and lows were in the low teens. It's going to be a cold, snowy place - but he seems to like that.

At any rate, back to the build. I took a little time today, and a break from laminating more stuff to put some of my other skills to the test. Time to shape the rudder. There's still a little sanding to do, but overall I think it turned out pretty OK.


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and the remnants:

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[Pete Bergquist]

Today it was daggerboard day. The daggerboard is a 3 ply lay-up, 2-9mm sections and 1-4mm section. I took a page out of Larchmont Jim's book, except that I didn't need to drill holes in my table, they were already there for some bench dogs I use fairly often.

The setup with the first ply. The picture shows the clamps "through" the bench, and my sophisticated alignment tool, a/k/a a scrap piece of poplar.

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The completed sandwich after epoxy. Above and below the laminates is 3/4 plywood, and some scrap poplar stretchers for the clamps.

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[Pete Bergquist]

Even with my alignment guide I ended up with a tiny bit of "layer creep" in the daggerboard. A quick edge squaring did the trick to bring everything back into line. I then started with shaping the beast. I chose to taper the foil at the top end where it enters the trunk. I have seen others do a "lip" with a completely unshaped trunk section, but I thought this would look better and not have any serious performance penalty (not that I'll be doing serious racing anyway...). Was this an OK decision or did I commit some unspecified boat building sin?

There is one small area where I got a tad happy with the block plane, so fairing putty will be in my future before glassing. Fortunately the plan is for paint on the DB.



It was also time to clean up the epoxy on the various bulkheads, the inner stem, rudder head and rudder. These are all ready for epoxy coating.





For the outer stem, I am heading to our local custom hardwood supplier to pick up some sapele. I'm planning to do a scarfed hardwood outer stem, rather than a laminate. I'll also be picking up some ash - or possibly butternut -, which I plan to use for gunwale and inwales. I think the ash or butternut will be a nice contrast to the sapele sheer plank, but they may be a bit difficult to bend without steaming. Anyone know if I'll get a good bend without a lot of trouble with either of those woods?

Once I've shaped the outer stem I'll be able to do the initial bevel on the inner stem (Inner stem will be my build template).

[Pete Bergquist]

If there are any CIY builders or people familiar with the design, you may have noted something interesting about the transom.



The transom should have two slots which would accept the tabs in the sternposts shown in the background. Clint didn't want to punch big holes in the transom that would be filled with epoxy, so he chose to leave them out. After a discussion with him a couple of weeks ago, his recommendation is to attach cleats to the outboard side of each sternpost (which puts them in the watertight compartments) and then countersink SS screws through the back of the transom to attach the sternposts. This will leave 4 much smaller filled holes that will detract far less from the big ladie's derriere. I'll then fillet the cleats along with the rest of the sternpost as called for in the plan.

[Pete Bergquist]

I have another question on the daggerboard. The pieces supplied have 2 holes at the top. I'm not sure what these are for, as it looks like I will need cleats on either side of the top of the board to let it sit on the trunk. Now, if I continue with the holes and through drill the cleats, I could see where these might be used for hold down bungees. However the other DBs I've seen have the bungee over the top of the DB. I'm scratching my head a bit on this.

[Larchmont Jim]

Pete,

The holes are for looping in a lifting line. They're not for the bungie tie-down. You need to put cheeks (also of okoume ply) on the side of the daggerboard over those holes, that will hold it in place and keep it from just dropping right down the trunk. Don't make the mistake I did of not marking where the holes are in the inner part of the board before you glue the cheeks to it. You won't be able to find where the holes should be drilled in the cheeks.

However, I store my board strapped into the inside of the hull when not in use, and found that a knotted loop through those holes made it harder to store the board flush. So I took the lifting loop off. Truth be told, I have never needed it -- the board is easy to lift out as it will float up a few inches and the top of it is easy to grab to remove it. So If I were you I would just glue cheeks and then not put any holes in.

I didn't use Clint's suggested bungie arrangement for holding the board down. Instead I use a webbing strap attached to either side of the trunk, with a quick-release buckle. It works great, is adjustable (since my trunk cover/plug is smaller than the part of the d-board that sticks up, this is necessary), holds the board down tight, and is quite easily released with one hand. I think there is a photo of it somewhere in my build log.

[Larchmont Jim]

BTW it is better to leave the part of the d-board that will sit in the trunk square, not tapered. It will fit with less play and will prevent water from sneaking up through the trunk. I measured how much of it would sit in the trunk and only shaped the d-board part that will extend below the hull.

