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Ultrasimple
B OAT BU I L D I N G
17 PL YWOOD BOATS ANYONE C AN BUILD

Gavin Atkin

International Marine / McGraw-Hill

Camden, Maine • New York • Chicago • San Francisco • Lisbon • London • Madrid • Mexico City
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DOI: 10.1036/0071477926
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DEDICATION

To all the boatbuilders who have done me

the great honor of building my boats; and
to my mother

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 For more information about this title, click here

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .VI

INTRODUCTION
THE VIRTUES OF SMALL AND SIMPLE BOATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

PART ONE

How to Build Them

1 THREE SIMPLE METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 4 BUILDING THE HULL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
THE SIMPLIFIED CHINE LOG METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 SIMPLIFIED CHINE LOG METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

TWO STITCH-AND-GLUE METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 STITCH-AND-GLUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

COVERING THE HULL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

2 MATERIALS AND TOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
ADDING A SKEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
PLYWOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
INWALES, GUNWALES, BREASTHOOKS,
LUMBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
AND QUARTER KNEES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
ADHESIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
5 FINISHING YOUR BOAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
FASTENERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
PAINTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
PAINT AND VARNISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
VARNISHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
TOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

6 FITTING OUT FOR ROWING

3 BASIC SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
AND SAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
WORKING WITH LUMBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
FITTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
WORKING WITH PLYWOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
PADDLING AND ROWING GEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
USING FASTENERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
SAILING GEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
WORKING WITH CHISELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
7 MAKING MODELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
iv WORKING WITH GLUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
PART TWO

The Boats
MINIMOUSE AND MICROMOUSE . . . . . . . .84 PUDDLE DUCK RACER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
HULL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
SUMMER BREEZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
DECKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
DETAILS FOR THE SIMPLIFIED CHINE LOG METHOD . . . . . . . .189
SKEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
USING STITCH-AND-GLUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
SEATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
FINISHING THE HULL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192

LILYPAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 ROWING ACCOUTREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194

SAILING RIG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

MOUSE AND ROWING MOUSE . . . . . . . . .103
A MOUSE FOR ROWING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 DORIS THE DORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197

CRUISING MOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 WHAT SHALL WE BUILD NEXT? . . . . . . . .209

POORBOY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116 PHIL BOLGER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

JIM MICHALAK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212

DOGSBODY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
MURRAY ISLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
JIGGITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 JOHN WELSFORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

AURETTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137 JACQUES MERTENS-GOOSENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

CONRAD NATZIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224

PIRAGUA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
APPENDIX: SUPPLIERS OF BOATBUILDING
CINDERELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146 MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
FLYING MOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
EEK! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164 v
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

of the Yahoogroup Mouseboats for their won-

H uge thanks to my editor at International
Marine, Bob Holtzman, and my friends
Chuck Leinweber and John Welsford for help,
derful support and interest; to Jim and Eileen
Van den Bos, Rosalind Riley, and Tim Bull for
ideas, and encouragement; to Ed Bachmann letting me use their lakes; and to my family for
for his help with visuals; to those many their tolerance, and especially to Julie for pro-
builders of my boats who were kind enough to viding essential life support without which
let me use their photographs; to the members this book would never have been written.

vi
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
 INTRODUCTION

T H E V I RT U E S O F S M A L L
AN D SI MPLE B OATS

if they were children unable to build a

I adore secondhand bookshops—the smell,
the atmosphere, and the low prices. In my
time, I’ve found lots of great books about
proper small boat.
In contrast, this book is meant to make
building small boats on their dusty shelves. you feel confident about building small
Because many aspects of boating remain the boats. It will explain how to make the proj-
same over generations and even centuries, ect go as smoothly and efficiently as possi-
older books on the subject can often be as ble, bearing in mind that mistakes aren’t the
relevant today as newer editions, and there’s end of the world. You can correct many with
much indeed to learn from them. the help of good old cousin Poly Urethane,
However, I have come to dislike certain Uncle Epoxy, and Auntie Filler, so there’s no
types of older books, particularly the ones on need to fear potential blunders along the
boat carpentry that are more discouraging way. Thankfully, the bad old boat-chopping
than helpful. They usually start with an and boat-burning days are long gone.
anecdote about how the author tried build- The methods I’m presenting here are
ing a boat at a young age and failed. In some tried, tested, and known to work. Over the
versions, the author’s father, in a fit of mis- years I’ve noticed beginners often wonder
placed and misguided rage, destroys the orig- whether alternative cheaper materials and
inal boat with an ax because it’s both shame- methods might work just as well as the ones
ful and unsafe; in others he burns it. Usually I have included in this book. The answer is
the experience leaves the fledgling boat- some will, some won’t, and some will only
builder in tears but determined to win the to a point. If you have a slightly wacky idea
father’s approval. Stories like this make me about building a boat from expanded foam
angry because when I see them I know it’s or using water-resistant (rather than water-
more than likely that the author, deliberately proof) glue, ask about it on the Internet dis-
or not, is replaying the part of the angry cussion groups. Someone will almost certainly
father and making readers feel inadequate, as have tried the same thing and will be only 1
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
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INTRODUCTION too happy to give you the benefit of his or Being close to the elements can clear a
her experience. tiring, stressful week out of a tired brain
This book is based on the principle that in a matter of minutes.
boating is fun, and that the fun can be ■ Another advantage of being so close to
enhanced if we don’t make it too expensive, the elements is that it hones your boat-
too much like hard work, or too serious. On ing skills. In sailing, sitting just inches
all these points, simple and small home-built from the water in a boat light enough to
boats are often the best way to go, and that’s react to every ripple and puff of wind
what my own boating journey has been all forces you to react quickly. Even slight
about. changes in conditions will require you to
Let me explain some of the advantages make adjustments regarding crew place-
of small boats: ment and boat balance, sail trim, helm,
■ Small home-built boats have low costs in or oar or paddle strokes. The same is
every way, and they are also environmen- true even when you’re steering an out-
tally friendly. Building them consumes board motor.
small amounts of precious wood and ■ Most children enjoy being captain of
small amounts of hydrocarbons in glues their own ship far more than watching
and paints. If powered by engines, they their parents have all the fun. Kids who
use far less fuel than larger, faster craft have done any amount of summer
and put far fewer pollutants into the air. boating will readily say that falling in the
They also don’t require antifouling paint water with a crowd of other kids is the
because you typically haul them out after funniest and most popular part of the
each use, and so they don’t release toxins experience, and that’s only possible in
from the paint into the water. the smallest of boats. Introduce them to
■ Handling a small boat is easier and takes small boats at an age as early as six years
much less hard work than a big boat. old (with proper oversight, of course)
Small boats require less strength to and let them play with friends in their
manage and, if you’re sailing, the lines own tiny craft. Almost certainly they’ll
are shorter and easier to manipulate. quickly come to love boating on their
One person can often launch and haul own and with you.
the boat or even transport it on the roof
I mentioned my own boating journey,
of a car. Novices frequently feel more
and I should explain where it has taken me. I
comfortable gaining experience on a
did a small amount of sailing as a boy and
small boat since the forces involved in
even built one of the famous Mirror stitch-
sailing it are much more manageable.
and-glue dinghies with my father. My father
■ Building a small plywood boat is easy, was often busy and stressed, and as a young-
quick, and satisfying, and owning and ster it felt good to have a joint project with
maintaining it is has less of a financial him. More than that, though, by the time
impact on other family members than the boat was completed, I was pretty sure I’d
buying and owning a large boat. This is acquired a lifelong interest in small boats
an important point: if a small boat has and would be quite confident about building
less of an impact on family life in terms one if ever I felt inspired. Sadly, the Mirror
of money and time spent on mainte- got very little use. We lived a good distance
nance, it is much less likely to cause from any body of water ideal for sailing and
domestic strife. my father hated driving. Alas, boating
■ On the fun side, in a small boat you’re slipped below my horizons, and for years I
in such close touch with the water you concentrated on traditional music, dancing,
2 feel each puff of wind and every ripple. and hiking for entertainment.

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 But that sad, boatless condition changed Connecticut. It also just so happened that I’d INTRODUCTION

two and a half decades after my father and I received an e-mail from David Colpitts, a
built and briefly sailed the Mirror. I was per- teacher and paddler who lived in Hartford, not
suaded to sign up for some dinghy sailing far from Mystic. David asked for a boat design
classes, and these proved to be the start of so simple and basic that the kids he was teach-
something really big. The boating bug bit hard ing during summer vacation would be able to
in the way it sometimes can, and it took over build it on a tiny budget, using cheap luaun
my imagination, my bookshelves, and finally plywood, polyurethane adhesive, and drywall
my computer. As an incurable romantic, I tape. We arranged to meet.
became fascinated by the old working boats, After some memorable and possibly mad
partly for their looks, partly because many of midwinter boating, we went to a bar to talk
them were associated with heroic, half-desperate about the new boat. I remember the excite-
fishing communities living on the knife edge ment as I told him my idea for a little pram-
of survival (as well as on the edge of the land), bowed craft with a shallow V-bottom and ver-
and partly for what they can still tell us about tical sides, which would require just one sheet
what makes a good boat for a particular stretch of plywood (if you didn’t count the decks). I
of water. drew the Mystic Mouse on a beer coaster,
Also, as someone who’d studied physics David said he was pleased, and I went home,
in college out of an inherent curiosity about where I formalized the design and e-mailed it
the world, I soon wanted to understand how to him. He promptly built the boat in 1⁄8-inch
the dinghies I was sailing worked in greater plywood, using polyurethane glue and tape to
detail, with a more profound understanding hold the joints together, and pronounced it
than simply knowing what line to pull and an instant success.
when. It seemed to me that my boats quite What do you do with something that
often didn’t do what I had been taught to makes a great toy that you want to share, but
expect by my sailing teachers, and that has little or no monetary value? My answer
fanned my curiosity. I also thought boating was to make it available for free over the
would be fun for me and my family, but as a Internet, and very soon people were down-
practical parent with a big monthly mortgage, loading the plans and building the Mouse. I
I wanted to discover how to get the most fun was delighted.
out of it for the least amount of cash. Having started down this track, I set up
So, I spent a lot of small sums of money in the Mouseboats Yahoogroup (http://groups.
secondhand bookshops and took the books yahoo.com/group/mouseboats) to promote
home for study. I steadily learned more and the idea in a more substantial way and to
more, and began to see that not only could I provide a forum for related original ideas. At
build small boats, I could go much further and the time, I had no idea what fun I would
involve myself in designing and building a have, what friends I would make, or how
new generation of cheap and simple small many people would build the little boats. As
craft. They would deliver a huge amount of fun I write, more than 180 boats have been built
with a small investment of money and time, (which doesn’t include the ones not reported
and they could be built with the basic skills to the Yahoogroup).
within the reach of most ordinary people. Owners and builders of Mouseboats have
I struck gold when two things came become a wonderful community, who merrily
together. I was asked to go to New York to swap Mouseboat experiences and offer new
play fiddle for a sword dancing team. I was builders the best support and advice available
pleased to be invited, but the really great news anywhere. These people know everything there
was that the invitation finally afforded me an is to know about building the boats and their
opportunity to visit Mystic Seaport: The many uses. Some give them to their kids to play
Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, with, some use them for fishing or hunting 3
INTRODUCTION birds, while others use them for daysailing or ■ Minimouse and Micromouse: flat-
even for extended camping trips. Most seem to bottomed paddling prams with perfect
use their little boats for far more than I envis- stability for kids new to small boats, and
aged that day when I drew a smudgy sketch on sufficient carrying capacity for small to
a beer coaster for David Colpitts. medium-sized adults
I strongly recommend anyone building a ■ Lilypad: an extremely (wonderfully)
Mouse to join and register their boat. Not all basic punt
online communities are friendly places, even
■ Mouse (the original): similar to the
those dedicated to building and using boats.
Minimouse but with a more capable
But Mouseboats has always been the gentlest
V-shaped hull, requiring just a little
and most helpful of discussion groups, and I
more building effort
intend to ensure it remains so. Where my
other boats are concerned, I’d love to hear ■ Rowing Mouse: similar to the Mouse,
from you. I’m particularly keen to receive but set up for rowing
pictures and reports of how the build went ■ Cruising Mouse: designed for paddling
and how the boat worked on the water. I will but can also be rowed, with enough dis-
also help builders whenever I can, often placement and volume for more com-
through another Yahoogroup: http://groups. fort and longer voyages; requires two
yahoo.com/group/gmaboatbuilders. sheets of plywood
Through it all, I’m half-ashamed and half- ■ Dogsbody: an outboard-powered skiff or
proud to say that I remain the roughest and garvey; suitable as a workboat or for fishing
quickest of boatbuilders. I’m not going to tell ■ Jiggity: the simplest possible adaptation
you how to gild your plywood boat, for I’d of the traditional pram-bowed Auray
never do it myself. I’m not going to suggest dif- punt; makes a fine tender
ficult and expensive boatbuilding techniques
■ Cinderella: an elegant (if I do say so) and
or designs, nor confuse you with information
somewhat round-bottomed, double-
you don’t need to get the job done quickly and
paddle canoe; perhaps a bit more involved
at a very low cost. If perfectionism and glitter is
than most of the others, but still simple as
your game, this book probably isn’t for you.
boats go
But if you’re looking for a book that offers
plans and instructions for a collection of very ■ Flying Mouse: an 8-foot sailing version
simple small boats, capable of being built designed to teach young kids how to
(though possibly not painted) in a weekend, sail single-handed boats with just the
you’ve found what you’re looking for. In many right combination of confidence and
cases, you can be afloat in a half-painted boat excitement
in a week or so and have your boat fully fin- ■ Eek!: an 11-footer with the same purpose
ished in two weeks tops, which is enough time as the above for teens and adults
for your paint to fully harden. ■ Doris: a light, 16-foot, straight-sided
To make this possible, I’ve focused on dory for oar or sail
boats that involve making small numbers of
As previously mentioned, I’ve also included
easily shaped frames, as most beginners with
several fine boats from other designers:
few woodworking skills are happier and work
faster with goo and tape, or with my version of ■ David Beede’s Summer Breeze: a small
the chine log method. The boats come from a plywood version of the traditional
small range of designers with a strong interest American flat-bottomed rowing and
in small craft, and every design has a particular sailing skiff
set of attributes that make it especially suitable ■ John Wright’s version of the Puddle
for a particular task. My own designs here Duck Racer: a sailing box that is the
4 include: world’s simplest, lowest-cost racing
 class. (As this is a development class and I hope these little boats will give you, your INTRODUCTION

subject to continuous improvements, families, and your friends more fun and more
I’ve redrawn and made some changes to value for your money than you imagine possi-
John’s original design.) ble. I’d certainly love to hear about it. Please
■ Steve Lewis’s Poorboy: a simple, two- send me your stories and pictures (gmatkin@
sheet, low-horsepower skiff that can clara.net)!
be built to 10 feet or 11 feet 6 inches I’d like to make a few important points
overall about these designs. Many are by amateur
designers. No claims are made for their per-
■ Jim Michalak’s Piragua: an extremely
formance or safety. The designers and author
popular design for a pirogue—a kind of
accept no responsibility for any accident or
flat-bottomed canoe
loss that may take place during building or
■ Murray Isles’s Aurette: an interpretation in use. No individual may build more than
of the Auray punt. It is a bit more two or three boats to these drawings without
sophisticated than my Jiggity and the permission of the designer.
adapted for sail Finally, a word about terminology. Since
■ Finally, I have included a gallery of addi- U.S. and U.K. English differ somewhat—
tional designs from these and other especially in regard to technical items such as
designers for your consideration, but lumber (timber) and latex (emulsion) paint—
without full plans or building instructions I’ve tried to include both forms in the first
All of these boats are in this book instance of use, with the U.K. version appearing
because they meet the key criteria for happy in parentheses immediately following the U.S.
small boating: keep it cheap, make it easy, version. Thereafter, I’ve used just the U.S. form
and have fun. for the sake of brevity.

5
This page intentionally left blank
 PA R T O N E
(Henry Massenburg)

How to Build Them

7
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
 CHAPTER 1

THREE SIMPLE
METHODS

A flat-bottomed
Micromouse built
with external chine
logs, using the sim-
plified chine log
method. (Henry
Massenburg)

market and was one of the main reasons for

T he boats in this book can be built using
a combination of three ultrasimple
methods—simplified chine log, polyurethane
the resurgence of home boatbuilding’s popu-
larity in recent years.
stitch-and-glue, and epoxy stitch-and-glue. My simplified chine log method is a fur-
Let’s examine and compare them to show ther simplification of Payson’s concept for
you just how simple it is to build these boats the “instant boat.” It is in essence the same
and to give you the information you need to as Payson’s, but made simpler by the fact
decide which method best suits you. Then as that many of the boats in this book have ver-
you read the following chapters, you’ll be tical sides, which cuts out much of the bevel-
able to focus on the specifics for the method ing and shaping work usually involved in
you plan to use and learn more about how it building small boats. It will appeal to those
can be applied to a given design. who favor conventional woodworking pro-
cedures over slathering adhesive and tape to
THE SIMPLIFIED CHINE make glass-and-resin fillets, which although
LOG METHOD having the same function as internal chine
For many amateur home boatbuilders, the logs, are constructed quite differently. Briefly, a
best-known method of plywood boatbuilding chine log is a long piece of lumber (timber)
is the one described in Dynamite Payson’s used to make a joint between two pieces of ply-
Instant Boatbuilding. This book caused a revo- wood running the length of the boat; for exam-
8 lution in this segment of the boatbuilding ple, between the bottom of a flat-bottomed

Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.

boat and its sides. A fillet is made of filled epoxy cutting it to shape. You can simply trace the THREE
SIMPLE
or polyurethane and shaped using a tool such shape of the boat’s sides onto the bottom METHODS
as the back of a large spoon. It is covered on the panel of plywood, cut roughly along the pencil
inside with glass tape. lines, and trim it flush after it’s fastened down.
While all three building methods share However, when using either stitch-and-glue
some of the same techniques and proce- method, it is all of the hull panels that define
dures, it’s all a matter of degree. The simpli- the shape of the hull. Therefore, you must also
fied chine log method relies the least upon measure and cut the bottom panel to create a
glues and the most upon mechanical fasten- hull with a good shape.
ers (i.e., nails or screws). As I’ve said, the other major difference in
In the simplified chine log method, the construction methods is the way parts are
plywood bulkheads and transoms have pieces put together: stitch-and-glue is more adhesive-
of lumber called “cleats” nailed all around intensive, while the simplified chine log
their perimeters to hold fasteners. Most of method relies more on nails or screws.
these cleats must be beveled so that the sides In stitch-and-glue construction, it’s nor-
of the hull will lay flush against them. Ply- mal to drill lots of little holes along the edges
wood panels are cut to shape and bent of the hull panels, and stitch the panels
around the bulkheads and transoms to make together with plastic cable ties or bits of wire
the sides of the hull. Fasteners are driven to hold them in place while you apply glue
through the plywood into the cleats. and fiberglass tape to the seams. Most of the
Next, chine logs are bent and then nailed boats in this book have such easy shapes that
and glued to the bottom outside edge of the you’ll probably be able to use duct tape or
side panels. They hold the fasteners for the something similar to hold things in place.
bottom, performing the same function that (Since this is stitch-and-glue without the
the frame cleats do for the sides. The bottom stitches, you may prefer to call it “taped-seam
is then attached to the cleats and bulkheads construction.”) However, some designs will
with glue, nails, or screws. With “ultrasimpli- require at least some stitching, perhaps because
fied” designs where the boat’s sides are at they have tighter curves or you’re using thicker,
right angles to the bottom, this operation stiffer plywood.
could not be simpler. Once the panels are in place next to each
other, they are joined on the inside with fillets.
As noted earlier, these are beads of thickened
TWO STITCH-AND-GLUE adhesive goop that run the entire length of
METHODS the seams, then are smoothed and hollowed
The second and third building methods are to a nice concave (or coved) shape. When the
both called “stitch-and-glue.” They differ a goop is half-hardened but still a little soft, a
little, depending on whether you choose to strip of fiberglass tape is laid onto the fillet,
work with polyurethane glue or epoxy, but the then another coat of adhesive is laid on it and
principle remains the same. Stitch-and-glue smoothed to finish the seam. After the fillets
boatbuilding relies as much on the shape of are made, the outside seams are covered with
the hull panels as on the frames or bulkheads, glue and fiberglass.
to define the shape of the hull. When you join
the curved edges of the hull panels to each Polyurethane Stitch-and-Glue
other, they almost magically form themselves In concept, the stitch-and-glue methods are
into a boat. pretty much the same whether you use poly-
Because the frames and bulkheads define urethane glue or epoxy, but these two mate-
the shape of the hull in the simplified chine rials are different enough in how you work
log method described earlier, it is not necessary with them that I think we should view them
to carefully measure the bottom panel before as distinct methods. 9
ULTRASIMPLE two components (resin and hardener) before
BOATBUILDING
using it. Once you’ve mixed the two, depend-
ing on the particular recipe of resin you have
bought or the temperature in your backyard,
you may have a very limited amount of time
to use it before it “kicks,” or begins to harden.
Furthermore, as it comes out of the container,
it is quite runny.
To make the fillets, you have to mix in
some kind of powdered filler material. The
filler helps to bulk the expensive epoxy and
add strength, although the real strength of a
fillet comes from the glass tape that lies over it.
It’s best to use only the very finely ground,
purpose-made fillers supplied for mixing with
epoxy, as nothing else I’ve tried or heard about
is as good. In my experience, even fine sawdust
from machine tools is rough stuff when mixed
with epoxy, resulting in a rough surface, and is
much less effective in making the epoxy go a
long way.
Epoxy is also somewhat dangerous to
work with. Ignore the health warnings, and
A stitch-and-glue Cruising Mouse hull made by Anthony
Smith is nearly complete. The seams between all the hull
you could injure yourself!
panels and bulkheads have been filleted with epoxy-based In spite of its drawbacks, however, epoxy
putty and taped over with fiberglass tape and more epoxy.
(Anthony Smith) is certainly better than polyurethane, from
both a structural and aesthetic point of view.
It will produce a stronger, more durable, and
Generally, polyurethane glue is easier to better looking boat than polyurethane.
work with than epoxy, and it is often regarded Some boatbuilders recommend polyester
as less toxic. Most polyurethane glue comes resin as an economical alternative to epoxy as
out of a cartridge and is applied with a caulk- an adhesive in stitch-and-glue boats. Polyester
ing gun. About the same consistency as bath- is the plastic from which many “fiberglass”
tub caulk, it’s not runny and so stays where boats are made (the proper name for fiberglass
you put it. It is not quite as strong as epoxy, boat construction is glass-reinforced plastic, or
and it doesn’t have epoxy’s long track record GRP). It is similar to epoxy in that it is a two-
of success in “serious” boatbuilding, but it’s part material that requires mixing a resin and
strong enough for our purposes. Several of my a hardener. Although there is plenty of evi-
boats have been built using this method and, as dence that it works well, it is no longer widely
reported on the Mouseboats group, the builders used by home boatbuilders, and I can’t per-
have been very satisfied with the results. sonally vouch for it since I haven’t used it.
All three of these methods are good, and
Epoxy Stitch-and-Glue deciding between them should not be a cause
Epoxy, on the other hand, is a famously effec- for anxiety—none represent a “wrong” choice.
tive material that is proven in boats ranging They’re all easy and fun and will result in a
from dinghies to ultralight ocean racers and strongly constructed boat that won’t fall apart.
huge motoryachts. It’s more expensive and They all have the potential to produce a good-
more difficult to work with than polyurethane looking boat, depending on how much work
10 glue since you must carefully measure and mix you put into the final product. (As I said earlier,
 THREE
SIMPLE
Making a Stitch-and-Glue Seam METHODS
C
A Cable tie or wire stitches in place.
B Epoxy fillet in place. It covers the tie on the inside and is Glass tape over fillet
shaped in a soft curve to accept glass tape.
C Epoxy glass tape in place on top of the shaped epoxy fillet.
D When the inner seam has hardened, trim off the cable tie
on the outside and round off the outside of the seam, filling with
epoxy where necessary.
E Brush epoxy to the external seam, then apply epoxy and
glass tape to the seam.
F As an alternative to the external tape, in small boats and
canoes, the external taping may be omitted if the boat is
D
covered with glass cloth.
Tie or wire trimmed,
edge rounded

Cable tie or wire stitch

E

Glass tape over seam

B
Fillet in place
F

Alternatively,
cover boat with
glass cloth
and epoxy

The steps to making stitch-and-glue joints.

it’s by no means essential that your boat look for these tiny boats is correspondingly small. So
good. You’re perfectly entitled to build an ugly just pick the method that sounds like the most
boat if getting out on the water without delay is fun. The boats are so simple and inexpensive
more important to you than the compliments that you can (and probably will) try all three
of your loved ones.) Even the most expensive methods before too long. The main thing at
choice—epoxy stitch-and-glue—will be down- this point is to make your decision and get
right cheap since the amount of epoxy required started on the next step of the process.

11
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CHAPTER 2

MATERIALS
AN D TO OLS

A brace of
Micromice built by
Henry Massenburg
for a pair of lucky
kids. (Henry
Massenburg)

■ 11⁄2 sheets of waterproof plywood

H aving made my case that small boats are
fun, useful, and well within your ability
to build, and having tantalized you with a
■ 30 feet of 1-by-1-inch pine or similar
■ 3 pints of epoxy
few pictures, it’s time to talk a little more
about materials and tools. Let’s think of a ■ 1 or 2 tubes of polyurethane glue
simple flat-bottomed Mouseboat like Mini- ■ 50 feet of carpet tape
mouse or Micromouse. There’s no doubt that ■ A few dozen stainless steel screws
flat-bottomed versions can take as little as a
■ 1 or 2 quarts of paint
day, or even half a day, to assemble. How-
ever, anyone new to boatbuilding or working ■ A little varnish
with wood will naturally take longer, so ■ 4 drain plugs
please bear that in mind. If you’re unfamiliar ■ 1 galvanized steel cleat for attaching the
with the materials and tools needed to do painter
the job, it’ll take you some time to feel com-
■ 3 to 4 yards of cheap polypropylene line
fortable and to work at optimal efficiency.
for the painter
I’ll obviously go into extensive detail on
building the various boats in this book later, To make a double paddle, you’ll need:
but let’s use the Micromouse as an example ■ A pine or similar closet pole (make sure
here to illustrate the tools and materials that there’s no joint; if there is, it may not be
you’ll typically need. The following list will well engineered and could have been
give you a good idea of how inexpensive it is made using non-waterproof glue)
to build these boats.
■ Some scraps of plywood to make
To build the 7-foot 10-inch flat-bottomed
blades
Minimouse using the polyurethane stitch-
and-glue method, you will need: ■ 8 stainless steel screws
12
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
www.Ebook777.com
 You may well have quite a few of these trunk of a tree. These veneers of wood are MATERIALS
AND TOOLS
things in your garage. Even if you don’t, then stacked and glued at right angles to
when you add up the cost of this little list, each other. Picture a compass: the grain in
it’s unlikely to come to much, particularly if the first layer of wood runs from east to
you use the Internet to find the best prices west, the grain in the second layer runs
on some of the pricier items, such as stainless from north to south, and the grain in the
steel screws, glue, and epoxy. third layer runs from east to west again, and
I live in the United Kingdom, one of the so on.
most expensive countries in the world, but if Plywood is easy to take for granted in
I shop around, I swear that it’s hard to see the modern age, but for an amateur boat-
how this shopping list can add up to much builder and user, it really is a wonder mate-
more than, say, £80 to £100 (roughly $160 to rial. It’s very dimensionally stable—it swells
$200), provided that you plan to use epoxy and shrinks very little in any direction with
only for the seams and not to cover the changes in temperature or humidity. This
entire hull. What’s more, if you’re prepared means that boat structures made from
to use the very cheapest waterproof plywood waterproof plywood can be glued together.
and polyurethane glue, and you can find Unlike the old boats, modern plywood
some unused exterior paint from another boats don’t depend on soaking to close up
project, it’s possible to bring the price down a any leaks between the strakes of the hull.
lot lower than this figure, maybe as little as Therefore, they can be stored all year in a
£50 ($100 or so) or even less. garage or shed, and then thrown into the
The tools and skills can also be minimal, water and used immediately. What’s more,
if you’re happy working that way. There’s compared with dimensional lumber, ply-
always room to add more effort and patience wood is very uniform, easy to mark out and
in boatbuilding, but the boats covered in this use, and strong for its weight. It also takes
book are probably best suited to the kind of glue well and provides a good substrate for
rough and ready building jobs most of us can painting.
complete in a couple of weekends. Plywood’s weak point, though, is that
half the layers on any edge consist of exposed
end-grain. Unlike its flat surfaces, the edges of
PLYWOOD plywood will soak up water, which can lead to
Home boatbuilding today is not at all like it rot. This can be avoided by sealing the edges
used to be. At one time, it was almost impos- before assembly, preferably with epoxy.
sible to make a boat that didn’t leak when Some people don’t like plywood. Many
you first put it in the water. You had to wait plywood detractors are ultra-traditionalists
until the hull planking soaked up water and who appreciate only the best old-fashioned
swelled to form a seal that stopped most of workmanship, and perhaps also derive some
the leaks. odd pleasure from having wet feet and
Fortunately for the home boatbuilder, sloppy bilges from time to time. Lots of us
traditional methods of boat construction are appreciate high-quality workmanship, pretty
no longer necessary because of a single designs, and lovely materials but while we
breakthrough that changed all the rules. In admire traditional boats, many of us find we
1934, a Harbor Plywood Corporation chemist have to choose the conveniences that ply-
named James Nevin developed a fully water- wood provides: easy trailering and launch-
proof formaldehyde adhesive that could be ing, light weight, low cost, and easy mainte-
used to create the wonder material we now nance. Without these conveniences there
call waterproof plywood. Waterproof plywood might be no boating or boatbuilding for
is made up of sheets of wood peeled from the many of us.
13
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
Buying Plywood
In order to use plywood effectively, there are
a few things you have to know and a few
decisions you have to make.
First, the plywood must be made with
genuine waterproof glue. The best stuff is real
marine grade plywood made to British Stan-
dard BS 1088. This is available in the United
States as well as the United Kingdom, is usu-
ally quite expensive, and according to the
standard, should have no voids in the inner
layers.
Exterior grade plywood, or what we call
water- and boil-proof (WBP) plywood in the
United Kingdom, may also be acceptable—if
you can find some good stuff. Considerably
cheaper, WBP plywood usually has at least a
few voids, which are undesirable because Voids in a sample of water- and boil-proof (WBP) plywood.
Voids represent a serious inherent weakness of their own,
they weaken the structure invisibly and, but they also tend to hold water, which in turn causes rot.
worse, can hold water and cause rot. Many Voids should be eliminated by filling with epoxy or glue,
and should also be backed with a void-free piece of scrap
builders try to plug them with epoxy or plywood. Notice that the central plywood is made from
polyurethane glue. Having tried this myself, poor quality wood, which will also tend to soak up water
and rot over time.
I’m skeptical about how effectively this can
be done, so in addition to plugging the hole,
I have at times used a doubler, or sister. This clamp an engine on the stern, for example,
is a second piece of plywood glued to the sur- in cutting out the transom across the back of
face of the offending section, on the inside of the boat, the grain on the outer faces must
the boat. run across the boat to provide the strongest
I wouldn’t normally use WBP here in the possible support for the engine. Cut it the
United Kingdom because you rarely find any wrong way and the transom may flex.
that isn’t dreadful, although the situation varies The difference in flexibility with direc-
here, and I gather also in the United States. I do tion becomes less important as the number
know some people in the United States who of layers increases, but even with five-ply
have, at different times, found sources of luaun plywood it’s still significant. I’d also add that
underlayment plywood that wasn’t too bad. A where the grain of the wood will show, say,
useful message here, though, is that the quality through varnish, it will always look better if
of plywood can vary greatly from place to place it runs along the longest direction.
and from country to country. Third, even superficially similar plywoods
Interior grade plywood is made with glue are not equal. It’s difficult when writing a
that softens when wet and should not be book for an international audience to be very
used, no matter how well made. specific about plywood because the materials
Second, the material of the faces is available vary greatly from country to coun-
important. In three-layer plywood, it’s clear try, and, in large countries, from region to
that the grain in both of the outer layers runs region. So I have tried to make some specific
in the same direction, which has the conse- comments that apply in both the United
quence that it is less easy to bend in the Kingdom and the United States, and may
direction of the grain than across it. This make sense in other areas of the world.
matters when we come to cut material for There is a fundamental, inescapable
14 different parts of the boat. If we’re going to choice to be made right at the beginning of
a plywood-and-glue boatbuilding project when building with marine grade plywood, MATERIALS
AND TOOLS
concerning the level of quality of the build, to protect their investment.
which should be consistent. For example, if Adding epoxy and glass will significantly
the materials are cheap in one area, say the increase the weight of the boat, but they also
hull, they should be cheap everywhere. This will make it stiffer, stronger, and harder wear-
issue applies to most of the projects in this ing. There are many advantages over using
book and to many other designs as well. paint alone to seal the lumber and plywood.
In the case of home boatbuilding, the Further, epoxy spitcoats, and epoxy and
choice starts with the quality of plywood, fiberglass coverings, will likely require hand-
how much you are prepared to pay for it, sanding, as opposed to doing the job with an
and what is available where you live. The orbital sander, so that should factor into your
level of quality in plywood that is used or is strategic thinking early on in the planning
acceptable in building small boats is a mat- stages of the project. See Chapter 4, page 49
ter of constant debate on Internet boatbuild- for details on covering hulls with epoxy, or
ing forums. It will almost certainly horrify epoxy and fiberglass.
some people to hear me say so, but I’d argue The interior of the hull should be sealed
that it can be rational in some cases to build as well. The basic approach is to use paint
a boat using scrappy exterior grade construc- only, and quite often people use a spit coat of
tion plywood sealed with paint. You might epoxy covered in paint. If you go this route,
be a person who hasn’t the skills, inclination, you’ll have to rely on more careful applica-
or time to do anything but work roughly. Yet tion of paint on the inside and pay greater
you still enjoy building and using small attention to maintaining the interior and
boats, do your boating in shallow, sheltered keeping the bilge free of water when the boat
water, and wear your PFD at all times. If so, is not in use.
who has the right to tell you that you Where do I stand on all this? On balance,
shouldn’t use the least expensive materials? I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d rather
Keep in mind, though, that plywood use better quality marine plywood, even if it
with paper-thin outer layers will most likely means I can only afford a spit coat of epoxy
require hand-sanding when it comes time to over most of the boat, and perhaps some
finish and paint your boat. Whereas, with epoxy and glass cloth on the bottom. My rea-
good quality marine-grade plywood, it is just soning is that because the material is rela-
about possible, with care, to use an orbital tively thin, weak spots due to voids, bad
sander. The marine-grade plywood has thicker cores, and flawed outer layers can’t be toler-
faces (outer layers) that are less likely to be ated. In addition, it seems to make sense to
seriously damaged (see page 57 for more make the bottom of a boat hard-wearing.
details on sanding). You can also get by As I said earlier, look for the BS 1088 desig-
with just paint to seal the hull. Yes, this also nation and make sure the outer layers are not
goes for exterior grade construction ply- paper-thin. However, it has also been my expe-
wood in a very low-end build, but there is rience that the BS designation is no absolute
always the risk that the boat won’t hold up guarantee of quality, even in the home coun-
well over time. try of the British Standard. You should look
As a general rule, hulls built from ply- closely before you part with any money!
wood of any quality will benefit from being
sealed with a “spit coat” of epoxy (a thin LUMBER
layer of epoxy without any fillers added), and Old-time boatbuilders built their boats with
they will benefit still more if covered with the expectation that they would live in the
epoxy and fiberglass cloth. How far you go in open air and often on the water for years at a
this direction is up to you. Some boatbuilders time, and so chose wood varieties—cypress,
take one or the other of these steps, even certain kinds of oak and pine, teak, and so 15
ULTRASIMPLE on—that could withstand that kind of treat-
BOATBUILDING
Buying Lumber
ment without rotting. Generally, these trees While we might hope to build some of our
had grown slowly in the wild, and conse- boats using wood from some pretty cheap
quently the wood material cut from them was sources, we should still choose the pieces we
slow to rot. They didn’t know how lucky they want with some care. In almost any pile of
were, or maybe their customers didn’t know lumber of a suitable variety, there’s usually
how lucky they were, for their boats would something that’s usable. In my experience,
sometimes go for years without any care at all. most lumberyards will let you pick and
Over the decades and centuries, however, choose without taking offense, though they
our resources of slow-grown stands of these may occasionally point out that if you want
types of timber have generally been cut down better lumber you could make it easier on
and used, which means that unless we have a yourself by going to a more expensive yard
lot of money at our disposal, we don’t have and paying more for it.
easy access to these materials. Even if we do As you go through the pile, look for
buy the same varieties of lumber, they’re gen- straight grain, no knots or small knots in
erally cultivated, fast-growing varieties that preference to large ones, and material that
don’t contain as much of the protective isn’t wildly bent and twisted. Avoid mate-
resins as the naturally-grown lumber. rial with obvious flaws. Unless you’re mak-
In our time, this means that if we want ing spars, a little twist isn’t too much of a
to make cheap boats, we usually have to problem in building small plywood boats.
make compromises that would have horri- The shape of the panels defines the shape of
fied our ancestors. That’s just a fact of life, the boat, and the rigidity of the boat’s struc-
but there are things we can do to minimize ture will almost always pull a twisted 1-by-
the problems of rot and fungal infection. 1-inch piece of softwood into line without
One option is to choose the best materials difficulty.
we can find. In the United Kingdom, I tend If you are making spars, a little curve is
to buy pine, Douglas fir, and spruce rather fine, so long as you laminate your mast
than the very cheapest no-name softwood, together from two or more pieces of material
and I’ve found that the largest building sup- with opposing and roughly equal amounts of
pliers sometimes have stocks of meranti bend.
from the Philippines at reasonable prices. How to get your lumber home is an issue
The term “meranti” includes four related that you should consider, as you may find
species, but much more important it is nice the yard’s prices for delivery are a little steep.
to work with: free of knots, lightweight, I usually carry it on top of the car on a roof
strong, and a nice color. It’s only moder- rack, securing it in the middle and at the
ately resistant to rot, so it should be sealed ends and tying the lines off at the towing
and the boat kept off the ground when not points many car manufacturers place just
in use. Oak is available from specialists but below each bumper. If the boards are particu-
at a price that can’t easily be justified at my larly long, it can be useful to tie a brightly
level of craftsmanship. In similar establish- colored cloth to the back end to warn the
ments in the United States, I’ve been driver or motorcyclist behind you that
impressed to see light, beautifully clear you’ve got a long load on board.
cedar at prices that make me green with If you’re worried about scratching your
envy when I compare it to what I see in the paint, you might take the precaution of
United Kingdom, and I understand that wedging a soft cloth between the cord and
cypress, fir, and long-leaf yellow pine are the bumper. I don’t trouble about this myself
often available. I’ve also learned from my as I reckon that cars, unlike boats, have no
American contacts that hemlock and poplar souls, feel no pain, and try harder to please if
16 should be avoided. you let them think you don’t love them.
 MATERIALS
ADHESIVES AND TOOLS
As previously mentioned, the great leap for-
ward in plywood technology came with the
invention of a truly waterproof adhesive in
1934, and the original formaldehyde glue that
made it possible was followed by a series of
better, stronger formaldehyde types that could
be used in making plywood in factories.
Formaldehyde glues are cheap, but I don’t
favor them because they require that my joints
fit more tightly than I tend to achieve, and I
generally don’t have the patience to start again
when they aren’t tight. Instead, when dealing
with joints, I tend to use epoxies, which are
more expensive and require careful mixing
and completely dry lumber. But no matter
how bad my carpentry, they can always be
Designed by Jack Holt and Barry Bucknell, the Mirror sailing
mixed with a filler that enables them to fill any dinghy was the first dinghy to be built in any numbers using
gap and produce a strong bond. the stitch-and-glue method, although canoes had previously
been built using the technique. It’s still a popular boat, and
kits, hulls, and parts can be obtained from Trident in the
Epoxy United Kingdom at www.trident-uk.com.

