The believed abstraction of a 12 foot clinker dinghy.

[Mike1902]

The exposed edges of the ply surrounds were then filleted for extra strength and sealing against moisture.
The fillets on the rectangular surrounds would also allow the glass cloth to form easily, reducing any chance of air pockets.
IMG-2223.jpgIMG-2229.jpg
I used a plain weave 200gsm (6-7oz) cloth.
IMG-2227 (1).jpgIMG-2230.jpgIMG-2247.jpg
Before the first coat of epoxy was cured a filler coat consisting of 1 part 410 microlight fairing filler to two parts epoxy resin by volume was rolled on.
After sanding, this left a smooth surface, completely sealing the weave of the cloth.

[Mike1902]

The panel was permanently fixed with thickened epoxy and small ss screws.
The hatches were temporarily placed and the fixing holes marked,drilled and sealed with epoxy.
I will use small ss machine screws with washers and nylock nuts to fix the hatches down.
A fillet was placed around the perimeter to seal everything.One more coat of epoxy resin will be added once I have fitted a batten around the forward top edge to seal the ply edging.

IMG-2249.jpgIMG-2237.jpgIMG-2235.jpgIMG-2234 (1).jpg

Now onto making the Kauri sternsheets that will cover all of this up.

Well that's everything up to date.
Posts may now be a little more infrequent depending on progress.
What I have posted here over the last 10 days is a condensed chain of events from the past 8 months (on and off between sailing,surfing and family life).
Having written these posts and creating an interest amongst the WoodenBoat fraternity has provided me with the incentive to progress a little more quickly.
Thanks to all those who have viewed and commented thus far.

Cheers,
Mike.

[Boatsbgood]

Hi Mike:
Beautiful work, you had me at that Kauri transom...
Enjoying and appreciating, from the sweltering tropics
Brian

[Mike1902]

Cheers Brian,
Glad you are enjoying the process.
Stay cool.
Mike.

[Max F]

Excellent craftmanship and reading.
Thanks a lot Mike.
I´m looking forward to more.
Cheers Max

[Mike1902]

Thank you Max.
There will be more for sure.
You are doing a wonderful job on the Cape Henry.
Cheers,
Mike.

[Mike1902]

A quick update.Nothing spectacular ,but progress is progress
The beading that I mentioned in a previous post has now been added,a little bit of work involved.
I cut two strips 20 mm(3/4") by 3 mm (1/8") out of Totara.I laminated these two lengths together with a polyurethane glue around the top edge of the bulkhead.
Fixed temporarily with panel pins and a ply pieces.
IMG-2339.jpgIMG-2340.jpg
After setting overnight the bead was removed and cleaned up ready for permanent fixing.
I used the fillet recipe mix to glue as I wanted to fill the V grooves behind the batten avoiding any voids.
IMG-2378.jpgIMG-2382.jpg
In the above photo I am brushing in a runny mix of epoxy and 407 along the bottom edge of the batten to make sure it's all sealed plus I filled in the pin holes.
I leave the boat this way and place a column heater underneath to help the curing process.Hot air gets trapped in the upturned hull...cosy.
IMG-2384.jpg
After rounding the top edge of the bead and a quick sand an epoxy sealer coat was applied,had a bit left over so gave the staves another coat.
Then it was up and over, plug in the heater.

[Mike1902]

So now comes the Kauri sternsheets themselves.
This will be made up of a Kauri frame about 15 mm (5/8") in thickness across the cambered surface that will support the Kauri sternsheet (seat) planking.
This required a number of patterns and laminations to be made.
IMG-2393.jpgIMG-2394.jpgIMG-2395.jpg
Left top photo shows the pattern for the aft frame in position.Forward of the rectangular hatch the mid frame lamination has been completed.
Right top photo, the curve of the pattern has been transferred to the working surface.Blocks have been placed around the curve ,laminations have been glued and clamped.
Bottom photo, the completed frame which curves two ways,horizontal curve to the camber,vertical curve to the concave of the transom.
The horizontal curve is created by the blocks on the bench,the vertical curve is sawn to the shape of the transom.To do this, wider stock is milled to allow for the depth of the transom curve.
IMG-2407.jpg
Another perspective of the aft frame.