[Pete Bergquist]

BTW it is better to leave the part of the d-board that will sit in the trunk square, not tapered. It will fit with less play and will prevent water from sneaking up through the trunk. I measured how much of it would sit in the trunk and only shaped the d-board part that will extend below the hull.

Jim - Thanks for the info on the DB. I remember your strap now, I need to go back to your build log more often - a lot of great ideas there. I had already decided to put cheeks on the board, I'll be using some sapele I have laying around. I need to resaw it to 3/8", then glue one side and drill the holes, then attach the other side. I was thinking the same as you with the issue figuring out where the holes are.

I already tapered the end of the board out about 3" above where it enters the trunk, and at this point am really not in a mood to fair out that area back to full size. I still have at least 12" of full dimension board that will be in the trunk. If water is an issue I'm thinking I will put some type of sealing interface at the bottom of the cheeks - but I'm hoping that won't be necessary. I'm a long way from there.

Thanks again for the input. Your shared experience with the finished product is invaluable.

[Pete Bergquist]

Fairing compound is really the sh*t! Holy cow is that stuff great at smoothing out the little (and the - ahem - bigger) imperfections in the foil. Now I see how auto body men get repairs so nice these days. The board is now smooth as a baby's bottom and nicely following the profile suggested by Clint.

I'll be glassing the board next, after a few coats of epoxy then I'll start to work on the trunk. I know there were a few negative comments on using graphite impregnated epoxy but I'm going to go with the designer recommendation and use it for the DB portion inside the trunk as well as the interior of the trunk itself. I figure it can't hurt and I already have the graphite for the job. I'll do both the trunk and the DB at the same time for that step so I only have to mix it up once. The sapele cheeks will go on last.

[Pete Bergquist]

I spent Friday heading 1-1/2 hours south to Oxford, PA where one of (IMHO) the premier hardwood dealers in the country is located. Hearne Hardwoods. These guys have everything and it's fun to just go and browse sometimes.

I was able to pick up some quartersawn sapele shorts for $14 (!) that I'm going to use for outer stem material. Here's a couple of pictures after planing to 1" thick.





I love how the grain comes out on the QS material.

[Pete Bergquist]

The outer stem is complete! At least until I have a hull to actually fit it on. Between yesterday and today I did the following:

* Joined scarfed pieces of the sapele into a form I could use to scribe and cut the inner portion of the stem
* Re-planed the partially completed stem to the final width. Final width is actually specified as 3/4", but I am at 25/32 so I have a little wiggle room.
* Marked the specified stem widths from the plan, then used a batten to mark out the outer curve.
* band saw cut the outer curve and first-pass sanded it.

I'm pleased with the fit. My plan - as of now - will be to put a slight bevel in the stem when installed and final pass sanded/finished. The plan doesn't call for that, but I think it will look nice. The "hood ornament" at the top of the stem is just extra material for now until I can decide what the top should look like.

[Pete Bergquist]

One note on the outer stem.

In retrospect, I don't think that quartersawn material was the best choice. I had a few places where the surface planer took out some small "chips". It's all sandable, but if I had to do it again I'd choose straight grain material.

I knew this from other projects where I'd used QS hardwood, but thought the sapele would be a bit more forgiving.

Honestly, this might be something that is peculiar to my planer, because it's a helical cutter head, but I'm not sure of that. The chips were about the size of the cutters though.

[Pete Bergquist]

Lots of rounding over of corners and such on pieces that are ready for epoxy.

I had some extra time and decided to throw together a mast sander for use next spring/summer. A bit rough in spots but certainly useful and, at least for now, a planned one-use item.

I built it to use sections of floor belt sander paper. Those belts are 8-1/2x19 so one belt will provide 2 sheets for the sander and they are tough as nails. The belts can be had pretty cheaply in grits from 24 up to 240. I'm thinking to start I'll order 80 and 120 grit. Should I get others as well? My thought is that I'll plane the mast to 16 sided, then start with the 80 grit and once I get to 120 grit I can hand sand from there to finish.



I have to continue to keep prioritizing things that will be much easier to do here at home than they will be up at camp. The more of these I can get done over the winter, the easier the rest of the project will be after the hull is planked. I'm trying to get everything completed that will need the band saw, router table, and the spindle/belt bench sander at the very least. As it stands, I'm already thinking I may have to bring up my small generator from home to dedicate to odd "high wattage/long duration" tasks like the heat gun to clean up the hull.

[Pete Bergquist]

So, after a couple of weeks of Thanksgiving Aloha!, time to get back to this. I know this is a pretty boring kit build for many here, and that I'm doing some of the "not sexy" preliminary work before planking, so I'm content to just keep blogging to the ether for the time being.

