Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Black Eagle mini dory (was: baby Briggs build)
I love my big 17' Jerry Briggs-inspired Grand Canyon dory from Andy Hutchinson's plans, but she's way too big for day runs. Time to build a little boat.
10'-6" LOA
60" beam
36" floor width
~23" deep at the oarlocks
I made three paper mockups, and two smaller 1:12 tagboard mockups. One final 1:6 cardboard mockup before committing to plywood:
Cut the plywood. One piece ripped diagonally lengthwise, the bow panels out of the width of another sheet. Side panels 11'-10"
I was having a hard time getting straight scarfs with my saw jig, so I cleaned them up from here with a ROS and 60-grit. You want the ramps to all touch the previous sheet and the glue lines parallel. The top piece was really ugly and got re-cut entirely. This isn't fancy AA marine ply, just $30 AC ply from the box store. Not worried about knots; I'll be glassing the entire boat inside and out.
I like woodgrain. Used a latex exterior stain. Oil based stains can interfere with the epoxy joint.
Epoxy on the joint faces and clamped/screwed for the night.
Views: 2888
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Shawn Baker on
-
There's another piece of HDPE on the bottom to press up on the plastic and glass, and a piece of wood cut to fit inside the hatch that presses in on the face of the glass on the frame and inside of the lip.
And yet another piece of HDPE on top to press down on the glass lapping out onto the deck.Throw one quick clamp on to keep everything in place so we can use two hands on all the other clamps.
Then start clamping from one end to the other. Can clamp from the middle toward the end, but never from the ends toward the middle--you're smooshing out excess epoxy and air, and want it to flow out the end, not trap in the middle.
More clampsAnd more clamps
the outer face of the gunnel isn't parallel with the hatch lip, so a small spring clamp keeps it from sliding.
Fill the whole thing with clamps!!With even pressure all over the glass, we'll leave it for the night to cure.
-
-
Day 40: this morning before work.
Wet the glass, the deck, and the lip.
The lip fits nicely in place, held by dowels.
We take that wet out glass and smoosh it down into the gutter and drop in another piece of precut HDPE to make it conform.This is the hinge side, it doesn't really have a gutter, so only has the single elevation behind the lip.
The plastic helps the glass wrap down and around the deck frame--and keeps the wood form from sticking.
I cut a piece of cedar as a form. It conforms to the top of the lip, inside of the lip, the diagonal chamfer of the frame (keeps gear from snagging better than a rectangular frame) and down onto the face of the vertical bulkhead
then we cover the whole thing with clampsAnd tent it with the heater for a few hours
-
-
Days 43-45, lips 28-30
Bottom of my 2x4 was below the plastic and stuck in the epoxy. Will clean up with some sanding.
Scraped off the wood slivers and it looks pretty good. Sanding the other lips as their epoxy has cured.Lip 30 in the heat tent for the night, and the hatch cover fits on the right side
Only the lower deck side lips for the stern and bow hatches remain, then time for a final fairing, gunnels, primer, and paint!
-
Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on
-
Which river is first? Looking pretty good!
Rick
-
-
So many choices! Very likely either the MF Flathead or NF Flathead, but possibly the main stem Flathead. Something within an hour of my house. haha
late this month is a very strong possibility
-
-
Your build is going well. Keep us informed!
Rick
-
-
Will do!!!
-
-
Days 46 and 47, hit the elusive final lips 31 and 32!
The elusive 32nd lip!
Now time for gunnels, fairing, more sanding, and then paint, hardware, and launch day!
-
-
Day 48: Filled some gaps under the glass with epoxy, and glued on all the gunnel spacer blocks.
Drill two holes on either end of a gap/bubble. Squirt the epoxy in one hole until it comes out the other.
Gunnel blocks clamped on. 3" long, 1" x 3/4" blocks every 12". Also added some mahogany demi-ribs under the oarlocks to stiffen the side panels.
Tent to warm it up and cure out the epoxy so I can sand it tonight.
Dang close to primer.
-
-
I have never heard of a "demi-rib". Is that a sea kayaking term? You are an impressive builder!
Rick
-
-
Not a technical boat term, but "demi" means half.
Hey Rick, would it be possible to add another post to this thread at the very top...and push my first post info into it so it doesn't show up in every page?
I had been thinking that a March launch was possible..thinking it's probable at this point. :)
-
-
49: sanded and primed the deck
© 2024 Created by Randy Dersham.
Powered by