After waterproof plywood, epoxy is the sec-

ond wonder material at the disposal of the For this kind of carpentry, I go for poly-
modern amateur builder of small boats. The urethane glues almost every time. Poly-
credit for its invention by synthesis of urethanes were developed as a kind of imita-
bisphenol-A-based epoxy resins is shared by tion rubber adhesive for the shoe industry, but
Dr. Pierre Castan of Ciba Geigy in Switzerland they’re a gift for boatbuilders. They’re rela-
and Dr. S. O. Greenlee of Devoe & Reynolds tively inexpensive and available in various
in the United States in 1936. forms, including fast- and slow-setting, and
Epoxy became popular in the aerospace filled versions suitable for slightly wider
industry in the early 1950s. It was then used joints. They work in more humid atmos-
to build canoes, and, in 1963, it was used in pheres where epoxy would combine with the
the construction of the popular Mirror moisture to form a useless slimy mess called
dinghy, which introduced thousands of ama- amine blush or bloom. The secret of
teur boatbuilders to the stitch-and-glue polyurethane glue is that it’s actually the
building technique described in Chapter 1. moisture in the air that makes it react and
Epoxy is a good adhesive in many appli- harden—so a little moisture in lumber or even
cations, and it pays to know how to use it. a little light fog is unlikely to cause problems.
See page 34 in Chapter 3 for more informa- See page 33 in Chapter 3 for more informa-
tion about working with epoxy. tion on working with polyurethane glue.
Warning: One of the great temptations
Polyurethane Glues for inexperienced boatbuilders is to try to
Epoxy may be a miracle material, but not save money by using water-resistant adhe-
everything in a small boat is best glued with sives and non-waterproof plywood, thinking
it. The reason for this is you have to mix up that if the boat is well covered and sealed
more glop and filler every time you wish to with paint the glue will hold up. If you’re
use a few drops to assemble a bit more of considering doing something like this, please
your boat, which might just be a simple seat, don’t. You’ll always be wondering if the glue or
an oarlock support, or a breasthook. plywood will fail while you’re using the boat, 17
ULTRASIMPLE and that will take the fun out of being on the it’s right to decide which we use with a little
BOATBUILDING
water quite quickly indeed. care to keep both costs and maintenance
under control, and that starts with using
FASTENERS paint, not varnish, wherever possible.
Stainless steel screws are ideal for building A few small areas of bright varnish can be
small boats. In boats that are in and out of very appealing and may be justified. Spars,
the water on a regular basis, they never seem rudders, seats, breasthooks, outer gunwales,
to rust. And because they have a tighter and so on, are easy to coat and can look
thread than most other screws, the resulting really good—but a little is all you need. Paint
fastening is wonderfully strong, although you the large majority of the boat, or you may
have to put in a few more turns when driving find yourself spending more time on mainte-
them home. You often can obtain stainless nance than you wish.
steel screws quite cheaply by mail order. If Now, a word about paint. Most of the
you prefer bronze screws, you can buy them boats in this book are frankly basic. They’re
from specialist boatbuilding suppliers. simple, cheap, and fun to build and use, and
Generally, it’s best to avoid brass and don’t require much effort to carry and launch.
bright zinc-coated screws, as saltwater quickly However, there’s no special pretence that
destroys brass screws, and zinc coatings don’t they’re going to turn heads while you’re out
usually last very long. on the water. Further, most will spend their
The nails used in boatbuilding also have lives in a garage or in the backyard under a
to be resistant to rusting, and the preferred tarp. Perfectionists will go their own way
ones are bronze boat nails or ring nails, (and for the sake of their nerves and blood
which won’t rust even in seawater and have pressure should probably not be reading this
rings around their lengths that stop them
from working out of the wood. However, in
very low-cost boatbuilding, if we use nails at
all, it seems reasonable to use the galvanized
type—because they’re cheap, come in vari-
ous sizes, and will often outlast a boat built
from low-quality plywood.

PAINT AND VARNISH

Varnishes are made up of a resin that is capa-
ble of sticking to wood and other materials
mixed with an evaporating solvent and vari-
ous additives that create a shine. Paints are
similar but contain additives that produce
color and make them opaque.
The resins vary, as do the solvents, but
one result of varnish’s lack of opacity seems
to be that it succumbs to the effects of
weather and the sun’s ultraviolet rays more
quickly than paints. In my experience, a var-
nished piece of wood that lives in the open
air and unprotected from the sun will need
to be refinished two or three times for every Large areas of varnish may be very attractive, but they can
be hard to maintain, as the owner of this Solo racing dinghy
one time that a painted piece of wood will would surely tell you. Another approach is to paint the boat
need to be recovered. What’s more, both and varnish just a few small areas, which can look very
handsome and requires considerably less maintenance. See
18 paint and varnish are expensive, so I think David Beede’s Summer Breeze (page 184).
book), but for the rest of us, the good news is MATERIALS
TOOLS AND TOOLS
that some of the cheapest finishing options If you’re one of the many people unaccus-
are perfectly acceptable, including ordinary tomed to using tools, don’t despair. Every-
exterior house paint. thing you need to know will be explained.
The cheapest sources for these things can The only thing I ask is that you double-check
be garage sales and clearance sales at your what you read and double-check what you
local building supplier. Just hope the color measure before you cut a piece of wood. You
you’re able to get isn’t too gruesome, as it’s may have heard the experienced wood-
likely to be the stuff no one else wants! worker’s mantra that you should measure
I’m no painter, just as I’m no boat car- twice and cut once to avoid wasting wood.
penter, but I’ve had my best results with I’d add that you should also read twice to
either: avoid potentially costly mistakes. While
■ A layer of spirit-based paint primer, fol- there are plenty of ways to correct errors, it’s
lowed by sanding with a medium grit; better to steer clear of them from the outset.
followed by a couple of layers of under- You will need very few tools to build the
coat, followed by sanding with a finer boats in this book. Clamps (or in the United
grit; and a couple of layers of a top-coat, Kingdom, cramps) are the exception: you
OR, can never have too many. If you can’t afford
■ A lightly sanded single or double coat of them, there are ways to work around the
epoxy or fiberglass-and-epoxy, painted problem using screws or by making your
with water-based exterior gloss latex own. To make your own clamps, buy a sec-
(emulsion) paint. tion of 3- to 4-inch diameter PVC pipe and
cut it into sections 3 inches long to make a
Don’t underestimate gloss or enamel
series of rings. Then cut straight through one
latex paint: if you leave it alone for a week
side of each ring to create a 90-degree slot.
or two after application, it hardens to a tough,
Now you have a bunch of small, cheap, and
long-lasting coating. That may come as sur-
useful clamps that have the added advantage
prising news to boatbuilders in countries
that they can be doubled-up, one over the
such as the United Kingdom, where these
other, wherever necessary.
paints are usually only applied to masonry
The only power tool you’ll absolutely
and interior walls. However, in the United
need is an electric screwdriver. You may wish
States, the epoxy-latex emulsion approach
to obtain an orbital sander and a power
is very popular in amateur boatbuilding
planer, but neither are essential. If you are
and widely regarded as a good way to go
building with heavier plywood, a saber saw
because it is cheap, environmentally friendly
(it won’t release clouds of invisible volatile
organic solvent into the atmosphere), and
far less likely to irritate the user’s throat
and lungs. It is also effectively resists UV
rays for several years at a time, even in the
hottest and sunniest climates.
Chandlers, dealers, and magazines will
try to sell you a variety of high-tech paints as
well as synthetic stains and finishes, but I
generally avoid them because they’re expen-
sive and aimed at upscale boatowners. The
boats I build usually don’t justify that kind of Whenever you take a trip to the hardware store, always buy
expense, even if they may get more use than at least one clamp. They soon accumulate, and it’s almost
impossible to have too many, as you can see illustrated here
the average yacht. with this Mouse. 19
ULTRASIMPLE (also known as a hand jigsaw) might also be
BOATBUILDING
useful.
Generally, though, I’m not enthusiastic
about power tools: leaving aside the cost and
danger of buying and using power where you
don’t need to, perhaps the worst thing about
them is that power transforms a small mis-
take that could be fixed with judicious use of
a little extra Uncle Epoxy mixed with Auntie
Filler into a big mistake that requires you to
buy another sheet of material or length of
lumber. Even the orbital sander can quickly
take off critically important areas of surface
veneer and weaken your nice rigid structure.
The tools you buy can be the cheapest
kind, but it’s almost always worth spending Raising your work off the floor will make construction and
painting easier. If good sawhorses aren’t available, you can
just a little more for something that’s strongly make do with a kitchen table, a pair of 5-gallon pails, or almost
made and comfortable to hold. With cheap anything that’s stable and strong enough. Anthony Smith put
together some homemade stands using expanded polystyrene
screwdrivers in particular, you can find the for the purposes of painting his boat. (Anthony Smith)
soft metal breaks or rounds off very quickly in
use, and comfort is particularly important for
saws. Don’t forget that many tools, including
clamps, vises, chisels, and planes, can often be
■ A small woodworker’s square (aka tri-
picked up for a song at yard or garage sales.
square or set-square) or a combination
The essential woodworking list should
square. A draftsman’s T-square or even a
look something like this:
large envelope will also work.
■ A workbench fitted with a vise—one of
■ A long straightedge (a 3- or 4-foot rule
the cheap foldaway Workmate-style
marked in inches and fractions), while
devices with a long clamp on top works
not essential, would be a bonus.
fine—but in a pinch a sturdy wooden
table or chair and a good big clamp will ■ A flexible batten for drawing curves. I’d
also work. suggest one of those 8-foot lengths of
plastic molding you can buy in a hard-
■ Something to put your boat on so that
ware store.
you don’t have to bend over all the time
while working. Sawhorses that are ■ An 18- to 20-inch handsaw (jacksaw)
solidly built are good; I’ve found cheap ■ A smaller tenon saw with finer teeth.
plastic ones are just about bearable, but You could also use a Japanese-style
they wobble and will probably only last pull-saw.
for one or two small projects. ■ A small- to medium-sized hammer.
■ Some soft pencils and soft erasers (There are no big nails in these boats.)
(rubbers). Get at least three, so if you lose ■ A hand drill and a set of wood bits
one you won’t have to stop working.
■ A utility knife
■ A tape measure. Some designs are in the
■ A nice big sanding block: 10 inches to a
traditional inches and fractions, while
foot long
others are in inches and tenths. To
measure tenths of an inch, use an engi- ■ A small collection of chisels, and a block
neer’s scale rule, available in most office and oil for sharpening them
20 supply stores. ■ As many clamps as possible
■ A collection of small finishing nails ■ The usual stuff for painting: brushes, a MATERIALS
AND TOOLS
(panel pins), screws, and so on roller handle and covers, stirring sticks,
■ A Stanley Surform and some spare blades mineral spirits, etc.

■ A plane (if you can handle it and A list of desirable and justifiable tools to
sharpen the blades) look for when you start on your second or
third boat might include:
When working with epoxy and other
glues and fillers you will need: ■ A 4-foot T-square. These are expensive
but wonderful. Sold for marking off
■ The manufacturer’s instructions (read
drywall, they’re also perfect for mark-
them, particularly the safety information)
ing out the component parts of ply-
■ Several pairs of disposable rubber gloves wood boats.
■ Face masks or, better, a respirator Finally, you’ll need a space to work in.
■ Shallow, flat disposable trays for mixing I’ve found I need an area no less than about
epoxy. Trays used to package meat are 12 feet by 12 feet to build a standard Mouse-
fine as long as they’re clean and dry. Do boat. I know this, because this is the size of
not use yogurt cups. Their deep shape my small British living room. I have built a
tends to retain heat, which can cause the boat in it and can’t imagine successfully build-
epoxy mix to become volatile and pro- ing a Mouse in anything smaller. Even though
duce toxic vapor, not to mention a dis- the Mouse measures just 7 feet 10 inches by
torted pot full of useless hardened epoxy. 30 inches, you need extra room to maneuver
■ Vinegar for cleaning up epoxy the components and work on all sides of the
hull. I’d add that you should not seek to share
■ Disposable brushes for epoxy
this space with anyone else, even as a corri-
■ A sponge for wiping “bloom,” or blush, dor, unless they are either helping you or are
off epoxy surfaces before painting or very understanding. You may have to wait
applying more epoxy. Bloom is slippery until your housemate or spouse goes away for
stuff that forms when water vapor meets the weekend. It’s also a good idea to make
partly hardened epoxy. sure you have a way of getting your boat out
■ A selection of sandpapers and wet-and- of your working space without sawing it up or
dry papers in various grades making holes in the wall.

21
 CHAPTER 3

BASIC SKILLS

and have to remake some of your marks in

D epending on what you may know or not
know about basic carpentry, this chapter,
which is about working with tools, glues,
new places. If this happens and you don’t
thoroughly rub out the wrong marks, the
wood, and plywood, either will be important resulting mess will mislead you, and you’ll end
to you or won’t. If you already feel confident with a cut that’s slightly but significantly out
about what you’re doing in the workshop, of place. I’ve fallen foul of that one and been
skim or skip this chapter. But if you’re in the forced to start again more than once.
least bit doubtful about your abilities, take a Rulers and tape measures can provide
few minutes to see what’s here. It may help! some challenges of their own, not least because
many of the boat designs on the market use a
WORKING WITH LUMBER variety of units. Both in the United States and
Cutting starts with selecting and marking out the (allegedly metric) United Kingdom, rulers
your piece of material for a particular purpose. and tape measures are regularly marked in
As always in boat construction, it’s important inches and fractions—halves, quarters, eighths,
to avoid using lumber embedded with large and sixteenths. These correspond well with the
knots that can badly weaken the structure of a traditional boatbuilding distance unit of the
boat. Make the grain run along the length of foot-inch-eighth (you’ll often see these used in
the board, not across it. If the grain will be what are known as tables of offsets, which are
obvious, say, in a varnished gunwale or a often used to define hull shapes). But you will
breasthook, it’s well worth choosing lumber also find boat designs that are dimensioned in
with an attractive fine, even, and straight grain. inches and tenths and even in meters and mil-
Give a little thought to how the board limeters. Rulers and scales can be obtained for
may want to warp over time, particularly if it all of these, although in the United States it
becomes wet. Lumber tends to “cup” in the might be necessary to obtain an engineer’s scale
same direction as the curve of the grain when for working in inches and tenths.
viewed from the end of the board. Where Tape measures have a small trick up their
possible, the cupping should be turned toward sleeves that’s worth mentioning in case you
whatever the piece of lumber is being fastened don’t know about it. In using some tape meas-
to, so that the edges of the board will remain ures, you may have noticed that the little
flush against its neighbor. hook on the end moves, and thought, as I
once did, that it was just the result of some
Marking strangely shoddy workmanship. It isn’t—it’s a
The next step is marking out. For this you device to account for the thickness of the
need a few basic tools, including a pencil and hook itself. When making an external meas-
eraser (rubber), a 12-inch or 18-inch ruler or urement, the hook pulls outward to measure
scale, a tape measure, a long straightedge, and to its inside edge, but when making an internal
a square. The eraser is essential, of course, for measurement it pushes slightly inward to
if you follow the marking out equivalent of measure to its outside edge.
the old carpenter’s rule of “measure twice and Straightedges can of course be bought at
cut once” by measuring and marking twice the hardware store, but I’d suggest that the
22 before cutting, you’re bound to find mistakes straight factory edge of a piece of plywood

Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.

will generally serve, and if it’s scrap from an isn’t, you can’t hope to measure accurately BASIC
SKILLS
earlier project it will not cost anything. If your from it or make marks that you can reliably use
lumber supplier is very friendly, he might for sawing. If necessary, use your square and
even give you a suitable scrap. When marking mark out how the end should be cut to create a
out small pieces of lumber, a proper carpenter’s reliable square-cut end. Just mark a line a little
tri-square is well worth having, but I’ve cer- way from the end and use your square to guide
tainly used a plastic drafting square without the pencil all the way around the board before
problems, and even an old envelope. cutting along the waste-wood side of the line.
On the subject of pencil marks, some expert Obviously, you want the board firmly secured
woodworkers use marking knives instead of in a clamp or vise and your saw carefully held
pencils. This is a great technique for the expert at right angles so that it follows all the lines you
because it helps to produce some nice clean have drawn on all sides of the board.
edges, but it is probably not helpful to less expe- When cutting to any measured line, always
rienced woodworkers. You should work in pen- cut on the waste-wood side of the line and err
cil to draw a line that can be rubbed out and on the generous side. It’s relatively easy to trim
replaced, and still seen and followed even after just a little off if you’ve left too much, but it’s
several corrections have been made. wasteful and annoying to have to start again
Marking a length of lumber to cut is rea- with a new piece of wood because you’ve tried
sonably straightforward, but if you haven’t to cut your board finely to the line and failed.
done it before there are a couple of pitfalls to
know about and avoid. Let’s say that we want
Working with Saws
to take a piece of machine-planed lumber
You’ll see a range of saws in your hardware
straight from the supplier and cut it to, say,
store, but a general purpose handsaw with a
123⁄8 inches in length, and let’s imagine that
blade about 18 inches in length with teeth of
the designer has specified that it should be a
14 points to the inch will cover everything
piece of 1 inch by 11⁄2 inch. The width and
from cutting plywood to the kind of rough
depth measurements won’t be the true size,
and ready carpentry that’s needed in these
unless you have personally taken a larger
boats. If you’re planning to build more than
piece of lumber and cut and planed it down to
one boat, you might consider buying two
this size. This is because for some historical
saws. One saw, for cutting plywood, should be
reason lumber is generally sold by what it
a carpenter’s saw about 22 inches long, with
measured before it was planed smooth or
no less than 12 points to the inch, or your ply-
dressed by the sawmill. So, in truth, your 1-by-
wood will have ragged edges. The other saw,
11⁄2-inch piece of lumber is more likely to
for fine work, can be a much shorter tenon
measure 7⁄8-by-13⁄8-inch, or slightly less.
saw with small teeth and a slim blade sup-
ported along its top edge by a thicker spine of
Cutting steel. A Japanese-style pull saw has an even
Having taken this esoteric and needlessly awk- slimmer blade than a tenon saw and cuts on
ward piece of information on board, the next the pull stroke rather than the push stroke,
thing to ask is does the piece of lumber need to the norm for all Western-style saws. Pull saws
be cut to this exact length at this point, or can it are a matter of taste. I’m too rough and ready
be left slightly long and trimmed later? Try to a boatbuilder to find that their advantages jus-
leave it slightly long and trim it later as a pre- tify the extra cost, but some people like them
caution against errors in some other area. It may and feel that they can be more accurate and
also give you a useful handle to lift your half- do finer work.
built boat if you happen to need to move it. Regardless of the type of saw you use, the
Next, check to make sure that the end critical factor in obtaining the best results is
you’re starting from is cut true and square. If it keeping the lumber secured while you saw.
23
ULTRASIMPLE A proper workbench equipped with a vise or
BOATBUILDING
clamps is ideal for this purpose.
When working with a conventional
Western push-saw, start the cut very gently,
using the last joint of your thumb as a guide
for the blade. Without pressing down, draw
the saw toward you, then push away, and
then draw toward you again once or twice,
just letting the weight of the saw do the work
of beginning the cut. Doing this very gently
helps to make sure that the blade doesn’t
bounce and that you are completely in con-
trol of the exact position at which the cut
begins to deepen. It also gives you a chance
to check that you’re consistently holding the
blade at the right angle to the work before
going too far. Practice on some scrap material
and concentrate on a straight, easy action.
When it’s clear that the cut is well placed,
slowly increase the pressure and the length of
each stroke, taking care that the saw remains at
right angles to the material and that the cut is
It’s essential to clamp the work securely in order to make a following the pencil line until you are almost
clean saw cut. finished cutting. Just before the saw breaks
through the last of the material, change the
angle of the saw so that the handle points
downward, and reduce the pressure to a mini-
mum so that your cut ends with a nice rectan-
gular end rather than a split corner. It helps to
get someone else, or another clamp, or use
your spare hand, to hold the loose end care-
fully as you cut through the last bit.
Once the end is true and square, you can
usually use a ruler, scale, or tape measure to
mark your required length. As always, meas-
ure, then mark, then measure again before
getting the saw out of the box. It’s astonish-
ing how often little checks like these can pre-
vent you from wasting expensive materials.
And then, of course, carefully make your cut
on the waste-wood side of the line.

Joining Lengths of Lumber

Because almost all of the boats in this book are
When starting a saw cut, line the last joint of your thumb up quite short, you can cut most of the long pieces
parallel to the cutting line, and rest the saw blade against it that you’ll need from a single, long piece of
as a guide. Make the first few passes very gentle, with no
downward pressure on the saw. lumber. There may be times, however, when
you want to join two lengths of lumber run-
24 ning in the same direction to make a longer
 you’ll join the edges of panels together in long BASIC
Butt joint Scarf joint SKILLS
seams to create the hull.
Watching the hull take shape as you bend
Two ways to join lengths of lumber or plywood, viewed and glue together these flat sections of ply-
from the edge. The length of the sister piece or butt strap on wood can be amazing and impressive the first
the butt joint should be eight times the thickness of the
material. Likewise, the length of the scarf should be eight time you see it. But what’s even better is the
times the material thickness. The butt joint is easier to
make, while the scarf joint is “cleaner” and allows the piece
fact that it happens time after time on many
to take a more natural bend. different boats.

board, perhaps because you bought a bunch of Marking Out Using

8-foot boards on sale, or you were put off by Coordinates
the high cost of clear (i.e., knot-free) lumber in From looking at the chapters in this book
long lengths. The joint between these two that refer to my boat plans in particular,
pieces can be made with a butt joint in which you’ll notice that I’ve included tables of pairs
the joint is “sistered,” or backed up and rein- of numbers or coordinates for marking out
forced by a piece of the same material. The sis- your plywood. One way to think of these is
tering should be the same width and thickness as lines that you draw in parallel first to the
as the material you’re using it to reinforce, left-hand edge (the X coordinate), and then
while its length should be eight times its thick- to the bottom edge (the Y coordinate). The
ness. For example, if you’re joining two pieces point where the lines cross is the point you
of 1-by-2-inch lumber end-to-end, the sister mark with a cross, preferably in soft pencil.
should be an 8-inch 1-by-2. Another way to think of plotting these
An alternative method for joining boards X,Y coordinates is as measuring a distance (X)
end-to-end is the scarf joint, in which each along the bottom edge of the plywood sheet
piece is tapered, as shown, over a distance of followed by a second distance (Y) directly
eight times the thickness of the material to be upward at a right angle to the bottom edge.
joined, and then glued and fastened. This is In practice, this is the way you’ll most likely
obviously a much more difficult joint to plot them out.
make, but it produces a clean and smart result From the Mouseboats group of boat-
that’s compatible with the smooth flow of builders, I know that just hearing the word
water around the outside of the boat. This coordinates can worry some people, as it
means that it can be used for gunwales and makes them think they’re about to be drawn
inwales, and for both internal and external into some area of higher mathematics where
chine logs. It also leaves no vulnerable end- they’ll be uncomfortable and may even
grain exposed to dampness and possible rot. become puzzled. If you’re one of these people,
relax. All you’re going to be asked to do is to
WORKING WITH PLYWOOD mark a length along the bottom edge and
In most of the plans presented in this book, mark a height using a tape measure, a 4-foot
the shape of the boat is established by cutting straightedge, and pencils.
plywood into defined shapes. These shapes You’ll also need a cushion to protect your
can be shown in a variety of ways, but my knees, as you’ll be kneeling on a piece of ply-
favorite is to use coordinates, which I’ll explain wood for an hour or two. Unless you lay
below. After you’ve marked the shapes on the floorboards or fit carpets for a living, I doubt
plywood, you’ll cut them out with a saw. For you’ll be exactly used to this sort of thing!
boats longer than a single sheet of plywood Because it helps me to see where my mis-
(4 by 8 feet), you’ll have to join sections end- takes are (most of us make at least a few) and
to-end into longer hull panels, and for this because it’s nice to use a short ruler or scale
you’ll make simple butt joints with either for the small-scale stuff, I always start by
butt blocks or fiberglass tape and epoxy. Then marking out my plywood in 10-inch squares. 25
ULTRASIMPLE I do this using a tape measure and pencil, points that make up the shapes of the panels,
BOATBUILDING
and begin by laying out the material cross- the coordinates. Before you begin I strongly
wise with the short ends on my right and left suggest you check each measurement after
and the long bottom edge in front of me. you make your mark just to make sure it’s
Then I make pencil ticks along the bottom correct. Because these are small boats, I have
of the sheet at 10-inch intervals. Starting at the chosen to mark the measurements in inches
left-hand side, I mark at 10, 20, and 30 inches, and fractions on the grounds that they’re
and so on. I do the same thing along the long rather more familiar and easier than the feet-
top edge, starting from the left-hand side. inches-eighths that wooden boatbuilders in
Then I lay the straightedge against both ticks the English-speaking world traditionally use.
so that I can draw a straight, clear line between Before you actually make any real marks,
the two. I do the same thing along the vertical think a little more about the meaning of the
(shorter) sides, again starting from the bottom X/Y measurements by making some trial
left-hand corner—depending on the length of marks. Do this in normal pencil so that you
your straightedge. You may need to add some can rub out the marks you make.
more 10-inch ticks along one or more of the First think of a point 1,1 in the accompa-
lines you’ve just drawn around the middle of nying drawings. What this means is a point
your sheet of plywood. 1 inch from the left-hand edge of the plywood
There’s a good argument for marking these and 1 inch up from the bottom edge. Using
squares using a colored pencil and then mark- your tape measure, here’s how to do it: Mark a
ing the actual panels in a normal pencil. If the tick 1 inch to the right of the left-hand corner
drawn lines are all exactly the same color, it along the bottom edge, then use a set-square
can be too easy when sawing to follow a (or some other reliably rectangular object) to
squaring-off line rather than the panel line guide you in making the tick just a little
you meant to follow. longer up and down through your measured
Further, in order to keep the straightedge point (see the diagram). Then along this line
steady and prevent it from sliding while draw- mark a height of 1 inch up from the bottom
ing, I often find it useful to put a couple of edge. Where they cross is the point 1,1.
heavy old books behind the ruler on the ply- Check it.
wood. They make good weights and can often Now, using the same method, mark 6,6:
be made to slide smoothly until the straight- this means 6 inches along the bottom or X
edge is precisely in place. direction, then 6 inches directly upward in
Now that you have your plywood the Y direction. Check this new mark.
squared off in, say, a nice shade of blue, it’s Now try some odd numbers and fractions:
time to think about marking out all those 3, 6; then 11⁄2, 6; then 4, 101⁄8.

Plywood squared off in 10-by-10-inch squares

4-by-8-foot plywood is often slightly
longer than shops say it is.
Y axis

X axis

26 Working with coordinates #1: Start by drawing a grid of 10-inch squares over the plywood
panel.
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com

Plot coordinate 6,6 here BASIC

SKILLS

Up 6 inches
Plot coordinate
Y axis

Y axis
1,1 here

Up 1 inch
Along 1 inch
Along 6 inches
X axis X axis

If the coordinate reads 1,1, that means 1 inch to the right along the X (horizontal) axis, and 1 inch up along the Y
(vertical) axis (left). A coordinate of 6,6 means 6 inches along both axes (right).

Now, to take you out of the bottom left- With larger boats, mark the coordinates
hand section of your plywood sheet, try and then drive finishing nails (panel pins) into
marking the point at 12,41⁄4! By now I think them. This allows you to bend a long flexible
you’re probably getting the idea pretty well, object around the nails, which will produce a
and I guess you also now see why squaring curve you can trace with a pencil. This long,
off the plywood is such a good idea. It means flexible item is properly called a batten and in
you only ever have to measure a few inches the past would have been made of wood: in
from the bottom and left-hand outlines of our time, plastic moldings bought from a hard-
your 10-inch boxes! ware store work very well.
Rub out your experimental pencil marks Don’t forget to double-check the dimen-
and start making out panels in earnest. sions before moving on to the next part of
You may have noticed that the designs in the process.
this book vary in the number of coordinates Moving on to the long panels, begin
that you have to plot. There’s a trade-off here. with the panel at the bottom of the plywood
With plans with many coordinates, you simply sheet. With these long, curved lines it’s well
have to plot the coordinates and join them worth plotting the points along each of the
up with a pencil and a straightedge; you can long lines one at a time, taking time to double-
be sure of getting a good shape. This works check your measurements and to stand back
well with small boats, while with larger boats and look at the curved pencil lines that slowly
it would produce panel profiles with visible emerge. If you see any sign that a particular
flat spots. point is beginning to look like an awkward

Plot coordinate Plot coordinate 12,4 1/4 here

Plot coordinate 3,6 here 1 1/2,6 here
Plywood ruled in 10-inch squares
Up 6 inches
Up 6 inches

Y axis
Y axis

Y axis

4 1/4 inches
up

Along 3 inches Along 1 1/2 inches 12 inches along

X axis X axis X axis

More examples of coordinate plotting: 3,6 (left); 11/2,6 (middle); and 12,41/4 (right). 27

www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE kink, triple-check the point itself and a couple An ideal solution might be to have two
BOATBUILDING
of points on either side; when correct these or three waist-high benches placed close
long curves are gradual and even graceful together so you can cut your material in the
along their length. space between them. However, few of us
In marking out, it’s particularly important have one workbench, let alone two, and in
to mark a few final lines to show where the any case, it can be difficult to reach across
bulkheads or frames are meant to go. If you the width of the material. My approach is to
forget to do this, you’ll kick yourself later find four or more props about a foot high,
because this is the last time you’ll see the coor- preferably made of plastic or wood so that
dinates showing where they should be. In my my saw won’t be ruined when I inevitably
designs in this book, the bulkhead and frame cut into them. At home, I usually use tool-
positions generally coincide with a pair of the boxes made of polypropylene. I place two of
coordinates you have been plotting. Don’t rub my props on either side of the line to be cut
out these lines, as you’ll need them to guide and two more in the general area where I’m
you when you place the internal frames. going to kneel. (I should mention that an old
My favorite layout tool is the drywall cushion will help as well.)
square. This measures a couple of feet across, When everything’s ready and steady, you
and 4 feet from top to bottom, making it per- can start cutting. Start with the long cuts,
fect for measuring and marking out plywood. and always work along the waste-wood side
If you find yourself building more than one of the line, leaving little or no space between
boat from this book, I think you’ll find the cost the line and the saw. There’s no need to
of a drywall square is justified by the ease with hurry. In the grand scheme of things, this
which it allows you to mark out your plywood part of the project won’t take very long (no
and the ease with which you can double-check more than 30 minutes, or less than half the
each mark before cutting. time for marking out) and you do not want to
Finally, before cutting, it’s a really good make a mistake that could lead to having to
idea to write the name of each of the plywood buy another piece of plywood. Stop at regular
parts of the boat onto the material itself so intervals to move your supports so that your
that there’s never any doubt which part goes saw won’t hit them as the cut progresses, and
where. In larger boats, this is absolutely essen- to make sure your own position is well sup-
tial, but even in a small boat it’ll save you ported, so that you won’t fall or break the
time. All you need to write in this case are material. Check to be sure that the curves you
“forward transom,” “aft transom,” “forward have marked out really are emerging from the
frame,” “aft frame,” “bottom,” “left side,” and plywood.
“right side.” It also might help to indicate Use the first side panel as a template to
which is the forward end of each side and trace out the shape for the second one as
which the aft. allowed for in the drawings. If the boat’s over
8 feet long, you’ll have sections for the front
Cutting the Panels and back of both sides. Make sure that the
Once you’re happy that the markings on port and starboard sections of both side panels
your plywood are looking just like those on are mirror images of each other, which they
the drawing and that everything has some must be. Amateur boatbuilders rarely say any-
kind of identification written on it, it’s time thing about the issue, but I’d be prepared to bet
to start thinking about cutting. For most of that quite a few of us have made up identical
us, the big issue in cutting panels drawn on a panels with the butt joints on the same side.
4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood is how to hold The last part of the process is to make the
such a big piece of thin material steady so sides identical by clamping them together and
that it can be cut smoothly without wobbling fairing a little along the curved edge using a
28 and binding in every direction. Stanley Surform or a rasp. Either will do the
 access to a big power saw as it can be difficult BASIC
SKILLS
to accurately saw the long edges by hand.
Instead, I think the easiest approach is to
lay a thin scrap of plywood under the sheets
you’re marking out, making sure they are end-
to-end and flush against each other. Tem-
porarily join the sheets together by driving
small nails through them into the thin scrap
of plywood. The plywood scrap is important.
When it’s time to remove the nails, all you
have to do is insert a screwdriver or a knife
under the scrap and carefully pry it upward.
A rasp and a Stanley Surform tool make rounding corners,
The heads will catch on the scrap and lift the
smoothing curves, and relieving edges easy. nails out of the plywood sheets. You will use
this technique often when building small
job well. Aim for smooth, identical curves boats, so it’s a good one to know.
along both side pieces, but please don’t overdo Now, mark out the material with coordi-
it. Each sweep of the cutter removes a little of nates, panel outlines, frame positions, and so
the boat’s buoyancy, and that’s definitely on, as if the joint isn’t there. After the mark-
something you should try to preserve. ing is done, you’ll separate the 4-by-8-foot
sheets from each other, cut out the panel sec-
Butt Joints tions to the marks, and make the butt joints
Making a butt joint is one of the first steps in to hold the fore and aft sections of each hull
many boatbuilding projects over 8 feet or so, panel together later.
and several of the designs in this book require In fact, the joints can be executed in sev-
one or more of them, usually one for each eral ways. Many home boatbuilders choose
side, and a third for the bottom. to screw and glue a solid wood butt block to
Butt joints may be made before or after the the inside of the joint. This is simple and
plywood is marked out, depending on the effective, but it can be ugly in certain kinds
design: in principle, if the boat is made up of of designs, particularly if the boat you are
wide panels with long butt joints, the panels building has multiple chines or the butts do
can be safely assembled after the panel compo- not line up with some other internal feature,
nents have been cut out, but if the butt joints such as a frame.
are narrow, it’s safer to join the material before Where a wood block is used, its thickness
cutting out. However, when you do this you should be two or three times the thickness of
may be surprised to find that the material you the plywood used for the hull. It should cover
are working with is actually more than 8 feet the whole joint and its width should be twelve
in length. times the thickness of the hull. Some might
This may seem like another odd lumber say you can use a minimum width of eight
trade eccentricity, but I’d go further and say times the thickness of the hull, but I prefer to
that to boatbuilders working from a set of err on the safe side in this area. So if the hull
coordinates, it’s a real nuisance because it plywood is 1⁄4-inch thick, I’d suggest the width
creates some issues that you need to find a of a solid butt block should be 3 inches.
way of working around when squaring off Although plywood straps perform the
the plywood (see the section on marking same function as the wood block, they can
out). One possible way to deal with it is to usually be thinner. They must still be twelve
carefully remove the surplus over 8 feet with times wider than the thickness of the hull
a saw and then plot the coordinates, but this material is thick, but they are typically the
solution is probably best left to those with same thickness as the plywood from which 29
ULTRASIMPLE the hull is made. They should be cut so that the
BOATBUILDING
exterior grain lies across the joint rather than
along the joint. Some of the designs in this
book have a strap designed into the plywood butt strap

cutting plan.
In the past, many people have made
these joints using glue and bent copper nails,
or even very short stainless steel screws, to
hold the parts together, but I find I can suc-
cessfully glue them together without nails. I
do this by carefully laying out the compo-
nents on pieces of scrap plywood to ensure
A plywood butt strap glued in place. Although not essen-
the resulting panel will be straight, and then tial, this one’s edges have been tapered for a slightly cleaner
I apply glue or slightly filled epoxy to the appearance. This photo shows a Cruising Mouse under con-
struction by Anthony Smith, a first-time boatbuilder whose
plywood strap. I butt the panels I’m joining excellent work indicates how easy it can be to build one of
against each other and place the butt strap these boats without prior experience. (Anthony Smith)

over the joint, making sure it is centered over

the joint, and I cover the external seam with Once the panel is safely back on the
glass tape and epoxy. plastic sheet, look at the butt joint. If the gap
Finally, I cover the whole thing with a is very small, four hundredths of an inch or
piece of polyethylene (polythene) or plastic less, fill it with unfilled epoxy, but if it’s any
grocery bag material and weight it down larger some filled epoxy of about the consis-
with a toolbox for a night. I find this pro- tency of tomato ketchup is better. Then epoxy
duces a good strong joint, and in the kind of another strip of glass tape to cover the joint. If
warm dry weather that epoxy likes, I can get you’ve mixed your epoxy well and the
straight to work the following morning. weather is favorable, the whole thing will
However, my favorite way to make butt probably be good and solid by morning. It’s
joints involves no butt-block or butt strap at true that the taped edges require some filling
all; instead use epoxy and a couple pieces of and sanding before they can be painted, but
3-inch wide fiberglass tape over the joint they can be made almost invisible, and doing
on both sides of the panel. You will also so is a lot easier than traditional scarfing and a
need a sheet of reasonably thick polyethyl- lot less unsightly than butt blocks.
ene or similar material to prevent the wet When I’m in a hurry, I sometimes make
epoxy from sticking to the floor while these joints in a single overnight operation by
you’re working. applying epoxy and tape to each side, making
Lay the polyethylene flat, stretching it the butt gap as small as possible and filling it
slightly so that it really is flat and without with epoxy, covering the upperside with plas-
wrinkles. Mix the epoxy in small quantities in tic and a plank, and weighting down the
a flat, open tray. Push the two sheets of ply- whole thing as evenly as possible with a few
wood together over the plastic sheet and brush heavy items from around the garage. This
the epoxy onto the border area—2 inches on might work for you, too, but I’d suggest you
either side of the joint is about right. Then don’t try it with your first boatbuilding project.
paste down the tape, making sure everything’s It’s easy for a beginner to mess up the job, and
nicely wetted. Leave it overnight. In the morn- that can be stressful.
ing, gingerly, and probably with some help,
turn the whole 16-by-4-foot panel over so that USING FASTENERS
the taped side is now lying on the plastic One of the most important differences bet-
sheet. This operation needs to be done care- ween a lot of household joinery and boat
30 fully to avoid cracking the half-taped joint. carpentry is that in boatbuilding any splits
around fasteners are bad. They cause weak Switching drill bits two or three times for BASIC
SKILLS
points in the structural integrity of the boat, every screw hole can be a bit of a pain, but
and they may encourage water to creep into there are two ways that you can simplify the
the lumber, possibly causing rot. process. The easier but more expensive way is
In household do-it-yourself jobs, you to buy two or three drills, and set up each one
have probably seen how a nail or screw can with the right bit. The cheaper way is to drill all
cause a split, perhaps because it was too near the holes that you need with one bit before
to the end of the wood or because it was put switching to the next one. This is not always
in without being drilled. Around the house, feasible, however, because in some cases you
there may not be too much to worry about will have to fasten one screw down tight before
when this happens. Houses are deliberately you can know where the next one should go.
over-engineered, which is why they last for This is especially so when bending a long piece
generations rather than falling down in ten around a curve, as when fastening gunwales or
years. But because we don’t generally over- chine logs.
build when making small boats, we place our When driving fasteners into harder, more
screws and nails carefully and, apart from the expensive woods like oak or mahogany, drill
very smallest temporary pins, holes for nails slightly more generous holes. It’s worth exper-
and screws must always be pre-drilled before imenting with scraps of the lumber you’re
the fasteners can be driven home. using to determine the optimal size of the
To prevent splitting I always make the drilled holes for the nails and screws you’re
distance from the end to the site of the screw working with.
or nail at least equal to the maximum thickness There’s a neat trick to ensure that you drill
of the material. If the material is 1-by-2-inch the holes to the right depth. Place the drill bit
softwood, I’ll place the last screw 2 inches from and the nail or screw side-by-side, and mark
each end at a minimum. the necessary length on the drill bit by wrap-
ping a little colored tape around it at the point
Pre-Drilling Holes where the top of the fastener should go. Once
How large the hole should be depends on the you’ve drilled down to the tape, you’ve gone
material and on the fastener. When driving a far enough. This is a really good technique,
nail into a relatively soft wood of the kind I and you’ll be particularly glad you know it
usually use, I make a hole that’s about half when drilling a lot of holes, such as when fit-
the width of the nail and find that it’ll almost ting a boat bottom or a gunwale.
always drive home neatly and straight.
When working with screws, it’s a bit more Working with Hand Drills
involved because the screw has three parts: the Hand drills may be more complicated to look
head, the threaded portion, and the shank, at than a saw or a hammer, but they’re still
which is the unthreaded section just below the relatively straightforward tools to use. I find
head. First, drill a hole equal in diameter and that if I hold the rotating handle with my left
length to the shank. Then, using a smaller drill hand I can usually unscrew the chuck with
bit equal to the diameter of the shaft of the my right hand to open it to insert or remove
screw inside the threads, drill deeper, to the the drill bit. Many people keep their drill bits
length of the screw less a quarter inch or so. in a little compartment in the long handle,
When driving flathead screws directly into by the way, so if you’ve bought yours second-
lumber, you may have to countersink the sur- hand somewhere, look inside and you may
face of the wood with a special countersinking find some useful little treasures.
bit. This is not usually necessary with ply- As with any cutting tool, the main issues
wood, however, since the cone-shaped bottom are to ensure that the work is held absolutely
of the head will often embed itself in the sur- steady, partly for reasons of safety, and partly
face of soft plywood. to ensure that the cut that you’re making 31
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE starts in the right place, goes straight, and
BOATBUILDING
Using Screwdrivers
finishes in the right spot. Starting can be made and Driving Screws
just a little easier if you use a bradawl or a nail I’m sure that everyone has used a screwdriver at
to make a small dent in the material at just the some point, but there are a few essential pieces
right location. You only need a small hole to of advice that are well worth repeating:
prevent the point of the drill bit from wander-
■ As with nails and hammers, it’s impor-
ing. As with using a saw, it’s best to start care-
tant to use a screwdriver of the right size
fully and gently until you’re sure all is well and
for the screw. You’ll find it’s nearly
the cut is going straight. Also, it’s good to prac-
impossible to drive a large screw with
tice using some scrap material until you’re
a small screwdriver or to persuade a
confident about holding the hand drill at the
large and wide screwdriver to fit in the
right angle, which is usually 90 degrees to the
slot of a small screw. However, there may
piece of material you’re working on.
be times when you’ll find yourself driving
a screw with screwdriver that’s just a
Using Hammers
little too wide. The result will be that at
and Driving Nails the place where the screwdriver tip sticks
Hammers seem simple enough at first glance,
out of the side of the screw, it will leave
but we all know that things can go wrong.
a nasty gouge in the surface of the wood.
Thumbs can get bashed and nails can bend,
■ Don’t use a screwdriver with a worn
forcing you to yank them out, which will
head because it will damage the screw.
leave your boat pockmarked with nail holes
Don’t use the cheapest screwdrivers
that must be filled and sealed to prevent water
because they are made with soft and eas-
from seeping into the lumber or plywood.
ily damaged metal, making them useless
Here’s some simple advice for anyone who
almost immediately. It’s worth buying
hasn’t been formally taught to use a hammer:
screwdrivers with a hardened tip.
■ Make sure the hammer you’re using is a
■ Most operations with screwdrivers are
reasonable size for working with the nails
best carried out two-handed, with one
you’ve got: you wouldn’t use a 5-pound
hand on the handle and the other
club hammer for driving small slender
steadying the shaft.
nails because you’d bruise your thumb
and bend a lot of good nails.
■ Hold the handle at the end farthest
from its head, and start the hammering
WORKING WITH CHISELS
Chisels are not really necessary in some of
gently, making sure that each strike is in
the simpler projects described in this book,
the middle of the head and in the direc-
but they’re such a widely used and useful
tion the nail is meant to go. Until the
tool a few words about how to handle them
nail’s direction is well established, use
are in order.
the weight of the tool to drive the nail,
In some ways they’re the opposite of the
not muscle power.
twist drill bit. While most people buy a new
■ For safety’s sake, never use a hammer drill bit when an old one wears out, it’s not
with a damaged or loose head. only normal to sharpen a blunt chisel but
Once the nail is driven all the way in, it’s essential if you’re going to use it safely. A
worth using a nail set (a little, hardened steel chisel may look simple compared to a drill
punch) to drive it just a little farther so that bit. Yet they require more thought and care in
its head is just below rather than just above use, not least because they’re so dangerous.
the surface of the wood. This can then be Chisels should always be treated with the
filled with a dab of filled epoxy or another utmost respect. If you buy one, get the neces-
32 filler appropriate for the job. sary paraphernalia to sharpen it, including a

