Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Two photographs from Tom showing starboard sheer clamp looking forward and the starboard side lazarette (I hope that's right). The tail of the sheer clamp extends just beyond frame 26. The large bolt with nut on the same frame (26) is the starboard fixture for the traveller bar just behind the cockpit and the smaller one on frame 25 I believe to be one of the fixings for the cockpit coaming. The transom can be seen but not clear/sharp enough to see how it is formed.


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[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Still beavering away at the deck framework and it is coming along slowly. I have decided to use all my spare WRC where ever I can and beef it up where necessary. I managed to figure out a way of dealing with that severe stern tumblehome and at the moment it looks more like maritime marquetry. The sheathing base for the deck strips is 3.6mm hardwood ply and I learned a little bit about quality of this type of material. From what I can gather (internet reading) the old WBP (Water Boil Proof) standard is obsolete but, that might only apply in the EU area. Apparently there are three standards EN636-1, EN636-2 and EN636-3. You can read the detail for yourselves on internet and I hope I haven't started an avalanche of discussion on the subject . I have chosen to use the middle grade which should be sealed against moisture absorption.


I have taken a few photographs which I will post up for anyone who is interested. I have sorted the stem head at last and working on the stern and rudder post trunk. There are all sorts of things to do and fittings to be found before I can start sheathing and gluing up. If I am doing anything wrong or missing something then please have a go at me.

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[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

A few more photos of the original from Tom...
Lorelei 4.jpgf4ea7d78.jpgLorelei 11.jpg
Lorelei 17.jpg

[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Just wondered what your thoughts were on using a plastic tube as a liner for the rudder shaft housing?
Everything you see in the preceding photographs is reversible as I have not glued up yet.

[Rich Jones]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Will you be glassing the interior as is normally done on a boat planked with 1/4" thick stock? Or is the addition of ribs going to compensate for that?

[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Rich,

Yes, I have enough fibreglass to do inside and out. I ditched that awful chopped strand matt and bought 6oz woven as you suggested earlier and will do the inside first then add the intermediate Ash ribs. My idea is to panel between each main frame/rib and then use a top hat strip over each rib to join it all up. I don't suppose that is very good practice from a strength point of view but I don't want it to look too obvious that the whole thing is gobbed up with fibre glass. I have left those five MDF formers in place so as to support the boat on the strong back when I turn it over for external glassing. It is a bit of a headache trying to work out the sequence of doing the build so as I don't paint myself into a corner. For instance, I will have to see about the metalwork that must go in before I can place the deck sheathing. There are six metal fittings on the forward king plank and five behind the cockpit. I haven't made these parts yet but figure to make them from stainless steel. I am not much of a metalworker so may have to order it. I could buy off the shelf parts but I would like the fittings to look something like the original if possible.

I don't know what you think about the plastic tube liner for the rudder shaft. I am a bit worried about bonding so I might make an epoxy/glass tube of the same size which will bond to the trunk structure. It might not be too much of an issue anyway because, as far as I understand, the trunk is set pretty much above the waterline.

[Rich Jones]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

When building my launch, I had the same concerns about putting in a plastic tube for the rudder/motor post. I ended up making my own out of fiberglass. I took a piece of PVC pipe, wrapped it in multiple layers of wax paper and wrapped that in multiple layers of 4" fiberglass tape. Built it up to a thickness of 1/8", then pulled out the PVC pipe, leaving me with a very strong tube that bonded well to the hull.

[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Sounds good, Rich, I'll give that a try. I am getting very close to sealing up the stern perimeter which will allow me to finish that tumblehome and final shaping of the transom. I could have sheathed that whole area with one piece of ply but I have to leave the central area open until I fit the metalwork...the horse (which I wrongly termed the traveller last time around!) and pins/bolts for fixing the aft end of the cockpit coaming. Anyway, I will take a couple of photos as I do the work.

[Reynard38]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Sorry if I missed this earlier, but what wood did you use for the transom? Looks much like the cypress I used on my Coquina.
Beautiful shape BTW.

[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Reynard38,

The wood is Western Red Cedar (WRC) which I tried to match up from the ample stock I had left over from the strip hull. The joins in the five planks show up because of the epoxy used but should look better after being rubbed down, glassed and finished.
It might sound a bit boring but the deck framework and king planks are also made of the same stuff as will be the deck strips. The latter should be Port Orford Pine but I can't think of where I could possibly get that here in the UK.
I know that WRC is not very tough and easily marked but I intend to glass the deck as well. Not sure yet how I can define the individual deck strips. The original 'Lorelei' deck strips look as though they have very thin gaps filled with black sealant of some sort...pitch maybe?

[Daniel Noyes]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

you will not need to glass the inside, that will just make for alot of work and clean up and extra weight, just epoxy coat it... may be a very light cloth on the deck, 4 oz should be enough but if you mix epoxy and graphite to glue the deck planking together you will have a strong tight deck and the plank lines will show up black, no glass needed.

[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Music to my ears, Daniel. I am very tempted to follow your advice here for all the good reasons you have given. I was not looking forward to the pain of glassing the interior and I am keen to keep the weight down.
Just a thought about the graphite...is there a danger of staining the deck strip facings? I'm not too bothered about that though as a bit of discolouration might add an antique effect here and there.

[Rich Jones]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

you will not need to glass the inside, that will just make for alot of work and clean up and extra weight, just epoxy coat it... may be a very light cloth on the deck, 4 oz should be enough but if you mix epoxy and graphite to glue the deck planking together you will have a strong tight deck and the plank lines will show up black, no glass needed.

There can be some debate on this. The 1/4" planking has very little strength and the fiberglass doesn't just waterproof the hull, but gives it structural integrity, strengthening the hull and added much needed stiffness. To work properly, it must be done inside and out. Something or other to do with compression. The widely spaced ribs you've got aren't going to provide that.
Look at every 1/4" strip planked boat on this forum and you'll see them glassed inside and out.

[Don Scott]

Re: Gil Smith catboat "Lorelei"

Well I am being torn two ways now. I can see the merit on both sides of the coin...savings in time, mess, clean up, weight on the one side and strength/integrity of a double skin/sandwich on the other. I have to lean towards the latter because the strips were laid, in the first place, using white wood glue. This glue also lightly holds the strip to the main ribs to which they were attached in the initial build. My reasoning was that a good brodling (a Barnsley, South Yorks, word akin to fettling) with epoxy would seep its way into the strip/rib joints on the inside to give the required strength. A layer of glass in addition will do no harm. As for the rib spacing...those that were placed in the initial build conform to the hackmatack ones in the original catboat which on my 2/3 scale down are set at 14" centres. These will be interspersed by Ash ribs at a later stage, so making the ribs only 7" apart. I would dearly like to kick the interior layup into touch but, I think I had better lay aside my idle streak and do the job properly.

In the mean time I have just ordered a list of SS items which include all the deck and shroud wire fittings except the horse and the chain plates which I will have to 'fashion' myself.


Tom : If you read this I hope you might help me with a close up photo of the cleat just in front of the cockpit. I assume that the two missing from the c/b trunk top would probably be the same design as that one. I would like to get somewhere near the shape of them by reworking the 'off the shelf' ones I have ordered.