| |
Included with each Subscription:
- Scaled drawings and step-by-step building instructions for All Three Boats
- How to copy another driftboat hull
- How to design and build your own hull from scratch
- How build a stitch and glue boat from someone else's framed-boat blueprints
- If you are going to build a boat--even if you are working with someone else's blueprints -- a MRB subscription is $25.00 well spent
|
Simple Stitch and Sew Plywood Construction
These plans include drawings, tool and material lists and written instructions for stitch-and-sew plywood-fiberglass
construction. Stitch-and-Sew construction is well
suited to the beginning boat builder. At approximately 275lbs. for
a finished 15' boat, plywood-fiberglass boats weigh less than most aluminum
or molded fiberglass boats.
A fiberglass skin is an essential component of the ribless boat
since the glass fabric and epoxy resin give the boat structural strength
as well as a tough and durable finish. Epoxy resin is used for all
the gluing in the boat as well as for fiberglassing. Polyester resin,
which is used in the construction of "all-fiberglass" boats, is not
suitable for wood- fiberglass construction because polyester resin
does not adhere well to wood. These instructions
were originally written assuming the use of Gougeon Brother's excellent WEST SYSTEM
epoxy products. But many recent builders report equally excellent results (and attractive prices) using
Raka products.
Read through the entire text of these instructions before beginning any
work.
How long will it take?
I once built five boats in 30 days flat. But I can't build a single boat any
faster due to gluing/fiberglass hardening times. A friend of mine--an MSU art teacher--built a boat from my plans that was perfect. It was prettier than any I ever built myself. It took him 6 months, working by himself, working intermittant evenings and weekends. Many builders finish faster than that. Few, if any, do a better job.
Montana Riverboats
Sandy Pittendrigh
118 Erik Bozeman, Mt. 59715
sandy at www.montana-riverboats.com
Specifications: Honky Dory
center line length--------------------15'
gunwale length-----------------------16"'
bottom width-------------------------56"
beam---------------------------------75"
height at the oarlocks---------------24
finished weight----------------------275-300 lbs.
capacity-----------------------------four persons, 1100 lbs.
Specifications: Buffalo Boat
"center"line length--------------------10'
gunwale length-----------------------12'
bottom width-------------------------48"
beam---------------------------------64"
height at the oarlocks---------------24"
finished weight----------------------210-230 lbs.
capacity-----------------------------3 persons, 825 lbs.
| Chine |
The curved line formed by the junction of the side and the bottom of the boat. |
| Stem |
A thirty inch piece of hardwood, triangular in its cross-section, that joins the two side panels at the front of the boat. |
| Transom |
The wedge-shaped piece of plywood that joins the two side panels at the stern end of the boat. |
| Strongback |
The temporary form on which the hull of the boat is built. The strongback consists of several trapezoid-shaped stations that conform to the shape of the boat. These trapezoidal stations are made from chipboard scraps or 1"x6" pine boards. |
| Cord |
A length of 1"x6" pine board that forms one side of a trapezoidal strongback station. Each trapezoidal strongback station consists of four cords the "top" cord, the bottom cord, and two matching side cords. |
| Gunwale |
The "top" edge of the side of the boat. |
| Beam |
The distance across the gunwales at the widest part of the boat. |
| Kick |
The hardening process of resin and hardener. As resin begins to harden, it is said to "kick." |
Woodworking tools
You will need a hand saw, and either a portable power circular saw
(skillsaw) or a power saber saw. A table saw is handy, but not absolutely
necessary. You will also need a minimum of eight C-clamps for installing
wooden gunwales. These c-clamps must have a minimum throat depth of
two inches and a minimum opening of three inches. The more C-clamps
you have, the better. Most rental shops rent C-clamps. I use up to
24 C-clamps per side. Other necessary
tools include a power drill and assorted bits (including a phillips
head screw driver bit), an orbital sander, flat wood rasp, paint scraper,
bevel square, spirit level, hacksaw, a smooth faced hammer, and a sharp
block plane. A sharp block plane is a key tool. Keeping it sharp is
essential. Buy a carborundum water stone or a fine India oil stone
and hone the blade frequently. A small abrasive wheel in an electric
drill can be used to re-grind a plane blade if repeated honing has
rounded off the cutting edge of the blade. You will also need several
sheets of 50, 80 and 100 grit silicon carbide floor surfacing paper,
and a few sheets of 180 grit aluminum oxide paper. Rental shops that
rent floor surfacing equipment also sell silicon carbide floor surfacing
paper.