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stone and a device to hold it at the required clean up the dead vertical cuts required on the BASIC
SKILLS
angle. sides of the slot. This can be challenging, but
When using chisels, always keep the fol- the trick is to go easy, be patient, and to try to
lowing in mind: cut just a little at a time.
■ The work must be held rock-steady in a If you find you can’t cut a little at a time
vise or clamps. under good control, it may be a sign that you
need to sharpen the chisel!
■ The tool must cut away from you, not
toward you or anyone else. You must
WORKING WITH GLUES
always be in control of the cutting
There’s no getting away from the fact that
motion.
modern synthetic waterproof glues like epoxy
■ Don’t try to cut off too much in a single and polyurethanes are sticky and generally
motion or you may find that either the nasty. While working with these materials, you
chisel gets stuck and then breaks through need a well-ventilated area, rubber gloves to
the material, or that it’ll get stuck and may keep the glue off your hands, a mask or respi-
even break itself (if it’s a finely made one). rator to guard against inhaling harmful vapors,
Chisels are very likely to get stuck if you’re and goggles to protect your eyes. It can take
getting into the kind of operation where you’re many days to remove these glues from your
chopping the grain of the wood with the flat skin, and they’ll ruin your clothes, which is
of the chisel, or when you’re cutting a slot into why you should always wear old ones.
a piece of solid lumber. Tackle this by first cut-
ting a small trench within the marked out slot Using Polyurethane Glue
area with the bevel-side downward. (It’s easier Polyurethane (PU) glues and sealants work very
to control in this position.) Once the job is well both as glues and sealants in general boat
nine-tenths done, turn the chisel around and carpentry and in boats built with chine logs,

Be sure to wear protective clothing when working with glues and epoxies. 33
ULTRASIMPLE and they can also be used to make quick, low-
BOATBUILDING
cost stitch-and-glue boats. One of the reasons is
Bryant Owen’s Hints for Using Polyurethane that many of them harden in 30 minutes or
Adhesives some even in 5 minutes, and this is what makes
■ Work in a well-ventilated area. The fumes can be harm- the one-weekend boat possible.
ful to your health.
However, PU glues have one very impor-
■ Polyurethane adhesives like moisture. Wiping the glue
area with a damp cloth and giving it a few minutes to tant characteristic that should be borne in
soak in improves adhesion. mind: they expand as they set. As a conse-
■ Polyurethane adhesives are applied with a caulking gun. quence, it’s crucial to clamp parts you’re work-
Compared to caulking, it takes more effort to get ing with together or the foaming of the adhe-
polyurethane adhesives to squeeze out of the tube, and
sive will push them apart. A joint that’s been
it has a tendency to “run on” after you finish covering
your gluing area and take pressure off the gun. Keep a pushed apart in this way may not look too bad,
rag handy to catch the runoff before it drips where you but it will have a weak, foamy interior. Never-
don’t want it, and be sure to keep something under the theless, when you adjust your clamps, don’t
nozzle when you put it down.
over tighten them because you may squeeze so
■ Using just the right amount is one of the trickier
much glue out of the joint it will be weak.
aspects of working with polyurethane adhesives. With
tight-fitting situations, such as gluing on a gunwale, it’s Even in a properly clamped joint, the
best to spread polyurethane adhesives thinly with a foaming of PU glue will usually result in a
putty knife or equivalent on one surface, wet-fit the good amount of foamy excess around the
pieces, remove them, re-fit them, and then clamp them
together. Be prepared to remove the excess immedi- edges. This can usually be cut off after it sets,
ately. The stuff will creep out as the glue starts to set, but it is better to scoop it up with a putty
so you’ll probably have to scrape it off again. You may knife before it hardens completely. Finally,
find that you still use too much, but that’s preferable to
the tendency of PU glues to foam means that
using too little.
they can’t be used for laminating larger areas
■ Remember that polyurethane adhesives foam and
expand. To prevent the joint from expanding, you must of, say, more than 4 inches across. Otherwise
clamp firmly and evenly, but without so much pressure the stuff will foam up, and the result will be
that you squeeze all the glue out of the joint. In addi- an unevenly glued joint across the surface.
tion to clamps, you can anchor the joint with small
If you’re using PU glue such as PL Premium
screws or nails, to be removed later.
in the United States or Balcotan in the United
■ Scrape off as much of the polyurethane adhesive as you
can while it’s still soft to avoid having to scrape and sand Kingdom, please see the sidebar for what experi-
it off after it dries. I’ve had great luck painting over enced polyurethane user and serial amateur
polyurethane adhesives with most paints, but I’ve had boatbuilder Bryant Owen has to say about these
problems with some paints not adhering.
materials. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
■ To clean tools while the polyurethane adhesive is still
soft, use WD-40 followed by mineral spirits.
■ Avoid contact with skin by wearing latex or polyethyl- Using Epoxy
ene gloves. Polyurethane adhesives melt vinyl gloves. It Epoxy is a wonderful material, but it can be
can be helpful to double-glove if you’re a messy worker,
exacting. The two parts must be carefully meas-
or if you’ll be using your fingers to smooth a fillet.
ured according to the manufacturer’s instruc-
■ Polyurethane adhesives really do stick to (almost) every-
thing, especially clothing. Work in clothes that you tions and then thoroughly mixed for at least a
don’t mind ruining. couple of minutes. Another essential to success
■ Polyurethane adhesives are extremely strong and virtu- is that the work has to be absolutely dry, or the
ally permanent. Think twice about using them if you mix will break down and make a slimy, slippery
might want to remove the glued part at some time in the
future. mess that will have to be thoroughly removed
To this list, I would add that as always it’s essential to before you can start again. Yet another essential
read the label. For one thing, not all polyurethane glues and is getting the temperature right. There are mini-
adhesives are fully waterproof, and those that are not can- mum and maximum temperatures for working
not be recommended for building boats.
with epoxy, but even within the specified limits,
I’ve found it can either harden so fast that it’s
34
difficult to work with or so slowly that it can be BASIC
It’s also possible to buy two-part epoxy SKILLS
days before it sets, if then. paints, but while they’re great, they’re also
Get these conditions right, and you’ll very expensive and almost certainly overkill
find epoxy is also a fascinating material to for most of the boats included in this book.
work with. In boatbuilding, we use epoxy in Before I go any further, I feel I should
several ways: mention that epoxy that hasn’t yet set can be
■ As a coating, without filler removed before it destroys a floor or an item
of clothing, using either a cleaning fluid
■ As a glue, with filler
available from your epoxy supplier, acetone,
■ For encapsulating large areas of ply- or, perhaps surprisingly, plain old cheap
wood with sheets of glass cloth vinegar. In truth, vinegar isn’t the best of
■ For creating neat, easy butt joints sup- these three, but it is at least cheap and widely
ported on both sides by glass tape and available. In the end, however, it’s always
epoxy best to take precautions and work carefully
■ As a structural member, with filler and and cleanly, taking time over everything and
glass cloth tape in the form of the preventing spills and messes from happen-
stitch-and-glue “fillet” joint ing in the first place.

Tips on Using Epoxy

As I’ve said, the best containers when working with epoxy are the stuff on rather than pour it—pouring can result in an
open, flat trays made of plastic (like the ones used for pack- uneven thickness, particularly in hot weather in which the
aged meat) or aluminum, and that getting the two-part epoxy mix gels quickly.
mixture right are among the most important considerations in ■ The epoxy companies will also sell you a range of fillers to
successful epoxy work. Measuring out the two epoxy compo- mix with your epoxy. The fillers will give it structural qual-
nents need not be too difficult. ities when used as a glue and help make the relatively
Ignore the typical sales pitches that say you need to buy expensive resin go a bit further. The high-density filler is
expensive plastic measuring pumps. You can mix epoxy by the stuff to use, as it creates a strong material when
weight as easily as by volume, and you can do it with the embedded in epoxy. Don’t use lightweight fillers such as
help of an inexpensive electronic household scale with the microballoons, as they’re not structural and are meant to
tray covered with plastic wrap. This is what you do: be employed as an easy-to-sand surface filler rather than a
■ Put your plastic wrap over the scale and the mixing tray structural element in a boat.
on top of that. Then zero the scale. ■ On the health and safety front, I’ve mentioned several times
■ How much you need to make up at a time will vary. Six that these resins and glues are not the nicest materials—
ounces is a reasonable average, though you might mix many of them are capable of causing some nasty allergic
more when gluing a large sheet of glass cloth in place, reactions, and they have a way of sticking ferociously to any-
or a lot less for a small and well-defined item of wood- thing they come into contact with, including clothes and
work, such as the foot of a mast. skin. In fact, epoxy is generally thought to be rather worse
than polyurethane, so whenever you are working with epoxy,
■ If you are indeed mixing up about 6 ounces of epoxy,
wear old clothes or overalls, including long-sleeved shirts
calculate the proper amounts of resin and hardener
and long trousers. Essentially, you want no skin exposed.
according to the manufacturer’s recipe. Pour the resin
Gloves and masks are an absolute must, and a respirator and
into the tray, and add the hardener on top to make a
goggles are highly recommended.
total of 6 ounces.
■ Wherever I find myself working with epoxy and glass cloth
■ Start mixing. I often do this with a disposable brush.
together, I pay a little extra attention to the glass cloth’s
■ I’ve heard it said that two minutes is long enough for edges. The fibers are fine enough to puncture the skin and
mixing, but I’d argue it’s safer to mix a little longer. cause dermatitis on their own, but what’s even worse is
■ Generally, a brush up to 3 inches wide is fine for applying they can help to drive epoxy into your body, making an
epoxy to a small boat. One of those neat little rollers they allergic reaction more likely.
sell for applying gloss paint can be useful when working ■ Finally, have everything set up before you begin work so
on large surfaces, but it is far from being essential. Brush you only have to wear your safety gear for a short time.

35
 CHAPTER 4

BUILDING THE HULL

We’ve had lots of talk about the individual can see how, if you position the bulkheads
techniques of building these small, cheap facing the right direction, you’ll have to trim
boats. Now it’s time to cut to the exciting part— the outer edges of the cleats just a little, so
taking the flat pieces of cut-out material and that the gluing surface of the cleat will be par-
joining them to make a real, boat-shaped boat. allel to the bottom and side panels of the hull.
Even seasoned backyard boatbuilders find this Bevel the edges of the cleats so that there are
part thrilling, and I hope you will, too. no gaps greater than about 1⁄16".
But while you’re thinking of the way the
sides fit these frames, no doubt you’ve just
SIMPLIFIED CHINE spotted a small complication. On the bow and
LOG METHOD stern transoms, the framing faces the other
Several boats in this book have flat bottoms direction: the cleats on the stern transom face
and vertical sides and can be built using the forward, and the cleats on the bow transom
simplified chine log method described on face aft. Picture this in context with the way
page 8 in Chapter 1. After the hull panels, the bottom and sides curve, and you’ll see that
transoms, and frames (which are often also the plywood will be bowing outward, away
called bulkheads) have been cut from the ply- from the cleats, not cutting into them.
wood, the next step is to fit the cleats—the We deal with this by fastening the bot-
framing that goes around the perimeter of tom and side cleats on the transoms so that
these parts. Remember that the shape of the the long edges of the cleats stick out beyond
transoms and bulkheads, or frames, is the key the edges of the plywood by about a quarter
to this method of boatbuilding. of an inch. This will give us enough wood to
bevel down to the edge of the transom’s ply-
Cleats for Frames wood surface at an angle, so that the side and
and Transoms bottom panels will have a flush surface for
Frames and transoms generally start with a gluing. Because the decks are flat, there’s no
cut-out plywood shape, which is then rein- need to add any extra here; the cleat at the
forced on one side with cleats around the edge. top of the transom should be attached flush
You’ll need to bevel the edges of the cleats so with the edge of the plywood.
that there are no gaps between the frame and Begin by cutting a cleat from a piece of
the hull panels greater than about 1⁄16 inch. 1-by-1-inch framing lumber slightly longer
The bulkheads, or frames, (but not the than the top edge of the bulkhead. Using
transoms, in this case) will be fitted so that either polyurethane glue or epoxy mixed to
the cleats face the ends of the boat—in other the consistency of ketchup, glue the cleat in
words, the cleats on the forward bulkhead the required position along the edge of the
should face forward, and the cleats on the aft plywood and hold it in place with small nails
bulkhead should face aft. Take a look at the or clamps until the glue sets. You can screw the
plans for one of the flat-bottomed boats, such cleat to the plywood if you wish, but if you’re
as Micromouse, Minimouse, or Flying Mouse, using good waterproof glue, it’s by no means
and picture how the bulkheads fit relative to essential and will add to the labor involved, as
36 the curving bottom and sides of the hull. You well as to the cost and weight of the boat.

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lumber. Consider whether this is an outward- BUILDING

THE HULL
curving or inward-curving joint, and then
apply adhesive and fasten it in place.
Do the same for the other short side.
With these shorter pieces, I always cut
slightly long and then trim until it fits exactly.
While cutting, make sure the saw is at a right
angle from the work. You can mark nice
straight and square lines all the way around
the piece of wood before you start to cut or, if
you’ve caught the tool-buying bug, you might
buy a miter box to help you saw straight.
If, in spite of all your care, there is a gap
of more than 1⁄16 inch or so between the ends
of a side cleat and the top or bottom cleats,
polyurethane glue won’t fill it with sufficient
These transoms and bulkhead frames all have their top strength, so cut a new piece to ensure a tight
cleats glued in place flush to the top edge of the plywood.
For chine log construction, additional cleats would be fit. (However, a little epoxy and filler will fill
added to the bottoms and sides. (Anthony Smith) almost any gap.)

After considering the type of joint, fit and Assembling the Bulkheads,
fasten a cleat on the opposite (lower) edge of Transoms, and Sides
the bulkhead, on the same side of the plywood. Now, we can go to three dimensions! I’ve
To complete the first bulkhead, take developed a quick method for assembling
some more of the 1-by-1-inch framing lum- Mouse-type boats that works well and can save
ber, hold it along one of the short sides of the a lot of tweaking and fiddling. It goes like this:
bulkhead, and mark and cut it to exactly fit Unless they happen to be precisely at the
the space between the two previous pieces of widest point in a boat (where the sides of the

A Lilypad hull with transoms, bulkheads, and open-topped frame in place. The builder combined aspects of two construction
methods, using the more carpentry-intensive simplified chine log method for bulkheads, frame, and transoms, and the stitch-
and-glue method for the long side-to-bottom seams. (The outside seams have been taped; the inside seams have yet to be
filleted and taped.) (Robert Holtzman) 37

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 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
38

Top view
Frames trimmed and
panels in place
Plywood side of transom;
side and bottom cleats
are proud of the plywood
edge so they can be trimmed

D C Measure gap at A
B to find how much
A to cut from B

Cleat side of frame; side

and bottom cleats line up
Trim at D so that plywood with the plywood edge and
panel mates with the can be trimmed to accept
frame at C inward curve of sides and
bottom

Side view

The exaggerated drawing on the bottom left shows how the cleats must be trimmed to accept the curve of the sides and bottom. To make this required shape possible, the cleats around the tran-
soms must be attached so that they are 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch or so proud of the cut-out plywood transom at the bottom and sides. The cleats of the frames need only to line up with the cut plywood
edge. Where the frames meet the deck the cleat does not need to be trimmed and should be lined up with the cut edge of the plywood.
hull are parallel), the bulkheads, transoms, and attach the transoms to the sides of the BUILDING
THE HULL
frames have to be trimmed with a plane or boat, with the cleats facing inward. This
Stanley Surform to conform to the curve of the will give you a clear idea of how much
hull. Some designers give precise angles for you need to bevel the cleats so that they
cutting the framing, but I find a good alterna- will lay flush against the hull’s side panels.
tive is to partially assemble the hull using Thinking about the bow transom for
clamps very loosely tightened to find out what starters, notice the gap between the
the angles should be. Once you’ve clamped hull’s side panels and the aft edges of
everything roughly in place, it’s not too diffi- the cleats. This is the amount that must
cult to see how much material you need to be removed from the forward edges of
remove. Mark it with a pencil on the frames, the cleats to obtain the correct angle.
remove the clamps, and trim as required using One way to measure this is to place a
a rasp or Stanley Surform. piece of paper across the gap that appears
Instead of clamps, at the ends, we might on the outside of the boat-to-be and mark
drill small holes near the ends of the hull pan- it with a pencil. After removing the tran-
els, and stitch them to the transoms with cable som, transfer the mark to the opposite
ties or bits of wire. Or we could use a “Spanish edge of the cleat to show how much
windlass,” which is created by tying a loop of needs to be removed. Cut the bevel with
rope around both hull panels, passing a stick a Stanley Surform, a rasp, or a plane. Do
through the loop, and winding the line around the same on the opposite side, then give
so that the cord progressively tightens to hold the transom another trial fit between the
the sides in position. Small nails can be used to side panels, holding them in again with
prevent the rope from falling off. Simple and tape or clamps. If your bevel doesn’t
effective, a Spanish windlass is a handy trick to extend right down to the edge of the ply-
know when building a small boat. wood face of the transom, remove the
My technique may not be elegant and transom again and continue planing the
purists might well scoff, but for rough and whole bevel down at the same angle,
ready boatbuilders like us (who probably until the hull’s side panels come flush
haven’t a clue how to go about measuring against the front edges of the transom
and cutting a 27.5-degree bevel in any case), with no significant gap in between.
it’s easier, more straightforward, and in my ■ Now you can permanently attach the
experience, can be every bit as effective as it transoms to the sides with the glue of
needs to be. your choice. Don’t worry if the rasp has
In assembling the hull temporarily, we can left a rough surface on the cleats, as it will
use clamps against the cleats to join the bulk- help the glue to stick. In fact, I generally
heads to the hull panels. Here is the procedure: quickly go over any surface I’m about to
■ Temporarily clamp or nail the hull side glue with coarse sandpaper because I
panels to the forward and aft bulkheads, believe it helps the glue do its job. While
making sure that the cleats are facing the glue is drying, you can hold things in
the right direction, as described above. place with temporary nails or clamps, or
If you use small thin nails, drive them you can add permanent nails or screws if
through a piece of scrap plywood before you wish. Just make sure these are good
tapping them in; it’ll make them much quality stainless steel, copper, or bronze
easier to remove. Remember, this assem- fasteners, or else they’ll rust.
bly is temporary and must be disassem- ■ You’ll feel better if you know your boat is
bled, so don’t glue anything at this stage. straight. I use a tape measure or a piece
■ Now we’ll turn to the bow and stern of non-stretchy plastic packaging string
transoms. Use duct tape to temporarily to measure the hull’s two diagonals
39
ULTRASIMPLE (from the left front corner to the right Flat boat bottom
BOATBUILDING

Chine log does not

rear, and vice versa): they will be the

require bevel
same if the boat is truly straight. If
they’re not, jiggle the corners gently
until they are. Vertical
■ The bevels on the bulkhead cleats are side
treated much the same way as the tran-
soms. Measure the gap, or mark it off on
a “tick strip” as before. If you’re eager to
move forward on this step and the glue
at the transoms has not yet had a chance
Angled boat bottom
to firmly set, cut some bits of scrap
lumber to prop out the sides of your

beveled to take bottom

Chine log (and side)
boat and retain the correct shape before
removing the bulkheads. Once the
required shaping has been done, glue
and attach the sides to the bulkheads. It’s
Vertical
worthwhile getting out your tape measure side
or length of string to check that the
boat’s two diagonals are still the same.

Adding Chine Logs

External chine logs were one of many inno-
Bevel the chine logs so that the bottom panel will fit flush
vative ideas introduced in Dynamite Payson’s against them. No action is needed for a boat with a flat
Instant Boatbuilding (see page 8 in Chapter 1, bottom and vertical sides, but boats with V-bottoms or
angled sides require some work with a rasp, Surform, or
for a discussion of chine logs). When a boat plane after the logs are in place, or the angle may be cut
has a flat bottom and vertical sides, these are into the log as the lumber is ripped on a table saw.

the easiest way for beginning boatbuilders to

make long plywood-to-plywood joints, and
it is for this very reason that several of the with a rasp, Surform, or plane to provide a flat
boats in this book use external chine logs in gluing surface that conforms to the bottom.
the design. They require quite a lot less work There’s no need to measure out the boat’s
than internal chine logs, and you more bottom panel on your plywood, because you
quickly reach the hugely satisfying moment can use the actual boat to trace around with a
when the boat goes “three-dimensional”; pencil to show where your cuts should be. This
with bulkheads, sides, transoms, and bottom is best done with the boat upside-down, and it’s
in place, it really starts to look like a boat. useful to ask a couple of pals or family members
In making an external chine joint, assem- to hold the bottom material in place so that
ble the sides and frames, and attach and glue you can draw around the boat underneath.
pieces of 11⁄2-by-1-inch lumber along the bot- Having drawn this line, leave a margin of
tom edge of the hull sides. These are the chine maybe half an inch all round as you cut out
logs. Be sure the chine logs are nicely flush to the bottom. This allows a little jiggle room in
the edges of the plywood so that the bottom case a mistake has occurred in the tracing, and
will lie tightly against them, and then attach it’s fairly easy to remove it later with a saw or a
and glue the bottom. If the sides are 90 degrees Stanley Surform. Keep the excess within rea-
to the bottom, this is easy. However, if the sides son, however. A mere 1⁄2-inch overlap won’t
of the boat are not vertical or the bottom is V- interfere with the use of clamps, but a couple
40 shaped, not flat, the chine logs must be beveled inches all around could cause problems.
 Apply glue to the surfaces to be joined and the angle varies along the length of the joint. BUILDING
THE HULL
progressively clamp the plywood to the chine Several of the projects in this book, including
log so that the drawn line representing the the original V-bottom Mouse, use this method.
edge of the plywood coincides with the edge of In addition to being easy to make, stitch-
the log as exactly as possible. As the glue sets, and-glue seams have other advantages: they
you may or may not choose to drive a series of are light, don’t suffer from rot, and don’t rely
stainless steel flathead screws through the ply- on an external chine log, which, to many
wood and into the chine logs, having first observers, looks odd and awkward. However, it
drilled the holes as described in Chapter 3. The can take practice and great skill to produce a
screws should be very small, as the material flawless taped seam capable of satisfying the
you’re working with may be no more than most exacting eye. If you’re willing to settle for
1 inch deep and 3⁄4 inch wide. less than aesthetic perfection, however, stitch-
With good quality waterproof poly- and-glue joints, no matter how ugly, are gen-
urethane (PU) glue or epoxy applied liberally erally very strong. For more information on
along the length of the logs, you don’t really stitch-and-glue methods, see Chapter 1.
need screws; consider them an option. It is pos-
sible to produce a hull with almost no metal Bulkheads and Frames
fasteners. However, if you don’t have access to As stated previously, stitch-and-glue boats
a lot of clamps (for example, 20–30 clamps for a derive their shape as much from the hull panels
12-foot boat), or you haven’t made a set of the as from the bulkheads and intermediate frames.
drainpipe clamps I described in Chapter 2, you Bulkheads or frames have an important role in
would be better advised to go with the screws.
After the glue has set, remove all the
clamps and trim off the excess of the bottom
panel using a saw, plane, or Stanley Surform.
It’s good to seal the edges with epoxy or
epoxy and glass tape to protect the edges of
the bottom from water ingress before you
paint. As I said in Chapter 2, and it bears
repeating here, the great weakness of ply-
wood is that its edges always present end-
grain to the elements, and end-grain can
soak up rot-inducing moisture like blotting
paper.
That, then, completes the hull of your
simplified chine log boat. The installation of
seats, gunwales, and other parts is identical
for all three methods, so we’ll deal with them
later in this chapter.

STITCH-AND-GLUE
The stitch-and-glue joint consists of a fillet of
filled epoxy or PU glue covered by glass tape
and embedded in still more epoxy or PU.
Stitch-and-glue is one of the most popular
methods among beginning boatbuilders, and
it’s a great choice whenever you want to
make long joints where the angle between Transoms and bulkheads being assembled for stitch-and-glue

the panels isn’t 90 degrees—even more so if

construction require cleats only along their top edges.
(Anthony Smith) 41
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ULTRASIMPLE holding the panels in place during construc- from the top to the bottom. You want each
BOATBUILDING
tion, and also in strengthening the structure panel to be in full contact with the adjacent
after they have been permanently installed. one all along an edge, but not along the butt-
After marking and cutting out the major end surface—in fact, it’s better if there is a lit-
plywood components, stiffen the frames tle space that allows resin and filler to pene-
and transoms by gluing a single 1-by-1-inch trate into the joint. Getting the edges of the
(or similar) lumber cleat along the upper side panels and the transoms lined up per-
edge so that they remain straight and stable fectly is often awkward and irritating, but
as you assemble the boat and the glue cures. that’s just how it is. Even when you think
You do not need to add cleats around the you have everything just right, the blasted
entire perimeter of these components. plywood has a habit of slipping when you’re
In some designs, the frames are somewhat not looking.
U-shaped rather than solid bulkheads. In these Where the plywood panels seem stable,
cases, the stiffening cleat is a cross-brace that there’s no need for concern. Where they are
spans across the legs of the “U.” trying to move into the wrong place, I drive
small nails through scrap plywood into
the panel edge to secure them. (Recall that
Initial Assembly
the scrap plywood is used to easily lever the
Once the glue you have used in the frame
nails out when it’s time to remove them.)
reinforcements has hardened, the next task is
Here and there you might need to use several
to set up the boat. With the goal of assem-
to achieve your aim of making the long edges
bling the boat in an upright position, begin
kiss in just the right way.
working with just the sides and the bow and
Once the sides and transoms are in posi-
stern transoms. These must be firmly taped
tion, place the frames or bulkheads so they
together with duct tape in such a way that
correspond to the lines you marked for them
the edges of the plywood kiss all the way
on the sides of the boat. They will make the
sides bend outward to form the boat’s final
shape but will tend to slide about. To prevent
this, drive a couple of panel nails or small
screws through the side of the boat and into
the frames. Again, drive them through pieces
of scrap plywood first.
If you are working on a flat-bottomed boat
like Minimouse, add the bottom next. Slip the
bottom panel beneath the partially assembled
Right Both wrong hull and line up the sides and the bottom so
that the edges are flush all around. Take your
cloth-backed tape and cover the seams all
around the bottom. You may find that it helps
to temporary flip the boat over at this stage.
If you are working with a V-bottom boat,
A small nail through a
like the original Mouse, there are two bottom
scrap of plywood may help panels to attach, and a bit more shoving and
hold the material in place
bending to get all the edges to align with each
other. Start taping where panels come together
at their widest points, and simply “roll” the
The long edges of the plywood joints should meet so that the
corners kiss along the entire length. Be sure the flat of the plywood panels together toward the ends, tap-
edge does not lie on the surface of the plywood. Driving a nail
through a scrap of plywood may help keep the material in
ing as you go. Again, you will probably find
42 place while you make the inside fillet. this easier to do if the boat is upside-down.

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Taping vs. Stitching Each cable tie requires a pair of holes BUILDING
THE HULL
In small boats with gentle curves and made large enough to pass it through, and the
from thin plywood (1⁄4 inch or less), the holes must be sited opposite each other on
seaming is simplicity itself, as duct tape is the edges of adjacent panels. Typically, the
quite sufficient to hold the panels together. holes are drilled about 1⁄3 inch from the edge
This is great news, in part because it means of the plywood, but in areas of higher ten-
you don’t have to do any drilling or stitch- sion, where the panels must take a hard bend
ing! In addition, the tape will seal the out- (such as around the stem of a small dinghy),
sides of the seams against drips while we you may want to increase that to 1⁄2 inch or
make our fillets on the insides, minimizing more to prevent the cable tie from tearing
the mess and the waste of good adhesive. through the plywood.
However, where the curves are sharper, The cable tie goes through both holes
and particularly in larger boats made from before being tightened up on the outside of
thicker plywood, tape won’t have the the boat. You place the clasp of the tie on the
strength to hold the panels in place and will outside of the hull because you generally
have to be helped along using small nylon tape the inside of each seam first, and if the
cable ties, like those from Zip-Ty, that you clasp were on the inside, it would make an
can buy in the electrical department in most awkward lump in the seam unless it was cut
hardware stores. Some people use twists of out. Dynamite Payson wrote about taping
copper wire, but I like the way the nylon the outside first, and there are some people
cable ties can be neatly sliced off with a craft who still prefer the method, but I think it’s
knife once they have served their purpose. now unusual. I’ve tried it and found that it’s

Nylon cable ties are used to “stitch” together the hull panels of Anthony Smith’s Cruising Mouse. Since you’ll be fiber-
glass-taping the inside of the hull first, place the clasps of the cable ties on the outside of the hull. (Anthony Smith) 43
ULTRASIMPLE those gaps nicely. Once they are covered with
BOATBUILDING
fiberglass tape and another layer of adhesive,
the joints will be more than adequately strong,
transom and no one will know about the gaps. Stitch-
and-glue likes sloppy workmanship!
We will begin making the permanent
seams on the inside of the hull, so the boat
ties
must be upright. If necessary, find a couple
blocks of wood or bricks to keep the boat stable
bulkhead on your work surface: it’s annoying if it rocks
or shifts as you work. Before you begin making
the fillets, check that the tape you applied a
short while ago is still firmly in place. You
don’t want it to slip off the plywood while
you’ve got a mass of wet glue in the joint
because it probably won’t stick again and will
The inside seams of the Cruising Mouse’s hull have been
make a mess. If you’re building with epoxy or
prepared for fiberglass-taping. The bulkheads, transoms, polyurethane glue and are inexperienced in
and hull panels are cable-tied and masking-taped in place.
Large gaps between the bottom and side panels are backed using either adhesive, refer to the section
up with masking tape to prevent the glue from falling beginning on page 9 for more details before
through. The puss is about to be banished from the shop,
as cats and epoxy do not go well together. (Anthony Smith) proceeding to make your fillets.

difficult to make sure that the seam is prop-

erly filled when pasting the filled epoxy into Making Fillets with
the inside of the boat. I could see whether Polyurethane
the internal fillet was complete, but what The best polyurethane (PU) glue for filleting
was behind it, between the internal fillet and is the kind formulated for use with masonry,
the taped outside seam, remained in ques- as it seems to contain filler and it bubbles up
tion. There was a good possibility that a void less than the other kinds. You will also need
might exist. some mesh-type fiberglass drywall tape.
Even where ties are used, it’s a very good Dampen the plywood adjacent to both
idea to cover all the seams with tape, because edges to be joined with a wet sponge. The pres-
it prevents the glue from dribbling through ence of moisture makes PU adhesives “go off,”
the gaps. and wetting the plywood is a particularly good
Speaking of gaps, if you’ve measured and idea if you’re working in dry, sunny weather.
cut your panels accurately, and pushed and Using your caulking gun, run a bead the width
shoved and generally adjusted the placement of your finger along the length of the joint.
of the panels when taping or stitching them Using a rounded tool like a tongue depressor,
together, those gaps will be fairly small. If the rounded end of an old tablespoon, or a
you’ve been somewhat less accurate in your Ping-Pong ball, smooth the bead out to a hol-
work, the gaps may be somewhat larger. In lowed cross section. Let it harden a bit, then
traditional boatbuilding, this would be bad lay a length of the mesh-type drywall tape on
and you’d be called incompetent and told to top, and then apply another couple of beads of
throw the boat out and start again. Not here! PU, spreading it neatly so that the weave of the
One of the great beauties of the stitch-and- scrim is completely hidden.
glue method is its tolerance for loose joints Make fillets along all the internal joints of
and (frankly) fairly sloppy workmanship. The the hull: between the sides and the bottom;
thickened epoxy or naturally thick PU adhe- between the frames or bulkheads and the bot-
44 sive you are using will fill and strengthen tom and sides (on both sides of the frames);
between the two bottom panels in V-bottom along the edges of the plywood, making sure BUILDING
THE HULL
designs; and between the transoms and the the edges are well saturated, and also along
hull panels. It’ll take a little time to do them the surfaces to be taped. The unfilled epoxy
all, but it’s well worth making sure your fillets will seal the edges and keep water out of the
are smooth before cutting the scrim neatly to end-grain, thus helping to prevent rot, while
length and gently laying it into the adhesive wetting the surfaces that will be covered in
and gently bedding it with whatever you used tape and fillet will result in stronger bonds.
to shape your fillet. If there are points where I use disposable brushes for this sealing job,
the tape hasn’t properly bedded, apply a little and because I don’t like throwing away brushes
more PU glop until all are securely wetted— that can be reused I wash them in vinegar. I
not just adhering to the surface, but securely rinse and thoroughly dry the brushes, and I find
part of the fillet. they can be used again without much trouble.
Stop for an hour or two to let the PU This saves on costs and that’s important.
harden. Once the seams are hard, you can get Now it’s time to make up the fillets. Check
down to the serious business of preparing the the manufacturer’s instructions to get the right
outside of the hull for the next stage. Turn the quantities of resin and hardener, but you’ll
hull upside down and remove the tape that need to measure out a total of about 8 ounces
was holding the panels together. If you used and stir it really well. To make the fillet mate-
cable ties, cut these off flush to the surface of rial, add filler to the mixed epoxy until you’ve
the plywood. got something that looks and handles just like
Now gently round all the outer seams so peanut butter: it needs to be just soft enough
that the drywall tape will lie neatly on the ply- to spread, and just thick enough to stay where
wood: it won’t lie flat across a sharp corner. it’s put. Press it into the joint with a putty knife
Once again the radius should be about the and smooth it out in a hollow cross section.
same as a Ping-Pong ball. I do this job with a People use a variety of tools for this purpose:
rasp or a Stanley Surform, both of which are tongue depressors, Ping-Pong balls, and the
quite adequate for the task. Don’t use sandpa- backs of old tablespoons are some examples
per on it at this stage because a silky-smooth I’ve come across.
finish is not required. A rasp or Stanley Surform The fact that people use tongue depres-
will take off material more quickly and will sors and other objects of a similar size should
leave a good rough gluing surface. give you a good idea of the size of the fillet
Taping the outside seams of the hull is needed for a small boat. Don’t make your fil-
just like taping the inside, only easier, since lets too big because they will quickly use up a
you don’t have to form fillets. Lightly mois- huge amount of epoxy and filler. Also, in a
ten the area to be glued, cut the lengths of boat the size we’re making, bigger fillets
tape required, apply the glue by spreading it won’t make it any stronger, but they will cer-
with a putty knife or brush, and roll on the tainly make it heavier and more expensive.
tape and cover it with another layer of glue Another indicator of fillet size is the width of
until it is well bedded. The tape must be thor- your fiberglass tape, which is typically 3 to 4
oughly covered, so that it will not be damaged inches. When you apply it, the tape should
and cut at the sanding and painting stage. At overlap the edges of the fillet and extend
the ends of the runs, where two or more seams onto the plywood on both sides by 1⁄2 to 1
meet, let the tape double up. These will be inch or so.
vulnerable points and a double-thickness of After you’ve applied the filled epoxy, take
material will add strength. some time out and let the epoxy harden. If
you’ve done a good, bump-free job, it’s much
Making Fillets with Epoxy easier to neatly apply the fiberglass cloth to a
Before making the fillets, mix up a small batch fillet that’s taken on the consistency of, say, a
of unfilled epoxy and apply it with a brush piece of fudge than when it’s at the peanut 45
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

frame

fillets

side panel
l
ne
pa

bu bottom panel
tt s
e

tra
sid

butt
stra
p

bottom panel

The fillets have been neatly applied to the inside seams and to the joints between the hull panels and the bulkhead frames of
Anthony Smith’s Cruising Mouse. Note the fillets’ small size, which is sufficient for such a small, light boat. Any bigger would
only waste epoxy and add weight. (Anthony Smith)

butter stage. The problem with the peanut bulkheads and frames on both sides where
butter consistency is that your paintbrush they contact the hull panels. Cut lengths of
full of epoxy can easily be stiff enough to fiberglass to suit and lay them out in an orderly
make a mess of your fillets and ruin all your way so that you can grab the right one at the
previous neat work. Once the fillets have right time. If you’re not of an orderly frame
reached the cooled-down fudge stage, you’re of mind, mix smaller batches of epoxy and
ready to continue, but before you do take a do the glassing step one section of fillet at a
last look around for any unwanted lumps time.
and messes that you should scrape up before Pasting the glass tape onto your fillets
the epoxy fully cures. should be a piece of cake. Wet the surface of
It’s a good idea to measure and cut a the fillet by brushing it with unfilled epoxy,
number of sections of fiberglass tape before roll on the tape, and then brush on more
you mix the epoxy for the next step, because epoxy, until the cloth wets through and
epoxy has a limited “pot life” and once becomes invisible, at which point it has
you’ve mixed it up you want to get the most properly wetted out. You’ll need to dab at
out of it before it starts to cure. You’ll need to parts of the tape with the brush hairs to elim-
make fillets along all the internal seams: inate bubbles. It’ll take a little time, but it’s
between the transoms and the sides and bot- well worth making sure your fillets are
tom, between the side and bottom panels smooth so that your glass tape will adhere
46 themselves, and along the perimeters of the without bubbles or other weak spots.
 BUILDING
THE HULL

fiberglass
tape

fiberglass tape gunwale will be

fitted later

Fiberglass tape has been applied over the fillets and brushed over with another coat or two of epoxy. The gunwale and shavings
lying loose in the bottom indicate that another construction step has already begun on this Cruising Mouse. (Anthony Smith)

