Flipping Day pretty easy

We finally had a few days of nice weather, and a day with no other projects on tap.  So, I decided to take the boat out of the garage and flip it.  The process went so quickly, that I did not stop to take a lot of photos.
It was a two person job, but not difficult.  It took longer to clean the boat out than it did to flip it and put it back on the frame.

1. Roll frame out onto driveway, adjacent to a smooth landing spot.
2. Place four strong saw horses that are taller than the building frame left and right, front and back next to the boat. 
3. Lift boat up with a long pry bar and insert 2X4 to receive boat.  The boat is now above the building frame.  remove frame to the front of the boat so it is ready to put back under.  
4. SLOWLY, move one side to the ground level.  I did this 1 at a time.  Boat is now ready to flip. 
5. Get your 22 year old son and have them stand on the low side.  Lift from the high side and SLOWLY roll the boat over.  Son will grab the high side and hold it while you go around to assist. 
6. Choose soft ground to lay it on



Boat has been lowered to ground after flipping,  nice soft grassy spot.  Building frame ready to reinsert.












The 2X4 is slightly wider than the boat, making it easy to lift the frame and kick the pvc pipe rollers under.








ready to go back in the garage.


6. replace the building forms on the frame with stout 2X4s 6-12" wider than the boat. Bolt to frame.  Now the frame can be moved by lifting on the 2X4.  This is very handy.

7. Grab your 22 year old son and lift adjacent to the Centerboard slot and place the boat back on the frame. 


Seriously,  it took longer to write this than flip the boat.  




All seams are now filled with WEST 410 and ready to be faired.  Hope to glass the seams next weekend.  It does take a while.  CB slot needs a bit of trimming out.  thinking that the router with a flush trim bit is the way to go here.  







7. 
   

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A kitchen scale saves the day

I took another boatbuilder’s suggestion, and bought a kitchen scale to use in measuring my epoxy mixtures. This simple device I bought for about $30 at K-Mart has made a huge difference. I can now precisely measure any given amount of epoxy, with no guesswork. It’s such an obviously superior method that I wish I’d done it this way all along.

Not surprisingly, the last 2 layers of epoxy went on easily, with no problems whatsoever in curing time. With the stem & related parts now encapsulated, I could move on to finishing the side planking.

On February 15, the 1-year anniversary of my heart surgery, I got the forward starboard planking attached.

Again, the kitchen scale was an indispensable part of the process, and really saved my tail at one point. With weight-based measuring, the Silvertip Gel Magic is mixed at a 1:0.41 ratio, (rather than the 2:1 ratio by volume.) I had mixed a little over 150 mL, because I had a considerable amount of area to cover: both surfaces of the butt joint, the forward 7 feet of chine and sheer, the side of frame #2, the upper part of the stem, and all the same mating surfaces on the planking itself.

I ran into trouble about 3/4 of the way through this batch of epoxy. Enough time had elapsed that the mixture had become so viscous that it was unworkable. At that point, I had coated everything on the boat framing, and had only just coated the mating surface for the butt block on the planking. I had all the rest of the planking left to go.

Luckily, I had 1 extra mixing cup and 1 extra chip brush on hand. Going quickly back to the kitchen scale, I mixed a small batch of approximately 75 mL, allowing me to finish the job. The epoxy cured solidly by the end of the afternoon.

The next day, I faired off the front of the starboard planking at the stem, and started fitting the port side.

Starboard side planking, finally attached!

Now to fit the port side.

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3d day

Went 3d with a small hiccup.  One crack to mend....

In the course of unfolding the stitched  halves.  the starboard bottom panel did a reverse flex and cracked just before the bow.  will patch with glass on the inside and sand smooth.  nothing terminal yet.  I did need to add a little reinforcement at the bow to get things lined up better.  It is pretty spectacular when this thing unfolds.  I recommend an extra pair of hands here.  

This crack was not as bad as it looked.  a couple of layers of glass set in epoxy on this side, backed up by a scrap piece of 1/4" ply set over release film and screwed in place created an almost invisible yet strong joint.  Sad to say, I have had to do this process many times while building boats.

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And the painting continues

After the fourth coat of Whidbey White, the dark colors of the wood arent showing through. So, the middle section is basically done... except for the sheers, which will be painted Sea Foam Green.

With this section finished, I re-installed the stainless steel grab handle onto frame #2.

It may be hard to discern the difference in the photo... but thats 4 coats of WR-LPU Whidbey White on the right, and only 2 on the left. I didnt see the point in painting 4 coats in the forward area, as it will be covered by the deck.

The next step will be to either begin assembling the seats, or finish applying the 2nd layer of epoxy to the aft section. Im not sure which Ill do.

