MY BOAT PROJECT

The boat is a 15ft6" Chesapeak Bay Skiff of plank construction from plans from the 1950's. I began construction on January 15th 2010.

I started with the forming of the stem, which is the front piece of the boat. The radius is formed by using a piece of string and a pencil and drawing the arc of a 52 degree angle which is formed using a protractor. I drew the large arc on a piece of cardboard and then cut it out to make a template for drawing the line on the edges of the stem. The front of the stem is rounded off with a hand plane and belt sander. The rabbet cut that the sides fit into is difficult to do. I used a circular saw set at the needed depth and then set to cut at an angle. I then used a wood chisel to pop out the groove and used a dremel tool with a grinding wheel to smooth it all out before sanding to finish. It may need some adjustment for a perfect fit once the sides are bent on the forms.

I was unable to get 16ft cedar planks or anything wider than 8" so I used three 8" wide by 3/4" thick planks 12ft long and cut one 12ft into three 4ft pieces for each side. I also used two 10ft long by 3 1/2" wide cedar boards per side because I wanted a little extra height for the sides to help in rough water. This is a small change on a part of the boat that is out of the water and will not affect the boats performance but will affect how the topside line will need to be cut for a level appearance. I cut side ribs out of select white pine and notched them for the chines which run inside the bottom side planks. My childen helped me rip a 16ft 2x4 down for the chines. Both the bottom edge of the chines and botton side planks are cut at a 22 degree angle so they will be flat once the sides are set and bent around the forms. I staggered the planks so that two 12ft were on either side of one 4ft at the bow end and two 4ft were around the middle 12ft at the stern. The seam for the two 4ft at the stern aligns with the placement of one of the ribs but a small stringer is needed at the seam of the one 4ft in front to keep everything tied together. The stringer needs to overlap the two outer boards by two inches and be three inches wide to overlap the seam. I used Bronze wood screws to secure the ribs to the planks and used liquid nails adhesive which is waterproof between the edges of the planks which were clamped tight while attaching to the ribs. Also use adhesive between the ribs and planks. I made the ribs longer than needed and will cut them off before bending the sides to the forms. Measuring to cut the bottom edge planking appears difficult but I just subtracted the difference from the longest measurement to create the points and then had my wife help me hold a flexible piece of aluminum edging to all the points to create a smooth arcing line.

Using a marine adhesive caulk such as 3m 5200 or 4200 may have been better than the liquid nails but this adhesive is extremely strong and though flexible, I was worried the cedar may split some when bending to the forms. I plan on caulking with this adhesive after bending and using it when I plank the botttom of the boat. It does not come in clear though so I will use the tan color.

For the transom I used four 2x6 pine boards cut to the specifications and I used wooden dow rods two inches long between the boards and a white oak stringer on the inside to secure them together. I cut each edge after the boards were joined at one with a 10 degree angle to the sides tapering towards the stern. I am not cutting the botton edge angle until after I secure the transom to the sides to make double sure the angle given is correct. I will also wait to notch out the back for the short shaft hieght of the outboard until the bottom planks are on to be sure to get it exact. I recommend a small piece of aluminum plating where the outboard screw clamps will meet the transom to prevent digging into the wood.

Today is February 7th and due to a large snowfall this weekend my progress was reduced since I had to shovel snow for about 8 hours this weekend. One side is finished and the other is 3/4 done. The stem is done and the transom is complete. The next step will be to make the forms around which the side will be bent.

On the weekend of February 13th I was able to complete the mold form to bend the sides around. I then attached the stem to the front of each side and put the form in against the stem. I supported it with totes to hold it at the right height while I bent the sides around the form. I used stacks of heavy filled totes to hold the sides in place as I carefully moved them inward. I also clamped pieces of wood on the outside of the top area of the stem to prevent any splitting or pulling out of screws. When I was able to get the edges of the first form board to touch the sides, I nailed them to the form board. The same as I got the sides against the second and third form boards. I then continued to bend the sides in until I attached them to the transom.

