Construction
Q. Can you do it?
Some prospective builders
express concern about their building skills. My cruising boats
feature round-bilge hulls that require lofting, careful setup, and
attention to fairness throughout the building process. But one need not
be a master craftsman, furniture builder, or a wizard with your hands
to build one; any reasonably handy person can build a boat.
I've drawn my plans to
simplify the building process as much as possible, and modern adhesives
-- epoxy in particular -- make perfect fits less critical in many
areas. Lots of builders learn as they go, and there are many good books
available to help you through the hard parts. Building a boat -- and
developing confidence in your abilities and skills -- is a very
satisfying process.
Q. Will adding aditional veneers
to those specified (or using thicker veneers) add too much weight to
the hull?
The buoyancy gain depends
really on the wood species you're using. Sea water weighs 64 lbs
/cu.ft., and adding underwater volume with something that weighs less
results in a net gain in buoyancy. For example, red cedar is about 23
lbs/cu ft, d. fir 32-36 lbs, etc. Naturally, you're also veneering the
topsides, which is strictly a matter of adding weight (not offset by
added buoyancy), and then there's the weight of the epoxy. The overall
result is beneficial buoyancy-wise with lighter woods (such as red
cedar), and moves into the negative column with woods above about 30
lbs/cu.ft. Red cedar is a fine choice and often available in veneer,
yellow cedar (about 27 lbs/cu ft) is also good, or you may have a local
wood that fits the bill.
If you're considering a thicker layer, you'll get most benefit by using
two layers of thinner (1/8" or so) veneer, each set at 45 degrees to
the strip planking (and 90 degrees offset from each other). That
provides the modern equivalent of bronze strapping, and does an
excellent job of resisting athwartship and twisting loads. The
downside, of course, is that you have twice the work in applying it.
You may also find that thicker (1/4") stock resists bending to some of
the curves, needing many fasteners to hold it in place while the
epoxy cures. Best to try with a piece (of the species you'll be
using) before going that route.
Q. I doubt if I can get anything except
western red cedar for the veneers. Any problems with such a soft
wood on the exterior?
No problem, especially if
you sheath the hull with cloth. I prefer Dynel or Xynole polyester
to fiberglass because of their higher flexibility and
greater abrasion resistance.
Q. Do you suggest a bead & cove for the strip planking around the
bilge. In strip planking would staples delivered from a pneumatic
stapler work as well as nails?
Bead and cove strips can
help in fitting the strips, though thickened epoxy will easily
deal with small gaps. The strip planks could be stapled (in
essence the fasteners are there only to keep things in place until the
glue dries), though if the hull was ever damaged and water did
penetrate the epoxy, you might have trouble with steel
staples. I specify bronze ring nails because they'll be there for
the life of the boat, no matter what happens. Also, they provide
excellent holding power.
Q. How accurate does the lofting
have to be?
Small errors (1/8" to 3/16") won't make any difference to performance.
They may be noticable visually, but this can be dealt with (especially
the topsides) if you're careful about fairing up the molds after setup,
but before planking. There is also another chance to fair things after
the hull is planked.
Q. I am still having much
trouble with the lofting of the transom in regards to planking
thickness deductions. Have tried all methods. I have added
waterlines to assist but still does not work out. Must I add extra
buttocks in this region?
Extra buttocks can help with planking thickness, in that the more lines
you have that are nearly normal to the hull surface, the better off you
are. But extra butts and waterlines may be most helpful in making sure
you have an accurate shape. Deduct planking thickness using whichever
lines are most nearly normal to the raked transom.
