Cedar Strip Small Craft Construction

Transcription

1 Cedar Strip Small Craft Construction This pictorial illustrates all of the different steps of construction involved in the process of building wood strip/epoxy/fiberglass sheathed round bottom hulls. Our pictorial starts by showing a selection of small hand held power tools used in the construction of wood strip hulls. Only very simple, easy to follow techniques are used to produce these beautiful clear finished hulls. No previous wood-working experience is required. We then show methods of cutting 1/4" x 3/4" wood strips from 1" x4" clear cedar boards. This is the only operation that will require the use of equipment other than hand tools. If you do not wish to cut strips yourself you may purchase them already finished, from a number of different sources. You will find several sources for wood strips on the links page in Compumarine s web site for materials and supplies. This pictorial then illustrates how to draw out and cut the station molds, build the strongback, set up the molds on the strong back and bending the strips in place over the molds. Then we show you how to fiberglass the hull outside and in then how to install all the assorted parts such as gunwales, seats, knees and other add-on parts to complete the boat. You will see a number of different types of hulls in this pictorial including the various styles of dinghies, canoes, and the Compumarine "Fisherman Car Topper" small craft design. An Assortment of hand power tools used for strip boat building. Only simple hand and power tools are required to do the job. Building strip hulls is the easiest form of round bilge small craft construction. You simply glue together 1/4" x 3/4" wood strips over a form consisting of station molds set up at equal intervals on a strongback.

2 We are ripping the 1/4" x 3/4" strips from Western Red Cedar 1" x 4" boards in this photo, using a radial arm saw. It helps to enlist the aid of another person to guide the long pieces through the saw. The strips are cut a little oversize so that both surfaces can be run thru a planer. That helps to eliminate a lot of additional sanding after the hull is stripped. They may also be run thru a router setup to cut them to a bead and cove shape. You may use the rectangular shape strip with no problem if you use hot glue for edge gluing the strips. Hot glue has very good gap filling characteristics but the finished hull needs lots of cleanup to remove the excess hot glue. Also the cracks between the strips will require some wood dough fill before finishing. I now prefer to use carpenter's

3 glue for edge gluing the strips although it does require the use of a lot of clamps. The bead and cove shape for the strips works well when using carpenter's glue and clamps for edge gluing. Cutting strips using a table saw. Table saws, radial arm saws and band saws can all be used for cutting strips. Use what is available to you and what you are comfortable with. A thin kerf blade will cut western red cedar very well. For consistent strip thickness you may wish to use a blade stiffener attachment which will prevent the blade from wandering. You may wish to purchase your strips instead of making them yourself; especially if you do not have a suitable saw available. Strips are available in a number of different types of woods, shapes, sizes and lengths from several suppliers. You will find strip sources listed in some of the boating publications and magazines and on the links page for materials & supplies in Compumarine's web site.

4 The two strongback rails and the six crossties are cut to size using 2" x 6" lumber. The nine station mold support pieces are made with 2" x 4" lumber. The lumberyard should allow you to select the best warp free and straight pieces you can find. The length of the strongback rails should be cut to the exact length shown in the manual for the size of hull you want to build. The crossties should be cut to approx 5 or 6 inches so that the

5 strongback width is about 8 or 9 inches. That dimension is not critical however, and any convenient width can be used to take advantage of an existing supply of wood. As a general rule, narrow hulls such as canoes, kayaks and rowing shells will use a narrow strongback and wider hulls will use a wider strongback. The power dinghy hull at five feet in width could be built on a strongback from 12 to 15 inches in width. The station mold spacing should be marked on top of the strongback rails prior to attaching the station mold support pieces. The support pieces for stations 1 thru 5 are attached on the side of the station spacing marks toward the bow, the mold supports for stations 6 thru 9 on the opposite side of the marks toward the stern. See the strongback drawing in Compumarine's construction manual.