I had three problems. The first is the stem is not perfectly aligned to the center bacause my rabbet cuts were not perfect. I have decided to cut it off short to a perfect even point and attach two narrow cedar planks to joine in a precise V at the front which will overlap the rabbet joints and make everything smooth. The second is I needed an extra rib where the four foot long middle planks met the 12 ft planks to keep them from popping out of the curve. When I was all done bending I made a clamp system to force them back to where they should be and put a short overlapping rib at each seam and attached the planks to it with screws. The third problem is minor but when I made the first side I did not put the little blocks I notched out of the ribs back in when I screwed the ribs to the sides. When you put the blocks back in it aligns the botttom board correctly as it is bent. When you flip the boat over and put in the chine boards you just undo the screw that are into the blocks, remove them, notch the chine boards to the ribs and use the same screws to go through the chines and ribs. I will have to do some extra clamping and alignment on the side I did not put the blocks in. (NOTE, I HAD TO DO SOME EXTRA WORK ON BOTH SIDES, THE BLOCKS MADE LITTLE DIFFERENCE. PUTTING THE CHINES IN BEFORE IT IS BENT DOES NOT WORK EITHER AS THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO SLIDE IN THE GROOVE AND WOULD JUST POP OUT. ALSO DO NOT THINK YOU COULD BEND THE SIDES WITH THIS THICKNESS ALL AT ONCE.)

Overall I was very pleased with the progress and outcome of the weekend, it looks like a boat now and I expecially like the upward rake of the bow and stern. I have to cut out the transom next and flip the boat over to fit the chines and start fairing the bottom.

During the week I was able to get the transom cut out properly and shape the stem to a nice V shape and cut off the top and bottom of it.

On February 20th I was able to insert both inner chine boards and secure them. It took about two hours per side since I had to use clamps to force them down into the ribs and clamps to squeeze them tight to each rib before joining the plank chine and rib with two screws per rib. I worked from bow to stern. I also filled all the screw holes and cracks in knots on one side with high quality oak colored filler.

On February 21st I faired the botttom, which is making both bottom edges square and level to one another so the bottom planks fit on evenly and flat. I used a belt sander with 50 grit paper to do most of the work. This also evens the chines, ribs, and bottom sides so they look like one surface. I worked on sanding out the filler and any marks on one side and cut to shape and layed on about 2ft of bottom planking starting at the stern. I used pieces of cedar left from the sides and need to purchase the rest of the cedar for the bottom planking. I will be using 3 and a half inch wide pieces to help with following the bottom contour closely. I should get the rest of the planking cut to shape and layed out before next weekend when I am hoping to finish the bottom and install one seat so I can remove the forms and put on the side rails and top rails.

On February 27th my son Zach and I began planking the bottom. We used 3M 5200 adhesive sealer and 1 5/8" screws to secure the planks and sank the screw into the chines instead of the sides since the white pine is harder and will hold the screws better than the cedar. There are a total of 42 boards across the bottom. We used the sealer on the edge of each board. Since we are screwing near the ends of the boards we have to be careful not to overtighten and split the wood. One 10oz tube made it 3/4 of the way through the bottom and that is as far as we went for the day. It took 5 1/2 hours to do that and Zach was ready to quit after 2 hours but hung in there and helped me to the end. I bought 3 tubes of sealer so I should have plenty for caulking the sides and joints where needed. We also secured each plank to a centerboard on the inside(a 1x8 cedar plank) which draws all the planks level in the middle creating a smooth surface. Hopefully I can finish planking the bottom and caulking in the next day or two. I may go ahead and install the keel before getting to the seat.

On March 6th I completed all of the rough sanding. I evened all of the bottom board edges with the sides and sanded the bottom level as well as the sides. I will still need to caulk one side and then sand everything again with finer grit. I got the family to help me flip the boat back upright. On March 7th I cut and attached battens to the inside of the ribs on each side and I installed the middle seat at a height which will allow the battery to be mounted underneath it. I made the seat so the top is attached with brass hinges so I will be able to access the battery and wiring easily. I bought the battery box on sale at Bass Pro for $10(thanks for that gift certificate for Xmas Matt and Catherine). I also got some of the front seat/casting deck installed and cut out the boards to go over the top of the bow where the bow light will be mounted. This enabled me to remove the forms finally since the seats with keep the boats shape now. I will continue to finish up the seats and begin on the top rail, rub rail and inside rail through the week.

I registered the boat and titled it this week and got a capacity plate for it. It is rated for 4 people weighing 700# and can carry a total weight of 900# with a maximum hp of 20. I will be picking up a new Yamaho 20hp tiller electric start short shaft this week. The motor cost more than 3 times what I will have in the boat and should last a lifetime, hopefully the boat does too!

March 14th, I was able to get the top rails, outer rub rails and inner rails all done during the week and today. I finished the front seat/casting deck and installed the front light deck. I filled all the screw holes so far and plan on putting fiberglass over the bow stem for extra protection in case I run into something. I need to work on getting the rear seats in during the week and need to cut out plywood to cover the sides of the middle and rear seats. I plan on mounting the vhf radio, stereo, and speakers in these. Also need to drill holes for all the switches that will be mounted under the rear seat. I will install the drain plug when I caulk the one side that is not done. I have decided to use acrylic enamel paint on the boat. It will be primarily white with some red accents. I already have the paint from restoring my Johnson outboard but need to pick up some build primer to use under it. I will use my spray gun and compressor to apply it.