Table Saws
If you want to build a boat it helps to have a table
saw. The table saw isn't a requirement, but it does make it easier to do good work,
especially when making gunwales and seat parts.
For those who don't have a table saw and who don't want to buy one,
you can make one, with a piece of chipboard and an old skillsaw:
...bolt the skillsaw to one side of the chipboard. Hold the trigger
down semi-permanently with a nylon strap-tie (you turn the saw on and
off by plugging it in to a live receptacle).
Then plunge the blade through the chipboard, turn the chipboard over, put it on saw horses
and then use clamps and a straight edge to make
an adjustable guide parallel to the blade.
It takes a little longer (than a real table saw) to set
up each new cut, but it does cut with a staight even line--does just what you need for cutting gunwales out of 1x10 stock or for what ever else. Do be careful. Powertools are dangerous.
Honky Dory Materials
Plywood, Wood and Hardware materials (Plywood-Fiberglass Construction)
2 sheets 4'x8'x1/4" AA fir, marine plywood or 5mm marine mahogany
3 sheets 4'x8'x3/8" AA fir
4 1"x2"x16' oak, ash, or fir boards for gunwales
1"x6"x16' #2 pine boards for the strongback
2 sheets 3/8" CDX plywood for strongback corner gussets
1 lbs 5/8" drywall screws 1 lbs 1-1/4" drywall screws
1 box 3" flat head 1/4", course thread bolts
1 box 1/4" "nylock" nuts
1 box 1/4" flat washers
1 box 1-3/4" ring shanked panel nails
50' 1"x4" mahogany, oak, fir, or ash for seat frames and other interior
parts
WEST SYSTEM Materials
Gougeon Brothers Inc.
Box 908
100 Patterson Ave. Bay City, Michigan
4877-0908
(989) 684-7286
WEST SYSTEM Technical Manual
5 gallons #105 resin
1 gallon #205 hardener
1 pair mini pumps
1 gallon acetone
1 bag #403 microfibers
1 bag #406 colodial silica
1 bag #407 micro balloons
1 roll 6" fiberglass tape
13 YD. 50" ten ounce fabric
20 YD. 60" ten ounce fabric
Tools
Tools for applying WEST SYSTEM resin include a 1.5" or 2" bristle brush
with a wooden handle, 1.5" to 6" putty or drywall knives, and foam
paint rollers of various sizes. Clean your tools regularly with acetone.
(Caution acetone is flammable). Keep the
brush and the smaller putty knives in a can filled half-way with solvent,
and keep a lid on the solvent can to keep the solvent from evaporating.
Hardened epoxy can be burned off putty knives with a propane torch.
Use a wide, flat container such as a roller pan with a plastic liner
or a plastic dishpan for mixing epoxy. A wide container dissipates
the heat created by the reaction of the #105 resin with the #205 hardener.
Heat can build up in a small container creating a chain reaction that
will harden the resin in a matter of seconds. Overheated resin that
is setting up fast does not penetrate or adhere well to wood. Whenever
a chain reaction does occur immediately discard the overheated resin
and start again. Use rubber gloves at all times when handling epoxy
resin. Epoxy resin is a skin irritant, and some people develop allergic
skin reactions to it. You may also want to wear a good respirator with
activated charcoal elements designed for organic vapors. Always wear
a dust mask of some kind when grinding or sanding epoxy-fiberglass.
Cheap, disposable vinyl or latex rubber gloves are handy, but I prefer
heavier, chemical resistant gloves that can be washed in solvent after
each use and reused indefinitely. Chemical resistant gloves can be
purchased at most janitorial supply houses. Black rubber mason's gloves
are almost as good.
Gluing, Filleting, and Fiberglassing Procedures
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for using WEST SYSTEM products,
but also read the following supplementary information.
For every gluing, filleting, or fiberglassing process, you will use
WEST SYSTEM #105 resin mixed with #205 fast hardener. The ratio is
5 parts resin to 1 part hardener. WEST SYSTEM mini pump dispensers
automatically measure the resin and hardener in the right proportion.
