PrometheusNL FL12

[PrometheusNL]

Hello

I've been lurking around this forum and other boatbuilding forums for a while. I started looking around about 2 years ago into things i could build. I was looking into building a Replica AC cobra and figured out what i wanted to build got everything worked out but then the law changed and made my build impossible (aka Taxes and other stupid rules build budget times 3). But that's the Netherlands for you. Where there are even laws for anmials to go to the bathroom sigh.

So i kept looking into something other that i would be able to build. So after some brouwsing on the internet i found some mahog runabouts that i liked. So firstly i checked the Law and the polution regulations (I wasn't going to be unprepared for surprises) Good news everyone there are almost None


So that that then. Lets build something looking though the sites looks like stich and glue would be the best to get started into building. What i'd love to build is a LB 26 but i'm relalistic i have to start small and get the technique down so to start i ordered the plans for the FL12. This should get me started on the basics and prepare me for something bigger.

Status so far.
Plans ordered.
Tools ordered (splurged on some new BOSCH stuff)




Garage ready for building.



Stuff still to do.
Find an epoxy supplyer in europe.
Find a wood supplier after i have the BOM
Buy more clamps

Regards PrometheusNL

[quadradomus]

Just a heads up... clamps can get expensive, and you will need 3x more than you think you need. You can buy 3" diameter PVC. Cut it into 2" lengths. Then cut one slice through each piece of PVC that you now have. These will act as clamps. They can be used for when you put on your rub rail. You still will want some standard small sized clamps though..... I find that you need an "Adjustable" clamp or two at each end of rub rail pieces. This helps to hold the new rub rail perfectly to the top lip of the boat. Without such adjustable clamps, the pvc alone will kind of allow the rub rail to slide a little. Hope that makes sense.

Have fun with the boat. I am building the same one.

[PrometheusNL]

Thanks for the Heads up. I had the PVC C clamps option already noted down. I've been keeping a list of do's and don'ts from other builders. I already have 2 pages full so keep em comming.

Today i found another couple of handy tips. By StuAsh:

1) Butt blocks - make sure you cut them in the right direction so the "mystery wood - ie the inside wood of a 3 ply sheet" isn't taking the load. So for the side butt blocks, cut them so the grain of the outer wood is running along the length of the boat
2) Don't hurry with the fibreglass taping - make sure you are happy with the shape underneath it before you put the glass on.
3) If using metric boards (I live in Australia) you will have to be creative laying out the panels as they don't quite fit in the same places as the imperial boards. Cut out the big bits as per the plan and then cut out the pieces from largest to smallest.
4) Don't skip in the quality of your ply - you will spend much more money on epoxy and invest a LOT of time. Get the best wood you can afford.
5) Buy lots of cheap paintbrushes - I used between 30 and 40 as most of my mixes were between 100ml and 400ml.

Now it's on to hunt down a epoxy supplier.

[NW Trout]

Build a FL14.... I like my FL12, but would like more room. Cost difference is fairly minimal.

[PrometheusNL]

Would have been an option i can understand about the room and it will proablly be more stable. But i've already ordered the plans and the idea was to get a good grasp of building a stich and glue boat to move up to a more sporty / bigger model after getting this Proof of Concept (aka can i build it) out of the way.

Then i'll probably use the small FL12 for short hops around the pond here and build my bigger boat while using the small one.

[vla]

Welcome PrometheusNL.

Always nice to greet a new Dutch builder. Succes with the build, it is an adventure!
One advice, be careful with the plywood. Don't buy WBV, they are suitable for outside use, but not fot boatbuilding! I have a bad experience with those sheets.

Allard

[NW Trout]

i'll probably use the small FL12 for short hops around the pond here and build my bigger boat while using the small one.

That will likely be the destiny for my FL12 as well when I start on a larger boat later this year - or next (still waiting on spousal approval for lost evenings in the shop for the winter).

Good luck with the build. You'll find a wealth of information and input here from other builders.

[PrometheusNL]

I think this will be an invaluable experiance building a smaller boat like the FL12 before starting a bigger boat like a RB16 (that's the intermediate boat i want) and the dream boat LB26.

Don't tell my wife but i plann to build those in that order. I'm selling her on boating slowly by increments I'm currently at the stage if it has a sunn deck i'm cool with it. Hoping to progress to.. I love the sunn deck and the speed. But i would love a Cruiser that we can sleep on and still waterski behind

I'm not to worried about the plywood. I have a specific order out for Okume Marine grade plywood via my brother. He's in the building trade and has connections to get the good stuff and not get fooled. I told him what i needed and he's sure he can get the exact specifications for me or better.

