Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
First build
Hi everyone, I'm just getting started. I've gathered all the tools, read Fletcher's book about 6 times (so great), and read quite a lot of these posts (also great). I've decided to build a 17x54. Went to the lumber dealer in town, and decided i'm definitely going to use the Hydrotek BS 1088 6mm for sides, and 12mm for floor. I'm going to use Mahogany for the Stem. I'm planning to use Port Orford Cedar for the frames, and was thinking i'd match that with White Oak for the rails/chines. I hope to have the boat for the rest of my life, and while i want it to be the most beautiful boat ever built, I truly want to use materials that will last and be effective. So, first question... Instead of White Oak, anyone ever use Port Orford for rails? It seems like the color would be similar to White Oak, but i wonder about durability as a rail. appreciate any insight you might have.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dusty on
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Here's my first one. decided to just tackle with a belt sander. a little wobbly, I think I'll trust myself a little more on the next one. any input? think i should redo this one?
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Permalink Reply by James Prepura on
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not bad a couple of guys on this sight I believe it was said they used a piece of ply on top and bottom as waste pieces they would sandwich the good piece in between and then start there scarf which would keep the scarf edeges clean and crisp on your original piece almost as if you were scarfing three pieces at once they just back set each piece the same distance for example your 2.83465
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Permalink Reply by Mike Baker on
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That should be fine. What David said about the blue tape really helps. I use some really thin metal instead of the Melamine.
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Permalink Reply by David Witton on
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I laid a sheet of melamine under the hydrotec with a strip of blue tape along the edge to give me a visual reference at the thin edge - check my build post for a more complete description.
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Permalink Reply by Bennett Yarbrough on
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Well if we're showing off our scarfs I was particularly proud of my work
It's a pain in the ass but you can't really screw it up.
But your scarf looks fantastic. If you're planning on a bright finish both sides getting it perfect is worth while. I planned on an oil interior so I focused on making one side as good as I could. The other side was ok but with a 12:1 your strength is more than enough you're really just worried about aesthetics.*
*this comes from my EXTENSIVE boat building and scarf cutting experience of building exactly 1 boat.
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lol, that's the hill i'm climbing... no experience. I have no experience at how a particular scarf cut might translate into a finished joint. I'm hoping for a "bright finish". But i'll be flexible.
My first joint is sitting out there clamped right now. It feels like the first big commitment and I'm pretty excited. I've taken my time, and attempted to be thoughtful and careful with it, but now it is up to the clamp/epoxy gods.
I was wondering this evening, how to handle the epoxy that squeezed out. I scraped as much excess as was reasonable, but came back later and it had bulged more. Wondering if T-88 sands easily? and also wondering what technique to use to sand the epoxy bulge without getting into the panel too much?
*that's two of approximately 53 questions that swim in my head throughout the day. but I really love it.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Linzel on
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Good technique for removing excess expoxy is to take a heat gun and soften the epoxy. Then take a carbide paint scraper and scrape the glue flush. Care of course must be taken not to be too aggressive so as not to burn epoxy (only soften) and not to scar the top ply veneer. Be conservative until you gain confidence with the technique.
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I apologize Dusty if I came off the wrong way with my scarf joint wasn't trying to show off I myself tried a couple of times to get mine to remotely look like your but failed. I live four hours round trip to the closest lumber yard that carries hydrotec plywood sheets so instead of the coast of a new piece and the price of fuel and the aggravation of the Illinois tollway system I opted for the scarf joint jig, I was just trying to show you an option you could have if you didn't like the way yours turned out. I to am a first time builder thats only slightly ahead in the build process than you ,good luck in your build hope to see pictures of differant stages of your build
and yes Bennett that is an awesome joint wish mine turned out like that
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Appreciate your sensitivity James, I didn't take it that way. I was purely impressed at the effectiveness of that system... and recognizing that a belt sander on my best day couldn't do it that well. lol.
Today was one of those, "just walk away" days for me after 3 hours of being completely ineffective at boat building.
#1: dropped the last 20 inch piece of beveled plywood which i was going to glue up today... ruined it.
#2: set up the scarf sanding system again to sand another edge... sanded carefully, but didn't put the metal strip down, so i blew right through the feathered edges.
#3: Cut off the crappy edge.
#4: re-belt sanded with the proper metal edge underneath, and completed my best one yet... proceeded to cut just the segment I needed from that piece of plywood, but didn't factor the 3" loss due to the scarf, so i cut it 3" too short.
Felt very amateur today.
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lol I did the same thing by dropping it a few words came out of my mouth that I can't type but I learned to clamp a piece of plywood the width of the piece and about six inches longer than the scarf that way I could move it around and not worry about banging the edge and ruining it just to end up doing it again. Believe me there were days that I wished I didn't have to walk away and days I wish I never started, but if you ask the questions these guys here have the answers they've helped my out a bunch
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