One squirt of resin mixes with one squirt of hardener. The mixture
of resin and hardener will be referred to as "resin" for the duration
of these instructions. #105 resin is never used without its corresponding
component of hardener, so it is now understood that the term "resin"
will mean the proper mixture of resin and hardener.
Priming the Pumps
Unscrew the caps from the #105 resin and the #205 hardener and replace
them with the corresponding mini-pumps. Hold a Dixie- cup or other
small container under the hardener pump and push down repeatedly on
the pump. Let the plunger rise up slowly by its own spring-loaded power.
Once the pump stops spitting air and is completely primed the hardener
collected in the Dixie cup can be returned to the hardener can. Repeat
this process for the resin pump, using a fresh Dixie cup.
Gluing
Always wet out both sides of any joints to be glued with resin as a
first step. Usually one wet coat is enough, but for porous woods and
end-grain, you may need a second coat. The wet-out surfaces should
look wet. After wetting out the surfaces, mix a second batch of resin
and thicken it with #403 microfibers until it is the consistency of
sour cream or yogurt. Apply the thickened mixture to one side of the
joint to be glued. Clamp the joint until the glue is hard. Hardening
times vary considerably with temperature and humidity changes. Immediately
clean up any squeeze-outs.
Filleting and Puttying
Filleting is the rounding out of inside corners to reinforce the joint,
and to produce a smoothly rounded corner prior to fiberglassing. Use
a mixture of 60% #407 micro balloons, thirty percent #403 microfibers
and ten percent #406 colodial silica for all puttying and filleting
operations. (This mixture works well for me, but don't be afraid to
do a little experimenting. Epoxy resin is strong, versatile stuff,
and you can get satisfactory results from a variety of thickeners.)
Wet out the area to be filled. Mix another batch of resin and thicken
(with micro balloons, micro fibers and colodial silica) until the mixture
is the consistency of thick peanut butter. Use a physician's tongue
depressor (or cut a rounded tool from plywood) to apply and smooth
the filleting. Apply the mix thickly in the area to be filled. Then
smooth repeatedly with the depressor to form a smooth rounded shape.
Press down hard on the filleting tool to squeeze out the excess putty
as you form the fillet. Immediately clean up squeeze-outs with a putty
knife. For puttying to fill up dings, use the same mix as for filleting.
FIBERGLASS
Fiberglass is a generalized term that refers to a wide assortment of
woven fabrics that are layered and bonded together with various plastic
resins. The best resin, in fact the only resin suitable for wood- fiberglass
construction is epoxy resin because epoxy is the only resin that adheres
well to wood. Fiberglass fabric is a woven laminate material that is
made from glass fibers. In its raw form, fiberglass fabric is very
soft and flexible, and looks a little like white canvas. When fiberglass
fabric comes in contact with resin, the fabric turns transparent and
loses its white color. Fiberglass fabric is easy to work with, and
can be used for every fiberglassing step in the construction of this
boat. Other laminate materials that work well with epoxy include Kevlar,
graphite fibers, and polypropylene fabric. If you are familiar with
these other laminate materials, feel free to use them in place of the
standard fiberglass fabric specified in these instructions.
Working with resin and fiberglass fabric
In order to cover any piece of wood with a layer of fiberglass, start
by rough-cutting the fiberglass fabric to the size needed, one to one
and a half inches large on all sides. Wet out the wood surface with
resin. To apply, pour the resin directly onto the wood surface and
spread it with a four or six inch drywall trowel, or pour the resin
into a roller tray and spread the resin over the wood with a foam roller.
Lower the fabric onto the wet-out wood surface, and pull on the edges
to get any wrinkles out of the fabric. A helper is particularly handy
when lowering dry fiberglass fabric down onto a wet surface. Two or
more workers can lower the fabric into place with a minimum of wrinkles.
Use a plastic squeegee or a 6" metal trowel to smooth the fabric. Use
the trowel to stretch and tension the fabric, stroking the trowel from
the "center" out toward the edges. Once the wrinkles are gone, apply
more resin and smooth evenly until the fabric becomes transparent and
disappears. But be careful! It is important not to use too much resin.