6 Lay out the station molds on plywood or particle board. Place carbon paper between your full-size patterns and the plywood and trace the lines on the wood, one mold at a time. The notches on the molds will determine the sheer line of the hull. The bottom of the mold which sets on top of the strong-back, determines the keel rocker of the hull. Stations 0 and 10 will be attached to the ends of the strongback. Be sure to draw the line that will allow you to match the side of the mold to the top of the strongback, in the proper location.

7 Cut out the station molds using a hand held jig-saw. Notice that the two pieces of plywood are held together with a pair of clamps. You could also nail the sheets of plywood together to keep them from moving while you cut. The two half molds will then be matched up and connected at the centerline to form the station mold. The finished station molds. Notice the fair line of the hull shape can be seen in the finished molds. This will be the shape you would see if you were standing in front of the finished hull. Use your imagination to stretch it to the full length. This set of molds has been cut from plywood.

8 This set of molds for the Classic Dinghy has also been cut out of plywood. This photo shows the finished molds from a different perspective. This set of molds for the Fisherman hull was cut out of 1/2" Strand board. Be sure to give the cut out edges of the molds at least two coats of epoxy. The epoxy strengthens the end grain of either plywood or Strand board to help it hold nails or drywall screws better. Strand board is an excellent material for station molds. It is inexpensive and it is fairly dense and holds fastenings very well.

9 This photo shows stations 0 and 10 with canoe stem and stern pieces attached. The molds and the stem and stern pieces were coated with epoxy prior to assembly. Notice that the dotted line used to cut off the excess wood from stations 0 and 10 after the hull is removed, has been partially cut. Notice that the station molds for this canoe hull have small blocks of plywood in-stalled around the edges. As the strips are bent into place and edge glued together they will be clamped to these blocks until the glue sets. This will hold the strips in place without having to use nails or screws, helping minimize damage to the cedar strips.

10 This photo shows the Power Dinghy molds set up on the strongback ready to start bending on the strips. Notice how station 0 with the stem piece attached is installed on the end of the strong-back. This station should be attached using wood screws, which must be removed before lifting the finished hull off the molds. Station 0 remains in the finished hull. Refer to the drawing in the manual showing the station molds set up on the strongback. Be sure to attach station molds on the correct side of the mold support pieces. Notice

11 that on two ended hulls like this canoe, station 10 with the stern mold attached also stays in the finished hull. Attach station 10 to the strongback with wood screws. The first strip you will install on the molds is the keel strip. Attach the keel strip across the top of the station molds on the centerline. Measure the distance at the top as you screw the strip to the molds. Make sure that you have the correct station spacing at the top of the molds. The spacing at the top should be the same as at the bottom.

12 The next strips to be attached are the sheerline strips on each side of the molds. Start attaching the sheerline strip at Station 5 exactly at the notch in the molds and work towards each end of the hull. Be sure to keep the station spacing accurate as you attach the strip to each of the molds. Notice in this photo that the transom is resting on top of the pieces of wood extending from under the notches in stations 9 and 10 out past the transom.

13 The transom is resting against the transom mounts which are attached to station 10. I place a piece of two-sided carpet layers tape on the ends of the transom mounts to help hold the transom in place until the first strips have been attached at the centerline and the sheerline on both sides of the molds. The transom for this Fisherman hull has been assembled from two layers of 1 x 4 inch clear cedar boards edge glued together to make a single piece of wood large enough to cut out the transom pattern The finished transom is 1 1/2 inches thick. This transom construction is recommended for any hulls that will carry an outboard motor up to about 20 HP.

14 A curved transom looks great on rowing and sailing hulls. The first step in building a curved transom is to edge glue 1 x 4 inch cedar boards together to make a piece large enough to cut out the transom pattern. Next, cut three wedges and epoxy them to the transom as shown in the photo. The width of the top end of the center wedge should be 2 inches tapering down to 0 at the opposite end. The two side wedges should be 1 1/2 inches at the top. Match the wedges to the transom from top to bottom. Use 1/4 transom length spacing.