[Mike1902]

Now comes the challenging part,making the forward frame that will match the bulkhead shape as well as the camber .
You have done this before on the inner frame I hear you say.Not quite.This frame will also have a lamination running along the front edge that will return down the face of the bulkhead.
The frame in section will be shaped like an upside down L.
IMG-2396.jpgIMG-2398.jpg
Top left photo, I set out the patterns so they would cover the bulkhead curve.these patterns were used for gauging the stock lengths and shape.
I managed to use up a few short lengths ( I will use them one day) of Kauri lying around the workshop for the frame.All the timber used is recycled,hence you will see a few nail holes.
IMG-2397.jpg
Yes.. nails occasionally make themselves known.This one was buried in the stock only to be found by the saw blade.
This square nail has probably been sitting there quite happy for the last 100 years.
Fortunately..or not..the metal is quite soft,no match for a tungsten tipped blade.
IMG-2403.jpgIMG-2406.jpg
There are 5 laminations per side.Each one is about 3 mm thick.
The joints are staggered between layers to increase strength.
In the left photo the pieces have been spot glued together ready for laminating.
The right photo shows the lamination epoxied in place following the camber.
Tomorrow I will post the result.

[Mike1902]

So after the clamps were removed this what it looked like.
IMG-2408 (1).jpg
A line was then drawn on the underside of the laminate around the bulkhead profile.
After cutting to this line on the bandsaw a parallel line was dawn to this and bandsawn again.
This is the result after cleaning up on the sander.
IMG-2409.jpgIMG-2410.jpgIMG-2412.jpg
Repeated again on the port side.

[Mike1902]

I will explain now that the sternsheets will be in two halves.These are designed to be easily removed to gain access to the hatches and to reduce weight for the odd race.
They will be held in place by the forward S shaped beam and the lodging knees supporting the deck beams and carlins.
There will also be one toggle clip attached to stop everything falling out when I capsize and for a quick release.

The next job was to epoxy a Kauri strip along the face of the cambered S shaped beam.
There will be three strips that make up the lamination. Initially only one was applied so as not to distort the S shape during clamping.
IMG-2413.jpgIMG-2416.jpg

There are a number of reasons why I am applying these facings.
1: Rigidity for the support frame.
2: Acts as a stop.
3: Locates the seat frame firmly so the sternsheet planks do not rub against the transom, hull and the adjacent frame while under way.
IMG-2421.jpg
Starboard side ready to go.

[KenStocker]

Very nice!!

Ken

[Mike1902]

Very nice!!

Ken

Thanks Ken.
Keep up the good work on that Tammie Norrie,they are a lovely looking dinghy.
Cheers,
Mike.

[Mike1902]

Quick update.The facing laminates on the S beams are now secured and cleaned up.An edge bead will be machined along the outside bottom edge.
Photos show the test fitting,all good.
IMG-2425.jpgIMG-2426.jpgIMG-2422.jpgIMG-2429.jpgIMG-2430.jpg
The last photo shows where the beams will be placed.The middle beam will be let into the S beam,here currently shown overlapping.
The beams will also be trimmed a little shorter on the outboard ends to allow water to escape forward.
The fore and aft seat planking will hold the beams in place.The planks will also extend a couple of inches forward beyond the facing.

[Larks]

I’m late to the party as usual with this thread but what a pleasure it has been to sit down this morning with a cup of coffee and catch up on it. I love your work Mike and the way you go about it, beautiful stuff!!!

I love your Kauri, almost as good as our Huon pine . Mind you, I have two lovely swamp Kauri planks that I smuggled out of NZ about 35 years ago (about 40mm x 300mm x 1200mm) and I’ve been loath to use them for anything so far, they’re just too damn nice!!!

[Mike1902]

I’m late to the party as usual with this thread but what a pleasure it has been to sit down this morning with a cup of coffee and catch up on it. I love your work Mike and the way you go about it, beautiful stuff!!!

I love your Kauri, almost as good as our Huon pine . Mind you, I have two lovely swamp Kauri planks that I smuggled out of NZ about 35 years ago (about 40mm x 300mm x 1200mm) and I’ve been loath to use them for anything so far, they’re just too damn nice!!!

Cheers Larks,
Glad I can add some pleasure to that morning coffee.
Look after that Kauri.I must admit that Huon pine has some mighty fine attributes and like the Kauri here in NZ, it has unfortunately also suffered the same fate,milling wise.
So we use what we can get.My dinghy will end up containing ex Kauri floor boards,sarking boards,veranda posts and beams plus the odd bit of Totara.
I also design and build furniture from recycled NZ native woods.It gives the finished work a little extra history.