Had email contact with Allard aka Vla (Stoere Meid TW28) he pointed me to some good supplyers here in the Netherlands so it's great progress for this week.

Got the planns in 2 days ago studying them in depth cross checking figures and such. It's looking good for a start within a couple of weeks.

Thanks for all the tips and help

Marijn

[PrometheusNL]

Got the planns in a couple of days ago.

After getting everything together printing out the linked pdf and putting it all together i brewed a nice hot pot of coffee and set out to work. This will be the first time reading real building planns besides the odd plastic model kits i used to make planes, boats, cars, etc.

After looking though the set of planns you start to worry ... can i do this? Why doesn't he give a measurement here or Why no curve defined there. How am i supposed to cut that piece. All the measurements are in Gallons but they sell Epoxy in KiloGrams here. With every new detail you see you awnser 1 question but get 2 more pop into your head. Most annoying question for me was how will i be able to cut these parts without knowing their size?

So what i did is let's build it 100th scale for every dimention given devide by 100 and make it out of cardboard. So i started drawing and cutting out of cardboard and before i knew it 1 hour later i had all the parts. Thinking to myself this can't be that easy can't it? Alot became clear after making it out of cardboard you don't need the other dimentions they resolve themselves.

Some tape later and we have a boat.






So now i'm confident i can build the boat. Lets get the marerials ordered

Found epoxy


Found hardner


Found Glas tape


PLY will be ordered next week.

Still looking for some odds and ends like vapor/dust mask mixing stuff and proabablly another tonn of materials i have forgotten.

Made a Picasa Google album for quicker upload and image control.

And created a Signature.
Pretty productive week i like it.

Prom

[PrometheusNL]

What to do what to do i keep looking at the plans having time on my hands but no wood yet. Small Snafu with the ordering. Ahh well it is to be expected. So i did some remodeling in the garage added some extra power sockets should come in handy when working on the boat. Finalized the buying list for stuff i still need. I do however have some verry thin plywood. 3.4 mm hmm what could i do with that...

Well make another model ofcourse So i started Saturday a week ago cutting out the plywood. I figured i'd make it 1 / 5th scale. This should give me nice workable parts and resonable bending of the plywood used.

First i cut out all the parts:


Then i had to figure out how will i build it. I don't have epoxy yet so i'll use a Caulk gun with some Filling all purpose glue this should give me the (Fillet) feel.

Built the parts up as per drawings doing a dry fit run.


The tollerances are much tighter since i'm using 1/5th scale so i won't be able to get it 100% correct but i can sand some errors out and mold some glue to fill the biggest mistakes.


Fitting the center seat was a bit of a problem and this was the first problem i ran across during this model build. Since i din't have to glue the larger panels together with butt blocks i din't have a guide to go one to place the center seat. I then cut out the bottom butt block and glued it on the bottom to serve as a guide and to stiffen up the bottom for putting her together. This worked out pretty good.


I let the glue dry overnight and started the next day after work to glue in the transom seat and the Bow seat. This crated some tension in the build cracking one glue fillet on the middle seat. But not so bad i couldn't fix it with some extra glue.

Leaving it to dry overnight.

She's all together rough glued (forgot to take pictures a good lesson this before i start the build for real keep the camera close) now starts the sanding part. i sanded all the glue filets smooth and created lots of dust everywhere. Then got out the random orbit sander and went to town on the outside removing the stitches and filling holes left by the stitches and sanding those back again. SWMBO is gonna love me when she see's all the mess i made

Kept on sanding smoothing and filling in the worst holes with the calking glue getting a smoother and smoother finish. Then i started on the Rubrail. I was thinking of fitting the skeg and rubrail later but i probablly won't get a nice glue on both so i would ruin my finish so i'll do them now.

first i cut out some Plywood strips with the jiggsaw but in this scale it's hard to get the smooth cut. So i went with mixing sticks i had lying around and fabricated a 3 ply rubrail.



And a closeup of the bow:


I also went out today and got the supplies i need for the real boat


Tomorrow i'll sand the rubrail and whatever else needs sanding. I still have some spray cans laying around so i can give her some color and this gives me a chance to figure out my paint scheme for the full version.

So what do you guys think is this resonable for a first time builder? Or should i practice more before i start on the full size FL12? If the plywood ever arrives

I do plann to build a case from some plywood and strengthen it with fiberglass and epoxy to get a working knowlage of that.

Laterz,

Prom