The First Cut Is The Deepest....

I started this project a couple of weeks ago so I'll try to get you caught up over the next couple of days.


The first thing I had to figure out is where to build the darn thing. I have no garage and Deb would not let me build it in the house so hey, this is Florida, I can build it outside. It wouldn't be good though to build it in an uncovered area or I'd end up with a lot of extra yard trash and other stuff incorporated into my boat. Also, the UV and heat would cook everything before I have a chance to paint. I've claimed an area on the side of the house that's about 11 X 25, right near our double gate, garbage can, AC unit and satellite dish. Kinda cozey. Deb had to move some plants because she knew I would end up trouncing them. I ordered a 10 X 20 canopy that fits perfectly between the house and fence. With the gates closed it's like a well ventilated three sided garage. I'm in business.


I ordered some epoxy from a place in Vero Beach but I was eager to get started. While I was waiting I decided to start cutting a few of the smaller pieces. I started by cutting out the rough shapes for the rudder assembly.

Tiller

I cut a tiller from a 2X4. It doesn't look like much here but I'll shape it and sand it into a comfortable handle to steer the boat with.

Sides for rudder box

Then I cut out the sides for the rudder box from 3/8 ply wood. I lofted - that's boat buildingeze for drawing the outline of the piece I am making on the wood - one side and cut it out then used that as the template for the other side. These two pieces will end up glued and screwed together with the tiller sandwiched at the top and the rudder sandwiched in the bottom. Speaking of the rudder.

Rudder

This I cut from a 1 X 12. I'll shape the sides into what I hope will be a good shape. The long right edge will be tapered to a point and the leading left edge will just be rounded off. It'll end up about the shape of an airplane wing. This should give me good control of the boat.


Life is good. I got over my "first cut fever". That's an ailment that first time boat builders are afflicted with. It's like jumping in the ocean. It's icey cold to begin with and you don't want to get in but after splashing around for five minutes you don't even notice it. Once you get started cutting it's no big deal. 


I also made some dead eyes.

Dead Eyes

These are entirely ornamental. The holes are rounded with a file and you put metal strap around them. You string some line between two of them and then attach them to the bottom of the shrouds. They are supposed to look like the wooden blocks they used in the days of the sailing ships. I'm not sure that I want to incorporate these into the wire that holds my mast up though. If I use them I will most likely just attach them on the side of the wire.  I think it'll look kind of piratey. ARRRRGGGGGG!!


So after the epoxy arrived - and I got paid - I bought some wood to make the keel. It's made by laminating several pieces of 1 X 12's. It's two boards wide which is a total of 1 1/2 inches and about 14 feet long. I don't know how the lumber industry gets away with saying that a 3/4" thick board is 1". Must be men doing it because we have been known to "fudge" a little when it comes to measuring inches. But I digress. Why not use 2 by stock you ask? Laminating two thicknesses together is stronger than one solid board. It also allows you to orient the woodgrain opposing each other to cut down on warping. You've seen those decks after being in the sun for a couple of years that curl up on the edges? It would not be good for your keel to do that.

Keel Pieces

I made one side and used that as a template to cut the other side. You can see in the picture that the pieces are cut so that the joints don't line up with each other. This strengthens the keel when the two halves are attached together. Next came the screws. Lots and lots of screws.

Keel Screws

The screws are spaced so that they are all within five inches of each other. They are the same kind you use on a deck. They really do a good job of grabbing the wood and they are rust resistant. I'll end up counter sinking them and covering them over with thickened epoxy. You can see in the picture that I drew lines one inch in from all the edges. Then I spaced the center ones. The screws are only started into the wood. This way after I glue the two sides together I can come along with a drill and drive all the screws in before the glue sets up too much. I'll end up using over 1200 screws. For a boat, it sure has a lot of holes in it.


Next time I'll talk about the sticky stuff. I've developed a love/hate relationship with epoxy.