Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

Started building a C12 for some of the local lakes and inshore east Florida. I've built several of the cheap canoes, a D5, FL14 and GF 16 and so far all of them have performed exactly the way I was hoping for/they were designed. Drove down to Ft Pierce and visited the new wharehouse to pick up supplies, if you're local or have a chance to visit it's worth it, really cool place they have down there. Plus Jeff and Reid will help you load your trailer in 400% humidity!

Got the panels cut out and stitched together and right off the bat made a mistake. In not reading the laminating schedule I used 6ox biax on all the inside seams since I had about 20 yards left over from other projects and it looks like I needed to use 2 layers of 12 in some spots so that will be fixed later. I was hoping to avoid this by working wet on wet but it's my fault I didn't read ahead.

The boat then got flipped and the chine seams ground. The keel is purposely not glassed from the inside since I will be cutting the centerboard trunk soon. I'm going to have a friend over on Saturday (pending Dorian picking up speed) to glass all the outside seams and lay 6 oz. fabric over the entire bottom, hopefully in 1 shot. When I glassed the GF16 I was by myself and did it all in one shot and that was a lot, a second person would have really helped.

Having some issues with attachments but hopefully these pictures will work:

94'325is, Welcome back and great seeing you last week!!! Nice progress!! Jeff

Lots of progress but haven't kept up with this thread in a little while. Got the outside chine seams taped and 6oz cloth wrapped around the outside hull. Then the CB trunk was cut and bottom roughly faired and graphite coated. Rubrail also went on to add stiffness during the flips.
I then cut out the rear frame and moved it backwards since I have a different idea for the layout. I will have a wide rail going around the boat and basically create a cockpit with an open interior. I hope once I get a few pictures it will make more sense but there was another C12 (Little Gem) that has a similar layout and seemed to work really well.

Nice progress!!! Jeff

Yesssssss! Another one for the sailboat community! She's looking great

Got very busy for a few months and finished out my GF16 the way I wanted after 3 years of use but back to the C12. I bought a Laser mast and boom locally, the specs are very similar to what Jacques calls out and I figured it would be a lot easier to find a Laser sail down the road. Starting to look like a sailboat!

Welcome back 94'325is!!! Nice progress on your C12!!! Jeff

Made a mast tube of wrapping roughly 5 layers of 12oz biax around a packing tape covered tube and epoxied/glassed it in place. I then filled the bottom of the tube with putty so the mast would sit at the correct height for the boom vang mount to clear the deck. After I installed my gunnels and started shaping them. They will have a teak strip running on the inside face once they are finished being shaped. Pictures are not my strong suit but hopefully they give the general idea.

Nice!!! Jeff

Still making progress (thanks again for the quick shipping of supplies). Lots and lots of fairing on the inside which still doesn't seem like enough but made progress to be able to roll primer. A few spots need touchups but overall not too bad. I put it out in the yard and put the mast on to sit inside and picture sailing, really helps with motivation.

Very nice work!! This is going to be a beautiful little day sail!! Jeff

94'325is wrote: ↑Tue Mar 31, 2020 11:04 am Made a mast tube of wrapping roughly 5 layers of 12oz biax around a packing tape covered tube and epoxied/glassed it in place. I then filled the bottom of the tube with putty so the mast would sit at the correct height for the boom vang mount to clear the deck. After I installed my gunnels and started shaping them. They will have a teak strip running on the inside face once they are finished being shaped. Pictures are not my strong suit but hopefully they give the general idea.

The tube is similar to what I did for my D5 and I have been pretty happy with it. If you did not build a drain into the bottom of your mast step tube, I would advise doing so. I used a smaller fiberglass tube built around a plastic straw (which was removed after curing), glued in place with lots of putty at the bottom of the tube and then a hole drilled through the drain tube into the mast tube.

Good idea, I was thinking of doing that as well, not a lot of room to get a sponge down in there. I'm going to spend a day cutting/filling/redrilling various drain holes around the boat so that one will be added to the list.

Making progress, the inside is painted (kiwi grip will get a 2nd coat today). All wood in the pictures will be finished bright, I rolled a coat of epoxy last night to seal and apparently lovebugs are attracted to wet epoxy. Lots of sanding/cleaning up the wood before it gets coated but overall I'm happy with how it's turning out. I plan on framing the bow compartments on either side of the mast tube like I did with the center frame as well.