Leave the work overnight and cover it exterior with glass cloth and epoxy. A half-
with a plastic tarp or a polyethythene sheet to way measure that might appeal to some is to
prevent dew from breaking down the surface glass and epoxy the bottom of the boat and
of the epoxy to form the slime known as bloom. up over the edges to cover an inch or so of the
Bloom can be a real nuisance because it can sides or chine logs, on the grounds that this is
weaken the epoxy and prevent subsequent the only part that needs protection from abra-
epoxy and paints from adhering. Once hard- sion. This is what I often choose, particularly
ened, epoxy is quite waterproof, of course. for kids’ boats that they’re likely to grow out
Unless you’re working in a cold environ- of within a few years.
ment or have failed to mix your epoxy ade- Whichever way you choose to go, the
quately, by morning your fillets should be hard- next task is to gently round all the seams you
ening up nicely. They won’t be fully cured are about to glass so that the fiberglass cloth
yet—that takes a few days at least. Tear off the or tape will lie smoothly against the curve.
duct tape from the exterior of the hull (and Once again, the radius should be about the
remove any nails you used to make the ply- same as a Ping-Pong ball. I do this job with a
wood align properly) and reveal the elegant hull
beneath. And it will be elegant, for the cloth-
backed tape has prevented ugly runs and lumps
from dripping all over the exterior surfaces.
The structure of the boat should soon be
solid enough to gently turn the boat over. If
so, get your friends and family to help you
turn it together, remembering to take photos
of what most home builders regard as a his-
toric event. Once all the fuss has been made
and all the photographs taken, you can get
down to the serious business of preparing the
outside of the hull for the next stage.
What the next stage should be is your
choice: you can simply apply glass tape and
epoxy to the external seams of the boat, or, if The exterior of this Cruising Mouse hull has been prepared
for glassing the seams. The cable ties have been cut off
you want to make what might be a substantial
investment, you can cover the whole hull
flush, and the edges have been gently rounded with a rasp.
(Anthony Smith) 47
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

thwart

seat riser
gunwale

deck

gunwale
transom

skeg

Construction is complete and Smith’s Cruising Mouse is ready for finishing. The inside and outside seams have been taped; the
skeg fastened; the gunwales and decks are on; and the seats (i.e., “thwarts”) are in place, supported by seat risers in the form
of cleats that have been epoxy-glued to the hull sides. (Anthony Smith)

rasp or a Stanley Surform, both of which are COVERING THE HULL

quite adequate for the task. Don’t use sand- The hull may now be covered with a spit coat
paper at this stage. The tools I’ve mentioned of epoxy or with a sheathing of fiberglass
will produce the kind of fairly rough surface cloth and epoxy.
that gives epoxy a good grip. Also, you do Unfilled epoxy makes a good coating for
not want to sand epoxy that is not fully the hull. It helps prevent rot, and it makes a
cured for health reasons. good surface for painting or varnishing. It’s
The outside seams are much simpler to common to see boats that have been coated
make than the inside ones, because no fillets with epoxy and then varnished to create a
are required. Fill any remaining gaps with beautiful deep gloss finish. These finishes are
thickened epoxy, cut the tape, and wet the easy to create by smoothing and sanding the
area to be in contact with the tape by brush- plywood, applying a couple coats of epoxy,
ing on the epoxy. Next, roll on the tape and allowing it to set thoroughly, sanding again,
wet it again until it has become translucent and then applying a few coats of varnish in
and is thoroughly saturated. You’ll need to the usual way.
dab parts of the tape with the brush hairs to Epoxy, however, has a serious vulnerabil-
eliminate bubbles. At the end of the runs, ity: it must not be exposed to sunlight
double up the tape. These will be vulnerable because ultraviolet rays break it down over
points and a double-thickness of material will time. Varnish will protect epoxy so long as it
add strength. I find the look of three layers of remains intact, but varnish too breaks down
tape so thick that it spoils the overall effect, due to the action of sunlight.
so where three seams come together (like at a Epoxy is also often used as an undercoat
lower corner of a transom), I carefully snip to water-based exterior latex (emulsion)
away one layer of cloth in such a way that the paint, and this too must be kept in good con-
48 third layer lies neatly over the top. dition. But since exterior emulsion is much
more resistant to sun damage than varnish, a the other way, applying epoxy to the hull BUILDING
THE HULL
paint-over-epoxy finish will usually require first, waiting for it to slowly react until it gets
much less maintenance. tacky, then laying on the cloth and brushing
The other option is to sheath the entire on more epoxy. I do this partly because the
hull (or just the bottom) with epoxy and fiber- cloth is less likely to slip around when the hull
glass cloth. The solidity of the epoxy material, is tacky, and partly because I have less trouble
combined with the glass cloth’s resistance with bubbles under the cloth this way, so that’s
to stretching, adds a great deal of strength how I suggest you do it.
and rigidity to the hull. It also provides Once you’ve cut out the glass cloth, posi-
excellent protection from abrasion. It does tion it on the dry boat until you are satisfied
all this without greatly adding to the weight with how it will lie. Then take it off the boat
of the boat. and mix up a small batch of epoxy. Half a pint
With the exception of the outboard- is probably more than enough; otherwise you
powered boats, all of the designs in this book run the danger of the goop heating up and
could probably be built without exterior glass hardening before you can apply it (as I men-
taping at all. Simply covering the bottom with tioned in Chapter 1). Epoxy mixture is rather
a lightweight sheet of fiberglass and epoxy like a lump of nuclear material in that it can
(combined with the usual internal glassed- reach a critical mass: put too much in one
and-filled epoxy fillets) should provide suffi- container and it’s apt to retain the heat being
cient strength to hold everything together. generated by the reaction, which in turn
This technique is widely used in building makes it react more quickly, until it’s too hot
canoes. to hold and has started bubbling and emitting
You will need some gloves, preferably a evil-smelling toxic smoke.
pair that covers your forearms as well as your At this point, you’re about to find yourself
hands. Glass cloth has a way of getting every- the proud owner of a singularly useless piece of
where, including up the sleeves of jackets, solid translucent epoxy. Most amateur boat-
sweaters, and shirts. What’s worse, the arms builders have got a trophy lump of epoxy lying
are more delicate than the hands, and seem to around the workshop area somewhere—you
suffer more from the itching when glass fibers only have to be called away for a moment for
collect on the skin. This is bad stuff, as the glass it to happen—and be reassured that there’s
is capable of puncturing the skin and leaving one in my little garden. Be warned: always use
microscopic threads that can cause very itchy a flat tray for mixing any but the smallest
and possibly permanent dermatitis, and, inci- quantities of epoxy.
dentally, these skin punctures seem to increase So, mix up a conservative amount of
your risk of becoming sensitized to epoxy. epoxy, and brush or roll it onto your hull. If
Of course, you’re working with the boat the first batch wasn’t enough to cover the
upside-down. Having donned your gloves, hull, make up and apply another batch, stick-
hang your glass cloth over the hull to see how ing with small quantities each time. Wait for
it will lie and how you will need to trim your it to get mostly dry, then lay your glass cloth
material to make it lie smoothly. It’s worth in place and brush on more epoxy. As it wets
taking a black marker pen and marking the through, you’ll find that the cloth becomes
cloth at the corners of the boat along the almost invisible. There will inevitably be bub-
edges between the sides and the transoms. bles here and there under the cloth, and the
Later, when you cut along those lines, you’ll tool to eliminate them is the squeegee—the
be able to tuck the spare material under the tool with a long rubber strip that window
flap to produce a neat fold. cleaners use to wipe water off a window after
Some boatbuilders like to cut the cloth, it has been washed.
drape it over the boat, and apply the epoxy In addition to eliminating bubbles, wiping
onto the dry cloth with a brush. I prefer to go a squeegee across the surface of the embedded 49
ULTRASIMPLE glass cloth will let you collect excess epoxy sense to fillet the skeg into place using the
BOATBUILDING
and spread it to nearby areas that haven’t stitch-and-glue method.
been coated. I can say with certainty that the The drawing tells the story. Start by draw-
cost of a cheap squeegee meant for your car ing a line along the center of the bottom,
windows will be amply repaid by the amount from the deepest part of the hull all the way
of epoxy it will save, and it’ll help to reduce back to the transom. Accuracy is important. If
the weight of the boat, too. the skeg is not truly straight, the boat will
If you don’t have a squeegee, an effective have an annoying tendency to bear off in one
alternative is one of the small paint rollers direction with every pull on the oars.
with a disposable sponge roller on the end. I’ve Most of the plans in this book include
heard that some sponge rollers disintegrate material for a skeg. The exact shape is not
when used with epoxy, however, so test a roller terribly important, but the curved edge that
before you use that brand on a large surface; attaches to the bottom must be fitted to match
otherwise, you risk covering your boat with the curved bottom of the hull. You will use an
nasty little clumps of semi-dissolved foam rubber. ancient woodworking technique, spiling, to
Once everything is neatly pasted down, it’s draw this curve.
time to tidy up and leave it to harden. Then First, find a block of wood 1⁄4 or 1⁄2 inch
you can trim the excess glass cloth hanging off high, and a piece of plywood that’s roughly
of the edges with a handsaw. Don’t leave it too the shape you need for the skeg. Have a
long before you do this, as fully hardened helper hold the plywood vertically on the
epoxy is tough enough to blunt even the best centerline of the boat while you hold the
hardened steel saw. It’s best to tackle this trim- block against the bottom. Now, place a pencil
ming job within a few days of laying up the firmly on the block with the point against
glass cloth and epoxy. the plywood skeg blank, and drag the block
Once the epoxy and glass are in place, along the curve of the hull’s bottom as you
you must add another thin coat of epoxy draw your line on the plywood, making sure
before the first one is more than three or four the pencil stays perfectly perpendicular to it.
days old in a cool climate, and even sooner if The result should be a line that matches the
it’s warm. profile of the curve you are spiling from, but
There are a couple of good reasons for transposed upward by an amount equal to
this particular time frame. First, a new coat of the thickness of your block.
epoxy will adhere to a previous one best if it You can now cut out the skeg following
can make a chemical bond, which it can do this line with a small handsaw or a jigsaw.
only if the earlier coat has not yet fully If you are working with epoxy, you can
reacted. If the first coat has cured completely, attach the skeg with standard fillets on both
the new layer won’t adhere unless you sand sides.
the first coat. However, if you do that (in Make sure the skeg stands perpendicular
order to paint, for example), you’ll immedi- from the boat’s bottom. This latter point isn’t
ately cut through the fibers of much of the strictly necessary for hydrodynamic reasons,
glass cloth, greatly weakening your hull. but it looks good, and it’s easy to do. The
Adding the second coat won’t help at that drawing shows a scrap of plywood temporar-
point. Ideally, you should apply the second ily tacked with small nails to the transom as a
coat of epoxy within hours of the first coat. brace against which you can tack the skeg in
a perfectly perpendicular orientation until
ADDING A SKEG the glue sets. The nails should be easy to
Many of the boats in this book need a skeg to remove, and you’ll need to cover the support-
help them track through the water in a toler- ing piece of scrap plywood with a piece of
ably straight line between pulls of the paddle plastic shopping bag or plastic sheet to pre-
50 or oars. With a stitch-and-glue hull, it makes vent it from permanently sticking to the hull.
 Cover a piece of scrap Mark centerline on boat Small nails or adhesive
plywood with polyethylene bottom and perpendicular tape may be used to
material and nail to on supporting scrap plywood hold the skeg in place
transom

Lengths of 1/2 by 1/4 inch When the glue has set,

wood are glued and attached remove the scrap plywood
to each side and to the support—the polythene
bottom should make this easy

Installing a skeg is similar on flat-bottom and V-bottom hulls. A scrap of plywood tacked to the transom provides a brace to keep the skeg upright. You can either fillet it in place on
the bottom, or sandwich it between pieces of 1/2-by-1-inch (or thereabouts) timber nailed or screwed and glued to the bottom.

BUILDING
THE HULL
51
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

Using a scrap of plywood to hold the skeg of a Mouse upright. Notice that small gap between the skeg and the hull left by the
builder? It’s not a problem. Fill it with thickened epoxy and fillet and tape the joint on both sides, and it’ll be strong enough.
This Mouse was built by the author.

If you’re using polyurethane glue it would

be better to support the skeg on both sides
using two pieces of framing lumber. Hold the
skeg in place along the centerline, and mark
the skeg’s outline on the bottom of the boat in
pencil. Glue a piece of 1⁄2-by-1-inch framing
lumber along the outline on one side, then
sandwich the skeg between it and a second
similar piece of lumber. Of course, all the
mating surfaces should be slathered with
PU glue.
The framing lumber pieces can be weighted
down while the glue sets, or you can drive
screws from either inside or outside the bot-
tom. Once the adhesive has hardened, shape
the forward end of the framing with a Stanley
Surform or rasp to make a neat, streamlined
job. Be careful not to damage the bottom with
the tools.
Whichever method you use, it is well
worth applying some epoxy and a strip of glass
tape or cloth to the edges of the skeg since this
area is subject to wear during launching and
52 beaching.
Anthony Smith’s Cruising Mouse skeg installed with fillets.
(Anthony Smith)

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 BUILDING
INWALES, GUNWALES, conventional pointy bow. Boats with full
THE HULL
BREASTHOOKS, AND decks fore or aft may be built without breast-
hooks or quarter knees, as they will perform
QUARTER KNEES
the same service.
Gunwales are long lengths of lumber fastened
Several of the boats in this book have no
along the upper, outer edges of the sides of
inwales at all, but Cinderella, Cruising Mouse,
the boat. Inwales are the same thing fastened
Summer Breeze, and Doris do, or can benefit
to the inside edges. Both stiffen the sides of
from them. Because being lightweight is one of
the boat and provide a strong place to mount
their key virtues, you should install gapped
oarlocks, leeboards, and other items.
inwales, which are correspondingly lightweight.
Quarter knees are small triangles of lum-
The purpose of the gapping blocks is the same
ber or plywood that reinforce the upper
as the purpose of the web (the tall, thin vertical
edges of the joint between the sides and the
part) of a steel girder: they’re just spacers, and
transoms. Breasthooks are the same thing
the real strength is in the long, flat parts—in
between the two sides of the boat where they
this case the inwales and the gunwales. If you
come together at the stem, if the boat has a
were to build solid inwales, they would have to
be about the same overall thickness as the
gapped version for the same strength, but
Aft starboard they’d be much heavier.
quarter Make the inwales from some light, straight-
of small boat grained, knot-free, rot-resistant softwood like
spruce or pine. For the inwales on a boat like
Cinderella (pages 146–153), for example, you’ll
need two pieces about 12 feet long by 11⁄4 to 11⁄2
Quarter knee
inch deep, by about 5⁄8 to 3⁄4 inch thick. You’ll
drawn using
need an additional 5 feet or so for the gapping
kitchen jars,
blocks.
cups, etc., and
You could get all of this out of a few 2 by
then cut out
4s if you can find them reasonably clear of
knots and poor grain. Larger boards, like 2 by
Hold quarter 10s, cost a lot more, but they tend to have
knee in place better wood in them.
and draw Where knot-free material in 12-foot
round lengths is hard to find or expensive, it can
make sense to laminate thin pieces of the best
of whatever is available to create the inwales
and gapping blocks; it’s quick and effective.
Say, for example, you need a 12-foot gunwale
Cut recess for
that’s 11⁄2-by-1-inch in cross section, and you
quarter knee
find there’s nothing available in that length
without knots. The answer is to buy or mill
24 feet (or a little more) of 11⁄2-by-1⁄2-inch
lumber, and glue and clamp it together in
two layers. Make sure the glue is well spread
Attach quarter
so that there are no gaps or “holidays” in the
knee using fillet
glue line between the two layers. This takes a
or cleats, then
lot of clamps.
add gunwale
Traditionally, the gunwales should be of
Fitting a quarter knee. hardwood of the same dimensions as the 53
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE inwales, and I’ve often used luaun, which is hold the end of the tape measure at the bow
BOATBUILDING
just about the only hardwood available at a to make sure the marks on each side line up.
good price in ordinary building supply stores Mark a centerline on two of the gapping
where I live. However, with very small boats blocks, and clamp and glue them to the
such as Mouseboats, where appearance doesn’t inside of the hull so that the upper edge lines
matter very much, I have certainly used soft- up flush with the top edge of the hull (the
wood, and for a child’s boat I have protected “sheerline”) and the centerlines line up with
the painted softwood with a length of rub- the marks on the top edges. You could drill
bery plastic or even some garden hose. It’s all holes from the outside and screw and glue
a matter of your priorities. If you want a boat them, but screws would simply add weight
that people admire, buy the hardwood, but if and work with little benefit.
you’re building a toy for your kids that they’ll If a frame coincides with one of the
grow out of in a year or two, then there’s no blocks, cut the block to accommodate it and
need to go the expensive route. For good looks, place the next block along as if the previous
the inwales, blocks, and gunwales should all be one had not been modified.
the same thickness, and they must not be Once these first two gapping blocks are
larger than the dimensions I’ve mentioned or clamped into place, measure 10 inches along
they will appear too heavy for these small, the inside of the hull, and glue and clamp
light boats. the next block into place, then another, and
To start off, let’s make and attach the gap- so forth in both directions, fore and aft, until
ping blocks. Get out your ruler, square, and there are blocks up into the bow. Make dou-
pencil, and mark off and cut the gapping bly certain that these blocks are flush with
material into 2-inch lengths. In the case of a the edge of the plywood before the glue
12-foot boat, you’ll need about 24 of them. hardens, and use the tape measure to ensure
Using your tape measure, mark a point the blocks are even and symmetrical on both
halfway along the length of the boat on the sides. The final blocks at each end will be
top edge of one of the side panels. Mark a sim- under the breasthooks and not visible, so their
ilar point on the opposite side. The cautious exact position is not that important. In fact,
boatbuilder will at this point get a helper to they shouldn’t jam up into the stem or against

Simple breasthook and

gapped inwale arrangement

A more sophisticated breasthook form

with a tapering gapped inwale

54 Two styles of gapped inwales and breasthooks.

www.Ebook777.com
each other, so it may be necessary to depart Any excess will be cut off prior to adding the BUILDING
THE HULL
from the 10-inch rule. gunwales. You might also cut a graceful arc
Adding the inwales is easy now, even if in the aft edge of the breasthook: this is a
you have to laminate them. Take the port or small touch that will look very elegant.
starboard inwale, if it’s to be solid, or the first In a double-ended boat (one with pointy
layer of it, if you are laminating in place, and ends fore and aft), repeat the entire process at
clamp one end to one of the gapping blocks the stern, but make the aft breasthook slightly
in the boat’s bow. Make certain that it won’t shorter for aesthetic reasons—9 to 12 inches
interfere with the inwale that’s about to be should be about right.
glued to the other side. Then proceed to glue Much the same procedure applies to the
and clamp to two or three more gapping quarter knees at transoms, both stern and
blocks. Go no further, for you must now start bow. Use the same tracing technique to get
clamping and gluing the inwale on the the shapes of the edges. The forward ends of
opposite side. If you do all of one side before the breasthook, however, must be cut square
beginning the other, you can end up with a across the width of the inwales. Elegant curves
lopsided boat. Fasten each side in alternate can then be drawn on the hypotenuse of the
sections until you reach the opposite end of roughly right-angled piece. A proper boatbuilder
the boat. You will have to cut some inwale would no doubt use a set of geometric drawing
off to make everything fit in the stern the instruments for this, but I find I can usually cre-
same way it did in the bow. ate something perfectly good by tracing pencil
If you want a gold-plated job, taper the lines around objects found in the kitchen and
gapping blocks at each end so that both ends garage. Jar lids and one-quart paint cans usually
of the inwale bear directly on the inside sur- will form tighter curves, while gallon paint
face of the hull. To do this, leave off the final cans, plates, and saucepan lids serve for the
gapping block at each end, make the one larger ones. Since the breasthooks will appear
before that about a third of the original thick- opposite one another, for aesthetic reasons it’s
ness, and the next one about two thirds. You’ll worth taking a few moments to ensure that
have to taper the outboard surface of the they’re symmetrical. You could make a breast-
inwale for about 6 inches at both ends, so that hook and use it to trace the shape for the second
it has a broad enough gluing surface to hold one, or you could carefully draw one, and then
reliably against the hull panel. clamp two pieces of stock together and cut both
The breasthooks are usually made from a breasthooks at the same time.
single thickness of the hull plywood, or a dou- The next step is to mark and cut recesses
ble thickness in the case of a very light boat for the breasthooks and quarter knees into
made from very thin plywood (1⁄8 inch). To get the top edges of the side panels and transoms
the proper shape for a boat with a pointy so that they sit flush to the sheerline when
bow, take your tape measure and measure viewed from the side. Double-check that the
and mark a point on the upper edge of each breasthook or quarter knee is the right shape,
side of the hull about 10 to 15 inches from then use it to trace out where to cut into the
the bow, depending on the size of your boat. sheerline and transom.
Then find a piece of scrap plywood with a Cut this recess very carefully and slowly by
good straight edge, and line it up with the hand, using a sharp saw and perhaps a big,
ticks you have just made, with the board sharp chisel. You will be cutting into hull mate-
extending forward over the bow. Reaching rial, gapping blocks, and the ends of the
underneath the board with a pencil, mark inwales. Check that both ends of the cut are
the outline of the shape of the breasthook by going right as you proceed. Cut on the waste-
tracing against the sides of the hull. You wood side of the line, and take care not to cut
should now have a roughly triangular shape. deeper into the hull than you intend. If any-
Cut this out well to the waste side of the line. thing, err on the conservative side in cutting the 55
ULTRASIMPLE recess. You will be able to use a rasp or Stanley Finally, glue and clamp the gunwales in
BOATBUILDING
Surform afterward to cut the last little bit down place. Clamping should be relatively easy
to the line and generally tidy everything up so because you’re working on a rigid structure.
that the breasthooks will seat properly. Cut and Leave a little extra material at the ends that
try, cut and try, until they fit perfectly. you can neatly trim when finished.
Clamps are not likely to be any use for hold- Once this is done and the glue is set, cut
ing the breasthooks and quarter knees in place the ends of the gunwales flush with the stem
for gluing: there’s simply nothing to clamp and stern, and then round off the shape to
against. Instead, use screws or small nails driven make them look nice. It’s pretty easy to do
through pieces of scrap plywood to hold them with a Stanley Surform, and it’s worth taking a
down. If you wish, once the glue has set, you few extra moments to make the two rounded
can apply fillets to the underside of the breast- corners symmetrical. We usually cut the gun-
hooks and quarter knees to marry them firmly wales flush at the stem and stern for aesthetic
to the inwales; if you do, cut the tape a little reasons, even though gunwales function as
short to make a neat job that doesn’t show. fenders.

56
 CHAPTER 5

FINISHING
YO UR B OA T
previous chapter. In the United States, where
E ven the roughest boatbuilders have to coat
their boats with paint or varnish.
Apart from looking good, paint and varnish
epoxy is a lot cheaper than in Europe, cover-
ing the hull with epoxy and fiberglass cloth is
protect your boat from damage by the sun, a very popular option. If you choose not to
wind, and water, and help protect you and cover in fiberglass, you might consider giving
your passengers from splinters and the rest. your boat a spit coat of unthickened epoxy; if
The techniques are all easy; however, it’s so, you can then use water-based paint with
useful to approach the job in the right way. It’s confidence and the epoxy will seal the ply-
all too easy to make a mess of a painting or wood against water ingress.
varnishing job. Applying a spit coat is a pretty simple
task. Mix small quantities of the epoxy on flat
PAINTING open trays and apply it with a brush or roller.
Hopefully, before this point you have decided It has pretty good self-leveling properties and
whether to apply an epoxy coat, epoxy and is easy to work with, even when using a cheap,
fiberglass, or neither, as discussed in the disposable brush. Once it has thoroughly
hardened, lightly sand the hull with fine
sandpaper before moving to the next stage.
Sandpaper can cost lots of money. Try
searching the Internet for suppliers catering to
builders. You might find some great deals.
Here in the United Kingdom, I’ve found that I
can slash the cost of sandpaper by as much as
50 percent if I buy it from the right source, and
the same is true for paint.
I never buy the cheapest sandpaper. It
costs more in the long run because it wears
out well before better brands, and I end up
using more of it than necessary. In spite of
your desire to get on with the job, to get the
most out of sandpaper, don’t sand before the
previous coat of paint is completely dry, as
your sandpaper will clog up and become use-
Anthony applies a spit coat—a coat of unthickened epoxy—
which provides an excellent base for paint and significantly less. Sand using a sanding block, which may
improves the boat’s rot-resistance. A roller is the easiest method be bought made from rubber or cork-faced
of application, but test any new rollers to make sure they’re com-
patible with epoxy—some cheap foam rollers fall to pieces. Note softwood, or simply cut from a hand-sized
that while the young man is wearing gloves, his arms are bare. piece of softwood the length of the paper you
Long sleeves are highly advisable when working with epoxy, and
goggles aren’t such a bad idea either when using a roller. As are able to buy. Fold the sandpaper around
always in painting, preparation is the key to getting good results. the block so that you can grip it tightly. Don’t
Once your hull is complete, and the epoxy has cured for over a
week, it’s time to sand. As previously stated, you should never rush or rub too hard and tear the paper. Regu-
sand half-cured epoxy; the dust is quite dangerous because it still
contains significant quantities of “live” resin and hardener that
larly knock the sanding block on something
have not yet formed a chemical bond. (Anthony Smith) handy to get the dust out of it. I only give up 57
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
ULTRASIMPLE on a sheet of sandpaper when areas of it have in this book, I suggest steering clear of orbital
BOATBUILDING
started to go bald. sanders when sanding a coated hull, unless
Sanding is hard work, and one of the most you’re a professional and know exactly how
annoying jobs in boatbuilding. An orbital to use the tool. Be patient and use the finest
sander is very helpful, especially if you’re not grits to get the job done little by little.
working with an epoxy-coated hull or ply- If you seek quality results, while you are
wood with very thin faces (see discussion sanding you’ll almost inevitably need to fill
below on sanding these types of surfaces). some odd dings or gaps, which you might
Orbital sanders imported from Asia can be consider doing with filled epoxy, or you may
inexpensive (they were on sale at less than prefer the spirit-based wood fillers sold in
$14 at my local hardware store at the time of hardware stores.
writing). I’ve found solid rubber sanding Sand until the hull is as smooth and silky
blocks that cost almost as much, so I’d say that as your patience allows. Once it’s done,
the electric orbital sander is now an excellent brush the dust off and thoroughly clean your
investment when used with medium or fine work area. Even small amounts of dust will
sandpaper. I avoid using coarse sandpaper create a surprising amount of roughness in
with an orbital sander, though, because it can your first few coats of paint. Not only will
produce obvious scratches across the grain. this ultimately show through in your final
Generally, with rougher sandpapers, always coat; roughness represents a weakness in the
remember to sand with the grain to avoid ugly coating that may make it more vulnerable to
scratches in the lumber or plywood. If you have wear and water ingress.
used good quality plywood with generous sur- As I’ve said before, I think it’s forgivable
face layers to build your boat, and you are not to put an unpainted boat in the water for an
covering it with epoxy, sanding should not be hour after completing the hull because you
too much of a hassle. Start with a medium can’t bear to wait until the paintwork is done
paper and go on to fine paper in the usual way. before trying it out.
However, not everyone can safely use an In fact, it may be a good idea to water-
orbital sander on a thin boat hull. If your ply- test the boat before painting it because it
wood faces are paper-thin, or you have given wets the wood surfaces. Some carpenters say
your boat a spit coat of epoxy, you can damage that wood surfaces should always be wetted
the face or coating in a heartbeat with an and allowed to dry before being sanded and
orbital sander. These power tools are aggres- painted. Wetting brings up the grain in the
sive and will quickly sand through the top same way as the first coat of paint. Once the
layer of plywood or remove most of the epoxy grain is raised, you can quickly and easily
coat. Furthermore, if you have invested in remove the roughness by sanding the bare
covering the hull with fiberglass and epoxy, wood. Do this before applying the first coat
it’s crucial to do no more than lightly sand the of paint; sanding down the raised grain after
very top surface to avoid quickly destroying the wood has been painted is much harder. If
the glass fibers of the embedded cloth. you do launch your boat, have a good time,
So when thin plywood top layers, epoxy but make sure your boat’s good and dry
spit coats, and epoxy and fiberglass coverings before you start painting!
are involved, sanding the hull is going to be How much paint will you need? That
more difficult and time-consuming. The depends on the size of your boat, of course,
upside, of course, is that hulls treated in this but don’t imagine even with the small boats
fashion are more durable than a plywood included in this book that you will be able to
hull sealed only with paint. Is it worth the buy just a single can of paint and hope it will
work? That choice is yours, and it should be do the whole job. You’ll need at least two
made at the beginning of the project, not at cans, one of topcoat and one of undercoat.
58 this point. For many building the small boats The topcoat you’ll use gives color and shine
to a finish. The undercoat penetrates the sur- paints were rarely used on wood until quite FINISHING
YOUR
face, covers, and sticks well, but it has fewer recently. If I’m building a quick and cheap BOAT
pigments and fillers than paints used for top- boat, and finishing it with just a couple of coats
coats. That’s why you need them both to of undercoat and a couple of gloss topcoats,
work together in covering the surface of the then I’ll sometimes go with oil-based paint.
hull and giving it the finish you want. There They’re also good if you’re a perfectionist
are also primers, which are rather like an who wants to make a boat that gleams. If this
undercoat, but more so. is your game, take your time: let the paint
A more upscale boatbuilder might use a harden for several days between coats, and
combination of primer, one or more layers of rub it down with increasingly fine wetted
undercoat, and then a couple layers of top- sheets of wet and dry emery paper as each
coat, but a backyard boat might have to get coat goes on. If you work hard and use qual-
by with a couple of undercoats and maybe ity materials, the results will be stunning.
one or two topcoats. However, if your boatbuilding is more mod-
As with deciding on the hull coatings, or est, you can apply three coats or so as quickly
just going with a good quality marine grade as the instructions on the can allow. This will
plywood without an epoxy or fiberglass and get you on the water sooner, but the differ-
epoxy coat, you should consider the paint ence in the finish will show.
you’ll use at the beginning of the project. Are All you need to apply these paints is a
you going to use oil- or water-based paint? You 2- or 3-inch brush and a can of paint, but
may find it surprising that the decision isn’t the smoothest finishes seem to come from
really a simple quality issue or even just a mat- using one of the small paint rollers and a
ter of price; both types of paint can produce roller tray. You can buy these items in any
acceptable results, and the water-based paint hardware store for very little money, though
option isn’t necessarily the cheaper way to go. replacement rollers aren’t usually as cheap
I’ve changed my own approach over as the original one. Regardless of the price,
time. I used to buy only oil-based paints, but they make an excellent, quick, and smooth
I now often favor water-based paints because job of painting with no runs. It’s well worth
the solvents used in oil-based paints irritate letting the paint dry well before sanding
my asthma, the brushes are horrible to clean, lightly and applying the next coat. Whichever
and water-based exterior enamel or gloss type of paint you use, once the last coat has
paints are far better than I ever imagined was been applied, it’s wise to let the boat stand
possible. Even though the range of water- for a week or so; both are soft and very easily
based paints is much smaller in the United damaged when fresh.
Kingdom than in the United States, I still try
to use them whenever it makes sense. Water-Based Paint
However, oil-based paints come into On the water-based paint side, gloss or enamel
their own when you’re not using epoxy in water-based exterior paints are a good choice
building your boat. By adding a little mineral when you’re working with epoxy and have
spirits (about 10 percent by volume) to the decided to cover your hull with either a single
first coat, it’s usually possible to make the thin coat of epoxy or a coat of glass cloth and
paint penetrate the surface of the plywood epoxy. The epoxy surface should be lightly
and lumber, which can help to make the oil- sanded, as discussed earlier in this chapter.
based paint seal and adhere well. I’ve had good results using a couple of
Spirit-based paints may be better when coats of unfilled epoxy followed by two coats
only a few coats of paint are to be applied, of water-based exterior gloss or enamel paint.
although I do recognize that this may just be a (It must be gloss or enamel, by the way.
prejudice born of spending almost my whole Why? I can’t prove it, but I believe they’re
life in a country where water-based exterior more durable. I would also be concerned 59
ULTRASIMPLE fine-sand it ready for the next coat. Brushes
BOATBUILDING
and rollers can be used to apply the paint.
Cleaning brushes and rollers when you
have been working with these paints is a
smelly nightmare involving wiping and
squeezing off as much paint as possible with
the help of old newspapers, then dousing
them in mineral spirits and carefully wash-
ing the spirits and remaining paint out with
warm water and dish soap.
If you’re dreading this job, you’ll be pleased
to know that I have good news: there is some-
thing you can do to keep this brush cleaning
to a minimum! By wrapping brushes in plastic
bags between coats of oil-based paint you can
often avoid cleaning them until the job is fin-
ished. Plastic grocery bags and sandwich bags
both work fine and usually keep a brush or
roller soft for a few days. Don’t leave them too
Among the advantages of water-based latex (emulsion)
paint is you can easily clean brushes with soap and water in long, however, or they’ll set as rock-hard as if
the kitchen sink, with no environmental concerns.
you had left them in the open air.
If you plan to go for a perfect finish, use
about the possibility of staining with matte fine wet-and-dry emery sandpaper that has
water-based paint.) been sealed so that it can be used wet. Rub-
One of the great joys of working with bing down with this wet sandpaper can pro-
these paints is that they can easily be washed duce spectacular results and it can be even
off in an ordinary sink with the help of a lit- more stunning when used with varnish, so
tle dish detergent, as long as you rinse well long as you have the patience!
afterward. This is such a major advantage
that I can’t emphasize it enough: there’s no
VARNISHING
smell, any mess can quickly be cleaned up,
Varnishing is very much like painting. In fact,
and there’s no bad feeling about allowing
varnish is very much like paint without the
even small amounts of paint solvents into
thickeners and color. However, it’s always
the local sewage system.
expensive, where paint can sometimes be found
cheap; you have to apply many more layers;
Oil-Based Paint and once in place varnish has to be replaced
As I’ve said, this is the stuff to use if you’re much more often than paint because it is so
going very cheap or expensive. A coat of vulnerable to damage by the sun.
primer, two of undercoat, and two of topcoat If you’re getting the idea that I’m trying
are ideal, but if looks and durability aren’t to discourage you from using much in the
terribly important to you, you can certainly way of varnish, you’re quite right. Varnish
get by with less. can look spectacular, but it’s a hassle to
As usual, it’s worth reading the manufac- maintain, and in my considered opinion it
turer’s instructions to find out whether the should be kept to a minimum unless your
paint needs to be stirred and how long it boat is a museum piece. A plain, simple boat
should dry between coats, although you may will generally look just too dull if painted all
often find you have to wait longer than the over, but if you varnish just a few elements,
manufacturer recommends before you can say, the gunwales, knees, and breasthooks,
60
you can make a potentially plain boat look a between coats and to let each coat harden FINISHING
YOUR
little special. properly (two or three days is a minimum) BOAT
People sometimes say a great deal about before sanding each one. All of this takes
how to best varnish large areas, but I find time, which underlines my basic point
there’s nothing very special about getting a about keeping varnish to a minimum, par-
good finish when varnishing small areas. ticularly in boats that are meant to be inex-
The key is to sand with very fine sandpaper pensive.

61
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CHAPTER 6

FITTING OUT FOR

ROWI NG AN D SAIL
B y this point, the boat you’ve been build-
ing must seem very nearly complete. For
the simpler boats in this book that would be
true: add a painter and a pair of rowlocks or a
doubled plywood pad for an outboard, and
you might be ready to go. Sailing boats, how-
ever, are inevitably more complicated. But in
line with this book’s fundamental principle
that simple boating provides more fun, this
chapter seeks to make rigging as simple as
possible, too.

