Building an RB18

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PrometheusNL
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by PrometheusNL »

That CNC machine is bigger then my whole shop. It is as they say a Sexy Beast.

pjb0949
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by pjb0949 »

PrometheusNL wrote:That CNC machine is bigger then my whole shop. It is as they say a Sexy Beast.
Yes it is. Eats up a lot of space in the shop, but couldn't do without it. It can cut a 5'x12' sheet.

It's also a great layout and assembly table. Perfectly level and flat surface to work on.

The company that builds them has done machines 12' wide and 100' long. They are made in modules and final assembled on site.

If anybody within reasonable distance of me needs cutting done for their build I'd be happy to help. No charge for friendly builders on this forum. Just a way of saying thanks for all the info I've gotten from others on the forum about boat building.

jorgepease
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by jorgepease »

pjb0949 wrote:
PrometheusNL wrote:That CNC machine is bigger then my whole shop. It is as they say a Sexy Beast.
Yes it is. Eats up a lot of space in the shop, but couldn't do without it. It can cut a 5'x12' sheet.

It's also a great layout and assembly table. Perfectly level and flat surface to work on.

The company that builds them has done machines 12' wide and 100' long. They are made in modules and final assembled on site.

If anybody within reasonable distance of me needs cutting done for their build I'd be happy to help. No charge for friendly builders on this forum. Just a way of saying thanks for all the info I've gotten from others on the forum about boat building.
I'd get at least the 16 foot capability so you could but splice sheets of ply for long panels!! Talk about productivity ... Dreaming ))

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peter-curacao
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by peter-curacao »

pjb0949 wrote:Hi all,

Everyone on the forum likes to follow builds, so I decided to start a thread for my RB18 build. Ordered the plans a couple weeks ago and started cutting plywood today. Will keep this thread updated as I progress. My grandson Brendan (14) will be helping me with the boat. It will be a good project for him to help with and he will love using it as well.

How do I post pictures.
Cool and welcome, I will follow this one for sure 8)

pjb0949
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by pjb0949 »

It's been a few weeks since I posted anything, so here's an update.

Managed to finish cutting assembly frames, plywood bulkheads, stringers and transom parts on the CNC and got them moved to my home garage. It's a bit tight building an 18' boat in a 21' garage, but it's workable. If my wife would let me use her side as well things would be a little easier. The stringers and transom are laminated. I used Flox instead of wood flour mostly because it's what I used when I built an airplane 20 years ago and a couple of kayaks 10 years ago. Started to assemble the forms today, and got everything roughly in place. It still needs 2 or 3 hours to get things into final alignment. Hope to get the plywoods panels cut on the CNC this week and on the frames next weekend.

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pjb0949
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by pjb0949 »

Got a little time at the shop this afternoon to cut the hull panels on the CNC. Decided to incorporate puzzle joints to save the extra fairing required with butt joints covered in fiberglass.
Here's a short video of the joints being cut. It took a little head scratching to figure out the geometry and allowing for some glue space in the joint, but I got her done. They fit perfectly. Should save time and fairing materials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zGLNr6q_ZQ

Picture showing joint assembled and unassembled

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jorgepease
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by jorgepease »

Sweet!!

pjb0949
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by pjb0949 »

Getting ready to try putting panels on frames. Seems a little more intimidating than I thought it would be. So far it all seems to fit OK. Still have to finalize bow frame before starting to stitch.

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jacquesmm
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by jacquesmm »

This thread will help you with hull panels installation:
http://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php ... 6&start=30
Jacques Mertens - Designer
http://boatbuildercentral.com

pjb0949
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Re: Building an RB18

Post by pjb0949 »

Had a good day today. Managed to get the panels stitched together without too much problem. Had to do a little adjusting here and there. 1/4 Meranti is a little stiff and this boat has lots of curves to deal with, but I got the bow together with my wife's help.

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Started to glue the panels together
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Almost all glue up.
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Tomorrow I should be able to get the the seams sanded and holes filled, ready for tape.

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