Caledonia Yawl build downunder

[neil.henderson]

I thought I'd start a new thread which will hopefully track the build of my next (4th) wooden boat. I was going to build a Somes Sound 12 1/2 which to me is one of the most beautiful boats I could/will ever build but have always hankered after a yawl and love Iain's designs having spent much of my childhood in NW Scotland during holidays.
So, I've bought the plans, bought the ply, some Queensland Kauri (for the stems) and bundles of pine which I use for the mould frames. Work is progressing well and I think I may be beginning to get the hang of making decent mould frames. I use dowels to hold the pieces of the mould together and each joint is glued using Selleys exterior glue. I have acquired a Carbatec 14" bandsaw which makes cutting the moulds so much easier and more accurate.
I have ripped the QLD Kauir and have made the template to bend it around for the stems/aprons. We are unfortunately in lockdown here so I can't pop round to my friends to steam the timber - may need to make a wood steamer....................

Anyway here are some photos, I will try to post more as I go.
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[Andrew Donald]

I’m jealous of your outdoor workshop Neil. Must be really refreshing having the sawdust just blow away instead of collecting on everything.

Following

[neil.henderson]

I’m jealous of your outdoor workshop Neil. Must be really refreshing having the sawdust just blow away instead of collecting on everything.

Following

True - till you notice the diamond back python up in the rafters !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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[Larks]

keeps the rats away .........and wakes you up every now and then....

[Andrew Donald]

Nice photo. Having a lockup shed doesn’t make any difference. Lifted roller door to see a tail hanging from lip of door. Lucky it was only a little one, red belly black. That did wake me up. Are there termite snakes available?

[Steve TN 15]

Yeah, I like the look of the CY too so I'll follow along

[Max F]

Me too
Having snakes in boatbuilding places seems to me a very australian manner...
Have fun building
Cheers
Max

[neil.henderson]

Some more recent progress as it is springtime here and starting to warm up which is really nice after what seemed to be a cold winter though I daresay the statistics differ........ I made a steam box today using cheap (they call it 'structural ply') & I sure as heck wouldn't build a structure out of it, nasty stuff with very rough surface and plenty of voids - but its made the box. I have bought a wallpaper steamer to provide the steam
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so now I will be able to steam the timber for the 4 stems.

Have also made a rudder blade and a centreboard which are marked out for trimming to foil shapes - both are made from Brunyzeel ply as will the hull.
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And I remembered to draw the lines across the board pivot point so that when i drill (25mm) a large hole and fill with epoxy before redrilling for the pivot pin, I will be able to remark the pivot point accurately. Think this tip came from Greg Rossel :-)
Hope to try out the steam box tomorrow.

Stay safe Regards Neil

[KenStocker]

I'm with Max, this has got to be an Aussie thing. The only thing I want to see slithering is the extension cord as I pull it across the floor.

Ken

[KenStocker]

Neil, you are just crankin' out the boats! How many have you built?

Ken

[PeterWidders]

Hi Neil,

Looking very good and will be following along.

You may already be on top of this one ...suggest putting some dowels into the steam box so that you can form a rack for the timbers to sit on and get steam circulating all around them. I have used dowels in the past as they make it easy to slide the timbers in and out of the box.

[neil.henderson]

Neil, you are just crankin' out the boats! How many have you built?

Ken

This CY will be my 4th boat build. I really enjoy trying new challenges and finding out all the new tricks and tips that make the build easier and improve its quality. I know I am hopeless if I'm not busy - so I keep busy :-) I used to tell new managers that they needed to watch out if I got bored at work because I would leave within a few months if I didn't get busy/challenged! (some managers did not appreciate this advice, even if it was true)

Regards Neil

[Dr. Strangelove]

True - till you notice the diamond back python up in the rafters !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Guessing the name of the boat will be "Diamond Back"? That little fella could be the boat's mascot, keep the rats away and casual folks trying to step aboard in the marina.