FITTINGS
Almost every boat needs at least a few fit-
tings, and plywood boats are no exception. Inexpensive plastic deadeyes can serve a multitude of purposes
Even the smallest paddler needs a painter. A on small boats, from providing an attachment point for a
bow painter, to serving as rudder gudgeons. Make sure you
rowboat must have oarlocks and an outboard back up the hull panel where these are attached with a rein-
boat needs a place to attach a safety line to forcing scrap of plywood—likewise with mounting cleats
and such.
prevent the motor from being lost over-
board. A sailboat requires a variety of fittings
to control the sail, fasten the rudder on the
stern, and keep the daggerboard and mast
attached to the boat in a capsize.
There’s an entire industry dedicated to
selling up-market fittings you probably don’t
need, so please keep in mind that the boats in
this book don’t require expensive, high-tech
fittings designed for the highly competitive
racing world. An expensively engineered block
intended for the latest Olympic-class wonder-
boat may be very nice, but it’s out of place on a
Flying Mouse.
So, before you part with real money on An inexpensive non-roller-bearing block suitable for a main-
sheet. Blocks like these work fine in small boats—there’s no
posh boat gear, it’s worth shopping around need to buy more expensive models with ratchets or races
for the less glamorous brands. A standard of bearings.

block with no ball bearings and no ratchet

will be a lot cheaper than one that has both,
but it will do the job perfectly well if your sail
is small and optimal performance doesn’t
62 matter. Cheap plastic blocks, fairleads, cleats,

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and such have more than sufficient strength perfect to use with equally posh bronze fittings FITTING OUT
FOR ROWING
for the stresses that these boats impose. As with on classic and reproduction boats, but are AND SAIL
other components for your boat, the Internet somewhat out of place on our humble craft.
is a good place to look for fittings. Ask for help However, stay away from sheetrock screws and
around the e-mail forums, too; someone will other screws made from inferior materials,
know just where the best deals are. such as brass or zinc-plated steel. These will
It’s also worth looking for galvanized iron rust, and they have coarser threads, which
fittings, which are often sold for farming and don’t provide nearly the holding power of
gardening by agricultural suppliers and in stainless screws.
hardware stores. Although they’re made to
last in the outdoors, they’re much, much PADDLING AND
cheaper than the stuff the chandlers sell, and in ROWING GEAR
general they’ll last as long as you need them to. The oars I make are the same as Jim Michalak’s
Fittings raise a technical issue that you and I hope he won’t mind my sharing them
must plan for during hull construction. with you. (Jim is the designer of Piragua; see
Because plywood boats are relatively thin- pages 143–145.) In any case, he got them from
skinned, you must strengthen the areas where the renowned traditional-style boat designer
you intend to mount the fittings; otherwise and builder, R. D. “Pete” Culler. Whatever its
there won’t be enough material for the screws provenance, the method produces oars that
to grip. As you build your boat, it’s well worth are sophisticated, well balanced, and narrow-
taking a moment to consider where to rein- bladed to match the needs and strength of the
force for the installation of an eye, cleat, or ordinary Joe who doesn’t have the muscles to
other type of hardware. This includes at the make much use of a big spoon oar.
bow to take the painter on just about every The Culler-Michalak method produces a
boat. In any sailboat, you will have to place pair of oars at a fraction of the price you will
reinforcements at the aft corners of the aft be charged for a single badly balanced and
deck to take the deadeyes for the traveler clunky ready-made oar bought from a yacht
(horse), and on the transom for the rudder. chandler. So these real paragons among oars
Typically, I deal with this reinforcing are cheap as well as right for the purpose.
issue during construction by gluing a 4-by- The method for making Culler-Michalak
4-inch patch of scrap plywood on the side of oars begins with 1-by-6-inch pine boards free
the plywood opposite where the fitting will of all but the smallest knots. You’ll need two
be mounted. When the time comes for 7-foot lengths of reasonably clear material to
mounting, I place the fitting where it needs make two useful 7-foot oars. They can be
to be, poke a pencil or sharp nail through the shaped using a medium-sized hand plane,
mounting holes in the fitting to mark the but I think it would be challenging to go that
position of the pilot holes, drill them, and way unless you’re very practiced and bristling
then screw the fitting into place, knowing with well-toned muscles. In spite of my usual
that I have at least a double-thickness of ply- diatribes against power tools, I think you will
wood to give my screws the bite they need. need access to an electric hand planer to make
Most fittings can be safely attached with your oars. A power planer and a workbench
quite short stainless steel screws. It’s amazing fitted with a means of clamping the lumber
what these little beauties with their tight screw will make the job pretty easy as long as you’re
threads can do. Even a fitting with just two or not a perfectionist.
four 1⁄2-inch stainless steel screws driven into Three parts are cut from a single board and
a double thickness of 1⁄4-inch plywood makes laminated together to make the oar: a long cen-
a robust, reliable point for tying a line or sup- tral blank incorporating the narrow blade and
porting a rudder. You need not spend lots of the main part of the loom, and two face pieces
money on silicon bronze screws. These are that are then glued and clamped to each side of 63
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
the loom to make up the necessary thickness.
Mark and cut out the shapes as shown in the
drawing, and glue and clamp the whole lot
together as accurately as you can. Since fully
hardened epoxy can blunt steel tools, I’d use
polyurethane glue for this job.
Once the glue has hardened, the shaping
can begin. The loom can remain square in
section, but the handle must be rounded to
around 11⁄4 inches in diameter, and the shaft
beyond the loom, from the point where it sits
in the oarlock down to the narrowest point,
needs to be rounded. First plane it to 8 equal
sides, then to 16, and then to 32, at which
A Rowing Rant point you should be able to easily sand it
As well as demanding muscles, big spoon blades require the round. Take care in using the plane, however,
rower to feather his or her oars—that is, with each stroke you since you don’t want to weaken the oar in the
have to turn your oars forward through 90 degrees so that the area where the blade meets the shaft.
blade is horizontal on the recovery stroke to reduce air resist-
As shown in the drawing, the blade of the
ance and minimize the effect of splashing into a wavelet. It’s
an activity that’s probably only popular with Sea Scouts and oar needs to be chamfered slightly from the
those who enter rowing races, and to my mind the insistence center, with the blade ending about 1⁄2 inch
that rowing with feathering is the only “real” rowing may be thick along the sides and at the end, and rising
one of the key reasons we see so few people rowing around
harbors and rivers in the United Kingdom. I see more people to the full thickness of the lumber at the cen-
sculling over their tender’s stern than rowing. ter. It’s essential to mark out the centerlines
What I have to say on this issue will, therefore, be along the edges of the blade and across the tip,
heresy to most “proper” rowing people, but that’s just fine
and then to mark two parallel lines 1⁄4 inch on
with me. I think an ordinary Joe doesn’t want to be both-
ered with learning to feather his oars on every stroke, and I either side of these. The parallel lines are the
don’t think it’s necessary if you use narrow blades. There’s marks you will trim to. In section, the blade
lots of traditional justification for this. If you make your should be a kind of elongated diamond.
blades narrow, feathering becomes much less important, or
Once shaped roughly with the power
even useless. Consider the traditional oars you see used
with Irish Curraghs from the Dingle peninsula. Developed plane, each oar blade will need to be shaped
for use on the often rough Atlantic coast of Ireland, which more carefully with a Stanley Surform and
features great trains of long Atlantic rollers, these oars are finally with an orbital sander starting with
no wider at the blade than at the loom (oar shaft) and
they’re mounted on a solid metal tholepin in such a way the coarse grit and working gradually to a
that they can’t be feathered at all. finely sanded surface that’s fit for varnish-
ing. Don’t be tempted to varnish the handle,
however. For the sake of your hands, it is
best left as bare, smoothly sanded wood.
After the oar has been varnished, whip it
with cord where it sits in the oarlock to pre-
vent wear. The whipping can be plain cheap
white polyester cord bought from any hard-
ware store.
John Welsford (see page 217) once told me
that when rowing over distances he uses a
length of fine cord to prevent his oars from
sliding away. Bore a small hole near the top of
the blade (but still a good way from the nar-
64 rowest part of the shaft) and tie a length of
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FITTING OUT
All dimensions in inches FOR ROWING
AND SAIL
Michalak oars, 7 feet 1/4

3/4
1 2 2 1 1/4 4

3
5 16 30 8 24

Jim Michalak’s oar design, derived from Pete Culler’s, is simple, inexpensive, and elegant. The oar is cut from 1-by-
6-inch lumber, with cheek pieces laminated to the sides of the oar shaft (the “loom”) to build it out to the proper
thickness. Note that the top end of the loom is left square—the extra weight helps balance the oar on the oarlock.

cord from this hole to the oarlock. This will

keep the oars from falling in the water, and
when exhausted you can lean on them to rest
with confidence.
Oarlocks need to be placed at just the right
distance from each of the thwarts you’re plan-
ning to row from. A good traditional rule of
thumb is to make the fore-and-aft distance
between the aft edge of the thwart and the
center of the U of the oarlock the same as the
length of the rower’s forearm. If you’re adding
an extra rowing position, you will, of course,
need to add a second set of oarlock sockets
using the same method.
The oarlock itself needs to be well sup-
ported. Make up two blocks, each laminated
from two 4-by-8-inch pieces of 1⁄4-inch ply-
wood (more, if your inwales are deep), then
glue and screw them to the hull sides (driving
the screws from the outside of the hull) so they
are flush with the sheerline. Center the fittings
in the middle of each block. The oarlocks can
be standard models. I use the kind where the
casting mounts with screws on the top surface
of the block. Others prefer the kind where the
pin of the oarlock fits through a hole bored in
the block itself. I’m pretty sure the latter are
quieter than the surface-mounted type.
I’ve never used plastic oarlocks, so I can
neither recommend nor warn against them.
I’ve had a pair waiting to be used in my junk
A pair of laminated oars under construction, showing the
box for years, but they look so shoddy that I
taper of the blades. The handles or grips should be round
when finished. (Ben Crawshaw) have never installed them. However, they’re 65

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ULTRASIMPLE cheap and widely available, and I’d suggest that acceptable, but larger knots must be avoided.
BOATBUILDING
they would work best on the lighter boats in To make this paddle, draw a centerline
this book, such as the Rowing Mouse, as users along one face of the wood, and from the
of these light rowboats are probably the least centerline square off the whole board in 1-inch
likely to stress plastic oarlocks to the point of squares. Once this is done you will be able to
breaking. copy the profile from the drawing fairly easily.
“Stretchers” are footrests, and they make Cut out the profile of the paddle and
rowing considerably more efficient by helping then on pieces of the scrap mark and cut out
fix your body in place so that you can use the two pieces measuring 291⁄2 by 11⁄4 inches.
powerful muscles in your legs without sliding Taper one end of these fillets or cheek pieces
around on the seat. The stretcher itself is just a to an eighth of an inch deep or less, and glue
bar that stretches across the hull, made from and clamp them to either side of the handle
doubled plywood or any other piece of suitable as shown, starting about 6 inches from the
lumber strong enough to push against. To end of the handle, and with the tapered end
allow adjustment, I make them up so that the toward the blade.
ends of the bar sit in brackets made from double- Then start shaping: this is the kind of job
thick plywood cut into a “comb” shape then for which long winter evenings are made,
glued and screwed onto the sides of the boat and the objective is to create something that
where they meet the chines. In use, you’ll need feels good in the hands and will be comfort-
to experiment with the position of the able without weakening the handle and its
stretcher to find the most comfortable posi- shaft. The edges of the blade should be about
tion. Because of the way the boat’s sides curve, half an inch thick or a little less, and nicely
you will need to make stretchers of different rounded. The shaft should be a nice oval
lengths for each rowing position and for differ- along most of its length until it starts to
ent rowers. widen toward the handle end. (The long axis
I’ve drawn up a plan for a single-blade of the oval should be at 90 degrees to the
paddle that can be made from a 48-inch piece blade.) The grip should be well contoured
of softwood, 6-by-1-inch (true dimensions), and rounded to make it comfortable to hold
but you could use a standard lumberyard and to push against with the palm of your
1-by-6-inch (actually 3⁄4-by-51⁄2-inch). Smooth hand. Some people might use a power planer
the resulting slight irregularities accordingly, for this job, and others might go for a Stanley
as there is nothing sacred about these dimen- Surform. But if you can get hold of a spoke-
sions. As always, small, tight knots are often shave and a stone to sharpen its blade, I

1 inch

3 inches

1/2 inch

Typical comb and footrest for flat-sided, flat-bottomed boats.

66 This bracket and stretcher arrangement will work on many of the boats in this book.
 Paddle half-profile: trace onto 6-by-1-by-48 inch pine or FITTING OUT
FOR ROWING
ash, or substitute softwood reasonably clear of knots.
AND SAIL
16 inches 1 1/2 inches

1-inch squares
3/4 inch
3/4 inch 2 inch

48 inches
When the paddle profile has been cut out, mark out and cut out
a rectangular section measuring 29 1/2 by 1 1/4 inches, and cut this
in two to create two pieces of wood measuring 29 1/2 by 1 1/4 inches
by half the thickness of the wood.
Fillet 1

Fillet 2

Clamp and glue the fillets on each side of the handle.

Shape using plane, rasp, or Stanley Surform to

create a round shaft and hand-friendly smooth
surfaces that are comfortable to hold.
1/2 inch

Sand and varnish the finished paddle.

Single-blade paddle plans.

Handle: 60-by-1/4-inch pine, possibly a closet pole

or dowel. Angle between blades is to taste but
may be between 50 and 60 degrees.
Blade from 1/4-inch plywood

5 inches

Pole material may be chamfered slightly

at ends to improve appearance. Blade
may be glued and clamped into place, or it
may be glued and screwed.

Double-blade paddle plans.

swear doing this job in the old-fashioned the better kind of closet pole bought from a
way will be satisfying and relaxing. hardware store or lumberyard. Make sure
Double-blade paddles suitable for the that the pole is solid and not jointed, as
small Mouseboats can be made simply and jointed ones might be manufactured with
effectively using 11⁄4-inch softwood dowels or non-waterproof glue. 67
ULTRASIMPLE Mark and cut on 8-inch slot in each end the boat with a large stainless steel bolt, the
BOATBUILDING
of the pole. Add an angle of twist between biggest washers you can find with holes to
them if you’re an experienced paddler and exactly match the bolts, and two nuts (the sec-
know that you prefer a feathered paddle. ond is a locknut). It’s nice to have a large rub-
Cutting the slot requires good clamping and ber washer on the outside to prevent leaks and
careful work with the handsaw to ensure you distribute the stresses. Also, to further distribute
follow the lines you marked. Cut out ply- the stresses the bolt should pass through a
wood blades and glue and screw them into robust reinforcement on the inside of the boat
place. made from a piece of scrap plywood.
Because of the orientation of screw
SAILING GEAR threads, a single bolt-on leeboard should be on
It’s in the nature of things that sailing rigs add the port side of the boat rather than on the
complexity to a boat, but the rigs you’ll find in starboard side. This way, as the leeboard lifts it
this book are about as simple as they can be. with tend to tighten the nut and bolt, as
Rigs consist of two basic parts: boards and opposed to loosening it.
sails. Daggerboards, centerboards, and leeboards Where you have an external chine
mounted on the side of the boat, jut under along the outside bottom edge of a boat, the
the water to help the boat track straight rather leeboard can bear against it. With a stitch-
than slide sideways. The rudder, which can be and-glue boat, add two bearing strakes 1⁄2
considered a board, also juts under the water inch thick to distribute the stresses and to
and contributes to keeping the boat from slid- prevent the board from scratching the
ing sideways. When the rudder is amidships boat’s side. One of these strakes should be
(centered), it presents little resistance to the along the chine itself, and the other just
water, but when it is turned even a little, more below the gunwale. These can each be a
of its surface area is presented and the resist- couple of feet long and will look better and
ance increases, turning the boat in one direc-
tion or the other. Sails, of course, catch the
wind and propel the boat: what happens is
that the force on the sail and the force on the
board combine to propel the boat forward,
much as you might make a fruit pit fly by
squeezing it between two fingers.
There’s no need to know exactly how sail-
ing works from an aerodynamic standpoint.
But you do need to know that the designs for
the sailboat rigs in this book must be followed
exactly in terms of positioning the boards and
sails, or the magic won’t work. If you make
arbitrary changes, the boat will not be in bal-
ance, and it won’t sail properly.

Leeboards, Daggerboards,
and Rudders
Let’s get down to the details, starting with the
underwater part of the rig. Depending on the
design, leeboards in small boats can be as simple
as a shaped piece of plywood (see Summer Leeboards, daggerboards, and centerboards all act like
a wing in the water, preventing the sailboat from slip-
68 Breeze on page 187) fastened to the port side of ping sideways. (Kelly Mulford)
distribute the stresses better if they are After the case is assembled, you won’t be FITTING OUT
FOR ROWING
tapered at the ends. able to do anything to protect the inside sur- AND SAIL
Leeboards have only become common in faces from rot, so you must protect them
small homemade boats in the last couple of before you put the pieces together. The best
decades. Before that daggerboards pretty well approach is to cover them with epoxy and
ruled the roost, and in fact they are still very fiberglass cloth and paint. First, cover the
popular today, even though they take up whole interior surface of the case side pieces
space inside the boat and are more compli- with fibreglass and epoxy, including the areas
cated to make because they require a slot in that will be glued to the vertical end logs of
the bottom of the hull. The worst feature of a the case. Then glue one side of the case to the
daggerboard is that when you hit something end logs. Next cover the end logs with epoxy
underwater it won’t kick up, as will a lee- and cloth. Thoroughly paint all of the inside
board. Instead, the daggerboard will slam of the case, except for the areas that need to
against the slot in a grounding, which can be glued to the remaining side of the case.
break the slot and hole the boat. It’s worth If you’re not using epoxy, put masking
avoiding these situations when sailing, but tape over the gluing surfaces and paint the
in my experience in the kind of very small exposed surfaces with as many coats of primer,
boats we’re discussing, the speeds involved undercoat, and gloss paint as your patience
are rarely enough to cause serious damage in allows. Five or six properly applied coats will
a grounding situation. Nevertheless, the case not be too much. Finally, remove the tape,
or slot that the daggerboard slides up and lightly sand the gluing surfaces, then glue and
down in should be strong and solidly made, screw the end logs of the case in place.
and so far as is reasonable it should be pro- How the upper end of the case is engi-
tected from rot. neered varies with the design. It might be
On the plus side, daggerboards can be butted up against a frame to emerge at the
shaped to a greater extent than leeboards to deck, or it might end in a thwart. At the lower
improve their performance, and the designer end of boatbuilding, cases don’t vary much.
is not forced to place a daggerboard at the Two logs are glued and screwed or clamped
widest point of the beam, which is often the into place, and these and the case they are
case with leeboards. Because the designer has attached to are then fitted by either spiling or
more freedom in determining where a dag- cut-and-try until the profile matches the
gerboard can be placed to balance the sail shape of the inside of the bottom of the boat.
plan, he or she also has more freedom in Bed the foot of the case in a mash of poly-
terms of where the rig goes—the implication urethane or epoxy and cloth (the cloth gives
of this is that boats with daggerboards fre- the joint a bit of useful wiggle room), and
quently look nicer than those designed to clamp and screw it firmly into place, making
have leeboards. They also appeal to the con- sure that it is accurately lined up with the cen-
servative in us because they’re the solution terline of the boat. This may seem a pretty
we feel is expected and traditional. rough-and-ready procedure, but it should be
To build a daggerboard case (trunk), begin done as carefully as possible because this part
by marking and cutting out two pieces of the of the boat is subject to more stresses than
same plywood you used to make the hull. almost any other part. Any rot in this area can
Make these slightly deeper than specified in quickly be fatal to your boat. If there’s any
the plans. This is partly in accordance with place to over-engineer a boat, this is it.
the “waste-wood side of the line” approach to It’s only later, when the epoxy has hard-
cuts that should underlie all your woodwork- ened, that I return to cut the slot through the
ing, and partly to leave some jiggle room bottom of the boat from the outside. I begin
when it’s time to trim the bottom of the case with a small hole drilled in the middle of
to match the profile of the bottom of the boat. where the slot should be. Once I have broken 69
ULTRASIMPLE through to the open area inside the dagger- their slot. Some people weight a daggerboard
BOATBUILDING
board case, I slowly enlarge the hole with a by building in a few ounces of lead or fishing
rasp or a small saw until I’ve opened the whole weights. Working with lead, however, is diffi-
slot. This must be carefully done to avoid dam- cult and dangerous, and I prefer to use a
aging the inside of the case, and once it’s done, piece of bungee cord (elastic shock cord)
the cutaway area must be sealed with more rigged from some convenient part of the
paint or epoxy. boat and stretched over the top of the dag-
The board can be a very simple proposi- gerboard. In Doris the Dory (see page 197),
tion, and is even simpler than the leeboard for example, I use a simple loop of shock
discussed earlier. In fact, the daggerboard is cord tied around the mast and stretched over
often just a flat plywood board with rounded- top of the daggerboard and onto its aft edge.
off edges and a handle on top to prevent it Simple as it is, it gives no problems.
from sliding out of the boat through the slot. Rudders are often a more complicated
The very best daggerboards have a carefully piece of work, and each boat that requires a
calculated airfoil shape that has the effect of rudder in this book has its own design. David
increasing its effectiveness when the boat is Beede’s design for Summer Breeze (see page
travelling through the water at low speeds, but 185) is different from the one I drew for the
anyone who has bought this book is unlikely to Flying Mouse (see page 160) and looks rather
be in the market for such high technology. If better in return for a little more work. If you
your designer has specified a simple, flat board, prefer this approach of rounding the corners of
I’d say you should go with what’s drawn, as the rudder stock, use it on any of the designs,
most beginning to intermediate non-racing but please make sure you retain the underwa-
sailors are unlikely to notice any difference in ter profile of the blade specified in the design.
the boat’s performance. The drawings tell the story of the compo-
However, if your designer has proposed a nents that have to be made up and then
plywood daggerboard that’s a minimum of glued and screwed together. A simple stain-
3
⁄4 inch thick, here is a good compromise that less steel bolt, two washers, and two nuts
lies between the simple and less efficient and (one is a locknut) provide the rudder with
the complex but highly efficient. something to pivot on, but should not be
Draw a line about a third of the way back done up so tightly that the rudder won’t
from the leading edge: this will be the thick- freely lift. You want the rudder to kick up if
est part of the board. Use a Stanley Surform you hit an underwater obstruction, such as
to create a nicely rounded leading edge that when beaching.
widens sweetly up to the line I’ve just talked Boatbuilders sometimes scrimp on rudder
about. Next, draw a centerline along the hardware and make cheap alternatives to rud-
trailing edge, and then draw two lines parallel der pintles and gudgeons, including gadgets
to it about 1⁄8 inch on either side. Then use based on seat belt strapping or various bits of
whichever tool you favor to cut away the plumbing hardware. But because rudders are
excess until you have a flat, smooth surface on among the most important aspects of a boat’s
both sides of the board from the line denoting performance, I’d suggest that a good strong,
the thickest part of the board back to the built-for-the-job set of pintles and gudgeons
1
⁄4-inch-wide flat spot on its aft edge. and a purpose-made clip to keep the rudder
Once a handle has been attached and the in place are good choices.
board has been sanded and painted, this When installing rudder fittings, ensure
board will give you most of the advantages of the fittings are in line with each other, or
a high-tech board without your having had they will work themselves loose. To avoid
to work too hard. splits, do not position fittings such that the
One last thing on daggerboards: once on screws are close to the ends or edges of the
70 the water they will tend to float upward in wood or plywood material. Also, you must
 good when cut down to size). An even better FITTING OUT
FOR ROWING
RUDDER option is to cut a large piece of lumber in two, AND SAIL
12in BLADE HEAD
reverse one of the pieces, and laminate them
together. That way, any tendency to warp will
20in 23in be counteracted by the two pieces trying to
move in opposite directions.
For a larger boat, I’d take one of these
approaches, but for the small boats included
in this book, starting with a chunk of wood of
this size would be overkill. With smaller boats,
Rudder
stock I’ve had some good results building up masts
attaches for small boats from several thin boards cut
to stern
of boat from the same tree and sold as a bundle.
Warping can be nearly eliminated by aligning
the boards so that the curve of the grain in
Rudder each piece of wood opposes the grain in the
raised
others and then laminating them together. A
mast for a very small boat made up of two
pieces of 1-by-2-inch lumber glued together is
likely to remain straight, and a mast made up
from more pieces will be better still.
The lower end of the mast should be
square in section, but from above the mast’s
supports—the mast partners—it should be
planed on its corners to make it first 8-sided,
then 16-sided, and perhaps even 32-sided.
Rudder lowered Then sand it with progressively fine sandpaper
The cutting diagram (top) shows how to get the maximum to make it smooth and round.
amount of rudder and head stock from a limited amount of Take care not to plane too much wood
lumber. The assembly sketch (bottom) shows the kick-up
principle. The slope of the angled edge of the head stock is away, or the mast will become overly thin
adjusted to suit the angle of the boat’s transom. and flexible. Try to sand along the length of
the grain rather than across it to avoid
unsightly scratches that always show under
mount the gudgeons (the eye-shaped part) on varnish.
the transom so that the lower pintle (the pin Almost all small sailboats need at least
that fits into the eye) engages its eye 1⁄2 inch or one more spar (usually a boom) to support
so before the upper pintle engages. This is the sails. The spar is best made up in the same
essential when hanging the rudder on the way as the mast, by laminating pieces of 1-by-
stern. If you locate the gudgeons so that the 1-inch or 1-by-2-inch material. The edges of
pintles engage simultaneously, you’ll find it the spar should be rounded to reduce the
almost impossible to install the rudder when chance of injury if it hits you.
afloat even in calm water.
Sails
Sails can get complicated and expensive, if
Spars you want the very best. But luckily for us the
I make masts from spruce when I can get it and difference between a well-made and perfectly-
other softwood when I can’t. It is possible to use shaped sail and one that is less than ideal is
a single particularly straight and straight-grained reduced given the small sails you’ll need for
piece of lumber (2 by 12s can be particularly the boats included in this book. Sails that are 71
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ULTRASIMPLE adequate for your boat can be made the old- prototypes made from the cheap blue stuff I
BOATBUILDING
fashioned way with darts (i.e., folds at the cor- rarely bother with this.
ners) and curved edges to create the crucial Finally, I use a grommet kit sold in chan-
rounded shapes rather than broad-seamed dleries and sewing shops to put grommets
from strips of sailcloth cut in subtle arcs, and where they are needed: in each corner of the
laboriously and expensively sewn together. sail, at 1-foot intervals along the luff, wher-
What’s more, because the stresses involved are ever else lacing is required, and along lines of
much smaller, it’s quite possible to make effec- reefing points.
tive sails that will last a season or two from a Where the grommets are close to the
good quality plastic tarp—so long as you don’t edge of the sail and therefore the boltropes, I
ask too much of them. use whipping cord to whip the grommet to
The sails for my designs in this book can the edge of the sail and around the boltrope
be made from either tarp or sailcloth. to ensure that any stresses are communicated
However, tarp sails and those made from to the boltrope rather than the sail material.
sailcloth have to be made in slightly different Sails made from sailcloth can be made in
ways because of the properties of the materi- very nearly the same way with darts, rein-
als and the way in which they are bonded: forcing patches, and the rest, but in the case
adhesive cloth-backed tape for tarps and of “proper” sails the boltrope goes on the out-
stitching for sailcloth. side of the hems, not the inside, and has to be
Tarp sails are best made from the heavy- stitched into place by hand. It’s a nice, peaceful
weight kind of plastic tarp material that job for a long winter evening, and it will pro-
builders and roofers use. The cheap blue kind duce a very attractive and traditional sail.
sold in hardware stores has no UV protection The seams of a sail made from sailcloth
and is made from material so thin that it’s must be stitched with a strong cast iron or
only fit for prototype sails expected to last no industrial grade sewing machine set to zigzag
more than a few outings. stitching. I use double-sided adhesive tape
Having obtained the material, I mark out
the shape provided by the designer, includ-
ing the darts, 3-inch-deep hems, and curved
sail edges using a felt pen, a ruler, and a tape
measure. For the curved sections I use a flexi-
ble batten held in place with a few heavy
objects, such as books, furniture, or bricks.
Next, I use the cloth-backed tape to stick a
piece of rope into the seam between the hem
and the sail edge. With this boltrope firmly in
place, I use double-sided carpet tape to stick
down the hems, and I then use a single-sided
cloth-backed tape to cover the seam where
the hem meets the sail.
I use double-sided cloth tape inside the
darts, and single-sided tape to cover them on
the outside. I then go on to use the same
materials to paste reinforcing patches of the
sail material into the corners, and if I’m in the
mood, I cut another long patch to tape onto
the sail about a quarter of the way up from
A grommet (cringle) set includes a hole punch, the two-part
the boom to allow me to add a line of reefing grommets themselves, and a tool for clenching them
72 points, though since most of my tarp sails are together. This set has been in my toolbox for some time.

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(packing tape) to stick down the hems and FITTING OUT
FOR ROWING
seams before stitching with the machine. AND SAIL
There’s quite an art to the task of rolling up a
sail in such a way that you can get the seam to
a sewing machine’s needle, and I’d strongly
suggest that if you do make your own sails
from real cloth it would be well worth enlisting
some help, particularly from someone who
knows a little about setting and using a sewing
machine.
The grommets can be added using the
same grommet kit I mentioned earlier, and,
again, where grommets are near the edge of
the sail they should be firmly whipped to the
boltrope.
The lashing at the top of the mast goes around the mast a
couple of times to prevent stresses that could cause the
Rigging mast to crack. One end has a bowline tied in it.

Rigging presents a range of interesting chal-

lenges, including buying and installing small
fittings, sealing or serving the ends of lines so
they don’t unravel, and tying knots.
On the fitting front, because these small
boats with their old-fashioned rigs involve only
relatively small forces, they don’t require more
than a few inexpensive pieces of hardware.
All complex technology is eliminated. For
example, a simple deadeye or a small hole
drilled through the mast will support the main-
sail, so long as the line is looped around the
mast a couple of times. Winding the line
around the mast ensures that the forces exerted
by the sail are spread around the mast and not
concentrated on half of it—distributing the
stresses in this way makes the whole rig much
more robust.
The looping trick is also easy to do, as
you’ll see in the three accompanying photos.
The mast is about 2 inches wide at the top, so
I drilled a hole 2 to 21⁄2 inches from the top of
the mast just wide enough to accept a doubled
piece of polyester or Spectra line, say 18 inches
long. I tied a bowline in the end, folded the
line in half, and then pushed the folded end
through the hole, turning it over and loop-
ing it over the mast two or three times such
that the resulting tail is over (not under) the
looped-around part. Finally, I used the loop
created by the bowline to tie on the sail.
With the small sails you’ll find in this book,
Tying the temporary bight used to attach the head of the
sail to the mast. 73
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ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

The same temporary bight used at the tack (bottom of the sail nearest the mast) to tighten the luff of the sail.

the same approach works well with sprits On the subject of blocks, if you’re using a sail
and yards. with a gaff or yard at the top, you’ll want to be
I also try to use the same kind of stress- able to lower your sail using a halyard. Resist the
reducing method whenever I’m working with temptation to buy an expensive block. A cheap
deadeyes. Because the forces on the mast end galvanized block, the kind people use when rig-
of a sprit pull forward, I’ll put a deadeye on ging a clothesline, will work fine for years.
the aft side of the mast, loop a line a couple of Where I do use moderately good quality
times through the deadeye and around the blocks is on mainsheets. Sheets need to be thick
mast, and tie it to a stout ring or the becket of and soft so that they’re comfortable to hold for
a small block. The snotter line, which tight- long periods, and because a little thickness in a
ens the forward end of the sprit in a spritsail line tends to discourage it from tangling. These
so that it holds the sail out to make a good thick lines can be used with deadeyes instead of
shape, falls through the block and is then tied blocks, but in my experience they don’t really
off to a cleat on the sprit itself. run smoothly through anything less than a
This way, all the forces on the deadeye tend block. Cheap galvanized blocks sold for use in
to pull the fittings directly into the mast and gardens and on farms are useful for halyards,
not out of it—at most there might be some side- snotters, and other applications on board a
ways forces, but that’s all. The method seems to small boat, but they’re heavy and hard and can
work, as I can’t remember a fitting dragging out give you a good clout if they hit you, which
of any of my small-boat spars. could happen if you use one on your main-
With the low stresses involved in such sheet. In contrast, a lightweight plastic block is
small boats, this kind of solution can be suffi- a gentle thing that will usually leave you with
cient, so long as the ring is sufficiently substan- only a little light bruising if you’re careless
tial. In place of a small block in these situations, enough to get hit by your boom.
I’ve even used a beefy metal or plastic ring or As always on a boat, when driving screws
deadeye bought from a chandlery, tied at one to fit blocks, always drill a hole of the correct
side and with the running line fed through it size so that you don’t start any splits in which
74 and lashed to the sail or spar. your screws might eventually work loose.

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 FITTING OUT
FOR ROWING
AND SAIL

Preventing Rot
Once all the effort of construction is over and you’ve had
your first exhilarating sail in your newly built boat, it’s time to
look at protecting it from rot. Given that wood materials are
not what they once were (see Chapter 2), there are some pre-
cautions you can take that will make a huge difference to your
boat’s useful life. One is to make sure your boat is protected
from the elements. Apart from running it full speed onto
rocks, perhaps the fastest way to destroy a home-built
wooden boat is to allow it to fill with rainwater then let it
stand for a few months.
With a little care, it’s possible to make all the stresses in a
At a minimum, store your boat upside down on blocks
sailing rig bear on the whole spar (avoiding stresses that
might crack a spar or pull out a fitting) or pull sideways. so that it won’t draw moisture from the ground, preferably
Here a block is suspended from a deadeye behind the mast, with a tarp covering the hull to keep sunlight off the paint-
which means that it is attached by a line that extends work, and especially any varnish.
around the mast. A line looped around the sprit and lashed
to a hole in the sprit falls through the block and finally to a Storing the boat indoors is even better and may be eas-
cleat, where the stresses are sideways. ier than you may think, particularly with small boats. For
example, the Mirror dinghy I built with my dad all those
years ago lived slung upside down from the garage roof; a
Finally, you may be wondering about system of string and blocks allowed it to be lowered or put
reefing. How is it possible that the sail in the away in a moment. Similarly, people who build the shorter
Mouseboats of 8 feet or less often keep them propped up
pictures is tied to the mast and not able to be against a wall in a garage, shed, or utility room.
lowered? Can this be safe? Another important precaution is to fit not just one but
The explanation is that the sail is a spritsail two drain plugs in every buoyancy tank and to remember
that uses a sprit to hold up its peak—that is, the to open them whenever the boat is put away—fitting two
highest part of the sail. When the time comes instead of one seems to increase the flow of fresh air,
greatly reducing the likelihood of fungal growth and rot. I’ve
to reef, what happens is that the sprit is taken also used rotating plastic hatch lids sold in chandleries once
in, which effectively reduces the sail to a small or twice, and my impression is that they’re even better than
triangle generally about half the size of the the plugs. However, you have to be careful to ensure they’re
properly sealed, as a buoyancy tank that fills when the boat
original sail. This is called scandalizing, and in
is swamped is a lot less useful than it should be.
small boats it can generally be done very
If you take these precautions, even a quickly built home-
quickly—more quickly than any other kind of made boat made from cheap materials can last many years.
reefing. I think that this ability to put in a deep (But if you want to go a step further, there is a wealth of
reef very quickly is one of the advantages of the experience to show that encapsulating vulnerable lumber
with glass and epoxy is a very effective way of keeping rot to
spritsail in a small boat, and it’s one of the rea- a minimum.)
sons I’m a fan of this type of sail. One final point is that many designers show limber
When the hull and rig are ready, it’s time holes in these plans. These are small gaps between frames
to launch the little boat! and the hull designed to allow water to flow through rather
You’ll no doubt spend the first three hours than stand at a point where it might start rot. Limber holes
are helpful in a boat that’s going to be kept on the water in
or so adjusting this or even that string to get a a position where spray or rain will collect in it. If, however,
good shape out of the sail, or even moving the boat you’re building is going to be stored as I’ve
this or that fairlead or chainplate. That’s only described, I don’t think limber holes will be particularly
useful.
to be expected and is part of the fun of these
projects. Once the tweaking has been com-
pleted to your satisfaction, there is one last
very important step: checking the sailing
characteristics of the boat. You do this by 75
ULTRASIMPLE observing the position of the tiller while the
BOATBUILDING
is useful in difficult circumstances or if you
boat is sailing to windward to see if you have happen to fall overboard and need to climb
a “lee” or a “weather” helm. Lee helm is bad, back in the boat.
and a slight weather helm is good. So, as a final double-check, go sailing and
While you’re under sail and sitting com- see what the boat does when you let every-
fortably in the middle of the boat (not at the thing go. If the boat turns slowly upwind and
stern), see if the tiller has to be held to lee- sits still, the mast is in the right spot, but if it
ward (away from the wind) to sail in a turns slowly off the wind and tries to sail
straight line to windward. If you have to hold away, you will need to move the mast aft a
the tiller to leeward in anything but the light- few inches. Hopefully, you’ll find that your
est breeze, you have a “lee” helm that has to boat has a slight weather helm and you can
be corrected. Boats with lee helm turn away get on with the fun!
from the wind and may sail off if you fall
overboard, leaving you stranded in the water.
This can be potentially lethal, especially if
you are in cold water without a life preserver.
Depending on the design of the boat, you’ll
need to either move the mast aft or find a
way to lean it back a little to counteract lee
helm, and in some cases this may mean you
have to fiddle with the placement of any
standing rigging as well.
Ideally, you want a boat that requires you
to pull the tiller slightly toward the wind when
sailing to windward; this kind of balance in a
boat is called “weather helm.” A boat that is
set up with a slight weather helm will be opti-
Drain plugs are essential in small boats with buoyancy
mized for sailing upwind. There is a safety tanks. Remember to tighten them before launching, and,
issue here as well, for a sailboat that needs the almost as important, undo them and drain any water out of
your tanks when you’ve finished. Each tank should have
tiller pulled a little to windward when sailing two drains to promote air circulation, and it’s a moot point
upwind will always turn into the wind and sit whether the drains should be at the bottom of the tanks to
drain into the bilges, or near the deck in a boat that is nor-
still if you let go of the lines and tiller, which mally stored upside down.

76
 CHAPTER 7

MAKING MODELS

lightweight plywood used for making model

M aking a model is not absolutely essential
in building a small boat, but most peo-
ple find it’s a very useful step in the process and
airplanes. That’s a great way to go, but there’s
no doubt that the easiest and quickest route to
I recommend it. It helps the builder under- success is to use materials you’ll find around
stand how the boat works, and in particular the house, such as the cardboard from a box of
establishes confidence in the new boatbuilder breakfast cereal and a roll of tape. I’ve often
that the combination of curved panels will done this sort of thing, and you can even put
together create a boat of the right shape and the resulting model in water for a few minutes
really will make a rigid and strong structure. before it falls to pieces.
I’ve discovered that many people find it diffi- Let’s use the accompanying simplified
cult to believe that floppy plywood can so eas- plans for the Mouse to build a model. Trace or
ily be converted to a stiff small boat that feels copy the plans on page 79 using a photo-
safe while in use. copier, or even use your scanner to copy
Making a model also helps in deciding them. Print at 100 percent, or whatever size
which boat to build. If you’re choosing will fill your sheet of model-making material.
among three or four designs, it’s particularly Once the printing job has been done, I
satisfying to be able to make models of each often paste the printed paper directly onto
one, and to be able to think about how its the cardboard using either PVA glue (poly-
three-dimensional form will work as it sits vinyl acetate), a not-very-sticky stationery
on and moves through water, and, of course, adhesive (for example, Elmer’s Glue-All in
how it will look from every angle. What’s the United States, or Pritt glue sticks and
more, making the model will reveal any pos- roller adhesives in the United Kingdom), or
sible problems or mistakes in the original flour glue, depending on what I have in the
plan, and these can sometimes be found even house. Sometimes I simply tape the marked
in the work of the best-known designers. Phil sheet to the cardboard, which makes accu-
Bolger once wrote that if he didn’t make mis- rately cutting out the panels a little more dif-
takes from time to time the gods would be ficult, but it does have the special advantage
jealous, and that might go for all of us who that there’s no difficulty if I wish to remove
draw plans for small boats. the paper and glue from the panels afterward.
Building a model can also help when the Once the printout is safely attached, I
boat bug has bitten hard and a budding builder cut out the shapes using kitchen scissors,
desperately wants to make a pretty and special- remove the remnants of the plans from the
ized design, such as a dory, that is unsuited to cardboard, and assemble the structure. If you
the kind of boating the builder has in mind. don’t remove the remnants of the plans, it’s
When this happens making a model can some- often good to assemble the parts such that
times cool the ardor. they’re all either on the inside or outside of
You can make a model of one of the the model.
designs in this book using various materials. Try to assemble the model as accurately
The high-tech, high-cost way begins with a as possible. On the scale of these little mod-
trip to your local model shop to buy plastic els a small inaccuracy can equate to an inch
glue and plastic modeling sheet, or even the or even several inches on the full-scale boat, 77
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BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
78

Model Mouse

Simplified Mouse plans for model making. Lines drawing.

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 Aft frame Foredeck
Aft deck

Bow
Stern
Forward frame

Side panel

Bottom

Side panel

Simplified Mouse plans for model making. Panels drawing.

MAKING
MODELS
79
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

Photocopy any of the plans in this book at full size, or reduce or magnify as you wish.

80 Cut out the components of your boat. If you picture yourself very small, you can pretend you’re sawing plywood.
 MAKING
MODELS

“Build” your boat with clear tape. The exercise will give you a very clear idea of how the curves go together to make a boat.
81
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ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

When you’re done examining the finished boat for construction possibilities, give it to a child to play with. If you glue it
together and paint it, or make it from waterproof materials, it can be used as a bath toy.

and may make a significant difference to the bottom panel. With a V-bottom boat, it’s often
overall appearance, by, for example, flattening good to tape the two halves of the bottom
the bottom profile. together first.
If you lose track of which piece is which, Once it’s assembled, spend some time
take another look at the original in the drawing checking that everything’s square and admire
you have been working from. Generally it’s not your handiwork. If you would like to go a step
too difficult to make sure that you are attaching further, you may run a bead of hard plastic glue
the edges together correctly since the dimen- along each of the interior seams like a minia-
sions have to match. For example, the width of ture fillet, let the glue set, and then remove the
the bow transom matches the bow end of the tape for a really good-looking model.