Nice work 94'325is!!! Beautiful Florida weather for boat building!!! Jeff

Got my wife to help me flip the boat I realized how bad the graphite bottom I put on 6 months ago looked so I sanded, lightly faired and recoated. A combination of direct sunlight, summertime temps and a black bottom got the graphite/epoxy mix cured fully in about 4 hours. Average surface temperature of around 165-170 degrees F. We then flipped it back over, gave it a good scrubbing and applied primer. A few pinholes need to be filled but overall I'm happy with the fairing on the side. Starting to get closer to the launch date.

Finished painting the interior and put the first coat of varnish on the decks/gunnels. The CB trunk and interior wood needs varnishing as well but I wanted to see what the decks would look like first. Outside has been faired and primed, the paint is on it's way. Smaller details left but the list is getting smaller.

She looks great!!! Jeff

WOW!!! She'll do for a fishing barge!

Yes!!! A very nice looking fishing boat!!!

Thanks guys, truthfully I don't know if this will have a fishing pole on it, the GF16 is usually reserved for that, but a nice relaxing afternoon sail could be improved by pulling a lure behind the boat.

Painted the first coat of Brightsides Blue Glo White and while it looks decent, it will need at least another coat to really cover the primer underneath. Also assembled the rudder and tiller after multiple varnish coats. Rudder blade is painted with the same paint as the hull and has about 10lbs of lead to help with keeping down when moving.

Looking really nice!!! Jeff

Looking really nice!!! Jeff

Got the sail this weekend and test fit it. Battens were left out along w/ most of the other rigging but at least it's looking like a sailboat more and more. Also went to buy a trailer and there's a shortage at the moment. Luckily they had an order already in and I was able to put a deposit down so should be a week or two and I can pick it up. The next jobs are to finish the rigging, get it set up on the trailer, moved into the garage and varnished/painted. After that it should be ready to go.

Very nice!!! Jeff

Very nice!

Beautiful!

Nice!

8 weeks later and the trailer got here. I put the sail and rigging on to get a feel for how everything would lay out. It's going to be spending the next week in the garage getting the final paint and varnishing done but hoping this weekend it will be ready for it's first sail.

Beautiful job!!! Jeff

Four coats of varnish and two more coats of paint and I'm calling it done. I could spend the next few months varnishing but that only increases the chances of me damaging the finish by using. Hoping to get it in the water this weekend and see how it sails.

She is a real beauty!!! Congrats!! Jeff

Like Jeff said she is very nice looking! I bet you will spend a lot of time at the ramp answering questions

I realized I never updated this thread, the boat sails great. I'm still learning it but it's very stable and fast, had a guy in a 16' Hobie following me back to the ramp trying to race and I never realized it, but don't worry I beat him back to the ramp. Thanks for the great design and advice on the rigging.

Another beauty!!! Jeff

Really nice looking! Must be fast too

That's really awesome! Grabbing your first gust in a self-built boat has to be an amazing feeling, congrats! Boat looks terrific, I really like the clean wood-on-white look, what white did you use?

Thanks guys, really appreciate the feedback. It's a great feeling when the sail loads, the boat heels a little and it takes off.

I used Interlux Brightsides in Blu-Glo white. I'm very happy with the color and in the sun you almost need sunglasses to look at it.

I'm jealous! What a great job you did!

94'325is wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:10 pm Thanks guys, really appreciate the feedback. It's a great feeling when the sail loads, the boat heels a little and it takes off.

I used Interlux Brightsides in Blu-Glo white. I'm very happy with the color and in the sun you almost need sunglasses to look at it.

Any plans for oars? They'll go good with a trolled lure when the breeze sags.

Oars were considered when I was building it but I never got around to putting them in. I think it might still be a good idea though, especially since when I've been out on the local lake it seems like the bass follow the boat. I wish they acted the same with my skiff when I'm actually trying to catch fish.

94'325is wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:48 am it seems like the bass follow the boat. I wish they acted the same with my skiff when I'm actually trying to catch fish.

I'm sure that once they see a rod in the boat they'll go elsewhere, seems to be how it works for me.