Aft section needs a 2nd coat of epoxy before painting.

I also found some Sea Foam Green registration decals online & ordered them. I hope theyll match the bottom paint reasonably well.

These are the decals I ordered. Im looking forward to seeing how they look.

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Fairing day part 1

today, I sanded away all the high spots on the seams, and shaped the centerboard trunk slot using a router, and 7" disc grinder (aka wood eraser).  My arms are sore, but things are relatively fair.  I will need to order the fiberglass this week.   The plan is to use wide 6 oz cloth cut on a 45 degree bias, then apply 6 oz cloth over the whole hull.  This will be a long and tedious, messy task but will add value and years to the boat as well as much needed protection from rocky beaches.  I will put the keel on afterwards.

the PVC roller system is working very well to get this in and out.  

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The Great Boxing Day Miracle of 2015

Miracle? Okay, so maybe I oversold that just a little. 

However, yesterday I did indeed finish painting approximately 4 feet of the port sheer. I also reattached a couple of pieces of hardware.

The rest of the port sheer painted, with oarlock and fender cleat reattached.

I got these little spring-loaded stainless steel fender cleats at Academy Sports.

At this point, the painting is finished — at least for the white and green.
 All the brightwork remains to be varnished, however.

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Independence Day weekend in the boat shop

The long 4th of July weekend proved very productive. 

I taped off the "waterline" again, and painted a third coat of Sea Foam Green on the bottom. The transition line between the green and the Whidbey White is now much cleaner. Whereas I had "rolled and tipped" the sides for a smooth finish, I simply rolled the bottom, leaving a more textured finish.

How I marked the waterline:
Although I did not try to mark and paint a "true" waterline on the Utility, I did want to avoid the notable upsweep in the bottom paint that you often see on plywood boats. That upsweep comes from following the general practice of painting 2" above the chine (the joint between the side planking and the bottom planking). Maintaining that distance above the chine for the full length of the boat tends to exaggerate the upswept curve where the chine approaches the bow. 

To try to minimize this, I marked 1-1/2 inches above the chine from the transom to the forward-most frame. From there, I marked the line "downward" so that it ended on the actual seam between the side and bottom planking, at the bow. This wont leave a flat waterline, but hopefully the upsweep at the front wont be excessive.

THIS time, to avoid smudges from newspaper ink, I used plastic sheeting to cover the sides of the boat when I painted a 3rd coat on the bottom.

I made & carpeted new bunks for the trailer...

The original bunks were 38" long. These are just a little longer, at 48".

Did I mention I had epoxied the boat to the construction form?

Well, I did. So, another thing I did over the holiday weekend was to lift the boat hull up onto two concrete blocks and a 2x8 balanced on a toolbox. That provided me just enough room to crawl underneath the hull and start cutting away the construction form with a reciprocating saw. So far, Ive got about half of the form cut away. It has actually been kind of fun. Ive also gotten my first view of the inside of the boat.

The Utilitys hull propped up on two concrete blocks, a toolbox, and a 2x8 board.

This pile of rubble is whats left of half the construction form.

Underneath the boat, heres the transom, transom knees, etc...

Looking forward, from the middle part of the boat toward the bow.

Backing block for the butt joint on the starboard side.

Backing block for the butt joint on the port side.

Butt joints across the bottom.

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slowly bringing into shape

The shape is finally starting to come along.  The temporary center frame is in place (perhaps temporarily), and I have loosely wired in the stern frame.  The forward frame is under construction as well as the transom. I am hoping that this weekend I can get it all squared up and lock it all in place.

After a couple of hours, I was finally able to get these two forms to horn in accurately at each corner.  The problem was that the bottom panel was 1/4" too far aft.  I used a block of wood and a mallet to persuade it forwards, then reattached the forms til even.  Today, I will finish the forward frame and get the whole thing level prior to installing the transom.  Hope to be able to begin locking the boat together this week.

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Sail report Buzzards Bay day 2

August 21

Took the boat back to Wareham.  It was a glorious day with winds 10-15 kts and crystal clear skies.

We sailed out to the middle of Buzzards Bay and then went back to the sand spit for lunch.

I cant say enough of how well this boat sails and the ease of launch and retrieval.

Lunch on the sand spit.  It doesnt get any better than this.

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G9 minus one Perseverance sees the light of day

The G9 Boatbuilders Gathering is tomorrow. 

Today, I pulled the boat out into the daylight for the first time. It was a great feeling, to stand back and look at it... even though its not quite finished. 

But, shes on the trailer, and ready-to-go.

Trying out the transom saver I bought.

Tonight I attached these spring-loaded fender cleats.

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