82

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 PA R T T W O
(Anthony Smith)

The Boats

83
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MINIMOUSE
AND MICROMOUSE
T W O T I N Y, F L A T - B O T T O M E D D O U B L E - P A D D L E P R A M S

Minimouse Micromouse
Length Over All (LOA): 7'10" 6'6"
Length Waterline (LWL): 7'1⁄ 2" 5'10"
Beam: 273⁄ 4" 291⁄ 2"
Weight: 35–40 lb. 30–35 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 200 lb. 160 lb.
Crew: 1 adult 1 child
Propulsion: Double-paddle Double-paddle
Construction-Methods: PU stitch-and-glue PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue Epoxy stitch-and-glue
Simplified chine log Simplified chine log

smaller adults, and building it requires a pro-

T he Minimouse has its origins in David
Colpitts’ discovery that at least some of
the kids he worked with had a few problems
portionately smaller quantity of materials.
Constructed cheaply from inexpensive (but
with the original V-bottomed Mouse (see the carefully chosen) 1⁄5-inch or 1⁄4-inch (5 or 6 mm)
Introduction, page 103). He requested an even water- and boil-proof (WBP) or marine plywood,
simpler flat-bottomed version, and I was glad these boats can be used for fishing, exploring, or
to oblige. The resulting boat couldn’t be simply playing. But perhaps an even stronger
much smaller or simpler while remaining justification is that they are about the simplest,
suitable for most adults weighing up to 180 useful small boats imaginable. They require the
or 200 pounds. Moreover, Minimouse pad- least investments in time, skills, tools, and
dles pretty well and provides a stable plat- materials, and they can be built so quickly that
form that’s just the thing for kids and adults the disruption around the house can be kept to
enjoying their first boating experiences. It an absolute minimum.
can be carried by an adult with one hand, yet They are both perfect for a first experi-
has all the rigidity you could want. There’s a ment in plywood boatbuilding, which is why
large volume of built-in buoyancy to keep I’ve placed them here, as the first designs in
you afloat in the event of a capsize—so much, this book.
in fact, that even when it’s full of water, it’s Once your Mouseboat has been built,
not difficult to tip some water out, climb back you can find a thousand uses for it, and
in, and bail from inside. that’s part of the fun. It’s a boat you can carry
It’s probably the boat I should have under your arm, yet can still be used to pad-
designed in the first instance, but I don’t dle or row; it will comfortably allow you to
regret designing the V-bottom Mouse for a lie in the sun or creep up a tiny stream, and
moment because it remains the most popu- will also let you stand up long enough to
lar member of the Mouse family. It is cer- climb into another boat or up on to a dock.
tainly the better boat because it is faster and Both Minimouse and Micromouse can be
more suited to coping with waves. built three different ways:
The Micromouse is similar but smaller, ■ Very cheaply and quickly using poly-
84 making it more suitable for children and urethane stitch-and-glue

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 MINIMOUSE
AND
MICROMOUSE
Minimouse
7'10''
85
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
86

Side panel (trace from

panel below) B A
Stern
v y z
w u
x
t
Bottom
Y axis

s
o
n p r
q
k m
Bow l
j i h
g
Side panel
a b c d f
e
X axis
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F E
Typical

Y axis
J I

Forward frame
frame

Aft frame
Typical bow
and stern
C D G H
X axis

MICROMOUSE

MINIMOUSE
87

AND
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ULTRASIMPLE ■ Very cheaply and somewhat less quickly the one that will get you afloat in days or
BOATBUILDING
by the simplified chine log method even hours. If you’re just beginning to get the
boatbuilding bug, this is likely to be the way
■ More expensively by epoxy stitch-and-
for you. The simplified chine log method will
glue
appeal to those who enjoy a little light car-
All of these options will produce a boat pentry and are perhaps less keen on slathering
that, with occasional painting, could last for glue, while the epoxy stitch-and-glue method
many years, but the second two are likely to last is better for those who enjoy gluing more than
longer than the first. As described in Chapter 1, carpentry and have decided to go for better
the polyurethane stitch-and-glue method is materials in general.

Minimouse Coordinates Minimouse Coordinates

(in inches) (in millimeters)
x y x y

Side panel Side panel

a 0 0 a 0 0
b 233⁄ 4 0 b 581 0
c 471⁄ 4 0 c 1158 0
d 707⁄ 8 0 d 1735 0
e 943⁄ 4 0 e 2320 0
f 943⁄ 4 3 f 2320 75
g 707⁄ 8 71⁄ 8 g 1735 174
h 471⁄ 4 91⁄ 8 h 1158 223
i 233⁄ 4 83⁄ 8 i 581 204
j 0 43⁄ 4 j 0 118

Bow transom Bow transom

k 0 8 k 0 196
l 157⁄ 8 8 l 388 196
m 157⁄ 8 11 m 388 270
n 0 11 n 0 270

Bottom Bottom
(Only mark out if building by stitch-and-glue) (Only mark out if building by stitch-and-glue)
o 0 141⁄ 8 o 0 347
p 233⁄ 4 107⁄ 8 p 582 268
q 471⁄ 4 101⁄ 8 q 1159 249
r 707⁄ 8 117⁄ 8 r 1737 290
s 943⁄ 4 16 s 2321 392
t 943⁄ 4 317⁄ 8 t 2322 780
u 707⁄ 8 361⁄ 8 u 1737 884
v 473⁄ 8 377⁄ 8 v 1159 928
w 233⁄ 4 371⁄ 8 w 582 910
x 0 34 x 0 833

Stern transom Stern transom

y 761⁄ 4 361⁄ 4 y 1867 888
z 96 361⁄ 4 z 2352 888
A 96 41 A 2352 1006
B 761⁄ 4 41 B 1867 1006

Aft frame Aft frame

C 321⁄ 8 0 C 817 0
D 401⁄ 2 0 D 1029 0
E 401⁄ 2 261⁄ 4 E 1029 666
F 321⁄ 8 261⁄ 4 F 817 666

Forward frame Forward frame

G 407⁄ 8 0 G 1039 0
H 48 0 H 1219 0
I 48 241⁄ 4 I 1219 616
J 407⁄ 8 241⁄ 4 J 1039 616

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.
88
 MINIMOUSE
AND
MICROMOUSE
Micromouse
6'6"
89
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
90

Frame

Frame
N M
Side panel (trace from
Stem transom Skeg
panel below)
K L
A z J I
y x F
B E
w

Forward frame

Aft frame
Frame goes
Frame goes

here
here
Y axis

Bottom

v
q u C D
r t
s G H
d c m
a Transom b n l Skeg
o Side panel
p k
e f g h i j
X axis
 Typical frame
Approximate sizes and shapes of
fore and aft decks; these should
be traced onto the material using

Y axis
the hull as a template.
Typical bow
and stern

X axis

MICROMOUSE

MINIMOUSE
91

AND
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING HULL cleats should be placed so they stand “proud”
The details on all three building methods are of the bottoms and sides of the transoms since
found in Chapters 3 and 4. I won’t repeat them you’ll need some stock for beveling to make
here, but I will point out some aspects of how the transom cleats mate with the boat sides
they apply to these two particular boat designs and bottom.
and emphasize important points since this is Once the external chines are in place,
likely your first project. mark out the bottom using the actual boat as
If you go for either of the stitch-and-glue a template. It helps to have a family member
methods, you’ll find that stitches aren’t in fact or a friend hold the plywood in place, but
necessary for Minimouse and Micromouse. heavy weights will also work. First, though,
The curves are so gentle that the 1⁄4-inch ply- check that the hull is square by measuring
wood panels bend together very easily, and the distance between each set of opposite
they can be held together temporarily with corners, with the boat upside down. If it isn’t
duct tape on the outside while you stick them quite true, joggle the corners a little so that
together permanently with epoxy or poly- the diagonals are equal.
urethane on the inside. With the plywood held firmly in place
If you choose the simplified chine log (having some helpers here is a big plus),
method, first mark out and cut the sides, tran- draw around the external chines on the
soms, and bulkheads (labeled “frames” on the underside of the plywood. Once marked, it
plans), but not the bottom. Make up the struc- should be cut out gently with a sharp saw to
ture of the boat complete with the external avoid creating jagged splinters around the
chines. If you haven’t already done so, glue edge. Also, remember the woodworker’s
wooden cleats along the lower edges of the mantra: measure twice and cut once, and
insides of the bow and stern transoms, and always saw on the waste-wood side of the
along the lower edges of each of the bulkheads. line. In this case, I’d cut as much as a quarter
These should be on the forward side of the for- of an inch outside the lines to allow a mar-
ward bulkhead, and on the aft side of the aft gin for error!
bulkhead. To put it another way, they should Gluing the bottom of the boat is a job
both end up on the insides of the two buoy- that’s much easier if you have access to a
ancy tanks, as this will make sure they stand a good collection of clamps, but clamps are
little “proud” and can be beveled to mate with expensive, even at the prices charged by shops
the bottom and create a good gluing surface. that sell tools imported from India or Korea.
With the hull upside down, and without Luckily there are some alternatives. One is the
putting any glue on the work, lay the plywood PVC pipe clamps described on page 19 in
bottom on the hull and test the angles of the Chapter 2. Another is to screw the plywood
gluing surfaces by rolling the plywood from into place, using small stainless steel screws
fore to aft (or vice versa) and watching how it and working progressively from one end of the
lies against the bottoms of the transoms and boat to the other, forcing the bottom to the
bulkheads. Trim the bottoms of the cleats with curve in small increments. This is highly effec-
a Stanley Surform or rasp to match the angle of tive, but it’s time-consuming. As always in
the sides. This should be done carefully, as boatbuilding, each hole should be carefully
polyurethane glue won’t retain its strength if drilled to make a hole about the size of the
the gap is more than about 1⁄ 8 inch. The result screw’s central spindle and about 1⁄4 inch
of your labors should be a flat gluing surface all shorter than the screw.
around the sides of the boat and across the Finally, if you get into trouble with putting
transverse members. on the bottom and find you have gaps that are
The transoms are subtly different. As I larger than they should be, you can usually
explained earlier, when making them up the safely fill any gaps with filled epoxy.
92

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Micromouse Coordinates Micromouse Coordinates MINIMOUSE
AND
(in inches) (in millimeters) MICROMOUSE
x y x y
Stern transom Stern transom
a 0 41⁄ 2 a 0 110
b 217⁄ 8 41⁄ 2 b 537 110
c 217⁄ 8 91⁄ 4 c 537 227
d 0 91⁄ 4 d 0 227

Side panel Side panel

e 173⁄ 8 0 e 425 0
f 307⁄ 8 0 f 758 0
g 371⁄ 8 0 g 910 0
h 563⁄ 4 0 h 1390 0
i 761⁄ 4 0 i 1868 0
j 96 0 j 2352 0
k 96 43⁄ 4 k 2352 115
l 761⁄ 4 81⁄ 4 l 1868 201
m 563⁄ 4 9 m 1390 220
n 371⁄ 8 7 n 910 172
o 307⁄ 8 57⁄ 8 o 758 145
p 173⁄ 8 3 p 425 75

Bottom Bottom
(only mark out if building stitch-and-glue) (only mark out if building stitch-and-glue)
q 0 13 q 0 319
r 197⁄ 8 97⁄ 8 r 486 243
s 393⁄ 8 93⁄ 8 s 964 230
t 59 111⁄ 4 t 1445 275
u 643⁄ 4 121⁄ 8 u 1586 296
v 787⁄ 8 145⁄ 8 v 1932 358
w 787⁄ 8 333⁄ 8 w 1932 819
x 643⁄ 4 357⁄ 8 x 1586 880
y 59 363⁄ 4 y 1445 902
z 393⁄ 8 38 5⁄ 8 z 964 946
A 197⁄ 8 381⁄ 8 A 486 933
B 0 35 B 0 857

Forward frame Forward frame

C 811⁄ 8 121⁄ 4 C 1989 299
D 87 121⁄ 4 D 2133 299
E 87 353⁄ 4 E 2133 877
F 811⁄ 8 353⁄ 4 F 1989 877

Aft frame Aft frame

G 87 3⁄ 4 97⁄ 8 G 2150 243
H 96 97⁄ 8 H 2352 243
I 96 381⁄ 8 I 2352 933
J 87 3⁄ 4 381⁄ 8 J 2150 933

Stem transom Stem transom

K 0 401⁄ 2 K 0 992
L 183⁄ 4 401⁄ 2 L 461 992
M 183⁄ 4 431⁄ 2 M 461 1066
N 0 431⁄ 2 N 0 1066

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.

DECKS bottom. You’ll find that the decks are even

Without decks and seats to prevent twisting, a easier to deal with.
hull can often seem very floppy; however, once Add strips of wood around the tops of
these are in place, the small plywood boats the sides on the outside of the boat to create
included in this book will become rigid. The a good flat gluing surface to which you can
Minimouse and Micromouse are no exception. attach the deck. I use knot-free 3⁄4-inch- or 1-by-
1
As always with Mouseboat building, the prin- ⁄2-inch pine material and it has always proved
ciple is to make everything as easy as possible. adequate for the purpose. I call this lumber the
In the case of the decks, install them in almost “inner gunwale” because another layer of
exactly the same way that you installed the material will usually be applied over it later to 93
ULTRASIMPLE create a visible outer gunwale. Note: don’t con- Yet another approach is to use heavy
BOATBUILDING
fuse this inner gunwale, which is installed on objects from around the house to hold the deck
the outside of the hull, with an inwale, which down until the glue sets. Bags of gravel and sand
is installed on the inside of the hull. are good for an even distribution of weight, and
Let’s deal with the aft deck first. Take the the plastic bags the stuff comes in don’t stick to
factory-cut edge of the plywood and hold it the glue.
against the forward edge of the aft bulkhead so Once the glue holding the deck to the
that the material covers the aft buoyancy tank gunwales, sides, bulkheads, and transoms has
and all of the gluing surfaces on the inner gun- set, it’s a good time to attach a decorative
wales and the tops of the cleats on the bulk- second (outer) gunwale to finish the job. This
head and transom. With the deck material held is my small concession to the urge to gold-
firmly in place, you should have no difficulty plate Ultrasimple boats, but it’s just about the
using a pencil to draw around the outside of only one I’d recommend to everybody as
the inner gunwales and transom onto the they look good and they do help to seal the
underside of the deck material. decks from any rot-inducing dampness that
The forward deck should be tackled in might creep in from the sides.
exactly the same way, the only differences The outer gunwales should be the height
being that it is slightly smaller and needs a of the inner gunwales plus the thickness of
reinforcing patch of scrap plywood on the the plywood, so that the plywood is flush
underside where the painter fitting will be with the top edge of the outer gunwale. They
attached. A piece of plywood of perhaps can be glued and fastened with small stain-
4 inches by 6 inches should do it. Glue it less steel screws. Even easier, you could drive
along the deck’s centerline far enough back small galvanized steel or bronze finishing
from the forward edge so that it won’t inter- nails through the outer gunwale into the
fere with the bow transom. Make a note of inner gunwale, as the structure is now rigid
where it is so you can be sure of placing the enough to allow a little light hammering.
fitting and drilling its screw holes in the right You may wish to tidy the gunwales a little.
place. A galvanized eye intended for farm or Many people, I know, find the “stepped effect,”
garden use will do fine here. where the outer gunwale is a small fraction of
Although clamps or screws are needed to an inch higher around the cockpit than the
fix the bottom while the glue sets, in the case of inner gunwale, less than attractive. One solu-
these straight and level decks it’s possible to use tion is to add a fillet of epoxy along the
clothespins (clothes pegs) because the stresses length of the “step” on the inside of the outer
are so slight. There is, however, a knack to mak- gunwale. Another approach that I like better
ing them work. Don’t clamp them nose-on to is to fit a light inwale running from the for-
the side of the boat: they tend to pop off that ward to aft bulkheads along the inner side of
way. Instead, put them on at an angle that’s the hull (on the inside of the cockpit). This will
almost sideways-on (but try to avoid getting leave a small “trench” between the various
them snagged up with glue so that they have to wales, which can be easily filled using epoxy or
be chipped off later). Also, be prepared to use a proprietary filler.
lots of them. You may find as many as 30 to
40 are needed. It would be wise to avoid using
the clothespins you normally use for the laun- SKEG
dry, but, luckily, clothespins are cheap. Buy a A big skeg is worthwhile to keep such short
packet for your boatbuilding projects. boats tracking more or less in a straight line.
Alternatively, I’d suggest using a few small For maximum effectiveness and strength, its
stainless steel screws to anchor the deck to the bottom should run horizontally from near
bulkheads and transoms. Drive them in at the deepest part of the boat to the stern. The
94 6-inch or 8-inch intervals. “waste” plywood left over from cutting out
the main hull pieces will yield some good design weight should submerge the boat so MINIMOUSE
skeg stock that nearly fits the bottom with that the bottom edge of the aft transom just AND
MICROMOUSE
hardly any shaping. With just a little work kisses the surface of the water when the boat is
with a saw, Stanley Surform, or rasp, you will lying level on the water both fore-and-aft and
have it fitting neatly along the centerline of side-to-side. Take care to avoid placing the seat
the aft part of your hull. too far aft; you’ll induce transom drag, espe-
For more on fitting skegs and all other cially if you’re an adult of average size. Your
hull construction procedures, see Chapter 4. Mouseboat will go faster and paddle more eas-
ily if you aren’t dragging the transom. Get
someone to take some photographs while
SEATS you’re sitting in the boat to confirm it’s in
By now your little boat will be looking a lot proper trim. From the photos in this book,
like those you see in the pictures and on the you’ll see that some boatbuilders are getting
Web. You should be pleased with it, with this right and some are not. I’ll leave you to
yourself, and with your helpers. Probably for judge which ones are a bit off in terms of trim!
the first time in your life you’ve built a real The built-in seat is only slightly more diffi-
boat, and I’m pretty confident in saying that cult. You’ll need a piece of plywood at least
1
for many of you it won’t be your last. ⁄4 inch thick, long enough to reach across the
People generally use one of two kinds of boat, and about 18 inches wide, and some more
seats in their Mouseboats: the simple flat seat 1-by-1-inch lumber for framing. In making the
or the cut-down resin lawn chair (plastic seat for my daughter’s original Mouseboat, I laid
yard seat). the plywood on top of the cockpit of the boat so
The yard seat is probably the easiest and that it lined up with the aft bulkhead, then
may even be the cheapest. All you have to do is reached underneath with a pencil and traced
buy the seat for a few dollars or pounds, cut the the inside shapes of the sides onto the plywood.
legs until they fit the bottom profile of the boat, This works because the Mouse has vertical sides,
and fasten and glue some plywood pads under and nothing could be quicker or simpler.
the legs to reinforce the bottom. The seat bot- I then screwed and glued two 1⁄2-inch
tom should be 2 or 3 inches below the sheer- framing lumber straps to the inside of the
line. The height is important: make the seat too sides, and another on the front face of the
low and a double-paddle will clash with the aft bulkhead, so that when the seat was in
Mouseboat’s sides; make it too high and it will place its top was 4 inches below the sheerline—
adversely affect the stability of the boat. that is, the top of the framing lumber strap was
The seat should be located just aft of the 41⁄4 inches down from the upper edges. Four
middle of the cockpit. A crew of the maximum strong stainless steel screws on each side and

When using thin plywood for a built-in seat in a Micromouse, Minimouse, or any similar boat in this
book, supports and bracing can be done as shown. If thicker lumber is used for the seat, you may be
able to dispense with some of the bracing and rely entirely upon cleats securely glued to the side panels. 95
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
half a dozen along the aft support would be along the underside of the forward edge, with
about right. I’ve found it will support my another halfway between the forward edge and
weight of 200 pounds reasonably well. the aft-most edge. When everything was ready, I
Making the seat was a breeze. I cut out the glued and again screwed the seat directly onto the
seat using an ordinary jacksaw and then framing lumber straps, and once the glue set it
screwed and glued a length of framing lumber proved perfectly solid for my family’s purposes.

Les Brown’s Micromouse Bumblebee carries its builder’s 160-pound frame quite comfortably. Les modified the plans to achieve
the gracefully arched decks, which provide stowage space for a collapsible cart that he uses to get his boat from his home to the
water nearby. To accomplish this, he arched the tops of the transoms and used arch-topped open frames instead of square, solid
bulkheads. (Les Brown)

96
 L I LY PA D
A STONE-SIMPLE PUNT

Length Over All (LOA): 12'11"

Length Waterline (LWL): 11'31⁄ 2"
Beam: 34"
Weight: 100 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 650 lb.
Crew: 2 adults and one child or equivalent (550 lb. max.)
Propulsion: Pole, oars, or battery power (batteries will reduce max. crew weight)
Construction Method: Simplified chine log

short length. There are almost no angles to cut

W hile we’re on the subject of flat-
bottomed boats, punts are a type that
can often be built extremely quickly, particu-
or trim, and because this boat is built using
the simplified chine log method, all the joints
larly if they have straight sides. go together with screws or nails and some
They are also very versatile. They can be glue—polyurethane or epoxy mixed with a
poled (stand on the stern and push) or little filler.
quanted (stand near the bow, plant your The deck forward has three purposes. It
quant on the river bottom, then walk to the enables you to launch the boat bow-first at a
stern, twist out the quant, and walk back to sharp angle from a steep riverbank without
the bow). With a few modifications they can flooding; it lends the structure useful rigidity;
be rowed or sculled. You could also power and it’ll be a good place to sit as an alterna-
Lilypad with an electric trolling motor with tive to sprawling on an inflatable cushion or
the batteries near the bow, or even a very beanbag in the forward cockpit area. There’s
small outboard of 2 hp or less installed in a no deck aft as it won’t be needed in poling;
small well. In the past, people even used to because the bottom rises gently to a transom,
sail punts, although that’s a very rare sight not steeply to the deck as in other punts, this
now and I don’t recommend it for a punt of area will be flat enough to stand on if cov-
this size. ered with a nonskid paint.
Punts are also obviously good for fishing, One good carpenter or two half-good
watching nature, or just messing about. You ones could literally bang and glue this boat
could even erect a simple tarp tent and go together in an afternoon. It takes three sheets
camping. If they’re made heavily, punts of 3⁄8-inch plywood, and because this is an
become quite stable and are great little boats easy boat to build I think I’d consider using
for maintaining ponds and small lakes. If inexpensive softwood plywood with the
you’ve ever tried to clear a small lake of intention of making this a quick and basic
weeds and lily tubers without getting into build. Using 1⁄2-inch plywood would make it
the water yourself, you’ll know how useful stronger and more stable, but I think it
that stability can be. would be difficult for you to bend it to the
Lilypad is straight-sided and very basic, curve of the bottom. On the other hand,
and uses transoms fore and aft to give the using 1⁄4-inch plywood would be rather light
bottom a good load-carrying shape within a and I’d avoid it unless you only intend to sit,

97
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
98

Lilypad
12'11"
12 inches

Aft corner
12 inches

2 inches

braces
Bulkhead 3

Frame 3
3 inches
LIGHT_7
inches
11 1/2

5 inches
 D Bow C
n A B H GL K
z y

Bulkhead 3
parts
Transom

Butt strap
Butt strap
w x

Thwart
v u
Bottom (forward part) Bottom (aft part) s
Bulkhead 1 Foredeck
t
Y axis

r q
Bulkhead 2 p
l m o E F I J
k j i h g Trace around the opposite side
f
panel to define this one
a BH3 Side BH2 BH1 BH1 BH3
b c d e BH2 Side
X axis

LILYPAD
99
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING Lilypad Coordinates Lilypad Coordinates
(in inches) (in millimeters)
x y x y
Side panel Side
a 0 43⁄ 4 a 0 116
b 383⁄ 4 1⁄ 2
b 949 12
c 771⁄ 2 0 c 1899 0
d 96 1⁄ 8
d 2352 2
e 1161⁄ 4 11⁄ 4 e 2848 31
f 155 91⁄ 2 f 3798 233
g 155 12 g 3798 294
h 1161⁄ 4 12 h 2848 294
i 771⁄ 2 12 i 1899 294
j 383⁄ 4 12 j 949 294
k 0 12 k 0 294

Bottom Bottom
l 0 121⁄ 4 l 0 300
m 1571⁄ 8 121⁄ 4 m 3851 300
n 1571⁄ 8 48 n 3851 1176

Bulkhead 2 Bulkhead 2
o 158 131⁄ 2 o 3871 331
p 192 131⁄ 2 p 4704 331
q 192 251⁄ 2 q 4704 625
r 158 251⁄ 2 r 3871 625

Bulkhead 1 Bulkhead 1
s 158 261⁄ 4 s 3871 643
t 192 261⁄ 4 t 4704 643
u 192 37 u 4704 907
v 158 37 v 3871 907

Stern transom Stern transom

w 158 373⁄ 4 w 3871 925
x 192 373⁄ 4 x 4704 925
y 192 45 y 4704 1103
z 158 45 z 3871 1103

Bow transom Bow transom

A 158 451⁄ 2 A 3871 1115
B 192 451⁄ 2 B 4704 1115
C 192 48 C 4704 1176
D 158 48 D 3871 1176

Thwart Thwart
E 240 121⁄ 4 E 5880 300
F 248 121⁄ 4 F 6076 300
G 248 48 G 6076 1176
H 240 48 H 5880 1176

Foredeck Foredeck
I 2481⁄ 4 121⁄ 4 I 6082 300
J 288 121⁄ 4 J 7056 300
K 288 48 K 7056 1176
L 2481⁄ 4 48 L 6082 1176

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.

rather than stand, in the punt. As always, it’s You may clamp them together for gluing, or
wise to begin by building a model. use weights, or small nails, or even screw them
See Chapter 3 for details on working with together using stainless steel screws. In doing
plywood. Start marking out the plywood by this, remember that the block goes on the inside
squaring it off. Cut out the sides, frames, stem, of each side. As you assemble them it may help
transom, and butt blocks as shown, and don’t to lay them out so that you can clearly see that
forget to label each component. From one of they are mirror images of each other. Similarly,
the long pieces of butt block, cut two pieces to use the long butt block to joint the two sections
100 join the sides, and butt-join them together. of the bottom.
 LILYPAD

Cutting out the long plywood panels with a circular saw. It’s possible to cut fair curves with a circular saw by setting the blade
just deep enough to break through the bottom of the plywood. Note the long pieces of lumber below the plywood, which are
used to support it in the middle of the span between the sawhorses. (Maxwell Holtzman)

Use a waterproof polyurethane (PU) glue corner pieces into place, and then flip it back to
for this job. The fast-setting type can be con- add the chine logs.
venient, but if this is your first boatbuilding At the end of the clamping, gluing, and
project you may find the 5-minute PU variety screwing process, you should have a reason-
leaves almost no margin for error! ably square “ladder” almost ready to accept the
Make up the stem, transom, and frames bottom. Only one more major task remains
as drawn. Each one should have 1-by-2-inch before the bottom can be added: trimming the
or 1-by-11⁄2-inch cleats all around, made up frames and transoms to match the fore-and-aft
so that the lumber is proud along one long curve of the bottom.
edge—this will later be trimmed to fit the With the boat upside down once again,
fore-and-aft curve of the bottom. begin by lining up a straightedge across the
Now it’s time to go to three dimensions, bottom, and trim the frames with a Stanley Sur-
which is easiest to do if you work with the boat form or a rasp until they just kiss the straight-
upside down. Lilypad is arguably the simplest edge. Then screw and glue the bottom into
boat to build in this book because its sides are place, driving the screws at regular intervals
straight and the frames are left square, so they through the plywood bottom into the frames
don’t have to be trimmed to match. You could and the chine logs. If you’ve got enough clamps
simply clamp the whole lot together and glue and heavy weights, you can get by with fewer
it right away, perhaps adding screws once the screws, and may be able to manage without
glue has set, but it’s just as good or better to any at all.
clamp, drill for screws, apply glue, and then Finally, it’s essential to add a skeg using the
drive the screws. Flip the hull over to screw and same methods described earlier in the book. Its
glue the gunwales, foredeck, thwart, and aft exact shape is not terribly important, but a fin 101
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

Hull assembly in process. Bow and stern transoms have been glued and ring-nailed to the side panels. The #2 bulkhead is
clamped in place; ring nails will be added after the glue sets. A temporary strut has been clamped from the hull to a nearby
solid object to counteract a bend in the warped plywood side panels while the glue dries. Note that the bow transom has been
left “proud”; it will be planed down to match the curve of the bottom later. (Robert Holtzman)

like those already discussed for the Minimouse light, and laminating it together from several
and Micromouse would be fine. It should be thinner pieces of wood would reduce warping.
made to be a good, big size without extending Plane the corners of the wood to make an 8-
below the deepest part of the hull, and can be sided pole, and then again to make 16 sides.
made from plywood left over from cutting out This is a job for a small power planer, and it
the rest of the boat’s panels. would be wise to use polyurethane glue rather
Finally, you need to make a pole. I’d than epoxy to avoid blunting your tool.
suggest starting with a 12- to 14-foot length Alternatively, you may find you can buy a
of 4-by-4-inch or 41⁄2-by-41⁄2-inch softwood. perfectly acceptable peeled rustic pole of the
Spruce would be good because it’s relatively right size from a nearby fencing supplier.

102 Lilypad goes together easily, carries a substantial load, and is surprisingly maneuverable. (Cate Monroe)
 MOUSE AN D ROWI NG
MOUSE
A V-BOTTOMED MESSABOUT PRAM
FOR DOUBLE PADDLE OR OARS

Length Over All (LOA): 7'10"

Length Waterline (LWL): 6'9"
Beam: 291⁄ 2"
Weight: 35–40 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 250 lb.
Crew: 1 adult
Propulsion: Double-paddle (Mouse), oars (Rowing Mouse)
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue

boats. What’s more, you get these advantages

T his section presents the original V-
bottomed Mouseboat in both its paddling
and rowing forms. The paddling version is
without having to do a lot of extra work
because the V-bottoms are only slightly more
very popular and has been built many times complicated to build using the stitch-and-
by Mouseboats enthusiasts. glue method, and there’s only one additional
Although the flat-bottomed Mouseboats seam in the design. Many of them have been
discussed earlier (see pages 84–96) work well, successfully built by first-time boatbuilders.
they’re not quite as fast, well mannered, or Their only disadvantage is that they are
strong-bottomed as the V-bottomed Mouse- quite difficult to build with chine logs; the
best building method for these V-bottomed
boats is definitely stitch-and-glue, although
some have been built with chines.
There is not a lot to be said about building
the standard V-bottomed Mouse that hasn’t
already been said about the flat-bottomed ver-
sion. As with the flat-bottomed Mouseboat built
with the stitch-and-glue method, the job starts
with squaring off the plywood material, plot-
ting the coordinates, and marking out the
panels (remembering to mark the insides of
the sides where the frames will go). Cut out the
panels and use cloth-backed tape to assemble
the structure, along with some small nails
driven through bits of scrap plywood to hold
the frames in place. Then it’s a polyurethane or
epoxy and fiberglass job just like the stitch-
and-glue flat-bottomed Mouseboats. The frame-
Ultrasimple boats like the Mouse need not be taken too seri-
tops, gunwales, decks, and painter eye work
ously. Butch Kuhn built this wonderful flowery version, and
it’s clear that the love kids it. (Butch Kuhn) in exactly the same way. 103
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
250 lb.
Mouse
7'10"
104
 Frame

Frame
N M
D Side panel Aft frame
Stern J L
z H
B C
A
I Forward frame G K

frame
Forward

Bottom panel E

Aft
frame

x w v u
y
Foredeck Aft deck
Bottom panel
p
q t
o r s
Bow n
k m h g
j l i Side panel f
a b c d e

MOUSE AND
105

ROWING
MOUSE
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING Mouse Coordinates Mouse Coordinates
(in inches) (in millimeters)
x y x y

Side panel Side panel

a 1 0 a 25 0
b 247⁄ 8 0 b 609 0
c 483⁄ 8 0 c 1186 0
d 717⁄ 8 0 d 1762 0
e 951⁄ 2 0 e 2340 0
f 951⁄ 2 23⁄ 8 f 2340 58
g 717⁄ 8 71⁄ 4 g 1762 178
h 483⁄ 8 83⁄ 8 h 1186 206
i 247⁄ 8 61⁄ 2 i 609 158
j 1 15⁄ 8 j 25 41

Bow transom Bow transom

k 21⁄ 4 73⁄ 4 k 56 191
l 111⁄ 2 61⁄ 4 l 282 153
m 205⁄ 8 73⁄ 4 m 507 191
n 205⁄ 8 91⁄ 2 n 507 232
o 21⁄ 4 91⁄ 2 o 56 232

Bottom panel Bottom panel

p 3⁄ 8 121⁄ 2 p 9 307
q 241⁄ 2 97⁄ 8 q 600 241
r 481⁄ 8 9 r 1179 219
s 715⁄ 8 91⁄ 4 s 1756 225
t 953⁄ 4 107⁄ 8 t 2345 268
u 951⁄ 2 231⁄ 2 u 2339 575
v 713⁄ 8 237⁄ 8 v 1750 584
w 477⁄ 8 235⁄ 8 w 1173 579
x 241⁄ 4 23 x 595 563
y 1⁄ 4 217⁄ 8 y 6 535

Stern transom Stern transom

z 3⁄ 4 423⁄ 4 z 17 1047
A 121⁄ 2 381⁄ 2 A 307 942
B 251⁄ 8 381⁄ 2 B 615 942
C 251⁄ 2 403⁄ 4 C 625 997
D 11⁄ 8 45 D 28 1103

Forward frame Forward frame

E 0 31 E 0 759
F 26 31 F 637 759
G 26 371⁄ 2 G 637 917
H 13 393⁄ 8 H 319 965
I 0 371⁄ 2 I 0 917

Aft frame Aft frame

J 19 403⁄ 4 J 465 999
K 331⁄ 2 381⁄ 2 K 821 944
L 48 403⁄ 4 L 1176 999
M 48 48 M 1176 1176
N 19 48 N 465 1176

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.

A MOUSE FOR ROWING If a young boy or girl wanted to row

As I’ve said, the Mouse also comes in a row- their own boat, a Rowing Mouse could well
ing version, and it’s the perfect small boat for be the right one to choose, although very
messing around. True, it won’t go fast, but young kids generally seem to do better with
then again at its proper cruising speed it’s a paddles.
very light rower and plenty of fun!
106
Rowing Mouse
7'10"

Length of rower's forearm

from elbow to wrist

5 inches

Ideal position of seat may

vary depending on rower 8 inches

MOUSE AND
107

ROWING
MOUSE
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
108

J I
Side (trace from side below)

Forward frame
z Stem y
v w x

H
Foredeck
Bottom (trace from bottom below)

NM
u t s r q F G
D

Aft frame
Bottom E Transom C
pA O
l o B
m n
i h g
j Side
k f e Aft deck
a b c d KL

Forward frame lines up with i–b,

aft frame with f–c
Rowing Mouse Coordinates Rowing Mouse Coordinates MOUSE AND
ROWING
(in inches) (in millimeters) MOUSE
x y x y

Side panel Side panel

a 0 0 a 0 0
b 313⁄ 4 0 b 778 0
c 863⁄ 4 0 c 2126 0
d 941⁄ 2 0 d 2314 0
e 941⁄ 2 23⁄ 8 e 2315 57
f 863⁄ 4 41⁄ 8 f 2126 102
g 707⁄ 8 71⁄ 4 g 1736 177
h 473⁄ 8 83⁄ 8 h 1161 206
i 313⁄ 4 71⁄ 2 i 779 183
j 233⁄ 4 61⁄ 2 j 582 158
k 0 13⁄ 4 k 0 41

Bottom panel Bottom panel

l 3⁄ 8 101⁄ 4 l 8 251
m 233⁄ 4 87⁄ 8 m 582 218
n 473⁄ 8 9 n 1161 220
o 707⁄ 8 101⁄ 4 o 1736 250
p 955⁄ 8 133⁄ 8 p 2344 327
q 955⁄ 8 225⁄ 8 q 2343 555
r 707⁄ 8 233⁄ 8 r 1736 574
s 473⁄ 8 233⁄ 4 s 1161 581
t 233⁄ 4 231⁄ 2 t 582 577
u 3⁄ 8 223⁄ 4 u 10 559

Stem transom Stem transom

v 1⁄ 4 405⁄ 8 v 7 995
w 91⁄ 2 39 w 232 957
x 183⁄ 4 405⁄ 8 x 458 995
y 183⁄ 4 421⁄ 4 y 458 1036
z 1⁄ 4 421⁄ 4 z 7 1036

Stern transom Stern transom

A 0 145⁄ 8 A 2352 360
B 243⁄ 4 145⁄ 8 B 2959 360
C 243⁄ 4 17 C 2959 417
D 123⁄ 8 191⁄ 8 D 2655 469
E 0 17 E 2352 417

Forward frame Forward frame

F 35 201⁄ 2 F 3210 501
G 421⁄ 2 201⁄ 2 G 3392 501
H 441⁄ 2 341⁄ 4 H 3442 839
I 421⁄ 2 48 I 3392 1176
J 35 48 J 3210 1176

Aft frame Aft frame

K 437⁄ 8 0 K 3426 0
L 48 0 L 3528 0
M 48 263⁄ 8 M 3528 647
N 437⁄ 8 263⁄ 8 N 3426 647
O 415⁄ 8 131⁄ 4 O 3372 324

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.

109
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

Mouse is the perfect boat for enjoying solitude or observing nature up close on the smallest, quietest waters. This is the
author’s partner paddling Lion, a Mouse the author built for his daughter. “It’s fabulous,” she said, “and no one’s ever going to
get me out of here. I so wish someone had built me one when I was a child.”