[Edward Pearson]

'
Neil nice work. Bruynzeel! You're spoiling her...the parallel edged foiling marks...you'd be better with a 'constant quarter chord' mark as the foil chord width changes down the foil. If you work from a template typically a non planing boat would have a four digit naca foil (usually 0010 centerboard/ 0012 rudder - but if you measure your chord width and plywood board thickness you can see exactly what your ratio is and pick the NACA four series for that ratio) you can see exactly where the thickest point is on the NACA shape co-ordinates - about 25% of chord thickness point and mark that line down the board proportionately below the keel line. The thickness should reduce proportionately too as the chord width decreases - that's a fair bit of work but the ply lines should help. I'd put a hardwood tip on it too - partly for abrasion but also to put a glue line accross the end grain which will seal how far water gets if the coatings and tip get breached. The end grain of the ply could wick water a long way then you've got swelling etc and a sticky board. Centerboards aren't removed very often in a boats life as it's a bit of a job lining up back in.

[neil.henderson]

A few more photos of recent progress. Now have a weighted centreboard, a rudder blade and the beginnings of a Norwegian tiller. The centreboard is weighted with 6.5kg of flashing lead bought from Bunnings and then cut + bashed to fit. Geoff Kerr of OCH reckons 12-15 lbs of lead should be enough & I'll be at the upper end of that range so it should be ok I hope. Board has been wrapped in dynel cloth + epoxy. Today I have coated the upper part of the board in epoxy (unthickened) so that it has something to rub against inside the centreboard case. The Norwegian tiller arm is made from Dutch Beech which I had leftover from the build of Bella - it has a beautiful clear grain but is hard to work so my belt sander (!) hardly makes any progress against it at all but I thought I should go with something tough and strong s I'd prefer to avoid steering breakdowns during heavy squalls!
We are still in lockdown here (over 104 days now) but the lockdown starts to ease next Monday which is great. Getting hold of timber has become really difficult but I have a load of Hoop pine and QLD Kauri coming down early next week so I can start to visualise the keelson + make my 4 (inner + outer) stems from the QLD Kauri which seems to steam quite well. Staill waiting from the I-frame floor joists which my strongback will be made from but that's due mid-Oct so progress is on the near horizon.

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Hope you are all well..... .............Regards Neil

Oh, and the whales are moving South
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[Steve TN 15]

Nice, it'll be good to get some wood so you can get stuck into the boat itself and better to be allowed out and about!

[neil.henderson]

Nice, it'll be good to get some wood so you can get stuck into the boat itself and better to be allowed out and about!

So, have you picked out your next build yet Steve? I am now very tempted by Vivier's Jewell which looks like a very practical day sailer :-) But so does the Somes Sound 12 1/2 - guess I'll need to build at least another 3 - & then discover I should have kept one of the early ones - never mind.

Regards Neil

[Michael_Owen]

Following along. Great work so far, Neil! I remember when I was building my Whilly Boat and was in Maine for a visit, I came upon a CY hull right-side-up in a shed. It looked huge!

Good luck with the build, and thanks for sharing it with us.

Mike

[neil.henderson]

A question ---------- I will have 2 lines coming off my rudder blade, one for lifting the other for hold-down (correct term?). On conventional boats with ordinary tillers these lines are often grasped by cleats fixed on the tiller arm to keep the rudder blade either up or down.
With a Norwegian tiller I don't think I can do that, so how do I cleat those 2 lines coming off the rudder blade? I have wondered if cleats on the rudder head might work but that sounds a wee bit clunky.....................

Any ideas or photos much appreciated.

Thanks Neil

[neil.henderson]

Following along. Great work so far, Neil! I remember when I was building my Whilly Boat and was in Maine for a visit, I came upon a CY hull right-side-up in a shed. It looked huge!

Good luck with the build, and thanks for sharing it with us.

Mike

Yes, they are a tad large - I'm becoming more and more stability biased these days - my days in rocking dinghies are limited! so, why did he build a Gannet I hear people ask - only my dog understands the answer to this question and she is staying silent!

Regards Neil

[dbp1]

A question ---------- I will have 2 lines coming off my rudder blade, one for lifting the other for hold-down (correct term?). On conventional boats with ordinary tillers these lines are often grasped by cleats fixed on the tiller arm to keep the rudder blade either up or down.
With a Norwegian tiller I don't think I can do that, so how do I cleat those 2 lines coming off the rudder blade? I have wondered if cleats on the rudder head might work but that sounds a wee bit clunky.....................

Any ideas or photos much appreciated.