15 Glue strips across the wedges, the width of the transom starting with the first strip at the widest part of the transom. Continue gluing strips down until you reach the bottom edge of the transom. Use a staple gun to staple the strip ends in place until the glue sets. Finish gluing the strips to the top of the transom. Use a jig-saw to trim around the transom edge. Pull all of the staples and the transom is ready to mount on your strongback.

16 Bevel the edges of the stem mold and station 0, and the stern mold and station 10 on canoe and kayak hulls which will remain in the finished hull. They will have to be beveled so that the strips will contact a flat surface as they are glued into place. On dinghy hulls or any hulls that have a transom the edge of the transom must be beveled so that the strips will lay flat along the edge. A small belt sander works very well for completing this job. Use a piece of a strip for a batten to move along the edges of the molds as you bevel. Be sure the batten is long enough to go around a couple of stations to ensure the correct angle of the bevel.

17 Notice the first strips have been started at the notches along what will be the sheerline of this eighteen foot canoe hull. The notches that you cut in the molds when you made them, determine the sheerline of the hull. The flat bottom of the mold setting on the strongback determines the rocker designed into the hull. The strips are edge glued together up the sides of the hull. Place 2 or 3 strips on one side then trim them to the stem and stem molds or stem and transom as the case may be. Repeat on the other side of the hull. Continue until you reach the top of the stem and stern molds on two ended hulls and the top of the stem and transom on dinghy hulls.

18 Notice the blocks of wood attached to the edges of the molds. This photo illustrates how the c-clamps are used to hold the strips in place while the glue sets. You will see a clamp across the junction of the strip edges between each of the station molds and a clamp holding the strip to the edge of the mold using the blocks. This Classic Dinghy hull was built using plain rectangular strips. Notice in this photo that a hot glue gun is used to edge glue the strips. Many strip hulls have been built using this technique. It is a very easy assembly method but the downside is the amount of cleanup necessary to remove excess hot glue after the hull is finished.

19 To use the hot glue method of construction you will need to use an electric screw driver and drywall screws to hold the strips tight to the molds. Drive the screws through scarp pieces of strips to prevent damage to the hull strips. The hot glue sets in just a few seconds, so it is necessary to squeeze out about 12 inches of hot glue on the strip then hold it tightly in place while the glue sets, then screw the strip to the nearest mold only if the strip is trying to pull away from the mold. Screws are only needed in areas of compound curvature of the hull. No clamps are required for this technique.

20 The process of bending the strips in place around the molds gets a little more difficult as the strips reach the turn of the bilge. At this point in the construction you can take the easy way out and lay the strips from the centerline out on both sides of the hull. It is much easier to finish the bottom of the hull that way but the finished hull is not nearly as pretty to look at. Although it is more difficult to bend the strips into place toward the centerline I recommend doing so because you will be much more pleased with the results of your extra effort and with the appearance of the finished hull.

21 Notice that the edges of the molds for this Classic dinghy have been coated with epoxy. After the epoxy cured, the edges of the molds were also coated with bee's wax to keep the glue on the strips from sticking to the molds. Once you reach the top of the stem where the strips coming up the sides of the hull meet the centerline strip, the strips must have their ends trimmed to match the edge of the keel strip.

22 As you fit the strip into place mark a line on it at the edge of the keel strip and use a small hack saw or coping saw to cut it. If you have a miter saw, use it to make very accurate cuts. Also, if you have a flat bed, bench top sander, it will help to get the right angle on the ends of the strip so that it fits well on the keel strip. Notice that as the strips cross the edge of the station molds they are touching the corner and not the flat surface of the edge of the mold. Since the molds do not remain in the hull, they do not have to be beveled and that is the reason the molds have to be attached to their supports on the correct side to maintain the fair lines of the hull.

23 Notice the clamps that are being used to hold the edges of the strips together while the carpenter's glue sets. You can never have enough clamps for boat-building!