110
 CRUISI NG M OUSE
A TWO-PERSON ROWING OR PADDLING
PRAM WITH CARRYING CAPACITY

Length Over All (LOA): 11'10"

Length Waterline (LWL): 11'21⁄ 2"
Beam: 291⁄ 2"
Weight: 70–85 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 450 lb.
Crew: 2 adults or equivalent
Propulsion: Double-paddle, oars
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue

paddling qualities; its scow bow should avoid

F or some reason the 12-foot Cruising Mouse
hasn’t been as popular as the smaller mem-
bers of the Mouse family. One explanation
the side-to-side shearing that makes towing
sharp-bowed small boats a nightmare; and its
may be that, having built one of the smaller narrow beam will help to keep drag low. Fur-
Mouseboats, many builders find their families thermore, its buoyant ends should help keep
wanting one of each, rather than sharing a it drier than some boats with a similarly low
larger boat, and so go on to build more small freeboard.
Mouseboats as we did in our family. If fitted with a rowing thwart and oar-
Another explanation could be that having locks, the Cruising Mouse should make a
experimented with one small Mouseboat, light and quick rower with a considerably
many find the confidence to go on to build better turn of speed than the 8-foot Rowing
something more complex and demanding Mouse. Its performance would certainly suit
than a larger Mouseboat. Frankly, Cruising someone who likes a brisk row for exercise
Mouse won’t go anywhere the little boats can’t each evening.
take you. On the other hand, it doesn’t The basic Cruising Mouse is built the same
demand much more investment in time, mate- way as the standard V-bottomed Mouse with
rials, or skill than the smaller boats, but its per- the small but important difference that, like
formance is better under paddles or oars, and it the Lilypad punt, it requires panels of 12 feet
has a significantly greater carrying capacity: or so in length to be created from two 8-foot
about 450 pounds, or the weight of two good- sheets of plywood.
sized men, three or more teenagers, or a couple At almost 12 feet, Cruising Mouse would
and some basic camping gear. In fact, I think be just a little heavy for most people to carry
Cruising Mouse is the most versatile hull of the under their arm, but there’s nothing to stop
entire Mouseboat family. you from building one of these boats with a
Cruising Mouse also makes an ideal tender divide at the center to produce a version that
(dinghy) for those who prefer paddling to row- breaks down into two parts that quickly clip
ing. Its length and hard chine give it the kind together for going on the water. The idea
of stability and carrying capacity required for would be to construct two center bulkheads
a tender without overly compromising its and to stitch-and-glue them into the hull

111
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
112

Cruising Mouse
11'10"

35 1/2 inches

Skeg

5 inches

Glue two sides together

to make double-thickness,
then cut and try to fit
boat bottom
450 lb.
 Aft frame
Frame

Frame
Side panel (trace from panel below) N M
y C J L
Transom x zD Bow K Skeg
u w A B
v
H
Bottom panel (trace from panel below) I G
Forward frame
Frame

Frame
E F
Y axis

r q p
t s
Bottom panel Foredeck (trace
Aft deck (trace round hull)
k round hull)
l m o
n
h
g
j i f
Side
a b c d e
X axis

CRUISING
113

MOUSE
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING Cruising Mouse Coordinates Cruising Mouse Coordinates
(in inches) (in millimeters)
x y x y

Side panel Side panel

a 0 0 a 0 0
b 353⁄ 4 0 b 875 0
c 711⁄ 4 0 c 1747 0
d 1063⁄ 4 0 d 2617 0
e 1421⁄ 4 0 e 3486 0
f 1421⁄ 4 21⁄ 4 f 3486 56
g 1063⁄ 4 71⁄ 4 g 2617 176
h 711⁄ 4 83⁄ 8 h 1747 206
i 353⁄ 4 61⁄ 2 i 875 159
j 0 13⁄ 4 j 0 42

Bottom panel Bottom panel

k 1⁄ 4 121⁄ 4 k 6 299
l 361⁄ 8 91⁄ 2 l 884 233
m 713⁄ 4 85⁄ 8 m 1757 211
n 1071⁄ 4 83⁄ 4 n 2629 216
o 1431⁄ 8 105⁄ 8 o 3506 260
p 143 231⁄ 8 p 3504 566
q 1071⁄ 8 231⁄ 2 q 2624 576
r 715⁄ 8 231⁄ 4 r 1754 571
s 36 225⁄ 8 s 882 554
t 1⁄ 4 211⁄ 2 t 6 527

Stern transom Stern transom

u 1⁄ 4 401⁄ 8 u 6 982
v 123⁄ 4 38 v 311 931
w 25 401⁄ 8 w 613 982
x 25 421⁄ 2 x 613 1041
y 1⁄ 4 421⁄ 2 y 6 1041

Bow transom Bow transom

z 1221⁄ 4 405⁄ 8 z 2996 995
A 1311⁄ 2 39 A 3222 956
B 1403⁄ 4 405⁄ 8 B 3447 996
C 1403⁄ 4 421⁄ 4 C 3447 1036
D 1221⁄ 4 421⁄ 4 D 2996 1036

Forward frame Forward frame

E 1435⁄ 8 32 E 3519 785
F 1671⁄ 2 32 F 4104 785
G 1671⁄ 2 371⁄ 8 G 4104 910
H 1555⁄ 8 39 H 3813 956
I 1435⁄ 8 371⁄ 8 I 3519 910

Aft frame Aft frame

J 1425⁄ 8 421⁄ 8 J 3495 1032
K 1565⁄ 8 397⁄ 8 K 3837 977
L 1705⁄ 8 421⁄ 8 L 4180 1032
M 1705⁄ 8 48 M 4180 1176
N 1425⁄ 8 48 N 3495 1176

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.

about an eighth of an inch apart at the center between the bulkheads, add epoxy and glass
of the boat. Glue large plywood patches tape, tidy up, paint the whole boat, and
(at least 3 inches by 3 inches) at each of the finally bolt the two ends together with
exposed corners of the two center bulk- good-sized bolts, wing nuts, and large steel
heads, and after the epoxy has set, bore washers to help distribute the stresses. Place
holes right through the patches and both rubber washers between the steel washers
114 bulkheads. Carefully saw the boat in half and the plywood to keep the water out.
 CRUISING
MOUSE

The nearly-finished Cruising Mouse built by Anthony Smith in Chapters 3 and 4. So many of the general construction details
are clearly visible without a coat of paint. Note the butt-strapped sides and bottom; the “seat bearers” or cleats supporting the
thwarts; the neatly-filleted-and-taped interior seams; and the treatment of the decks and gunwales. (Anthony Smith)

Anthony Smith (bow) and his father paddling on an English canal on launching day. Seems they didn’t have two double-bladed
paddles at hand, so they split one. Not very efficient or comfortable, but even so, look at that bow wave! (Anthony Smith)

115
 P O ORBOY
A SMALL OUTBOARD SKIFF

Length Over All (LOA): 10' or 11'6"

Length Waterline (LWL): 7'6" or 9'1"
Beam: 411⁄ 4"
Weight: 100–120 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 420 lb.
Crew: 2 adults
Propulsion: Small outboard
Construction Method: Simplified chine log

dimensions you need, and there aren’t many,

S teve Lewis is someone who, like me, finds
an exciting challenge in creating designs
that make boating and boatbuilding accessible
are made clear in the text below. Likewise, the
design is so simple that you don’t need a nest-
to very nearly everyone—even to busy parents ing diagram either (that’s the plan that shows
of families with huge weekly bills and moder- how to lay the various pieces out on the ply-
ate incomes. Since this description applies to wood). That, too, is explained below.
both of us, it makes sense that we should have In the 10-foot version, PoorBoy takes two
the greatest sympathy for this group of boat sheets of plywood (one 1⁄4 inch, the other
3
users! ⁄8 inch); and half a sheet of 3⁄4 inch plywood
However, where I like to travel in near for the transom, transom doubler (the engine
silence and don’t like the sound and smell of mounting pad), knees, and breasthook. You
an engine, Steve is different. He doesn’t mind will also need 18 feet of 1-by-12-inch lumber
engines and has drawn and built several boats for seats, some scraps for the central mold,
for home building designed for use with an and various lengths of material for the stem,
outboard. One of his designs is PoorBoy, and inwales, chine logs, cleats, and so on, along
it is a masterpiece of simplicity. with a bunch of 5⁄8-inch and 3⁄4-inch screws.
Steve says PoorBoy will handle up to a The usual choice of adhesives and sealants
10 hp engine, which can be run at full throttle can be used.
when traveling in a straight line, but must be The 11-foot 6-inch version takes a little
throttled back before turning. Going too fast more material (roughly another half sheet
into a turn might capsize the boat. Like many of 3⁄8-inch plywood and another half sheet of
1
other flat-bottomed boats, PoorBoy can trip on ⁄4-inch plywood). The extra expense for the
its chine and roll over in a sharp turn at high materials is well worth it because the larger
speeds. version of PoorBoy is a much better boat. The
However, I’d go further and plead with disadvantage of going to the larger size is that
you not to use anything larger than a 10 hp the boat will be more difficult to car-top.
engine. Youngsters who might be tempted to Both versions have a beam of 49 inches
push this little boat too far should be given a at the sheer and 43 inches at the chine, with
smaller engine for their own safety. sides and transom flared at 13 degrees. The
PoorBoy can be built in either 10-foot or side panels are 16-inch-wide plywood panels
11-foot 6-inch lengths. Don’t let the absence of joined with a butt block toward the aft end
dimensions on the drawings throw you: all the of the boat.
116
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
 PoorBoy Skiff

Stern transom

Side

Bottom

Side

POORBOY
117
ULTRASIMPLE Center mold detail
BOATBUILDING

13 degrees
22.5 degrees

35 1/2 inches
A single center mold ensures that PoorBoy’s sides go on at
15 degrees the proper angle of flare. Use a protractor and care to get the
angles correct.
Cut the ends of the side panels to the angles shown. The top
image is the bow end; the bottom is the stern.

I’ll let Steve explain his build: the corners of the mold to keep it square
To start building, cut your side panels and butt when you bend the panels around it.
them together using 3-inch-wide butt blocks Using an adjustable power saw, cut two
or fiberglass butts. Cut the panels out of the strips of lumber 1 by 1 1 ⁄ 2 inches wide to 13
plywood, ripping it into three even strips of degrees across the narrow side to make chine
just a cut under 16 inches wide. logs to attach the bottom, and glue and screw
Use two of the full-length panels for the them on the bottom outside edges of the side
front of the boat, cut the third in half to make panels.
the aft half of each completed side panel, and Now you can assemble the boat. Take your
then cut a 3-inch strip from each for use as side panels and attach them to the mold 4 feet
butt blocks. If you’re using glass tape and forward of the bottom corner of the transom
epoxy on each side to make your butt joints, edge (5 feet 6 inches, if building the larger
you can omit cutting the strip off and make a version). Cut, and then glue and screw pieces
boat that is 3 inches longer. of 1-by-2-inch lumber to the bottom and side
Line up the panels and glue and screw the edges of the transom on its inside surface and
butt blocks into place, making sure that they install the transom, gluing and screwing from
are both on the inward side of each panel. Flip the outside through the plywood and into the
them over and tape the outside of the seam. lumber. With a helper to assist you, use a Span-
Cut out your transom to 17 inches high, ish windlass (see page 39, Chapter 4) to bend
beveling the bottom to 13 degrees, cutting the side panels inward and upward to the
from the inside of the panel to the outside—in bow, and glue and screw the panels and stem
other words, the outside of the panel will be piece together. Be sure the bottom of the
shorter height-wise than the inside. stem piece is even with the bottom of the
The stem piece is cut to a 36-degree half- panels.
angle—that is, 36 degrees per side—and the Flip the boat over and square it up by
bottom is beveled by 221⁄2 degrees to take measuring from the bow back along each
the angle of the bottom as it rises to the edge 2 feet, then mark a point. Measure from
stem. (Author’s note: You’ll need a bevel the opposite corner of the transom to each
gauge to cut the stem angles.) The angles point; these should be even. Measure from
don’t have to be 100 percent accurate, but the opposite corners of the transom to the
should be fairly close. Leave the stem long corners of the mold; these should also be
so you can trim it later. even. Finally, measure from the opposite cor-
Make the mold next, using scrap—like a ner of the mold to the points marked off,
piece of old closet paneling or bits of dis- and these too should be even. Since the
carded pallet or packaging. The inside of the structure will not be rigid at this stage, it
bottom is 351⁄2 inches across, with sides should be possible to twist it gently to even
angled outward at 13 degrees. If your mold up these measurements.
is being made up as a frame as shown, cut When everything is square, lay the bottom
side pieces and attach them to the bottom sheet of plywood onto the boat (with the edge
at this angle, then cut a top piece to create a at the transom and one side even with a side
trapezoid shape (see picture). You’ll need to panel) and trace around the outside of the boat.
118 cut some large plywood triangles to brace This will leave a gap in the bottom at the bow,
 POORBOY

This should be 10–12 inches wide

and made from 3/4 inches plywood or
Cut the material to lie along the sheerline at solid wood, with cleats at
15 degrees, but cut the underside of each end attaching the seat
the rail at 30 degrees to allow rainwater
to the boat sides, and a
to run off when the boat is stored
upside down. center brace along the underside.
Rubrail detail. Thwart seat detaill.

but there’s no need to worry because you will The transom is designed to take a short
fill it with what’s left over when you cut out the shaft outboard without modification. You will
main bottom panel. Check again to be sure that not need a center brace since the boat should
the boat is square, then cut outside of the line not have more than a 10 hp motor on it and
you traced so you can be sure you will be able the transom is easily strong enough for an
to trim it with a rasp or sandpaper to fit. Glue engine of this power and weight. (See the ear-
and screw the panel onto the bottom. lier comments about slowing down in turns.)
Take a piece of the material that you have The chines and transom corners should be
cut off and butt the factory edge up to the taped with glass and epoxy for durability and
edge of the hole, trace the outline, and cut it leak protection and the bottom can be glassed
out. Using another piece of plywood scrap, for additional abrasion protection.
make a butt block to fit inside the bow area, Fit, glue, and clamp your inwale after the
then glue and screw everything together. If rest is in place for a professional-looking fin-
you plan to fiberglass the bottom, you won’t ish. Notch the wale to fit under the breast-
need to tape this joint, but if you’re not hook and knees. The seats can be simple
planning to fiberglass the bottom, it would planks on cleats attached to the sides, fully
be better to tape it to properly seal and enclosed chambers, or anything in between.
strengthen the structure. The front of the rear seat should be 30 inches
Bevel cut your inner wales to 13 degrees and from the rear transom to allow you to com-
your outer wales to 30 degrees (see drawing), fortably use a tiller motor. Measure 12 inches
and glue and screw the outside one (from the up from the floor of the boat and mark on
inside). each side the correct distance from the tran-
To make a breasthook, lay a piece of 3⁄4-inch som.
plywood scrap on the bow of the boat and This will be the top of the seat, so measure
trace the inside of the bow onto it. Mark it, cut and mark a line 3⁄4 inch farther down to give
it out, and bevel it so that it will fit flush with you the point where the tops of the cleats sup-
the top edges of the side panels from the bow porting the seats will go. The cleats should be
aft for a distance of about 12 inches, then 11⁄2 inches deep and 3⁄4 inch wide, but doubled
screw and glue it into place. While you’re at it, once in place to 11⁄2 inches. Another doubled
I recommend you cut off the stem about 4 to 11⁄2-by-11⁄2-inch strip will run under the center
6 inches above the tip of the point of the bow, of the seat athwartship to help support its
which will give you some material you can use middle.
to attach a painter. Glue your cleats together and screw them
At the aft end of the boat, cut and bevel to the sides, level with the bottom. Before
some knees to brace the corners. These can be going any further, look at the end-grain of
plain triangles of 12 inches by 8 inches, or you the seat plank. The growth lines should cup
may choose to be a little artistic with them down; otherwise the plank will cup upward
and give them a little curve. and hold water. Once you’re sure which side
Cut a doubler for the center of the transom should be uppermost, put the seat on the
(this is where the motor will be mounted) and cleats and drill angled holes through the
glue and screw it into place. Bevel the top of plank and into the cleats. Glue and screw the
the transom and doubler so that it is level plank to the seats, and then fill the holes.
with the sides. The front seat should be a little forward of 119
ULTRASIMPLE where the mold is, so you will have to cut the
BOATBUILDING
top of the front seat to fit the curve of the
boat’s sides in this area. The cleats should
also be beveled to fit the sides.
Alternatively, you may prefer to use a large
cooler rather than a permanent thwart! In this
case, simply glue and screw crosswise cleats on
the floor to keep the cooler from sliding
around. Drinks and ice are good ballast to keep
the front end down, or you can use the cooler as
a live well.
Finishing requires nothing more than sanding
the rough spots and painting. Use a couple coats
of primer and a couple coats of exterior oil or
latex paint. If you use latex, you will need to let it
cure properly (this takes three to four weeks); oil-
based paint cures in about a week. Whatever
paint you use, let it cure out of the sun where air It’s hard to imagine a simpler little outboard skiff, and
can circulate. that’s what makes the PoorBoy so perfect. (Steve Lewis)

120
 D O GSBODY
A GARVEY

Length Over All (LOA): 11'6"

Length Waterline (LWL): 9'91⁄ 2"
Beam: 61"
Weight: 150–170 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 650 lb.
Crew: 2 adults
Propulsion: Small outboard
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue

engine makes the boat skim very happily. He

S mall outboard boats are hugely popular for
fishing and just messing around on the
water, and they are interesting and fun to build.
also loves the way he can step from one side of
the boat to the other in complete confidence
Dogsbody is a good example of a utilitar- that his boat won’t heel excessively, even
ian small boat that includes buoyancy tanks when he and his wife are sitting on the same
under side benches fore and aft, and storage side bench.
space in side benches amidships. The rectan- Build the boat with 3⁄8-inch plywood to
gular area on the foredeck is intended as a make it rugged and able to withstand hard use
hatch for the fuel tank. If this boat were holed and less than vigilant maintenance. You may
almost anywhere, it wouldn’t sink, which must want to use a thinner plywood, but if you do it
be regarded as an important safety feature. will be important to keep the weight and
Dogsbody has been built successfully sev- power of the outboard down!
eral times, and overall reports from the field The build is a little different than what
are very good. The first boat was powered by a you’ll see elsewhere in this book. It’s based on
25 hp outboard, which I thought was rather an “egg crate” construction technique that
large and heavy for a boat I’d conceived as begins with creating a form that ultimately
being about right for a 15 hp engine. Still, the becomes part of the structure of the boat.
owner assured me that Dogsbody would turn There are some great aspects to this build-
securely and safely even at full throttle, and ing method. Because the form has a flat upper
was quick to boot. He did say that in rougher surface, by constructing the boat upside-
water it was useful to ask his partner to move down you can easily ensure that there’s no
forward to keep the bow down, but this prob- twist in the shape. It also has the advantage
ably has less to do with the boat and more to that it allows larger boats to be built with the
do with that heavy outboard. If you build stitch-and-glue method. That’s not so impor-
your own Dogsbody, do bear in mind that tant with this boat, but it would be in a boat
equipping it with an outboard that’s too big approaching 16 feet or so.
for the design will have an impact on the After marking out, the first step is to cut
boat’s performance in certain conditions. out the inner sides of the buoyancy tanks
At the opposite end of the engine size and assemble them along with the frames.
scale, Ken Newton fitted his Dogsbody with a Then the flat bottom section, which plays an
much smaller 4 hp engine. He too is extremely important role in keeping the boat straight;
happy with his boat, and reports that the little the transom; and the bow are put in place using 121
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
122

Dogsbody Specific frames

Frame 1

Frame 2

Frame 3

Forward side
of transom

650 lb. Inches Feet

 N M
D L K J
Outboard support E
pad—trace around Buoyancy tank wall
pad below and F
glue together C G H I
B
A
s r z
y
Outboard support Chine 1
pad x
t w
u
p q v
n m l
o
dc k
Chine 2
e outer
Frame 3 g h i j
a bf

P O H G
Upper stem
M N
L Lower stem K
I J Keel

E F
n m r Foredeck hatch qv u D C
j

glue to part 1
i

Hatch part 2,
Thwart part 1
l k
d c Corners 1 1/2-inch radius A B
Inner z y
part 1

Transom Thwart part 2 (glue to part 1)

transom e h
a b f g o p s t w x

DOGSBODY
123
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
124

w vB A
Frame 2 Frame 2
outer u outer z Buoyancy tank wall

st x y qp
m l
r Frame 1
Frame 2 outer
inner n o
j Chine 1
k i h
d c Frame 1
g
Frame 1 outer
inner ef
a b
Chine 2
Frame 3
outer

H G F E
N M
I
Deck
K L
J
w x A B C D h g
l k

u v y z p o n m j i
f
t s
Deck
q r e
a b c d
Dogsbody Coordinates Frame 2 inner DOGSBODY
j 0 231⁄ 2
(in inches), Part 1 k 203⁄ 8 231⁄ 2
l 203⁄ 8 353⁄ 4
x y m 0 353⁄ 4
Frame 3 outer
a 325⁄ 8 0 Frame 1 outer (second)
b 513⁄ 4 0 n 217⁄ 8 263⁄ 4
c 513⁄ 4 131⁄ 8 o 365⁄ 8 263⁄ 4
d 49 131⁄ 8 p 365⁄ 8 377⁄ 8
e 325⁄ 8 9 q 335⁄ 8 377⁄ 8
r 223⁄ 8 331⁄ 2
Chine 2
f 521⁄ 2 7⁄ 8 Frame 2 outer (first)
g 87 17⁄ 8 s 0 353⁄ 4
h 1211⁄ 2 25⁄ 8 t 3 353⁄ 4
i 1561⁄ 4 23⁄ 8 u 181⁄ 2 40
j 1913⁄ 4 15⁄ 8 v 185⁄ 8 48
k 1901⁄ 2 123⁄ 8 w 0 48
l 1557⁄ 8 167⁄ 8
m 1211⁄ 8 173⁄ 4 Frame 2 outer (second)
n 865⁄ 8 163⁄ 4 x 185⁄ 8 353⁄ 4
o 521⁄ 8 153⁄ 4 y 215⁄ 8 353⁄ 4
z 371⁄ 8 40
Outboard support pad A 373⁄ 8 48
p 0 171⁄ 2 B 185⁄ 8 48
q 24 171⁄ 2
r 24 321⁄ 2 Part 3
s 0 321⁄ 2
x y
Chine 1
t 405⁄ 8 205⁄ 8 Inner transom
u 751⁄ 8 191⁄ 8 a 0 0
v 1095⁄ 8 181⁄ 4 b 21 0
w 1443⁄ 8 201⁄ 4 c 21 133⁄ 8
x 179 233⁄ 4 d 0 133⁄ 8
y 1755⁄ 8 291⁄ 8
z 1443⁄ 4 321⁄ 4 Transom
A 1101⁄ 4 341⁄ 4 e 353⁄ 4 41⁄ 8
B 757⁄ 8 357⁄ 8 f 523⁄ 8 0
C 413⁄ 8 371⁄ 2 g 793⁄ 8 0
h 96 41⁄ 8
Buoyancy chamber wall i 96 191⁄ 4
D 55 471⁄ 8 j 777⁄ 8 191⁄ 4
E 58 427⁄ 8 k 777⁄ 8 151⁄ 4
F 881⁄ 2 367⁄ 8 l 537⁄ 8 151⁄ 4
G 123 347⁄ 8 m 537⁄ 8 191⁄ 4
H 1571⁄ 2 347⁄ 8 n 353⁄ 4 191⁄ 4
I 192 347⁄ 8
J 192 48 Foredeck hatch part 1
K 1571⁄ 2 48 o 96 0
L 123 48 p 113 0
M 881⁄ 2 48 q 113 201⁄ 2
N 547⁄ 8 48 r 96 201⁄ 2

Foredeck hatch part 2

Part 2 s 1131⁄ 4 0
t 1301⁄ 4 0
x y u 1301⁄ 4 201⁄ 2
Frame 1 inner v 1131⁄ 4 201⁄ 2
a 0 117⁄ 8
b 201⁄ 2 117⁄ 8 Thwart part 2
c 201⁄ 2 23 w 134 0
d 0 23 x 192 0
y 192 97⁄ 8
Frame 1 outer (first) z 134 97⁄ 8
e 213⁄ 4 147⁄ 8
f 243⁄ 4 147⁄ 8 Thwart part 1
g 36 191⁄ 4 A 134 97⁄ 8
h 361⁄ 2 26 B 192 97⁄ 8
i 213⁄ 4 26 C 192 20
D 134 20

125
ULTRASIMPLE Keel
BOATBUILDING E 573⁄ 8 21
Dogsbody Coordinates
F 192 21 (in millimetes), Part 1
G 192 48
x y
H 573⁄ 8 48
Frame 3 outer
Lower stem a 801 0
I 33⁄ 4 315⁄ 8 b 1267 0
J 303⁄ 4 315⁄ 8 c 1267 323
K 341⁄ 4 363⁄ 4 d 1200 323
L 1⁄ 4 363⁄ 4 e 801 219
Upper stem Chine 2
M 11⁄ 8 371⁄ 8 f 1287 21
N 351⁄ 8 371⁄ 8 g 2132 45
O 361⁄ 4 48 h 2978 65
P 0 48 i 3828 59
j 4696 39
Part 4 k
l
4667
3820
304
414
x y m 2966 435
n 2121 411
Deck 1 o 1276 386
a 551⁄ 2 0
b 88 0 Outboard support pad
c 96 0 p 0 430
d 1221⁄ 2 3⁄ 4
q 589 430
e 157 45⁄ 8 r 589 798
f 1901⁄ 2 127⁄ 8 s 0 798
g 1901⁄ 2 297⁄ 8
h 1811⁄ 2 297⁄ 8 Chine 1
i 1811⁄ 2 197⁄ 8 t 995 504
j 165 197⁄ 8 u 1839 468
k 165 297⁄ 8 v 2684 447
l 157 297⁄ 8 w 3537 495
m 157 203⁄ 8 x 4386 583
n 1221⁄ 2 203⁄ 8 y 4304 712
o 88 203⁄ 8 z 3548 789
p 531⁄ 2 203⁄ 8 A 2702 841
q 96 27⁄ 8 B 1858 880
r 1141⁄ 2 27⁄ 8 C 1014 918
s 1141⁄ 2 147⁄ 8
t 96 147⁄ 8 Buoyancy chamber wall
D 1348 1154
Deck 2 E 1422 1051
u 11⁄ 2 181⁄ 8 F 2168 903
v 101⁄ 2 181⁄ 8 G 3013 855
w 101⁄ 2 281⁄ 8 H 3858 853
x 27 281⁄ 8 I 4704 855
y 27 181⁄ 8 J 4704 1176
z 35 181⁄ 8 K 3858 1176
A 35 275⁄ 8 L 3013 1176
B 70 275⁄ 8 M 2168 1176
C 104 275⁄ 8 N 1346 1176
D 1381⁄ 2 275⁄ 8
E 1381⁄ 2 48
F 104 48 Part 2
G 96 48
H 691⁄ 2 48 x y
I 35 433⁄ 8 Frame 1 inner
J 11⁄ 2 351⁄ 8 a 0 292
K 771⁄ 2 331⁄ 8 b 502 292
L 96 331⁄ 8 c 502 565
M 96 451⁄ 8 d 0 565
N 771⁄ 2 451⁄ 8

126
Frame 1 outer (first) Thwart part 1 DOGSBODY
e 534 365 A 3283 243
f 607 365 B 4704 243
g 882 471 C 4704 488
h 895 638 D 3283 488
i 534 638
Keel
Frame 2 inner E 1406 515
j 0 577 F 4704 515
k 499 577 G 4704 1176
l 499 875 H 1409 1176
m 0 875
Lower stem
Frame 1 outer (second) I 91 773
n 536 655 J 752 773
o 897 655 K 838 901
p 897 928 L 5 901
q 823 928
r 549 822 Upper stem
M 29 910
Frame 2 outer (first) N 861 910
s 0 877 O 889 1176
t 73 877 P 0 1176
u 453 981
v 457 1176
w 0 1176 Part 4
x y
Frame 2 outer (second)
x 457 877 Deck 1
y 531 877 a 1312 0
z 911 981 b 2157 0
A 915 1176 c 2353 0
B 457 1176 d 3003 18
e 3848 115
f 4669 315
Part 3 g 4669 733
x y h 4448 733
i 4448 488
Inner transom j 4044 488
a 0 0 k 4044 733
b 515 0 l 3848 733
c 515 326 m 3848 500
d 0 326 n 3003 500
o 2157 500
Transom p 1312 500
e 875 102 q 2353 71
f 1282 0 r 2807 71
g 1945 0 s 2807 365
h 2352 102 t 2353 365
i 2352 472
j 1908 472 Deck 2
k 1908 374 u 38 444
l 1320 374 v 259 444
m 1320 472 w 259 689
n 875 374 x 663 689
y 663 444
Foredeck hatch part 1 z 859 444
o 2352 0 A 853 676
p 2768 0 B 1704 676
q 2768 502 C 2549 676
r 2352 502 D 3395 676
E 3395 1176
Foredeck hatch part 2 F 2549 1176
s 2776 0 G 2353 1176
t 3192 0 H 1704 1158
u 3192 502 I 859 1062
v 2776 502 J 38 862
K 1900 811
Thwart part 2 L 2353 811
w 3283 0 M 2353 1105
x 4704 0 N 1900 1105
y 4704 243
z 3283 243

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii. 127
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

Dogsbody’s “egg crate” structure provides a great deal of stiffness and a lot of enclosed buoyancy. Cleats have
been added to the bottom edges of the longitudinal members to provide a secure nailing and gluing surface for the
bottom. Note also the vertical cleats that hold the transverse members.

the stitch-and-glue method. Next, flip the ancy tanks and stowage areas with paint or
boat upright to allow access to the area epoxy.
below the deck so that the chine and side Add the cleats along the inside of the
panels can be stitched and glued into place. hull, across the tops of the frames, and
Don’t forget to seal the insides of the buoy- along the line of the seat fronts so that the

128 The bottom, previously butt-jointed, is attached to the framework. Note the neatly countersunk holes for the fasteners.
 decks can be installed. The transom needs a DOGSBODY
substantial pad of laminated plywood to
take the outboard, and because Dogsbody is
a workboat there should be a couple of fit-
tings for painters at the bow and stern. Be
sure to add sufficient plywood reinforce-
ments for the painter eyes. The rest of the
boat will need inwales and gunwales, and
the hatch in the bow, where the fuel tank
will be installed, needs a lid as shown in the
drawings.
The job is just about done. All that’s left to
do is paint the boat, buy an outboard, and get
out on the water.

Gunwales glued and clamped in place. Soon, the decks will

go on. The ample volume of the buoyancy tanks is apparent
in this shot.

A finished Dogsbody with bimini top. (Ken Newton)

129
 JIGGITY
AN “ULTRASIMPLIFIED” AURAY PUNT

Length Over All (LOA): 9'4"

Length Waterline (LWL): 7'41⁄ 2"
Beam: 471⁄ 2"
Weight: 70–85 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 500 lb.
Crew: 2 adults
Propulsion: Oars, very small outboard
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue

a plywood strap or by taping each side, and

I ’ve long admired Philip Bolger’s Auray punt,
and, based on the frequent discussions
about it on the Web, it appears that I’m not
then stitch-and-glue in the usual way.
You could build from 1⁄4-inch plywood,
alone. There’s good reason for the interest in though I’d suggest using 3⁄8-inch plywood if
this punt, particularly for use as a dinghy. It the boat is to be used as a tender. Tenders are
rows and tows well, it can handle rough water, used hard and often neglected and will,
and it can carry a huge amount of weight for therefore, benefit from a rugged build. If you
its waterline length. It can also be used with an build the boat as it is drawn and use 3⁄8-inch
outboard of 4 hp or less. Having recently built plywood, you will have a robust and rigid
one of these boats, I found that the design was boat because all the large panels are strongly
strikingly simple and quite suitable for the curved. With this boat, you won’t be able to
stitch-and-glue method. rely on cloth-backed tape alone, so you’ll
It didn’t take long for me to start thinking need to use cable ties to hold the boat
about adding my own touch to the Auray together while assembling it.
concept and eventually I came up with Jiggity, Although I have drawn up a set of panels,
a 9-foot version of the Auray punt that can be bottom and transoms, and a central frame, if
rowed, sculled, or powered by a small out- you’ve got some boatbuilding experience
board. The design is simple and you should be you might choose to build this boat even
able to build a Jiggity of your own in a couple more strongly with, say, nine equally-spaced
of weekends. In fact, the build will seem traditional-style frames, internal chine logs,
straightforward to anyone who has built in and long stringers running fore and aft across
stitch-and-glue. The boat isn’t much more the traditional frames to support the thwarts
complicated than a Mouse, but as simple as (see accompanying illustrations).
the design may be, though, I still suggest If you go this route and intend to apply a
building a model first. traditional-looking workboat-style black finish,
To get started on the actual boat, mark out make your joints fit well, and work with
the plywood with 10-inch squares, carefully good metal fasteners and formaldehyde or
cutting off the excess where it is slightly longer waterproof polyurethane glue. Don’t use
than the 8 feet it’s supposed to be. Plot the epoxy. As it becomes hot, it quickly softens.
curved panels, cut them out, and joint the for- A black-painted epoxy-built boat left in the
ward and aft sections of the panels either with hot sun could become fragile.
130
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
Jiggity

9'5" by 4' by 500 lbs. rowing and outboard-powered

dinghy and tender, based on the Auray punt

Frame 1

Frame 5
Frame 2

Frame 3

Frame 4
131

JIGGITY
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
132

500 lbs.

5 1/2 2
5

Frame 2
14 1/4 Frame 4
13
6

36
34 1/2
5 1/2 4 5/8
Frame 1
12 1/2 Frame 3
Frame 5
14 1/8 12 1/4
2 1/4
6 1/8
30 1/2 4 1/4
36 1/8 32 3/4

All dimensions in inches

 V Plywood strap for butt joints U Frame 4

Frame 1
Frame 4

Frame 2
Chine left (draw S T
round chine left) P O
Q
N
v u
Foredeck z y DC

Frame 2

Frame 4
H
Side

Half thwart G R

Frame 1
s t Transom Bottom
w top x AB
n m E F
Center thwart top r Pram bow q
I
k l o p
i h
g
Frame 2
Frame 4

Frame 1
j J
Chine right L
K
fe Knee Knee Frame 5
a b c d Frame 4 Frame 5
knee knee
133

JIGGITY
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
134

Frame 4 open-end
Rear seat side knee
5 inches Quarter knee
(two are needed)
Stem 7 3/4 inches
15 1/2 inches 8 3/8 inches 8 1/4 inches
8 inches 12 1/2 inches
3 3/4 inches 6-inch radius
7 3/4 inches 2-inch
radius
3 7/8 inches 13 inches 13 inches
2 inches

6-inch radius 6-inch radius

2 inches
11 1/2 inches 12 7/8 inches
7 inches 7 inches
8 3/4 inches 111 degrees 5 inches
3 3/4 inches 111 degrees 7 1/2 inches

11 1/2 inches 17 1/4 inches

16 3/8 inches
Frame 5 open-end Frame 4 closed-end
knee Frame 5 closed-end knee
knee
Jiggity Coordinates Jiggity Coordinates JIGGITY
(in inches) (in millimeters)
x y x y
Side panels Side panels
a 0 3⁄ 4
a 0 18
b 281⁄ 2 3⁄ 4
b 700 18
c 565⁄ 8 1⁄ 4
c 1387 7
d 85 0 d 2083 1
e 1155⁄ 8 11⁄ 4 e 2832 30
f 1151⁄ 8 51⁄ 8 f 2819 127
g 847⁄ 8 131⁄ 4 g 2079 325
h 561⁄ 2 151⁄ 2 h 1384 381
i 281⁄ 2 145⁄ 8 i 697 359
j 11⁄ 2 111⁄ 4 j 37 276

Thwart Thwart
k 0 16 k 0 392
l 397⁄ 8 16 l 976 392
m 393⁄ 4 24 m 974 588
n 1⁄ 8 24 n 4 588

Pram bow transom Pram bow transom

o 581⁄ 4 171⁄ 2 o 1426 428
p 711⁄ 4 171⁄ 2 p 1745 428
q 721⁄ 2 211⁄ 4 q 1776 521
r 57 211⁄ 4 r 1396 521

Foredeck Foredeck
s 21⁄ 2 263⁄ 4 s 61 656
t 151⁄ 2 263⁄ 4 t 379 656
u 173⁄ 4 333⁄ 4 u 435 827
v 1⁄ 8 333⁄ 4 v 4 827

Half thwart Half thwart

w 181⁄ 4 241⁄ 2 w 441 600
x 371⁄ 8 241⁄ 2 x 911 600
y 357⁄ 8 321⁄ 2 y 880 796
z 18 321⁄ 2 z 441 796

Half thwart side Half thwart side

A 373⁄ 4 241⁄ 4 A 926 595
B 415⁄ 8 241⁄ 4 B 1020 595
C 415⁄ 8 321⁄ 4 C 1020 791
D 365⁄ 8 321⁄ 4 D 897 791

Transom Transom
E 471⁄ 4 213⁄ 4 E 1157 534
F 743⁄ 4 213⁄ 4 F 1831 534
G 78 317⁄ 8 G 1911 782
H 44 317⁄ 8 H 1078 782

Bottom Bottom
I 785⁄ 8 171⁄ 2 I 1927 428
J 1083⁄ 4 83⁄ 4 J 2663 214
K 137 6 K 3357 146
L 1651⁄ 8 63⁄ 4 L 4044 165
M 192 101⁄ 4 M 4704 250
N 192 373⁄ 4 N 4704 924
O 1651⁄ 8 411⁄ 2 O 4044 1010
P 137 42 P 3357 1028
Q 1083⁄ 4 391⁄ 4 Q 2663 961
R 785⁄ 8 301⁄ 2 R 1927 747

Butt strap for joints Butt strap for joints

S 116 44 S 2842 1078
T 170 44 T 4165 1078
U 170 48 U 4165 1176
V 116 48 V 2842 1176

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.

135
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

Jiggity takes its cues from the traditional Auray punt. Fitted with traditional tholepins instead of oarlocks, and painted in tarry-
looking workboat black, this little punt seems just right for this piratical-looking Breton sailor in the harbor of Douarnenez.
These boats make good tenders because the longish bow keeps the occupants dry, and they are capable of carrying large loads
in a short waterline length.

Whether you build in paper or plywood, Jiggity should perform as well as the original Auray punt and will require a good deal
less effort.

136
 AURETTE
A SMALL SAILING AURAY PUNT

Length Over All (LOA): 7'7"

Length Waterline (LWL): 5'7"
Beam: 48"
Weight: 65–80 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 380 lb. (author’s estimate)
Crew: 2 adults
Propulsion: Oars, very small outboard
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue

won’t pose any problem in this regard, and the

H ere’s another interpretation of the Auray
punt, this one a sailing version from
Australian designer Murray Isles. Aurette is
tall daggerboard case in the design addresses
the problem of flooding.
both smaller and more refined than Jiggity The original design does not include built-in
(while still being a very straightforward build), buoyancy tanks. For legal and safety reasons,
so if you like the Auray’s hull shape and you you should glue or strap foam blocks under the
want a sailboat, or a boat that’s a bit better thwarts (seats). The blocks should be closed-cell
looking, go ahead and build it. If you’re not foam and, if necessary, protected from the ele-
planning to go sailing, or you want a simpler ments and damage. You’ll need about 2/3 of a
project, go with Jiggity. cubic yard of foam, and you should leave about
Build Aurette from 1⁄4-inch plywood using 1 inch everywhere between the foam and the
the stitch-and-glue method. All the salient bottom of the boat to ensure drainage. Make
building points are covered in the previous sure you use closed-cell foam; the trashy white
chapters, including the last one. stuff used for packaging will eventually soften
Aurette can be built with either a leeboard, and soak up a significant amount of water.
which hooks onto the side and must be shifted A word on the sides: Some boatbuilders
across the boat each time you tack or jibe, or have found that the curve in the sides of the
with a daggerboard, which slides through a boat makes it difficult to fit gunwales made
case in the middle of the boat. From the draw- from some types of lumber. Soaking the boards
ing you can see that the daggerboard case is in hot water would help but makes gluing a
angled so that its top is forward of and higher problem, so I’d suggest a safer option would be
than the middle thwart. It is always tempting to laminate the gunwales from two pieces of
when fitting daggerboard cases to make them thinner stock.
low so they don’t intrude too much on the lim- Aurette is sailed with a lug rig that is easy to
ited space inside the boat. When the designers make with short spars, and there’s not a lot of
do that, however, they are engineering a low stress on the sail. The sail in a lug rig is shaped
flooding point into the boat. Often, the result more like a square, unlike the triangular sails of
is a boat that can’t be effectively bailed out a traditional Bermuda rig, and that provides a
because the water comes in through the dag- benefit in that the shape doesn’t need careful
gerboard case faster than it can be bailed over sheeting to keep it in trim; it’s a great sail for
the gunwale. Obviously, the leeboard option novice sailors.
137
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AURETTE

139
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

140
AURETTE

141
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ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

142

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 P I R A G UA
A PIROGUE

Length Over All (LOA): 14'

Length Waterline (LWL): 13'2"
Beam: 30"
Weight: 70 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 300 lb.
Crew: 1 adult
Propulsion: Double or single paddle
Construction Method: Simplified chine log

bottom and side panels, and the two halves

J im Michalak’s Piragua is an easy-to-build
version of the old-fashioned pirogue, which
is a very stable platform. These boats are com-
of the foredeck. The designer favors using
butt blocks of 3⁄4-by-31⁄2-inch softwood rather
monly used in swamps. than the plywood straps described earlier in
Jim’s version of the pirogue has two fea- this book.
tures that come up in his boats time after Assembly is similar to methods used for
time: a Bolger-style bottom profile that takes the flat-bottomed Mouseboats, except for
the ends of the boat out of the water, and two small differences. The first is that the for-
boxed-in buoyancy and storage compart- ward part of the boat comes to a sharp stem
ments fore and aft designed to keep clothes rather than a transom and the second is that
and food dry. They also keep the boat afloat there is a temporary form in the middle that
and at least a little stable if it swamps. is removed once it has done its job.
Piragua, which can be built from two Glue and attach the side panels to the
sheets of 1⁄4-inch plywood, is light, only about stem, followed by the temporary form (with-
70 pounds when empty and dry, making it out glue), then the transom, and then the
lighter and more tippy than a pirogue built second and third frames. With a boat of this
more heavily using traditional materials. The size, you’ll need to use a length of rope with
boat is designed to be double-paddled from a a Spanish windlass (see page 39, Chapter 4)
sitting position. or a trucker-style knot (tie a small loop, run
Working from the detailed plans, start the other end around the materials to be
the project by marking out the parts for held together, then through the loop, and tie
which dimensions and angles are given: that off) to help pull the side panels together so
is, the frames and transom (including the the frames and sides can be accurately
angles on the lumber cleats used to attach screwed and glued together in an orderly,
them to the boat’s sides and bottom), one well-controlled way. If you haven’t done this
side panel (use the first as a pattern for the before, a helper will make it easier.
opposite side), and the stem. The chine log is then glued and screwed
Make absolutely sure that the positions to the sides as shown and trimmed to accept
where the frames are to go are clearly marked the bottom, which is glued and screwed into
on the side panels before cutting out and place. Cut the inner gunwale at the correct
butt-blocking the fore and aft sections of the angle, and glue and screw it in place.

143
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ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
144
 PIRAGUA

A very capable pirogue, Piragua is one of Jim Michalak’s most popular designs. Longer and slimmer than the Cruising Mouse, it
doesn’t have as much carrying capacity but is faster and more refined. (Garth Battista)

Your next step is to mark the storage though not before painting the insides of the
chamber and buoyancy tank decks by tracing tanks. Now add the outer gunwales and the
around the inner gunwale fore and aft. Cut the storage tank hatch fittings and lids, followed
decks out, and screw and glue them in place, by paint and varnish to finish the job.