Thanks,
Mike.

[Mike1902]

A little detail.
The edge bead has been shaped as well as some detail to the ends of each S beam.
The outboard shape represents a bow wave and the inboard combined shape is a dolphin tail.
The name of the dinghy is "Deilf" which is the Gaelic word for dolphin.
IMG-2449.jpgIMG-2450.jpgIMG-2451.jpg

These subtle details will be partially hidden by the overhanging (about 2") seat planks...but I know they are there.

[Larks]

Lovely detail Mike. Out of interest what did you use to shape the flush bead (?) along the bottom edge so nicely with that curve to follow? Moulding plane, router, scraper...???

[Mike1902]

Lovely detail Mike. Out of interest what did you use to shape the flush bead (?) along the bottom edge so nicely with that curve to follow? Moulding plane, router, scraper...???

Gidday Larks,
I used a Makita trimmer with an edge beading bit in conjunction with the profile trimmer guide.I also hot glued a block onto the trimmer base to help steady it on that narrow edge.

[Larks]

Thanks Mike, cheers

[Mike1902]

Sternsheet planking set out.
The support framing for the planks was hot glued into position to hold it all steady.
IMG-2472.jpg
Two patterns were then made,these were scribed to the shape of the transom and the hull.A small parallel gap was left around the perimeter for water egress.
The fancy pencil in the block marking gauge was used to draw a line parallel to the bulkhead face on the underside of the pattern ( 2" overhang).
IMG-2461.jpg
Set outs for four planks and five planks were then drawn onto one of each pattern to gauge the look.
IMG-2462.jpgIMG-2468.jpg
I'm going with the five plank opproach,four looks a little spartan.I always seem to like the option that takes more work
Now the decision whether to concave the underside of each plank and convex the top or leave each plank flat.I'm leaning more toward the less labour intensive choice on that one.

[Max F]

"I'm leaning more toward the less labour intensive choice on that one."

I´m not really beliving you about that mate...
Stunning work and fantastic ideas!
That work with the Makita trimmer was no place for unintended wobble.
Well done.

[Mike1902]

"I'm leaning more toward the less labour intensive choice on that one."

I´m not really beliving you about that mate...
Stunning work and fantastic ideas!
That work with the Makita trimmer was no place for unintended wobble.
Well done.

Ha! Cheers Max.
Yeah I've had a couple of "You only get one shot at this" moments.
Thanks,
Mike.

[Mike1902]

Today was spent cutting patterns and milling timber,mostly milling timber.
IMG-2481.jpg
I had been kindly given two Kauri bench tops that came out of a school science classroom that was demolished about forty years ago.They had been sitting in a garage ever since.
The 91 year old gentleman (who I have known for about 50 years) said he didn't think he would get around to using them.He didn't want money and knowing I was rebuilding this dinghy said he just wanted to see it put to good use.
So hopefully he will be pleased when he next visits.
IMG-2479.jpg
One is 5.2 metres long (17') and the other about 4 metres (13').Apart from a 4' strip along one side the rest is one complete solid plank.18" wide x 1' thick.
The bench top pictured above left is being saved for some longer seating stock.
IMG-2482.jpgIMG-2480.jpg
The other top that I used had rebates across it and a few smaller defects which limited the finished thickness.This ended up being 15 mm(5/8").
So sorry there Max F, I think the decision has been made for me as there is not enough thickness to curve the planks without making them to thin,which would not look in proportion I think.
As it is, I had to place the patterns in a way to avoid screw holes and stain marks resulting from science experiment spillages from days gone by.

[Mike1902]

It's been a busy morning.
IMG-2489.jpg
I swear those Festool guided saws are the bees knees.
IMG-2484.jpg
Sat the planks in place just to give me an idea of the look to come.

[2dogsnight]

Wow!