24 This photo clearly shows how the strips between the waterline and the keel, butt to the edge of the keel strip. Also notice that the ends of the strips below the waterline strip have been trimmed to the line of the stem and stern. Before Fiberglassing the outside of the hull, you will need to cover the sawn off ends of the strips at the stem. I use a thin piece of mahogany (1/8" thick) to epoxy in place around the curve of the stem. Then round the edges, so the stem is a smooth curve for the final finish. Some people prefer to use a 1/2 round brass for the stem and stern bands. If you use brass wait till after the hull is fiberglassed to put on the bands.

25 This photo of the Fisherman hull shows a mahogany stem band epoxied in place over the ends of the strips. After the epoxy sets it will be sanded to a nice rounded shape. Although I prefer a Mahogany stem band I have also used half round brass as a stem band and it gives the bow of the boat a lot of protection and looks good too.

26 The stripping on this 13' canoe hull is complete! The nails and staples used to hold the strips tight to the molds while the glue cures, have been removed. The holes have been filled with a mixture of sawdust and glue. Any hull damage from the use of screws and nails has been repaired and is unnoticeable in the finished hull. This 12 foot Fisherman hull had very little damage on it from the assembly process as a result of using blocks on the molds to clamp the strips in place. The hull was quickly sanded smooth and faired, given two coats of epoxy and is now ready for fiberglassing.

27 Suggestions for using epoxy: Always use separate measuring cups for the epoxy resin and hardener. Pour the resin and hardener into a container for mixing. Mix the epoxy for at least two minutes to insure proper curing. Pour the epoxy into a plastic paint tray liner. Do not mix any more epoxy than you can use within about five minutes. Use only foam rollers and foam brushes. Sixty inch wide, six ounce fiberglass cloth will cover the entire outside surface of the canoe hulls and ¾ of the surface of dinghy hulls. Drape the cloth over the dry surface of

28 the hull and smooth it into place. Trim the excess cloth around the sheerline leaving a couple of inches to spare. You will want to overlay the fiberglass cloth on the bottom of the hull so that you will have two layers of cloth for better abrasion protection on the bottom of the hull. Sixty inch wide cloth will cover from the sheerline on one side around to the waterline on the other side of this Fisherman hull as shown in this photo.

29 Overlap the stem and the transom also. Trim the cloth neatly and smooth it in place before saturating it with the first wetting out coat of epoxy. Notice that the cloth is placed on the dry hull. Never attempt to place fiberglass on a freshly, epoxy coated hull. Use a foam roller to completely wet out the fiberglass cloth with epoxy. Notice how the cloth turns clear as window glass! After the cloth is wetted out, use a squeegee to remove excess epoxy. As the epoxy cures, it releases gas bubbles that will tend to lift the cloth from the surface of the hull in

30 areas of excess epoxy. For best results, use as little epoxy as possible in the wetting out process. After the initial wetting out coat, you will need to apply at least three and maybe four additional coats of epoxy to completely fill out the weave of the 6 oz. cloth. Attach the outer gunwales to the hull prior to removing the hull from the molds. Use mahogany bull-nose stop molding for the gunwale material or cut your strip of hardwood to a 5/8" x 1 5/16" dimension. It looks good and provides a lot of strength to the sheerline

31 of the finished hull. If you prefer, you could use commercially available molded gunwales. Remove the wood screws holding stations 0 and 10 to the strongback and lift the hull off the molds. You may have to loosen some of the other station molds also. This 12 foot Fisherman hull weighs 48 lbs. at this stage of construction. Now you will see why it was important not to forget to draw the curved dotted lines on stations 0 and 10. The first thing you must do after you remove the hull from the molds is

32 too cut off the excess wood along the curved dotted line on station 0. Also on station 10 on two-ended hulls. Using a good quality epoxy is very important for getting a superior fiberglass job. For the initial wetting out coat, I recommend using slow or medium hardener if your ambient temperature is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the epoxy thoroughly for at least two minutes. Use a foam roller to wet out the fiberglass cloth. Using a squeegee to remove any excess epoxy is very important on the surfaces of the hull.

33 Use polyurethane expanding foam to fill the hollow spaces formed in the stem and stern sections. Use a hacksaw blade to trim the cured foam flush with the sheer-line.