Thanks Neil

Very interested in peoples response to this! Planning on doing a Norwegian tiller and was just wondering about the lines…

[John Meachen]

Is there any reason why the uphaul shouldn't be cleated on the top surface of the rudder stock?Other than having to reach around the mizzen mast that is.You could use a couple of cheek blocks to take the downhaul out to a CL257 on the Norwegian tiller.

[Steve TN 15]

Assuming that the tiller goes through the rudder head, could you make a small "table" above that point and attach a cam cleat either side? If you used the type with an eye the line won't go astray and you could cut some brass tube longitudinally to form fairleads on the aft edge of said table. In my TN that operation is carried out by one continuous line so you never lose the ends. If you have the loop over something to stop it wandering off it will be quite easy to just grab it and lift to release the line etc, no need to go all the way aft in a double ender.

[Steve TN 15]

So, have you picked out your next build yet Steve? I am now very tempted by Vivier's Jewell which looks like a very practical day sailer :-) But so does the Somes Sound 12 1/2 - guess I'll need to build at least another 3 - & then discover I should have kept one of the early ones - never mind.

Regards Neil

Yes those two are on my list as is this one, with the cabin option https://scruffie.com/stornaway18.html but you can only buy it as a complete kit which is expensive but includes cast ballast etc, made in QLD. It does seem to have a lot of rigging though, might be a pain in a trailer sailer.

[Steamboat]

Neil, This is the setup I use. The control lines lay on the deck on both sides of the mizzen. For ease of use I would suggest cam cleats over clam cleats. My clam cleats keep binding the line on the side being released.
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[neil.henderson]

Neil, This is the setup I use. The control lines lay on the deck on both sides of the mizzen. For ease of use I would suggest cam cleats over clam cleats. My clam cleats keep binding the line on the side being released.
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Many thanks for the photo steamboat :-)

Regards Neil

[neil.henderson]

Has anyone experienced using one of these tillers? It looks rather a clever design to me and my brain would not have to relearn how to helm a boat!

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[the_gr8t_waldo]

I've not seen the linkage in person. but like it, and dosen't seem to be too difficult to replicate.... I would incorporate it. along with a quick linkage disconnect, so that the tiller could be disconnected and swung clear of the area for lounging. that stern cut out looks a bit out of place and a bit on the delicate side, would probably opt for a half oval cut out.

[jpatrick]

Thorne has such an arrangement on his Caladonia yawl. I don't see him posting much these days so you might reach out via pm.

Jeff

[stromborg]

From my research archives. This is the set up Goblin (Thorne's boat) had a few years ago. I've wondered (but not enough of an engineer to figure it out) how to calculate the leverage you get from the tiller and arm-off-the-rudder combination versus a "straight stick" tiller.

[John Meachen]

Neil, This is the setup I use. The control lines lay on the deck on both sides of the mizzen. For ease of use I would suggest cam cleats over clam cleats. My clam cleats keep binding the line on the side being released.
Rudder Head.jpeg

I recommended the Clamcleat CL257 because it is made specifically for releasing rudder downhauls in the event of an obstacle being struck.I have yet to see a camcleat that will do this and hence the risk of damage to the boat increases.I have never had a problem with any braided rope running through a Clamcleat either.

[Steamboat]

I do not want to hijack Neil's blog but I will try these. Your point is well taken.

[neil.henderson]

I recommended the Clamcleat CL257 because it is made specifically for releasing rudder downhauls in the event of an obstacle being struck.I have yet to see a camcleat that will do this and hence the risk of damage to the boat increases.I have never had a problem with any braided rope running through a Clamcleat either.

Many thanks for pointing out the CL257 - I had never seen these before & I agree it looks like a great idea - could be used for the tiedown used on some centreboards as well.

Thanks again.

Regards Neil

[neil.henderson]

Hello All,
Joists for the strongback finally arrived (3 month delivery) on Friday so have charged ahead with assembling & positioning the strongback, just enough room to get around the corner with Chilli in the morning. Outer part of fwd stem glued up with stagered lamination as it fattens towards the top of the stem - on my plans at least....
Quite a large boat this CY !!!!!!!!

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Hope to get the mould frames up and the aft apron glued up this week :-)

Regards Neil

[Steve TN 15]

How long do you reckon this one will take?