ST21 'Skinnydip' build, and boating adventures, Noosa, Australia

[glossieblack]

The Noosa River oyster reef restoration project is moving into its second phase, following successful design, construction and monitoring 15 trial mini reefs over the past three years. Fewer larger reefs will now be constructed in the most promising sites.

Yesterday I took a marine scientist from The Nature Conservancy in Skinnydip for an inspection tour of the Noosa River Estuary. TNC is project managing the second phase.

He loved Skinnydip, asked a stack of questions, and when I told him she was a Jacques Mertens design, he grinned from ear to ear. A few years ago hs built a Jacques Mertens GF15, which he loves.

Small world.

[Fuzz]

That is great! Sounds like SkinnyDip produced two wins for you
Also I take it the lock down must be easing there for you.

[glossieblack]

Thanks Fuzz. IMO Australia's Federal and State government policies are easing out of COVID lockdown in a health-responsible. However it remains to be seen if Joe and Joanne average citizen respect the game plan or they break out and party. If they do, we'll be back in lockdown quick smart.

I've started drafting for cutting the plywood layers (external skin and 2 layers of internal ring frames) of the laminated okoume plywood bow and stern transoms for the Feather Pram. Because I want to finish the both transoms bright inside and out, every cut needs to be precise.

So I'm checking, sleeping on it, then rechecking every drafted cut line. The scary thing is that I'm discovering and having to correct mistakes. The joys of CLOOFdom.

[glossieblack]

A pram dinghy has both bow and stern transoms. This afternoon I cut the components for the bow transom.

I've built it as a 1/5” thick plywood frame sandwiched between inner and outer faces of 1/5” thick ply to keep it light, instead of using 4/5" thick solid timer as specified. I'm aiming for a 40 pound rowboat.

The frame has been temporarily hot glued in position in the pic below.

[OrangeQuest]

I guess you will be needing to bend the planks to form the hull? Steam box?

The cuts are very detailed and clean, very nice!

[BarraMan]

I am watching - not really understanding - but watching none-the-less!

[Jeff]

I am with BarraMan!!! And I am following with interest!!! Jeff

[glossieblack]

Thanks for the interest Fuzz, OQ, Lee and Jeff.

I guess you will be needing to bend the planks to form the hull? Steam box?

No need for steaming. With Iain Oughtred's Feather Pram glued lapstrake (clinker) construction, only a few of the 1/6" thick okume plywood 'planks' are 5+" wide, most are less than 4", so they are easily cold bent and twisted to form the designed hull shape.

[OrangeQuest]

Thanks for the interest Fuzz, OQ, Lee and Jeff.

I guess you will be needing to bend the planks to form the hull? Steam box?

No need for steaming. With Iain Oughtred's Feather Pram glued lapstrake (clinker) construction, only a few of the 1/6" thick okume plywood 'planks' are 5+" wide, most are less than 4", so they are easily cold bent and twisted to form the designed hull shape.

Well that is kind of disappointing!

Was hoping to see some fire, smoke and steam !!

I was reading on the boat builder page of Facebook where a guy was asking about how to seal an old planked built boat up and the good advice was to soak it in the water and the seams would expand and get tight again. Not to use epoxy so the wood can expand, is that the case here too?

I also do not understand the construction method like the others, but I like to ask questions!

[glossieblack]

[I also do not understand the construction method like the others, but I like to ask questions!

The epoxy glued lapstrake or clinker plywood approach I’m using to build the Feather Pram is very similar to the way we build most of our batueau2 boats.

Both use panels/ planks of plywood positioned over temporary moulds to form a multi-chine hull, and both use epoxy glue to join the planks.
Batuea2 boats rely on the panels being but-joint aligned, but with a sufficient gap to allow a continuous epoxy fillet, that when epoxy glass taped inside and out, forms a structural stringer.

Epoxy glued or clinker plywood boats rely on the planks over-lapping a little, with the edges of the planks being bevelled then glued together. The overlapping and glued section of plywood becomes a structural stringer.

Because the glued lapstrake planks are narrower, for example 5-6”, than those in typically in bateau2 boats, there are structural stingers every 5” or so. This reduces or eliminates the need to glass tape each joint.

Hope this makes sense.