34 Use mahogany bull-nose stop molding to fabricate the inwales. Cut 12" blocks, then space them at approximately 6" intervals along the inside of the sheer. Use fiber filler in the epoxy and clamp the blocks to the hull. Clamp a full length piece of molding to the blocks using fiber filled epoxy. This type of fabricated inwale not only looks nice, but is also very strong and very practical. Also notice the mahogany strips covering the foam filled stem and stern sections.

35 Two finished Canoe hulls. The shorter hull in this photo is 13' long. The other hull is 16' long. Actually they are not quite finished because they are missing the caned seats, the thwarts, and the portage yoke. These parts are available from an assortment of suppliers so we won't be doing any re-inventing of these parts for now. The fisherman ready for the finish parts to be added including seats, breast hooks, transom knees, inner gunwales, foredeck and hardware.

36 The simplest type of seats to install in a hull are 1 x 10 or 1 x 12 inch boards cut to shape, with a center support to help spread the load. I take my finished hulls to local boat shows so I use mahogany for the beauty of the wood but it adds a lot of weight. To keep the weight down for car-toppers I suggest using three 1 x 4 inch cedar boards edge glued together to make the thwarts. Very light weight and good looking thwarts can be fabricated by edge gluing your left over, scrap strips together and using two layers glued together to form the thwarts. You can determine the exact shape and fit for the thwarts by using tick strips at the proper locations in the hull as shown in this photo.

37 Mahogany thwarts cut to shape and ready for the center supports to be added. Be sure to give the thwarts and the center support pieces two coats of epoxy before gluing them together. After gluing the center supports to the thwarts, mix up some filled epoxy using either wood dough or sawdust, to a consistency of peanut butter, then make a fillet on each side of the support where it joins the thwart.

38 When making filled epoxy be sure to mix the resin and hardener for about two minutes before stirring in the wood dough. After the wood dough filled epoxy is thoroughly mixed, spread it out thin on a piece of plywood to keep it from setting up too quickly. Install seat stringers on each side of the hull for the thwarts to rest on. The stringers don't have to be full length. I don't like to have screws penetrating strip hulls because I feel they detract from the looks, so I improvise methods of clamping as you can see in this photo. Use filled epoxy to install the stringers.

39 Install the finished thwarts using filled epoxy on the stringer and on the bottom of the center supports, where the) contact the bottom of the hull. If you are building your hull to be used as a Yacht Tender you may wish to build in removable seats. That would allow the hull to be turned upside down on the foredeck of a larger yacht. Other seat types can be used to keep hull weight down for car-topping or other reasons. This Yacht Tender photo shows a sliding cane seat arrangement.

40 This photo shows a Fisherman hull built with foam filled, enclosed seats. The seats are made with panels of scrap and leftover strips from building the hull, edge glued together. The construction manual illustrates how to build these seats. It is easy to make to patterns for the necessary finishing parts for the hull using poster board. In this photo scrap pieces of poster board are laid on top of the transom and side of the hull. A pencil is used to draw the pattern for the transom quarter knees by tracing along the side of the hull and the top of the transom.

41 This photo shows the patterns for the two pieces required for the breast hook. These two pieces break in the middle to accommodate the curve of the top of station 0. A foredeck cover will go over the foam filled space and the breast hook pieces. Transfer the poster board patterns to a hard wood. Mahogany works great and adds beauty to the hull.

42 Cut the parts out using a jig saw, band saw or scroll saw and give them at least two coats of epoxy before installing them into the hull. Use wood dough filled epoxy to install the parts. Clamp the pieces in position on the hull till the epoxy cures.

43 Mahogany door skin or a wood veneer works great for a foredeck material. Place the material over the bow section and use a pencil to trace around the bow on both sides of the stem. Be sure to install the inner gunwales as discussed in a previous section of this pictorial, prior to installing the foredeck. Cut out and install the foredeck using a liberal amount of wood dough filled epoxy. Secure it in place by placing c-clamps around the edge of the outer gunwales and along the edge of the breasthook pieces. Use plenty of clamps so that no gaps will be left around the edges of the foredeck to spoil the looks.

