Want to see me build a 30' Chesapeake Deadrise?

[waltwood]

Completed boat building for a year or so.

[waltwood]

I have worked on the boat every day for a month. It's quite a process to keep up with the strip planking. I'm getting closer to the chine on the starboard side and there are new challenges. My grandson was here for the holidays and removed some clamps for me. He was pictured in the houseboat build when he was 4 years old. Now he is 8. I don't have an up to date picture but I have put on 26 strips total. It is not monotonous but it's endless work. I figure this boat to be a 6000 hour project and this is just a part of it. Did I mention we have dogs?

[waltwood]

I am not posting anymore.

[Thad]

Carry on anyway! Thanks.

[hawkeye54]

Thanks for 'bringing us along this far' , Walt - and for wrapping it up with the picture of the pups ! ! !

[Alan71]

Hello Walt,

I'm sorry to read that you're giving up posting!

I look for your updates every day.

I enjoy the posts not only because you show and explain what you're doing but also because you often include a peek at your 'life' too. For example, the photos of your grandson and dogs.

I'll miss not know what's going on... what you're working on and how you're doing it!

Please reconsider!

Regards,
Alan

Happy New Year!!!

[Breakaway]

Thanks for having shared so much, Walt!

Best

Kevin

[Crazer]

That's a real shame. Like a lot of others I've been quietly enjoying this thread from the beginning, there are few enough big boat builds on this forum, and this one is regularly updated too. Hope all is well with you and, posting or not, you'll continue making steady progress on your boat.

[swoody126]

one less well documented project to sit n enjoy

Walt, your documentation skills/persistance have been quite the joy to follow

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[Andrew Donald]

Walt, we’ll miss your well documented thread. I fully understand your reasoning for stopping posting as it’s a big commitment to photograph and post. I wish you all the best in your build and ask perhaps that you maybe post an update on say a six monthly basis?
thanks for the ride thus far

[waltwood]

I really appreciate the nice comments. There are numerous reasons why I said I wasn't going to post anymore. Today alone we had 20 man hours in the boat with nothing really to post. Stock preparation is not that interesting in photos. I thought this boat would be of interest because of its size and apparently it is. Last Thursday I bought a new boat to me which will require a lot of time. I'm still finishing off the houseboat and running a construction company. I will continue to post but less frequently. I wanted to do a YouTube video because it would be far more interesting but I'm not smart enough and that would take more of my time. Thank you again for the encouragement!

[waltwood]

I got the planking on the starboard side up to the chine. It worked out as good as it could. We put in one strip that was 5/8" wider than all the rest about 4 strips away from the chine. This made the strips come out without ending with a thin strip. I chose an area where there wasn't a lot of twist for this wider strip. I have installed a total of 38 strips and it takes 56 for the sides only. You have to constantly plan for 3 days ahead. Depending upon their location the strips are attached differently. I'm still enjoying it but it's basically all I doing.

[Thad]

+ Thanks.

[gypsie]

My first couple of boats were (much smaller) strip built. Then I built a stitch and glue one. I couldn't believe how quickly I had a boat. But I did enjoy the meditative slow build of strips, and the beautifully organic curves you can achieve.

There's a Central African saying; bean by bean the sack fills.

[Andrew Donald]

Looking great Walt. From the photos it looks like your strips are sitting pretty flush

[waltwood]

Gypsie, yes I thought about it the other day how much easier it would have been to throw 4 sheets of plywood on one side of the boat. The bow is more complex than I am able to convey in photos and ply would not work. It is slow going but I was determined to have this shape hull.

Andrew, the strips are laying pretty flush. I set a standard of 1/16th of an inch that the strips would not be more offset than that. I figured I could sand that out. I have only had one strip to exceed that amount and I used it as a screed to apply filler to the area. Of course I'm going to hide that from the camera, Ha!

[gray duck]

over 20,000 views in 6 months. pretty popular I'd say. posting and documenting takes time and we understand and appreciate it very much.

[waltwood]

over 20,000 views in 6 months. pretty popular I'd say. posting and documenting takes time and we understand and appreciate it very much.

Half of them were me, ha.

[gray duck]

that's funny

[nrs5000]

Thanks for sharing what you can of this project, Walt. I've enjoyed following all of your projects. That last photo looking toward the bow shows of the shape of the bow nicely.

[timo4352]

Half of them were me, ha.

I some times feel the same Walt, but still believe people are watching and enjoying even if they don't respond...
I also just like having a record for my own use which is a plus for me.

