Boat Builder Central

I took digital plans for my current project to Staples on a thumb drive (along with a note allowing printing of copyright material) and they made about 10 or so 11x17 b&w copies for me for under $4. Was hard to justify fiddling too much with my printer with the cost being that low. I'd also agre...

Did not. The area where the sole and side meets is so stiff that it seems unnecessary. There really just divide the sides into smaller plates between the very structural sole and the stiff gunwale.

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I don't remember a specific size call out being in the plans. Since the plan is very flexible as to sheer line height and gunwale structure it's kind of a moving target. On my boat I used a single tapered piece of 3/4 ply, tapered, rounded and fully glassed. https://gallery.bateau2.com/albums/userpi...

If things don't get too ugly I'll post progress along the way....... Good luck with the build. I'd suggest that posting as you go is the best way to make sure that things don't get ugly. The greatest strength of the BATEAU.COM system is the everyday feedback provided by other builders and ongoing f...

Nice to see progress despite the horrible weather we've been having this "spring" in Southern New England. Sheer looks real nice in profile! Here in chilly CT my big stack of 18mm okume is slowly being converted into frames for my Pelicano 23 build. At the same time the trusty FS17 is gett...

Boat's really starting to take shape. In 2010 when I build my FS17 I was so frustrated by the weather that I flipped the boat to do the inside (in garage) and then twice again to complete the bottom and finally get her right side up. I had much the same experience with the sheer extensions. I finall...

I built my FS17 from scratch 8 years ago. From other's comments over the years, I'm sure that the kit is beautifully cut and made from top quality material. I would guess that the kit will save you 20-25% of build time. Little of my build was spent cutting wood. Most was making fillets, taping, glas...

When I built my FS17 I had the same issue with just how rough biax comes out, especially the stitches. After doing the chines, keel line and all bulkhead bonding with 12oz biax, I decided to do the bottom itself with 2 layers of 7.5oz woven; one layer fore-aft and the other at a 45deg bias. It's hel...

Nice job on the bow! I "forgot" the camber when I built my FS17. The rounded look you've got is much more appealing. One of the very few things I regret from the build. Keep up the good work; with the flip being a good intermediate goal. Once the boat is turned over it REALLY feels like yo...

Are you letting the sandpaper do the work or are you pushing down hard? Both. I've used both the PC and Ridgid on the same jobs; ie. large jobs like re-core of 150 sq, ft. of sailboat deck. Same paper, same mix of pressure and letting it spin faster. I've never totaled the pad on the PC but have go...