44 Fiberglass the top of the foredeck to provide abrasion protection. This photo shows a simple method for transferring the shape of the hull to a piece of wood to make the skeg. The skeg should be made out of a hardwood. I like to use mahogany for its beauty.

45 Cut out the skeg using a hand held jig-saw. Attach the skeg to the hull using filled epoxy. Spread a fillet of wood filled epoxy at the junction of the skeg and the hull. Tie a piece of rope to the handles of two of your water filled bleach or milk bottles and drape the rope over the top of the skeg with bottles hanging below the sheerline of the hull. This will hold the skeg in place till the epoxy cures.

46 Three or four coats of varnish on a finished hull really brings out the color and shine. The varnish should be a good quality spar varnish with a ultra-violet inhibitor in the formula. The ultra-violet rays of the sun can degrade cured epoxy over a period of time. If protected your strip hull will last a very long time. Use at least three coats of a good quality spar varnish on the inside of the hull and all of the added parts. The varnish will provide protection from the ultra-violet rays of the sun.

47 Notice the spray strakes on the outside of this Power Dinghy hull. You may wish to install spray strakes on your hull if you will be using an outboard motor. Your finished strip hull will make an excellent car topper. It is a strong lightweight hull that will last forever if you take care of it. You will draw a crowd and lots of envious looks and compliments every time you take it out.

48 Have fun using your new "Work of Art". When you order the plans from Compumarine and build one of these small craft photographs of your finished hull and any comments you might have would be appreciated. We post photographs of finished boats by our customers on our web site. See the completed boats page. When you purchase a set of plans from Compumarine you will receive full size patterns to cut out the eleven station molds, the stem and the transom. You also receive a comprehensive construction manual that includes a hard copy of the photo pictorial tour you have just finished, and the specifications and word descriptions of each phase of the construction process from start to finish! Completed Boats

49 The 12 Classic Dinghy completed by the author. The 15 Fisherman completed by Brad Simmons. 8 Yacht Tender completed by Scott Gibson

50 12 Power Dinghy completed by Jim Krause 14 Classic Canoe completed by Alfred Troy. Boat Plans Available from Compumarine The Classic Dinghy

51 A delightful, traditional dinghy design with fine lines and classic styling...the hull features a wine glass transom, a hint of tumblehome in the aft sections, a gracefully curved sheerline to a clipper shaped bow with moderate flare in the bow sections. The hull is designed with a raking midship section with the deepest section at station four, the widest section at station six and the lowest point along the sheerline at station seven. These are the characteristics of a good displacement hull and can be seen in the lines drawing. This dinghy has been designed to provide exceptional rowing and sailing characteristics. It is a displacement type hull that will move easily through the water and will exhibit very good ultimate stability. The twelve foot hull will carry 4 persons with all their gear. At a maximum load of 750 lbs., there is still nine inches of freeboard left for safety in rough or choppy waters. Although designed originally at twelve foot, this classic style dinghy can be built in any length (LOA) from eight to twelve feet, simply by changing the station spacing and the length of the strongback. Specifications are provided for lengths (LOA) from eight to twelve feet on two foot intervals. (Click on Lines Drawing to the right for specifications!) The same mold patterns are used for the different lengths. The displacement, load capacity and hydrostatic calculations are different for each length. For instance, the Classic Dinghy built to a ten foot length will still have the same beam and draft as the 12 footer but the displacement will have changed to 250 lbs. with a load carrying capacity of 600 lbs. and will carry three persons instead of four. Changing to an eight foot length gives a two person dinghy.