Next up: I'm going to fabricate the daggerboard cheeks and some tie down cleats from the leftover sapele I have. Once I have those cheeks done I can glass the DB and rudder. I want to have the DB complete before I start the trunk so I can tailor a really nice fit for the DB in the trunk.

Another question for the ether: As a motorcyclist, I often use ROK straps for tying down gear when travelling. They are fantastic, and it seems they'd be useful on boats as well. Does anyone use them on boats for securing gear?

https://www.amazon.com/ROK-Straps-ROK-10306-Black-Orange/dp/B00SXJM5MQ/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=rok+strap&qid=1575550717&sr=8-6

I'm thinking of using one for the DB holddown strap. The combination of the webbed strap with the elastic stretch portion seems ideal for that application. Secure hold down with some stretch if needed (Like when yours truly finds one of those shallow rocks that grow wild in Maine lakes).

[FishoutaFlorida]

So, after a couple of weeks of Thanksgiving Aloha!, time to get back to this. I know this is a pretty boring kit build for many here, and that I'm doing some of the "not sexy" preliminary work before planking, so I'm content to just keep blogging to the ether for the time being.

Greetings Pete! I'm enjoying your adventure here! Kit or no kit, boat building has got plenty of things that can keep folks interested (whether they respond or not)! So keep up the good work and please keep sharing with us! I'll be watching!

Eric

[Pete Bergquist]

Greetings Pete! I'm enjoying your adventure here! Kit or no kit, boat building has got plenty of things that can keep folks interested (whether they respond or not)! So keep up the good work and please keep sharing with us! I'll be watching!

Eric

Thanks Eric!

[Pete Bergquist]

Today I ended up - as any person who would have been diagnosed ADD in an earlier time had medical science known what that was - deviating from the plan. Well actually, Amazon had a big hand in that deviation, as some line I was expecting to be delivered today won't be here until tomorrow. The line was needed for a grab handle on the DB. Clint's design calls for a length of line passed through two holes pre-drilled in the top of the DB, which then also serve to hold the DB up in the trunk. I wasn't crazy about that idea, and using Larchmont Jim's lead I decided to install cleats on the sides of the DB in order to provide a solid platform to hold the DB in place. *BUT*, I did like Clint's thought about a grab rope, so I'm going to install mine through the TOP of the DB. There will be more pics on that later when I am assembling, but for now here's a teaser, the cleats roughed out:



So onto plan B. The inner stem was staring me in the face, saying "shape me! shape me!". It knew, as it saw those little beads of sweat form on my brow, that it had the upper hand. I've been avoiding the task, because (1) on the surface it looks a little daunting and (2) I'm really not a big fan of planing all afternoon. But I knew it had to be done so tackle it I did.

It turns out that it's really as easy as Clint describes. The steps in the lamination (see past posts showing stem glue-up) are the angle guide and all one has to do is plane off the corners. I was really impressed with how well this came out, and the end product closely matched the reference measurements he gives in the drawings. I left the finished product just a little proud, and will do a final fit when the planks are fit into the stem.

[FishoutaFlorida]

Today I ended up - as any person who would have been diagnosed ADD in an earlier time had medical science known what that was - deviating from the plan.

To quote Hector Barbossa "The code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules"

I'm glad to see that you've accepted the "code" for what it is. And it worked! Took me awhile to figure that one out, but now I'm applying that principle in a lot of things, not just boat building either.

Keep up the good work!

Eric

[BBSebens]

There's the plan; then there's what actually happens. see below

[DeniseO30]

My son used to do them on the jointer free hand.. OMG.. I tried.. scared the sheet out of me LOL I opt for the bandsaw, pic in my Ducker thread somewhere.

[Pete Bergquist]

My son used to do them on the jointer free hand.. OMG.. I tried.. scared the sheet out of me LOL I opt for the bandsaw, pic in my Ducker thread somewhere.

WOW, that takes some cujones! I used my trusty stanley block plane for that task. I wouldn't even trust myself with the DeWalt power planer for the stem.

[Pete Bergquist]

Well yesterday Amazon once again did its level best to foil my plans, with my supply package arriving after 5pm. 'Tiz the Season I guess.

So I stepped back and given my shop is in "sawdust" mode right now, decided to make some goodie parts. I think I made too many, but better than being a few short.





They are sapele, and the slot is just deep enough to pass a plastic strap clip through. Of course, after I made them I came to the realization that I'm going to have to get a lot more clever during installation, because the interior boat hull will be painted, and I want these varnished.