[Mike1902]

So the sternsheet planks are cut to shape,now to fine tune.
First up,the lay of the planks.The mid support beam was a little high so that needed planing down .
IMG-2492.jpg
Next,a bevel was sanded on the aft end of each plank to match the rake of the transom,of course they are all different.
The edges were given a light sand as well,even though they will not be seen..hardly.
IMG-2499.jpgIMG-2500.jpg
I started laying each plank from outboard to amidships.
Small spacers were placed between each plank to keep the edges parallel.
10 mm (3/8) packers were placed around the perimeter to create an even gap
IMG-2493.jpg
The forward edge curve was adjusted against the previous plank to get a fair line.
IMG-2490.jpg
Next job is to router a 5 mm recess into the underside of the planks which sit over the two rectangular aft hatches.

[Mike1902]

When designing this sternsheet layout, weight or to much of it was something to consider.
To help reduce weight the support beams throughout the build were made strong enough to do the job but not chunky.A recess was therefore required in the seat planks to clear the hatch lids.
Allowance for this was a deciding factor regarding the finished thickness of the planks.
To make the recess,first the seat planking was laid over the hatches and careful measurements made of it's location on each one.
The boards were then clamped together upside down.
A pattern was then made using the hatch lid as a measure guide and then a 5 mm margin was added for clearance around the hatch plus 2mm for the router collar guide.

IMG-2496.jpg
IMG-2508.jpgIMG-2509.jpg

Once the first pass around the jig perimeter was complete it was then removed and the rest of the routing completed free hand.

IMG-2510.jpgIMG-2503 (1).jpg

The photos above tell the rest of the story.

[Mike1902]

Now the plan is to screw through the support beams and into the planks,avoiding any holes and plugs in the top of the planks.
The trick is attaching the planks to the beams then inverting everything without it all falling apart

IMG-2514.jpg
To do this, counter sunk holes were pre drilled in the beams and the beams were then hot glued into position.
Double sided tape was then used to hold the planks in place.I ended up using gruntier double sided tape than shown in the photo because I didn't trust the thin stuff.
Everything was then carefully lifted off and turned upside down.

IMG-2522.jpg
Using the pre drilled holes in the beams as guides, pilot holes were then drilled into the planks.
The tape was then removed and the planks fastened temporarily.

IMG-2527.jpgIMG-2530.jpg
These photos give an idea of how it all works.The "lids" will not be hinged but remove completely when access is required.
There is still a bit of work to do before the permanent attachment of the planks.
This includes sanding,an edge bead along one side of each plank,a small quarter round along the top forward edge and a few epoxy clear coats .
I'm very pleased with the way it has come together,it's a process.
IMG-2532.jpg

[Larks]

Lovely work Mike, looms terrific

[Mike1902]

Cheers Larks.
Just to add each one of those "lids" weighs just 5.5 kilos or just an once or two over 12 lbs.

[WBViking]

Wow, those look incredible Mike - will there be some sort of captive pin or attachment of any sort in the event of a capsize? Would not want to loose those beautiful sculpted pieces!

[Mike1902]

Wow, those look incredible Mike - will there be some sort of captive pin or attachment of any sort in the event of a capsize? Would not want to loose those beautiful sculpted pieces!

Yes, there will definitely be some form of retainment. Still haven't settled on a final configuration as yet but it will involve the discreet location of toggle clips or towel bolts and small wooden blocks.

[Mike1902]

When I was a lad my father and I painted my racing dinghies.It was instilled into me that this required lots of sanding,sanding the old paint off (didn't trust me with a heat gun) ,sanding the timber,primer,bit of a sand,undercoat,sand etc etc,wet and dry,so on and so on.
It seemed never ending especially to a kid,but the finish was like glass.It all seemed worth the effort.Preparation was the key my father had been told,and this he passed on to me.
In my father's younger years he knew these two brothers (Henk and Jo,they were Dutch) who were regarded as the best painters in town.Dad asked them why other painters could not attain the same finish as theirs.
Henk replied in his broad Dutch accent "I sink not enough rubbinks down".
This was the phrase I would hear (in faux Dutch accent) if my father did not think my prep was up to scratch...
IMG-2593.jpgIMG-2638.jpg
...and so it begins.
Excuse the extreme close-up of the alligator skin.

IMG-2651.jpg
Getting there.

[epoxyboy]

OK, I'm not a fan of the vertical t&g (sorry ), but the work is beautifully done and there are some really interesting techniques being used.
My t&g aversion probably goes back to our first house. One of those 1920's places with Rimu match lining, that had been painted over. It only took a few months of scraping, sanding, paint strippering, blood, sweat and tears, to return it all to a beautiful natural finish.

Pete