March 21st, I got the drain plug installed in the transom and mounted grip handles and braces there also. The braces support the top board of the transom for when I use a trolling motor there. The handles give me a place to tie off the stern to the dock, make it easier to carry the boat, and help when it needs adjusted on the trailer. I also installed the bow cleats and drilled out the neccessary holes for the lights. I was able to install one of the rear seats completely and cut out the plywood for the middle seat. The rear seat features a hinged lid like the middle one to access wiring and for storage. If I can get the other rear seat in this week and finish the middle one, I should be ready to install the keel and do my final sandin next weekend. If I had just wanted to slap in a straight seat and brace, I would be done by now but I am trying to build this to kind of customize my needs which takes a while longer. I picked the new motor up on Tuesday and was surprised at the wieight of it, about 125#, and need to add a knee brace and some corner supports to the transom. I will also need to pick up a transom saver for when it is trailered to make sure there is not too much stress on the transom.

April 8th, Last weekend did not go so well. I tried to fiberglass over the bow for added durability and strength and the resin never hardened. I think it was too old, as I had it from about 10 years ago or else the hardener got frozen at some point in its life. I had to scrape it all off, let it dry and sand off the excess. The resin also reacted with the wood filler making it soft so I had to dig it all out and put in new and shape it again. I was able to get the keel on without any real problems except it is not perfectly straight the whole lenth of the boat. It is pretty close, just a slight bow at one point but within 1/4 inch of center the whole way. I began painting the hull and it soaked up my primer like it was quicksand and about the same for the paint. I used acrylic enamel and should have left the reducer out so the paint would be a little thicker and not absorb as easily. It may have not made a difference since the kiln dried cedar is very dry and porous. I put on another quart of paint on Wednesday without the reducer and only hardener and it went on much better. I put on the final quart today and it came out pretty well. With help from the family I got the boat down off the sawhorses and turned over so it is ready for the very blue paint I have for the interior. It is an alkyd enamel and there is a hardener to add to it. I have a whole gallon and expect to be able to get really good coverage but it will take some time since they recommend drying 8 hours between coats. I can work on the trailer I took apart in between coats. It is rusty and needs stripped to bare metal and repainted before starting to reassemble it and outfit it with the correct hardware to fit the boats hull shape.

May 4th, It has been too long since I updated my progress. The inside of the boat painting went well and I varnished the seats and top rail to keep it natural. I installed the drain plug, vhf radio, am/fm stereo, lights, oar locks, battery box, and wired everything. I made all the seats with hinged lids for storage and easy access to wiring. All wiring was completed and I ran battery cables from the battery under the middle seat to the rear of the boat to be able to hook up the electric start motor and trolling motor there. I put the registration decals on and screwed in the capacity plate. It took 3 weeks to strip the trailer down grind off the rust, paint everything with red rustoleum paint and use all new bolts and hardware with new tires and rims for reassembly. I put on new sublmersible lights and a jack stand. I reconditioned the rollers or replaced them and built my own padded bunk boards. The family helped me get the boat out of the basement and on the trailer with only a few dings resulting from a bump or two and dragging it across a pebble or two. I had to do a lot of adjusting on the rollers and bunk boards to get it to settle on the trailer correctly. I installed two aluminum 1/4 inch plates on the transom and put the fish finder on and drilled a whole through the transome for the transducer. With some more family help I got the Yamaha outboard motor out of the basement installed and was able to fire it up with muffs on.

The two kids and I took it for our maiden voyage this past Saturday evening and it went not so well. The boat leaked like a sieve and I spent the whole time bailing. I think where the boat rested on the trailer it broke the seals on the caulk but I also was expecting some leaks until the wood swelled. We hit a few rocks with the motor since I was not paying enough attention to where we were going and the whole excursion from launching to getting back to the ramp lasted about 30 minutes. It rained like crazy for two days after and I left the boat uncovered to help the water swell the wood. I also caulked a bunch of the seams on the inside where I had seen water coming in and put some extra screws into the edges of the centerboard since the water was making it warp upward on the edges. I had bought a bilge pump Friday but have not installed it yet but will do so before launching again. I also will caulk all the rest of the inside seams so it and can see that the wood has swollen a bunch of the gaps shut already. The boat seems heavy in the rear and I should have put the battery all the way in the bow and will have to move it at some point in the future. I think it looks great and when I gave it enough gas it jumped up on plane despite having six inches of water in the rear. The kids kind of freaked out at having all the water coming in and I am sure it is a day they will never forget.