[waltwood]

I some times feel the same Walt, but still believe people are watching and enjoying even if they don't respond...
I also just like having a record for my own use which is a plus for me.

Yes, you are right. I was constantly referring to my houseboat thread because it took 4 years to build and I could not remember what I did under the sole or behind the walls.

[waltwood]

We've had some very cold weather. It snowed twice in two days and that drove my son and helper into the shop on Friday to work on the boat. Our paying jobs are outside and on the water. They milled some more cedar strips and I worked on installing them. I didn't show this on the starboard side but close to the chine I have to use wedges and other devices to create downward pressure on the strips. I have a ton of 12" clamps and not as many 18" clamps so I have to use other methods when the total width of the strips becomes wider than 18". I followed a procedure on the starboard side which I am now repeating.

[hawkeye54]

Thanks for the update, Walt - it is much appreciated ! (We, too, had snow from the last storm )


Rick

[Andrew Donald]

Coming along nicely Walt, I’m wondering if you may have enough boats??

[waltwood]

I looked up where you live, very cool!

The boats from the left are Snakey, which is featured on this forum and is a playground for kids. It will never see the water again. The next one is a Grady-White which is a total wreck, and the Carolina Skiff is owned by my son. The Regulator under the building we just bought 2 weeks ago.

[Andrew Donald]

I looked up where you live, very cool!

The boats from the left are Snakey, which is featured on this forum and is a playground for kids. It will never see the water again. The next one is a Grady-White which is a total wreck, and the Carolina Skiff is owned by my son. The Regulator under the building we just bought 2 weeks ago.

not so cool presently we’ve had a run of 90 to 105 F days , cool change coming for a couple of days, down to 85.

edit just looked up yours, on the Chesapeake, jealous

[waltwood]

Applying strips from the bottom down is far more difficult than up. I completed the planking to the chine on both sides if I did not say that. I keep coming up with new ways to push the planks together and align them. I only have one narrow strip and one wide strip to finish off the planking at the stern at the sheer clamp.
At the bow I am getting into very difficult cuts that almost look like an arrow when I'm done. We had another snowy day and they milled more strips. The strips are 1 7/32" wide. I know that sounds crazy but that optimizes a 5/4 x 6 board. We get 6 strips from each piece. To insure that one batch of strips matches another we have been using calipers when planing. It really matters because I would have gaps if I ended up with different widths.
I made an L shaped plywood protector for the shear clamp. It was a bit of work but I can use it for the other side. This allows me to drive vertical sticks and wedges against it without messing up my nice sheer clamp. It also keeps epoxy off of it. Between the station molds I glued a 2" wide cedar strip to 3 planks and that helps with alignment as I get closer to the sheer clamp. They have a tendency to bow in or bow out. This is also working good. These pieces will be cut out after we flip it over.

[waltwood]

Some of those pictures are out of sequence. I took the last photos on the port side to show how my sheer clamp protector and intermediate supports work which is not the side I am working on.

[swoody126]

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[Maximus71]

Thanks for sharing Walt. As always your work and work methods are impressive. Thanks for sharing this build. It is a pleasure to watch the boat come together.

[Alan71]

Hello Walt,

Nice to see your progress!

That piece of plywood at the shear clamp and the use wedges to help move those strips into position/submission is a very 'thoughtful' solution!!!

On my little runabout I believe I installed (glued) the 'equivalent' of the 'whiskey plank' on the transom yesterday. It took about 8 clamps on a 6"x1/2"x48" mahogany plank. I'll take them all off in a little while and see what I've got.
It now needs only the deck to be a bare hull.

I follow what you're doing with interest!!

Regards,
Alan

[waltwood]

Hello Walt,

Nice to see your progress!

That piece of plywood at the shear clamp and the use wedges to help move those strips into position/submission is a very 'thoughtful' solution!!!

On my little runabout I believe I installed (glued) the 'equivalent' of the 'whiskey plank' on the transom yesterday. It took about 8 clamps on a 6"x1/2"x48" mahogany plank. I'll take them all off in a little while and see what I've got.
It now needs only the deck to be a bare hull.

I follow what you're doing with interest!!

Regards,
Alan

Thanks Alan. please show us

[Liberty53]

Good stuff!

Love your posts.

-Derek

Scamp #169
Portage Pram

[waltwood]

I am closing in the planking at the sheer. I am using wider pieces for strength and to avoid very narrow pieces like 1/2" wide which would be difficult to cut. It is important to get a good fit to the sheer clamp because it adds some strength to the boat. The sheer has a lot of changes to the shape that are not apparent unless you are building it. The pieces are tapered and beveled.