52 When you purchase the plans set for this dinghy you will receive full size patterns for the eleven station molds and the stem and transom pieces and the most comprehensive construction manual currently available for amateur boat builders. The manual provides a complete written description and a photographic illustration of each step of the construction process. This hull has been designed for ease of construction for the amateur boat builder. Wood strip construction is a very simple and easy method for building round bilge hulls. It is an ideal construction method for a person with limited woodworking skills and a minimum tool inventory. Anyone can create a beautiful, clear finished, round bottom wooden boat that is a work of art. The finished boat will require a minimum amount of maintenance and will be extremely durable over many years of use. This type of hull is very strong and light weight and makes an excellent car topper. Feel the satisfaction that comes with building your own boat. Get started now on a great fall, winter or rainy days project and be on the water on nice summer days. The Power Dinghy This dinghy style has a planing type hull and has been designed primarily for use with an outboard motor. Since it is a round bilge hull it will still exhibit excellent rowing and sailing characteristics. It is a wider and larger hull design than the Classic Dinghy and has excellent load carrying capacity. Refer to the lines drawing and notice that the buttock lines are much flatter then the same lines in the drawing for the Classic Dinghy. Also notice the considerable difference in the shapes of the transom between the two styles. The transom is much wider and flatter along the bottom. The Power Dinghy hull has a beam width of five feet and has considerable initial and ultimate stability. The hull has more freeboard and more flare in the bow sections to keep the boat dry when running through rough or choppy waters. This type of hull is ideal for use in rivers, lakes and protected ocean bays.

53 The cedar strip, round bottom construction method used for this boat allows for a much lighter and stronger hull than is possible with other types of construction for a boat of this size. Click on Lines Drawing (right) for Specifications. Consequently this dinghy style makes a very convenient car topper, easily handled by two persons, possibly even one person when necessary. The weight of the 12 foot model can be held to under 95 lbs. depending on the types of material and configuration used for the seats and other parts used in the hull. Construction is the cedar strip, wood epoxy saturation technique which is a very easy boat building method for amateurs. This method of construction requires little or no woodworking experience and a minimum amount of hand and power tools. Anyone can build a beautiful strip plank wooden boat using this technique. This hull can be built in lengths of twelve or fifteen feet using the same station mold patterns. To change the length of the finished hull, simply change the length of the strongback and the station spacing. The displacement and load capacity will increase for the fifteen foot model. The design package contains full size patterns for the station molds, the stem and the transom. The full size patterns allow you to trace the lines directly on plywood or particle board to make the stations molds. The design package also contains a comprehensive instruction manual that completely describes and illustrates the construction process "step by step", in both words and pictures. Using the information provided in the plans package with less than $500 in materials and approximately 200 hours of your spare time, you can create your own "Work of Art." The Yacht Tender The Yacht Tender style of dinghy has been designed with very rounded and full lines to provide adequate load carrying capacity

54 for very small dinghies. It has a greater amount of freeboard for the length than the Classic Dinghy and the sheerline is not quite as pronounced. With a flatter sheerline this hull will be very easy to carry on the deck of your cruiser turned upside down. Also, it's light weight will make it easy to use with or without davits. It is a general purpose design that will perform very well for rowing and sailing or with a small long shaft outboard motor. This dinghy has a beautiful rounded hull shape that will be easy to build and will be very functional for use as a Yacht Tender. Although originally designed at nine feet, these hull lines are suitable for building in smaller sizes. When you purchase the plans package for this design you will receive specifications for seven, eight and nine foot hulls. (Click on Lines Drawing to the right for specifications!) Changing the length from a nine footer to a seven or eight footer will change the displacement, load carrying capacities and hydrostatic characteristics but the beam will still be 4 feet and the draft will still be 6.2 inches. This hull is designed specifically for the amateur boat builder (as are all Compumarine designs) who wants to build a round bottom type of hull. Cedar strip hulls saturated with epoxy and sheathed with fiberglass inside and out are very strong and lightweight for their size and are very easy to build. This method of construction will produce ideal boats where beauty and ease of handling are important. Their performance characteristics are unexcelled and impossible to achieve with other types of construction. Using the full size station mold patterns and the highly descriptive building manual a person with little or no wood working skills and minimum tools can build one of these boats. You can build one of the small Yacht Tenders for less than $1,000 in materials using approximately 200 hours of your spare time. It can be built in a very small work space such as a single car garage, a basement or even a spare room. Building one of these small craft is