Too much resin will float the fabric on thick puddles of resin. This
weakens the finished fiberglass laminate. Use just enough resin to
make the fabric transparent.
Trowel any excess resin off the fabric to leave the rough, pebbled
texture of the fabric showing on the surface. Avoid slick, glassy puddles
of resin on the surface of the fabric. Some glassy spots are inevitable,
just try to keep them to a minimum. On the other hand, don't use so
little resin that cloudy- white areas remain in the fabric. Use just
enough resin turn the fabric transparent, but not enough to float the
fabric over thick, glassy puddles. Once the first wet-out coat has
saturated into the fabric, you can quit for the day and then proceed
with subsequent finish coats at a later date. Or you can wait two or
three hours for the resin to become tack free, but not necessarily
fully cured, and proceed immediately with one or more finish coats
of additional resin.
If you let the first wet-out coat harden completely, you must sand
off any hard lumps of resin before finish coating. If you choose to
go ahead and finish coat as soon as the first wet-out coat becomes
tack free, sanding is not necessary. Use one to three finish coats
as needed to obscure the texture of the fabric and to produce as glossy
and as smooth a finish as you choose. Spread finish coats with a four
or six inch drywall trowel, and then immediately brush out the lines
left by the edges of the trowel with a bristle brush. To smooth out
trowel marks that have already begun to set up, it may become necessary
to dampen the brush with acetone or WEST SYSTEM solvent.
Paint Vs. Varnish
The last step in the boat building process is to cover the boat with
an ultra-violet shield--in other words to paint the boat. Ordinary
oil-based porch and deck paint is the cheapest alternative. Linear
polyurethanes are the most durable and the most expensive. Any pigmented
paint is a better ultra-violet shield than a clear finish. When a paint
finish is planned, all layout lines, pencil marks, dings, and scratches
can be left in place during the construction process with no effect
on the finished appearance of the boat. If you want a clear, natural
wood or stained finish, you will have to plan for it from the beginning.
Your first choices will relate to the materials used in the gluing
and filleting operations described below. Filleting is the filling
of inside corners with a thickened resin mixture to reinforce, and
to round out inside corners before fiberglassing. All gluing and filleting
operations involve the use of various thickening agents in addition
to the resin that holds everything together. Many of these thickening
agents are white or red in color, and they don't look very good under
a clear finish. If you are planning a clear finish, use a mixture of
fine sawdust, # 406 colloidal silica, and #403 microfibers as thickening
agents for all gluing and filleting operations. If you want to stain
any parts of the boat, use an alcohol based stain, such as Watco Five
Minute stain, rather than oil based stains. Epoxy will not adhere to
wood that has been stained with an oil based stain! Do the staining
right away, before any assembly process or contact with resin. If you
are planning a stain finish, pre-stain the sawdust you plan to use
for any filleting or puttying before you mix it with resin.
Part Three Building the Plywood-Fiberglass Boat
| 1 ) | Build the strongback |
| a. | Strongback is fancy way of saying "temporary plywood or chipboard ribs" |
| b. | Note that the boat hull is built (on the strongback ) upside-down |
| 2 ) | Cut and layout the plywood side panels |
| 3 ) | Pre-fiberglass the side panels (pre fiberglass the inside surfaces only) |
| 4 ) | Mount the sides on the strongback |
| 5 ) | Fasten the stem and the transom to the sides |
| 6 ) | Make, pre-fiberglass, and install the bottom (pre-fiberglass the inside surface only) |
| 7 ) | Fiberglass the outside of the boat
|
| 8 ) | Rollover the boat
|
| 9 ) | Install the gunwales and the temporary, cross gunwale braces
|
| 10 ) | Pull out the strongback stations and fillet the "inside chine corners" of the boat
|
| 11 ) | Apply a second layer of ten ounce fabric to the inside bottom
|
| 12 ) | Make and install the interior parts
|
| 13 ) | Paint the boat
|
The rest of these boat building instructions are only available with a subscription!
Purchasing: Online Subscriptions
| |
| |
Beavertail/
Buffalo Boat/
Honky Dory/
Homemade Boats/
Misc Assembly Pics/
Reducing Rocker/
Ryan Frederick
beavertail online plans/
buffalo boat online plans/
honky dory online plans/
larrywirefence
wirefence4