Saturday, June 14, 2008

Boat Building Underway.

We have begun the boat. You can see the finished boat image (what we are trying to acomplish) in the previous post. The first picture is Xander, Jules and Dad lofting her lines.




I've skipped a bit here but mostly just me swearing and remaking parts. We've got the basics tacked together. There are some distinct spatial difficulties to be encountered here, such as cutting the transom frames and translating the marks of a 2d drawing onto a 3d object, cutting and assembling the parts and realizing you have made two identical parts rather than mirror images as the actual boat would require. We have had to go back and re-make several pieces. But most of the difficult parts are done. Now what's left are the thwarts or seats as those unfamiliar with skiff-building lingo may know them as. The mast and boom might be a little tricky as well. So far we have put about 10 hours into it and expect about 20 more, before we paint and rig it.

"There is nothing so worth while as simply messing about in boats" (I'm sure I have miss quoted that phrase from Wind in the Willows)

For those who are interested here are some tech specs:
LOA = 12'
LAW = 11'
WO = 5'

Materials:
Essentially this has become a lumberyard skiff, since I don't live near a marine supply so gunwales are 1/4 mahogany ply, bottom and Transom is 3/8 pine ply, frames are pine and the thwarts will be red cedar. There is a smattering of white oak such as the stem and the keel.


I will continue to update this post as we go. We are so totally stoked by the progress and expect to see in in the water by the end of July.