55 a terrific project for those spare time hours when you really want something productive, interesting and fun to do. The Fisherman This hull is designed for use as an easily car-topped fishing boat and was originally designed for a fly Although designed originally as a twelve footer, this Fisherman dinghy can be built in lengths (LOA) of twelve or fifteen feet, simply by changing the station spacing and the length of the strongback. Specifications are provided for both lengths (LOA) twelve and fifteen feet. (Click on Lines Drawing to the right for specifications!) The same mold patterns are used for both lengths. The displacement, load capacity and hydrostatic calculations are different for each length. When you purchase the plans package for this dinghy you will receive full size patterns for the eleven station molds and the stem and transom pieces and the most comprehensive construction manual currently available for amateur boat builders. The manual provides a complete written description and a photographic illustration of each step of the construction process. It is a lot of fun, building your own fishing boat! This easily car topped fishing boat will have you at your favorite fishing hole at any time you like and at a moment s notice! The Classic Canoe

56 Several thousand years ago somebody dragged a Cedar tree out of the forest and proceeded to dig the wood out of it to make it hollow in the middle. He created the first dugout canoe. For the time it was a very convenient way to make a vessel to transport himself for long distances over the water.. He did not have the advantage of today's technology so he was not aware of and totally unconcerned about the hydrostatics and hydrodynamics of the hull he created. Canoe hulls were manufactured in this fashion for many thousands of years and were improved upon as all things will be as time goes by. At some point in time a new method was found to make a much lighter and more manageable vessel...the birch bark canoe and its derivatives were born. The shape of the hull however stayed the same symmetrical shape of the hollowed out log, once again with no regard to hydrodynamics. The shape of a tree trunk became the traditional shape for even modern canoes of aluminum and plastic, simply because that shape had been used for eons. It is almost unbelievable that that with today's technology, canoes are still being manufactured with little regard for the hydrodynamics of modern hull shapes. Compumarine's Classic Canoe hull has the shape that all displacement hulls should have. (Click on Lines Drawing to the right for specifications!) Displacement hulls are those hulls that are designed to move through the water, not on top of it like a power boat's planing hull form. There are several key features to the modern shape of a displacement hull...a sharp angle of entry at the bow sections, the

57 greatest depth of hull just forward of the midship section at approximately station four, the center of displacement just aft of the midship section at approximately station six, and the greatest width of the hull a little further aft at approximately station seven. As the hull moves through the water it parts the water gently, then after it has been displaced past the center of displacement the water flow past the hull then closes quickly creating the least amount of turbulence and the least possible amount of drag. This hull shape produces the least amount of friction to the flow of water around the hull of a displacement type boat. Lots of dollars have been invested over many years on computer research and tank testing by Naval Architects to determine the proper shape of displacement hulls for America's Cup sailboat racing and for many other displacement type hulls. The basic features of the shape that has resulted from all this research, is the ultimate shape for any displacement hull from a two foot model to a hundred foot sailboat or any size in between. Obviously there are many differences in beam widths, drafts, displacements, waterline lengths bow and stern shapes for different types of displacement craft but the basic features of this asymmetrical shape should apply. This is the shape that is designed into all of Compumarine's displacement type hulls including the Classic Canoe. The Classic Canoe plans package includes full size patterns for station molds, the stem and stern pieces. Specifications are provided to allow you to build the hull in your selected length from 12 to 21 feet. Cedar strip/epoxy construction is the ideal technique for amateur boat builders with little or no wood working experience and a minimum supply of hand and power tools to build there very "work of Art". It is easy to glue 1/4" x 3/4" cedar strips together over a simple set of plywood or particle board molds that you have cut out with a hand held jigsaw. Give it a try! It is a lot of fun to build your own hull and the satisfaction you receive is priceless. The Plans Package

58 The Construction Manual. The Full-Size Pattern Blueprints. Plans are priced at $139 including shipping Go To: to order plans Or Mail Order to: Compumarine 1208 Calle Juan Legarra Rio Rico AZ 85648