145
 CINDERELLA
A DOUBLE-PADDLE CANOE
WITH A “ROUNDISH” BOTTOM

Length Over All (LOA): 12'

Length Waterline (LWL): 11'8"
Beam: 30"
Weight: 40–50 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 325 lb.
Crew: 1 adult and 1 child
Propulsion: Double or single paddle
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue

making sure the joints on the top surface don’t

C inderella is a multi-panel, stitch-and-glue,
plywood canoe designed to eliminate the
need for a strong back. This wooden structure,
coincide with the joints on the side pieces.
Cinderella was designed to be built from
1
which has to be built and then discarded ⁄8-inch plywood, but you can use 1⁄4-inch ply-
accounts for a lot of the hard work usually wood if you’re not concerned about weight.
involved in making boats of this kind. Whichever thickness of material you use, how-
You could call Cinderella a multi-strake ever, it must be at least three-ply marine grade
canoe or a soft-chine canoe, but it really is plywood because Cinderella has no internal
somewhere between. framing, and its strength comes from the hull
Begin building Cinderella by temporarily panels. Voids found in the cores of cheaper
attaching the slender flat-bottom panel to a grades of plywood will cause serious weak
straight girder. The remaining hull panels spots.
(planks or strakes) are then stitched or taped Like several other boats in this book, Cin-
together, and temporary T-shaped frames are derella is longer than a single sheet of ply-
inserted into the hull to force it into the wood, so a certain amount of butt-jointing is
proper shape before the strakes are perma- needed. The same technique of epoxy-and-
nently epoxy-and-fiberglass-taped together. fiberglass taping on both sides of the joint will
The 12-foot-long girder can be made of work perfectly. But where for some designs I
almost any straight piece of 2-by-6-inch or 2-by- suggest cutting out the panel components and
8-inch lumber. You can even use 2 by 4s, but then jointing them, this won’t work well for
they’re not usually very straight. To address this Cinderella because the panels are so narrow. It
problem, nail or screw some reasonably straight would be difficult to ensure perfect alignment
ones together so the opposing curves help make of their very short straight butt edges when
the lumber straighter. gluing them together. Therefore, I recommend
A better way to fashion a straight girder is cutting the one and a half sheets of plywood you
to use 3⁄4-inch chipboard or medium-density need for the strakes down the middle as shown
fiberboard. Cut 12 feet of the stuff 6 inches in the drawing, and then butt-jointing them.
wide, and 24 feet of it 3 inches wide, and Let the joint harden sufficiently, then mark
assemble it into an inverted U-shaped channel, and cut the panels into two 12-by-2-foot
146
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
Cinderella
12-foot flat-bottomed, round-sided, elegant but easy to build canoe

inches feet

325 lb.

CINDERELLA
147
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
148

y x p o Chine 4
forward
Bottom

Aft Fore
Chine 3
f Fore Aft
Chine 2
z w q n
ve u Chine 1t s r
Fore wd q Aft
g e f g h i p
xc j
midships

Fore yb k o
Bottom

v za l m n Aft
A
r m

Butt joint taped

h d
Cut along the lines plotted above, reverse panel, and clamp to
B u panel showing marked out strakes before cutting

both sides
c s l
Bottom

i
t
aft

a b j k
 1641⁄ 4 325⁄ 8
Cinderella Coordinates k
l 176 313⁄ 8
CINDERELLA

(in inches) m
n
1875⁄ 8
1901⁄ 8
301⁄ 8
321⁄ 4
x y o 1773⁄ 4 337⁄ 8
p 1651⁄ 8 351⁄ 2
Bottom panels q 1525⁄ 8 367⁄ 8
a 107⁄ 8 1⁄ 2 r 1411⁄ 8 373⁄ 4
b 25 1⁄ 2 s 1293⁄ 8 383⁄ 8
c 24 12 t 1175⁄ 8 381⁄ 2
d 223⁄ 8 213⁄ 4 u 1061⁄ 8 381⁄ 2
e 201⁄ 4 315⁄ 8 v 943⁄ 8 38
f 18 411⁄ 8 w 821⁄ 2 371⁄ 4
g 155⁄ 8 315⁄ 8 x 701⁄ 2 361⁄ 8
h 131⁄ 2 213⁄ 4 y 58 343⁄ 4
i 117⁄ 8 12 z 453⁄ 8 333⁄ 8
j 261⁄ 8 5⁄ 8
k 391⁄ 4 5⁄ 8 Chine 3
l 397⁄ 8 123⁄ 8 a 433⁄ 8 353⁄ 4
m 401⁄ 8 233⁄ 4 b 561⁄ 8 361⁄ 2
n 401⁄ 4 351⁄ 2 c 685⁄ 8 371⁄ 4
o 397⁄ 8 471⁄ 4 d 803⁄ 4 38
p 255⁄ 8 471⁄ 4 e 925⁄ 8 381⁄ 2
q 251⁄ 4 351⁄ 2 f 1041⁄ 2 383⁄ 4
r 251⁄ 4 233⁄ 4 g 1157⁄ 8 387⁄ 8
s 251⁄ 2 123⁄ 8 h 1275⁄ 8 387⁄ 8
t 71⁄ 4 7 i 1393⁄ 8 385⁄ 8
u 91⁄ 4 163⁄ 4 j 1507⁄ 8 381⁄ 4
v 111⁄ 8 261⁄ 2 k 1631⁄ 2 371⁄ 2
w 125⁄ 8 357⁄ 8 l 1761⁄ 4 365⁄ 8
x 133⁄ 4 475⁄ 8 m 1883⁄ 4 353⁄ 4
y 3⁄ 4 475⁄ 8 n 1897⁄ 8 391⁄ 8
x 17⁄ 8 357⁄ 8 o 177 397⁄ 8
A 33⁄ 8 261⁄ 2 p 1633⁄ 4 403⁄ 4
B 51⁄ 4 163⁄ 4 q 1507⁄ 8 411⁄ 2
r 1393⁄ 8 421⁄ 8
Chine 1 s 1275⁄ 8 423⁄ 8
a 543⁄ 8 241⁄ 8 t 1157⁄ 8 421⁄ 2
b 641⁄ 8 261⁄ 4 u 1043⁄ 8 423⁄ 8
c 733⁄ 4 281⁄ 8 v 925⁄ 8 421⁄ 8
d 831⁄ 4 291⁄ 2 w 805⁄ 8 415⁄ 8
e 95 303⁄ 4 x 681⁄ 8 411⁄ 8
f 1063⁄ 4 311⁄ 4 y 551⁄ 8 403⁄ 8
g 1181⁄ 4 315⁄ 8 z 42 393⁄ 4
h 1297⁄ 8 315⁄ 8
i 1415⁄ 8 311⁄ 8 Chine 4
j 153 301⁄ 8 a 431⁄ 8 401⁄ 4
k 1627⁄ 8 281⁄ 2 b 561⁄ 8 411⁄ 4
l 1725⁄ 8 263⁄ 8 c 691⁄ 4 423⁄ 8
m 1821⁄ 8 24 d 821⁄ 8 43
n 1875⁄ 8 251⁄ 2 e 935⁄ 8 433⁄ 8
o 1761⁄ 4 281⁄ 8 f 1053⁄ 8 433⁄ 8
p 1645⁄ 8 303⁄ 4 g 1171⁄ 8 431⁄ 4
q 153 327⁄ 8 h 1285⁄ 8 427⁄ 8
r 1415⁄ 8 341⁄ 8 i 1403⁄ 8 421⁄ 2
s 1297⁄ 8 345⁄ 8 j 1523⁄ 8 417⁄ 8
t 1181⁄ 4 345⁄ 8 k 1647⁄ 8 413⁄ 8
u 1063⁄ 4 343⁄ 8 l 178 407⁄ 8
v 95 335⁄ 8 m 1913⁄ 8 401⁄ 4
w 831⁄ 4 321⁄ 4 n 191 453⁄ 8
x 721⁄ 8 301⁄ 2 o 1777⁄ 8 457⁄ 8
y 607⁄ 8 281⁄ 4 p 1647⁄ 8 463⁄ 8
z 493⁄ 8 26 q 1523⁄ 8 467⁄ 8
r 1403⁄ 8 471⁄ 4
Chine 2 s 1285⁄ 8 475⁄ 8
a 483⁄ 8 30 t 1171⁄ 8 477⁄ 8
b 597⁄ 8 313⁄ 8 u 1053⁄ 8 48
c 711⁄ 2 321⁄ 2 v 935⁄ 8 477⁄ 8
d 825⁄ 8 331⁄ 2 w 821⁄ 8 475⁄ 8
e 943⁄ 8 341⁄ 4 x 691⁄ 8 465⁄ 8
f 1061⁄ 8 343⁄ 4 y 56 461⁄ 8
g 1171⁄ 8 347⁄ 8 z 43 451⁄ 8
h 1293⁄ 8 343⁄ 4
i 1411⁄ 8 341⁄ 2
j 1525⁄ 8 333⁄ 4 149
ULTRASIMPLE j 3737 826
BOATBUILDING Cinderella Coordinates k 4023 800
(in millimeters) l
m
4313
4598
769
738
x y n 4659 790
o 4354 830
Bottom panels p 4044 869
a 265 14 q 3739 903
b 614 13 r 3457 925
c 587 293 s 3169 939
d 547 533 t 2882 944
e 495 774 u 2602 942
f 440 1007 v 2313 932
g 384 774 w 2021 913
h 332 534 x 1726 885
i 292 293 y 1420 852
j 641 14 z 1111 819
k 962 14
l 977 302 Chine 3
m 984 583 a 1064 875
n 985 870 b 1374 895
o 976 1157 c 1682 914
p 627 1157 d 1979 930
q 618 870 e 2270 942
r 619 583 f 2559 949
s 625 302 g 2840 952
t 178 171 h 3127 952
u 228 409 i 3415 947
v 273 648 j 3697 936
w 309 879 k 4005 918
x 338 1167 l 4317 897
y 17 1167 m 4624 875
z 46 879 n 4653 958
A 82 648 o 4335 978
B 127 410 p 4013 999
q 3697 1018
Chine 1 r 3414 1031
a 1332 591 s 3126 1038
b 1570 642 t 2839 1040
c 1808 688 u 2558 1038
d 2039 724 v 2268 1032
e 2327 752 w 1975 1021
f 2615 767 x 1670 1006
g 2896 773 y 1351 990
h 3182 774 z 1030 974
i 3469 764
j 3749 737 Chine 4
k 3990 697 a 1056 985
l 4230 646 b 1374 1012
m 4463 589 c 1696 1037
n 4596 624 d 2012 1055
o 4317 688 e 2295 1063
p 4032 752 f 2583 1064
q 3749 805 g 2870 1060
r 3470 836 h 3151 1051
s 3183 849 i 3440 1040
t 2896 849 j 3732 1028
u 2615 842 k 4040 1015
v 2327 824 l 4362 1001
w 2039 791 m 4688 987
x 1769 747 n 4678 1112
y 1489 693 o 4357 1124
z 1209 638 p 4038 1137
q 3732 1148
Chine 2 r 3440 1158
a 1184 736 s 3150 1167
b 1468 768 t 2869 1173
c 1751 797 u 2582 1176
d 2023 821 v 2294 1174
e 2313 840 w 2011 1165
f 2602 851 x 1695 1149
g 2882 854 y 1372 1129
h 3169 853 z 1054 1106
i 3456 844
150 Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.
pieces. Stack these one on top of the other, This is a boat that’s best stitched together CINDERELLA
first flipping one of them end-for-end so that using cable ties and sealed on the outside
the butt lines don’t coincide, and clamp them using duct tape before doing the inside seams
together. The idea here is that only the top with epoxy and fiberglass tape. It may be pos-
sheet has to be marked and cut out, and it is sible to tape the boat together using duct tape
possible to create each pair of matching alone, but no one I know of has tried it and I
strakes with a single set of cuts. don’t recommend your doing it either. But, if
The panel labeled “Chine 1” in the nesting stitching can be avoided, it will save time and
diagram is the strake that goes next to the bot- eliminate some unevenness in the internal
tom panel, “Chine 2” is the next one up, and so epoxy-taping as a result of using the ties.
forth. In the interests of clarity, I haven’t lettered With the duct tape holding the side strakes
the coordinates on strakes 2 through 4, but each in place, add the central T-mold dead on the
chine should be treated as if it were labeled “A” centerline of the bottom panel, with the cross
through “Z” exactly as shown on Chine 1. In of the T exactly athwartship—that is, across
other words, “A” is the lower left-hand corner of the boat at a right angle to the centerline.
the strake, and the lettering goes counterclock- Then add the fore and aft T-molds in the
wise (anticlockwise) around the strake until it same way. Push and jiggle the taped-together
reaches “Z” in the upper left-hand corner. Of hull until the tops of the uppermost strakes
course, the blank section of plywood beneath are perfectly aligned with the top edges of
the strakes is intended for the strakes needed to the T-molds, and nail or tape them in place.
make the other half of the boat. Once everything is firmly in place, epoxy
Label the strakes clearly on both sides with and tape the inside seams (including at least
the strake number and an indication of which two layers in the bow and stern). Before letting
end is fore and which end is aft, and carefully the epoxy harden, check to be sure everything
assemble them in order. In particular, make is straight and where it should be. You may
sure you understand the final strake (Chine 4) need to jiggle or even prop parts of the stem
is labeled the way it is—that is, upside down— and stern to make them line up vertically and
because on the cutting plan it is upside down along the centerline, but this should not be
compared to the rest of the strakes. It is only difficult. At this stage, it’s a good idea to keep
arranged that way on the nesting diagram everyone away from the work area until the
because it better fits on the plywood sheet. epoxy hardens; you don’t want anything dis-
This, of course, means that it must be turned turbing the hull. After the epoxy hardens,
upside down before being stitched or taped to remove the duct tape, then relieve all the
the rest of the boat. external strake edges with coarse sandpaper
Get this wrong, and people have, and when before epoxy-taping the exterior.
you stitch or tape the boat together you’ll won- You may be wondering why the structure
der why the final strake appears to be too long. is so flexible and wobbly, but there’s no need
It isn’t, but it is turned the wrong way round! for concern. Much of the rigidity of these
When you have it right, it will fit perfectly. boats comes from adding breasthooks and

All dimensions in inches

23 3/4
30 23 3/4

12 7/8 3/8
11 1/8 11

Temporary mold 1, Temporary mold 2, Temporary mold 3,

at 37 inches from bows at 72 inches from bows at 106 7/8 inches from bows
The T-molds determine Cinderella’s shape by establishing the height and width of the uppermost strakes. 151
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ULTRASIMPLE e
BOATBUILDING l r sam
Hull - 3/8-inch marine plywood
m ateria 4 inch (o ale)
h / w
4-inc p—3 and gun
—3/ le ga
Gun
wale Inwa as inwale
h ce
Gap filled at bow and stern widt spru
using either gunwale or pine or
inch
inwale material, cut and tried 3/4-
le -
to fit neatly (it will be visible!) Inwa

Gapped inwale blocks

at 11.5-inch centers

Filler made from doubled hull material,

cut and shaped to fit under inwale, then
clamped and glued into place

Gapped inwale details.

gapped inwales and gunwales, these features

don’t just look good, they provide shape and
strength, adding remarkable rigidity.
General directions for building these fea-
tures appear in Chapter 4, so I’ll only list the
specifics as they apply to Cinderella:
■ Inwales: straight-grained, knot-free, rot-
resistant softwood 11⁄4 to 11⁄2 inches deep by
5
⁄8 to 3⁄4 inch thick (spruce or pine). You’ll
need about 24 feet for the inwales (longer if
there are knots to cut around), plus another
5 feet or so for the gapping blocks.
■ Gunwales: same dimensions as inwales;
use a nice hardwood if available.
■ Stretcher and handle: same material as
inwales; about 6 feet (enough to laminate
a piece 3 feet long to double thickness).
■ Breasthooks: 1⁄8-inch plywood, doubled
to make two thicknesses
■ Spacing of inwale gapping blocks:
10 inches
■ Length of breasthooks: bow, 10 inches
along the strake; stern, 81⁄2 to 9 inches
along the strake
In Chapter 4, I suggested tapering the
inwale gapping blocks and cutting a graceful
arc in the breasthooks to add a bit of elegance.
If any of the boats in this book deserve these
touches, surely it’s Cinderella.
Varnish the inwales and their gapping
blocks, the breasthooks, and the gunwales, and
paint everything else. Before you begin applying
finishes, relieve the edges of the inwales and
gunwales with coarse sandpaper, then sand,
Details of gunwales, gapped inwales, and breasthook, in
prime, and undercoat. Then undercoat and
152 sand again, and apply a couple of final topcoats.
process (top) and nearly complete (bottom). Note also the
seat added by the builder.

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 CINDERELLA

Australian Al Burke did a beautiful job building the first Cinderella. He was very sad the day he sold it to a
neighbor but still manages to derive some satisfaction from seeing it used regularly for fishing. I need
hardly mention that builders like Al make designers like me smile the broadest of smiles!

153
 F LY I N G M O U S E
A CHILD’S SAILING PRAM

Length Over All (LOA): 7'10"

Length Waterline (LWL): 7'4"
Beam: 36"
Weight: 75–85 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 300 lb.
Crew: 1 child or small adult
Propulsion: Sail
Construction methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue

this boat, a through-deck mast going down

T he Flying Mouse is a sailboat for kids just
starting to sail for the first time. Because it
was developed from the standard V-bottomed
to a mast step in the bottom would reduce
the boat’s buoyancy in a capsize because it
Mouse, its hull is similarly effective; certainly would flood.
more effective than a flat-bottomed boat of The hulls of the Flying Mouse and the orig-
similar length, beam, and displacement. inal Mouse are not quite the same. While the
Its geometry allows the very young skip- original Mouse was designed to paddle, the Fly-
per to go about from one tack to another ing Mouse is definitely a sailer and has a few
without having to try to negotiate the tiny more inches of beam to make it stable under
12-by-12-inch space found between the boom, sail. The cockpits are different too, as the Flying
tiller, and daggerboard of, say, an Optimist. Mouse has side decks that allow the boat to
The Flying Mouse has no proper boom but heel a long way before the footwell starts to fill.
instead has a boom sprit that gives much more Another difference is that the Flying
headroom, and being low on the aft deck the Mouse has a daggerboard and a rudder, and a
tiller doesn’t get in the way at all. In fact, once mast, sail, and various bits of rigging that
the boat’s going it’s OK to sit on the tiller for a have to be attached to the hull. It also doesn’t
moment while sorting out your sheet! have a skeg—if the Flying Mouse had one the
The benefit of this arrangement, however, sailing rig would have had to be moved aft,
is more than just convenience—it also elimi- reducing the amount of space available in the
nates injuries from being hit by the boom. center of the boat.
The Flying Mouse is rigged with first- As the drawings show, however, the Flying
time sailors in mind. It takes a lot of wind to Mouse build is still very much like that of the
blow it over, and the standard 35 square-foot original Mouse. It should be built using the
spritsail is small enough that it can be left on stitch-and-glue method, although you could
the mast and stored in a corner of a garage use the simplified chine log method. Because
without getting in the way. of the deck, you’ll need two full sheets of ply-
The Spectra or polyester forestay and wood, only half a sheet more than the original
shrouds are strong, cause no more drag Mouse.
than wire stays, and are easy to set up. The hull has to be reinforced with a circle
Another advantage of having mast stays on or square of scrap plywood where the shrouds
this low-decked hull is that it allows a large and forestay attach to the hull, where the
154 and watertight forward buoyancy tank. In painter attaches to the deck, under the fairleads

Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.

 FLYING
MOUSE

~O8>

Flotation tanks C/b slot 12 1/2 inches

under foredeck by 3/4 inch Flotation tank
under aft deck
12 inches

Flying Mouse. (The sail logo “~08>” indicates the boat is a mouseboat. The characters [from left to right] represent the tail,
body, ears, and nose.)
155
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
156

47 inches 24 1/2 inches 24 1/2 inches

21 inches
7-inch radius 4 inches
(optimum may
vary with sail
cut, etc.)
 Stern
Bow

D C B A z

Bow
Stern
y
u
x
v w
o t Stern s
l Stem n p r
m q transom
k i h
g
Side f
j
a b c d e
157

MOUSE
FLYING
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
158

4 inches

7 inches
Cut the deck a little wide
all around, and fasten into
place before trimming flush.
 FLYING
S R MOUSE
Forward bulkhead
O Q
P
N M

Material for “stripe”

Cockpit bulkhead
J L
K

detail on deck
I H
Aft bulkhead
E G
F

Remainder for centerboard,

rudder blade, etc.

that make the traveler (horse), and where the aft deck, where the deck might occasionally
rudder gudgeons attach to the stern transom. have to take the weight of an adult, though
The foredeck needs to be strong enough this boat is designed for kids.
to take the downward pressure exerted by the Make up the mast foot on the foredeck. As
mast. This issue is dealt with simply and shown, this is made by laminating two or three
effectively by building in a kind of girder squares of plywood together and cutting a hole
under the foredeck made up of two pieces of through them just large enough for the mast.
lumber framing that transfer the pressure The hole can be cut with a hole saw in an elec-
onto a sheet of scrap plywood 6 inches wide, tric drill, or, almost as easily, with a hacksaw or
extending from the forward frame to the bow fretsaw. The mast step is screwed to the fore-
transom, as shown in the plans. Another, deck using four screws—one at each corner—
slightly simpler reinforcement is used on the chosen to be just the right length to go through

Frames I-beam mast

support Solid ply frame/bulkhead

Inwale

1 Stitch-and-tape
2
Epoxy-filler gussets seam
between frames and
sides, and between
sides and bottom Cutaway frame 4-inch plywood gusset against
c/b support and c/b log

Stitch-and-tape
3 seam
159
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
160

Rudder components for Flying Mouse

11 1/4 by 8 inches by
1/4 inch plywood, 2-off
1 3/8 inches
Cross section of 1 by 1/2 inch, 1-off
Rudder profile
rudder and tiller
2 inches
Cord drawup
through a hole 10 inches 28 1/4 by 1 by 1/2 inch, 2-off
in the end of
the rudderstock
A shock cord tied draws rudder 24 1/2 inches 1/2-inch plywood
over the rudder stock upward
holds rudder in place
10 inches

6 1/2 inches
inches feet

10 inches
 1 1/2

All dimensions in inches

44

100 7/8
78

68
2
2
161

MOUSE
FLYING
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING Flying Mouse Coordinates Flying Mouse Coordinates
(in inches) (in millimeters)
x y x y

Side Side
a 1⁄ 2 0 a 11 0
b 241⁄ 4 0 b 593 0
c 473⁄ 4 0 c 1169 0
d 713⁄ 8 0 d 1747 0
e 951⁄ 4 0 e 2334 0
f 951⁄ 4 3 f 2334 73
g 713⁄ 8 67⁄ 8 g 1747 168
h 473⁄ 4 81⁄ 2 h 1169 207
i 241⁄ 4 71⁄ 4 i 593 178
j 1⁄ 2 33⁄ 4 j 11 91

Stem transom Stem transom

k 3⁄ 4 81⁄ 4 k 19 201
l 12 67⁄ 8 l 295 167
m 231⁄ 4 81⁄ 4 m 570 201
n 231⁄ 4 111⁄ 8 n 570 273
o 3⁄ 4 111⁄ 8 o 19 273

Stern transom Stern transom

p 671⁄ 8 83⁄ 8 p 1643 206
q 811⁄ 4 65⁄ 8 q 1990 161
r 953⁄ 8 83⁄ 8 r 2336 206
s 953⁄ 8 121⁄ 8 s 2336 297
t 671⁄ 8 121⁄ 8 t 1643 297

Bottom Bottom
u 0 143⁄ 8 u 0 353
v 237⁄ 8 111⁄ 2 v 584 281
w 473⁄ 8 113⁄ 8 w 1160 278
x 71 131⁄ 8 x 1738 323
y 947⁄ 8 171⁄ 8 y 2324 421
z 947⁄ 8 281⁄ 2 z 2324 698
A 71 29 A 1738 712
B 473⁄ 8 291⁄ 4 B 1160 717
C 237⁄ 8 291⁄ 8 C 584 714
D 0 285⁄ 8 D 0 702

Aft bulkhead Aft bulkhead

E 0 203⁄ 4 E 0 508
F 171⁄ 2 181⁄ 2 F 429 454
G 35 203⁄ 4 G 859 508
H 35 28 H 859 685
I 0 28 I 0 685

Cockpit bulkhead Cockpit bulkhead

J 0 303⁄ 8 J 0 745
K 173⁄ 4 281⁄ 4 K 436 693
L 355⁄ 8 303⁄ 8 L 872 745
M 355⁄ 8 383⁄ 4 M 872 951
N 0 383⁄ 4 N 0 951

Forward bulkhead Forward bulkhead

O 0 411⁄ 4 O 0 1010
P 153⁄ 4 391⁄ 4 P 386 962
Q 311⁄ 2 411⁄ 4 Q 772 1010
R 311⁄ 2 48 R 772 1176
S 48 48 S 0 1176

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii.

162
the material and then almost through the deck. Finally, I should add that all the bits and FLYING
It looks best if it’s finished to match the length- pieces needed for sailing this boat will take MOUSE
wise deck strap on which it sits. about as long to make as the hull.

Both of the author’s children have had a lot of fun with the The author’s son Ewan and the lad in the Optimist chased
Flying Mouse. Ella particularly enjoyed the security and each other all over our nearby sailing lake, and neither could
excitement of the boat, and Ewan developed into a real throw the other off despite Ewan’s cheap and quick polytarp
adventurer, constantly pushing the boundaries of how far he sail.
was allowed to go and in what conditions.

163
 EEK!
A LARGER, SPORTIER SAILING PRAM FOR
MORE EXPERIENCED KIDS AND SMALL ADULTS

Length Over All (LOA): 10'9"

Length Waterline (LWL): 6'9"
Beam: 36"
Weight: 70–80 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 325 lb.
Crew: 1 or 2 children or a small adult
Propulsion: Sail
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue
Simplified chine log

days. Its biggest fault is the tendency for the

N amed by my daughter, Ella, and reflecting
the idea that simpler is often better than
complicated, the Eek-a-Mouse! (or Eek!, for
top of the sail to fall off a little, but that isn’t
a wholly bad thing, for it is useful for spilling
short) is a significant step in the evolution of wind in a gust to help a young skipper keep
the Mouseboat idea. It is designed to meet the the boat upright. Another advantage of this
need for a kid’s sailer that’s fun and exciting type of sail is that as long as it’s small (as it is
for kids who don’t want to sail all the time here), it can be made flat—that is, without
with their parents, who want their own boat, any sail shaping. Anything that facilitates
and who can’t yet handle a boat more suited sailmaking is a good thing in my book, and I
for adults. You can build one in the garage or fully expect to use it in further small boats in
backyard in a few days or weeks. the future.
Eek! is rigged with a sail known as a bafter If you’ve read the sections on how to build
or a Bailey, and its shape is ingenious and the standard Mouseboat and the Flying Mouse,
offers some significant benefits for those who this one will seem very basic. The bottom is
sail very small boats. One of the cleverest fea- flat, there are no stays, and, because it’s made
tures of this sail is that it maintains nearly the up of small panels, even the sail is flat.
same center of effort (center of wind effort on You can build Eek! using the simplified
the sail) when reefed. Further, when an extra chine log or the stitch-and-glue method. At
panel is added to the bottom and the mast is 101⁄2 feet in length, the boat is longer than a
made correspondingly longer to make the standard sheet of plywood, and so some
boat sail faster, the center of effort remains in butt-jointing of the panels will be needed. I
almost exactly the same position in the fore- suggest using the glass-taped butt joint
and-aft direction. because the butt joint coincides with one of
At the size and proportions shown here, the boat’s internal frames. However, if you’re
the sail combines reasonable on-the-wind building using polyurethane glue, a plywood
performance with exciting sailing on a reach butt strap will do fine. Just remember to cut
or off the wind in a good breeze, which is the thickness of the strap off the lower edge
just what dinghy sailors seem to expect these of the forward frame, before assembly, and

164
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
 Eek-a-Mouse!
129 by 36 inches by 325 lb displacement kid's sailing boat

~O8>
56 sq. ft.

Deck view
165

EEK!
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
166

Eek-a-Mouse!
Minor building details

Frame 2

I-beam girder formed of 1-inch strap Spaces

backed with 4-inches-wide strip of scrap
plywood

I-beam, as foredeck
 o n
p m

Frame
t s

wB A

Frame
x
Deck
u v y z

q r
i
l
j k

g f e

Frame
Frame

h
Side
a b c d

Eek-a-Mouse panels, part 1.

167

EEK!
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
168

Frame 3
outboard section

dd cc ff
aa bb ee L K P O T S
H G Y X

F
Frame Frame Transom Z
2 4

Frame
Frame

Deck Bottom

E Q R U
I J
C D V
M N W
x Frame 3w B A
in board STEM
u section v y z
j i n m
f e s r

Frame
Daggerboard Daggerboard
Frame

case case
Side d g t
b h k l p q
a c o

Eek-a-Mouse panels, part 2.

 o n
p
m

Frame
Frame
Bottom

l
i j k

g f
h

Frame
Frame

Side e
a b c d

Eek-a-Mouse panels, part 3.

169

EEK!
ULTRASIMPLE Mast: 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 by 162 inches, square at bottom for
BOATBUILDING first 11 to 12 inches, then 6-sided and rounded. Top
third may be tapered to 1 1/2 in. diameter.

Leading wishbone batten 106 by 2 by 3/4 in. spruce,

two off. Bolted through the sail as indicated, with a leather
or seatbelt webbing cradle for the mast. Webbing is held
in place by a single bolt on either side so that it turns to
conform with the mast.
Side view

Cord rather than a bolt

View from above
is an option here.
Mast

then make a polyurethane stitch-and-glue joint Like the Flying Mouse described earlier,
between the frame and the plywood strap. squares and rectangles of scrap plywood rein-
When using the stitch-and-glue method forcement will be needed under the aft deck
with these dual-purpose plan drawings, the bot- to support the traveler, on the transom to sup-
tom should be cut out and stitched in the nor- port the rudder, and in the decking around
mal way. However, when using the simplified the mast to form partners to support the spar.
chine log method, the bottom shape is marked A detail that doesn’t appear in any other
out by drawing a pencil around the hull to give set of plans in this book is the wishbone
the shape of the bottom. It is then cut out with battens between the triangular upper sec-
a small margin all around, glued and attached, tion of the sail and the more flexible bat-
and then the excess is trimmed off. ten at the bottom of each panel below it.
The flexible panel battens are 92 inches long
All dimensions in inches and may be made from a variety of materials,
45 1/2 including PVC piping flattened in hot water
2 1
at one end and reinforced by wooden dowels
9 1/2
at the other end. You can also use 3⁄ 8-inch ply-
26 1/2
1/4-inch
wood, plastic moldings, or solid spruce, par-
49 1/2 plywood cheeks ticularly if the battens are doubled or even
1 1/4 by 3/4 inch
tripled over the aftermost third or half of the
batten length (whatever curve there is should
3/4 by 1 inch be at the forward end). Long pockets, maybe 2
12
inches wide, should be sewn or taped into the
12 sail, and the battens should be tied in place to
Daggerboard details. prevent loss.

170
 52° Eek-a-Mouse!
3 Weave: Weave of cloth in upper panel
parallel to leach; in lower panels
parallel to battens

112 1/2
1
5
ce /8-
nt in
er ch
of ho
95 1/4 le llo

2-inch-deep convex curve

ac w
h

60 inches up from tack

at
8-inch-wide
gussets 54°

Cringles
Batten pockets. Cringles allow
battens to be tied into place
Cringles

2in-wide pockets to
accept battens
22

22 max
curve, tack
vex m
92 3/4 ch con hes fro
2-in in c
8
1 1/ 41 7/
epth
d

Basic flat-cut More sophisticated sail

56 sq. ft. sail with curved sides designed
to give a better sail shape
171

EEK!
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING Eek-a-Mouse! Coordinates Stem transom
y 641⁄ 2 95⁄ 8
(in inches), Part 1 z 863⁄ 4 95⁄ 8
x y A 863⁄ 4 141⁄ 2
B 641⁄ 2 141⁄ 2
Side 1, aft section
a 0 0 Deck, forward section
b 373⁄ 4 0 C 0 137⁄ 8
c 73 0 D 61⁄ 8 141⁄ 2
d 96 0 E 33 185⁄ 8
e 96 95⁄ 8 F 33 407⁄ 8
f 73 105⁄ 8 G 61⁄ 8 45
g 373⁄ 4 10 H 0 455⁄ 8
h 0 71⁄ 4
Frame 2
Deck, aft section I 34 163⁄ 8
i 0 153⁄ 8 J 431⁄ 2 163⁄ 8
j 375⁄ 8 123⁄ 8 K 431⁄ 2 48
k 727⁄ 8 121⁄ 4 L 34 48
l 96 137⁄ 8
m 96 455⁄ 8 Frame 4
n 727⁄ 8 473⁄ 8 M 44 131⁄ 2
o 375⁄ 8 471⁄ 4 N 533⁄ 4 131⁄ 2
p 0 441⁄ 4 O 533⁄ 4 48
q 395⁄ 8 181⁄ 4 P 44 48
r 61 18
s 61 415⁄ 8 Transom
t 395⁄ 8 411⁄ 4 Q 541⁄ 4 191⁄ 8
u 71 29 R 611⁄ 2 191⁄ 8
v 831⁄ 4 29 S 611⁄ 2 48
w 831⁄ 4 301⁄ 2 T 541⁄ 4 48
x 71 301⁄ 2
y 861⁄ 8 281⁄ 2 Bottom, aft section
z 941⁄ 8 281⁄ 2 U 611⁄ 2 183⁄ 4
A 941⁄ 8 31 V 893⁄ 4 145⁄ 8
B 861⁄ 8 31 W 96 137⁄ 8
X 96 453⁄ 4
Y 893⁄ 4 45
Part 2 Z 621⁄ 2 407⁄ 8

x y Outboard sections of frame 3

aa 123⁄ 8 45
Side 1, forward section bb 23 45
a 0 0 cc 23 48
b 63⁄ 8 0 dd 123⁄ 8 48
c 331⁄ 2 0 ee 331⁄ 2 45
d 331⁄ 2 47⁄ 8 ff 331⁄ 2 48
e 63⁄ 8 9
f 0 95⁄ 8
Part 3
Daggerboard case
g 35 3⁄ 4 x y
h 47 1⁄ 2
i 47 11 Side 2, aft section
j 35 11 a 0 0
k 49 3⁄ 4 b 23 0
l 61 1⁄ 2 c 581⁄ 4 0
m 61 11 d 96 0
n 49 11 e 96 71⁄ 4
f 581⁄ 4 10
Side 2, forward section g 23 105⁄ 8
o 621⁄ 2 0 h 0 95⁄ 8
p 895⁄ 8 0
q 96 0 Bottom, front section
r 96 95⁄ 8 i 0 137⁄ 8
s 895⁄ 8 9 j 23 121⁄ 4
t 621⁄ 2 47⁄ 8 k 583⁄ 8 123⁄ 8
l 96 151⁄ 4
Inboard part frame 3 m 96 441⁄ 8
u 15 9 n 583⁄ 8 471⁄ 8
v 251⁄ 2 9 o 231⁄ 8 471⁄ 4
w 251⁄ 2 15 p 0 453⁄ 4
x 15 15

172

www.Ebook777.com
Eek-a-Mouse! Coordinates Stem transom EEK!
y 1580 237
(in millimeters), Part 1 Z 2124 237
x y B 2124 355
A 1580 355
Side 1, aft section
a 0 0 Deck, forward section
b 924 0 C 0 340
c 1788 0 D 150 357
d 2352 0 E 809 457
e 2352 237 F 809 1001
f 1788 260 G 150 1102
g 924 245 H 0 1119
h 0 179
Frame 2
Deck, aft section I 833 402
i 0 376 J 1065 402
j 920 303 K 1065 1176
k 1784 300 L 833 1176
l 2352 340
m 2352 1119 Frame 4
n 1785 1159 M 1078 331
o 921 1157 N 1318 331
p 0 1084 O 1318 1176
q 970 448 P 1078 1176
r 1494 440
s 1494 1020 Transom
t 970 1012 Q 1329 468
u 1739 711 R 1508 468
v 2039 711 S 1508 1176
w 2039 748 T 1329 1176
x 1739 748
y 2110 699 Bottom, aft section
z 2306 699 U 1532 458
A 2306 760 V 2198 357
B 2110 760 W 2352 340
X 2352 1120
Y 2198 1102
Part 2 Z 1532 1002

x y Outboard sections of frame 3

aa 304 1103
Side 1, forward section bb 563 1103
a 0 0 cc 563 1176
b 156 0 dd 304 1176
c 822 0 ee 822 1103
d 822 119 ff 822 1176
e 156 221
f 0 235
Part 3
Daggerboard case
g 858 18 x y
h 1152 11
i 1152 270 Side 2, aft section
j 858 270 a 0 0
k 1201 18 b 564 0
l 1495 11 c 1428 0
m 1495 270 d 2352 0
n 1201 270 e 2352 179
f 1428 245
Side 2, forward section g 564 260
o 1530 0 h 0 237
p 2196 0
q 2352 0 Bottom, front section
r 2352 235 i 0 340
s 2196 221 j 565 300
t 1530 119 k 1429 302
l 2352 375
Inboard part frame 3 m 2352 1083
u 368 221 n 1429 1156
v 626 221 o 565 1159
w 626 368 p 0 1120
x 368 368

Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and inch tables. See page ii. 173
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
174

~O8>

~O8>
69.5 sq. ft.
56 sq. ft.
~O8>

43 sq. ft.

Even when reefed, the bafter sail retains its fore-and-aft center of effort almost unchanged.
 EEK!

It was a nearly windless day when the author launched the first Eek!, but it performed well in the few gusts of wind, and the
balance seemed right.

175
 PUDDLE DUCK RACER
THE WORLD’S SIMPLEST RACING CLASS?

Length Over All (LOA): 8'

Length Waterline (LWL): 7'6"
Beam: 48"
Weight: 100 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 650 lb.
Crew: 1–3 adults
Propulsion: Sail
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue
Simplified chine log

sheer to the deepest part of the a boat, as long

N ot long after I drew up the first of the
Mouseboats, I suggested to a group of
Mouseboats enthusiasts that it would be fun to
as the fore and aft transoms and bottom all
follow the defined profiles. One last rule is
create a development racing dinghy class in that the boat is not allowed to have any clever
which the hull would be some standardized lifting foils that might make it faster.
version or relative of one of the Mouse hulls, The first Puddle Duck Racer hull was
but the builders would have complete freedom launched in 2004, and as of August 2007 there
in their design of the sailing rig. I argued that were 160 official hull numbers (no doubt more
racing these boats would often be very wet, but have been built). This is a development class,
also that it would offer its members challenges and its members develop their boats continu-
and a level of entertainment that you wouldn’t ally, adding their own touches to the design.
find in many dinghy racing classes. There’s no telling what refinements may arise
David “Shorty” Routh picked up the idea in the future, but this section presents a ver-
with an enthusiasm that remains undimmed, sion current at the time of writing, based on
and developed a set of rules that defined an some boats built by John Wright for visiting
iconoclastic 8-by-4-foot straight-sided, flat- Puddle Duck Racers.
bottomed hull that had enough displacement Many Puddle Ducks have leeboards,
to carry a couple of large adults, and would though John Wright’s boats feature a center-
be very simple and inexpensive to build. board mounted in a trunk on the inside of the
The Puddle Duck Racer was soon under port tank, with a lead weight at its tip to make
construction, and a new class of small boat it drop. A pendant line and cleat allow you to
racers was born. control the board so that you can adjust the lat-
The rules of the Puddle Duck Racer class are eral resistance to match your rig and the point
on the PDR website: www.pdracer.com. They of sail. Melting and pouring lead centerboard
define a boat with flat, parallel sides and flat ballast is not especially difficult, but it is haz-
bow and stern transoms built to a tolerance of ardous and it involves the use of tools and
1 inch in all dimensions. The beam must be at materials that don’t appear elsewhere in this
least 48 inches. The sides are defined by a book. I recommend against it for beginners
drawing that appears on the website. However, looking for an “ultrasimple” approach to boat-
the rules state that the boats can be built with building, and instead suggest using lead set in
176 much lower sides, as low as 10 inches from the epoxy.

Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.

 Puddle Duck Racer
Sail plan view
177

PUDDLE
RACER
DUCK
ULTRASIMPLE All dimensions in inches
BOATBUILDING
Site of centerboard
bolt 36

Sub-deck structural details.

Deck and buoyancy tank tops installed.

Centerboard in up position,
with handle raised (note
handle on inside of port
7 1/8 air tank) 8
Centerboard in
1 inch down position
Rubber
gaskets

8 1/2

Cross section at 36 inches from bow

Centerboard is bolted in place

with large rubber gaskets or
washers; as the bolt is
tightened the pressure retains
the board in place

178
 All dimensions in inches

Side Inside bouyancy tank

64
Stern Bow 8
10 11 5/8 Starboard side deck
(less thickness of material each side)
(less thickness of material each side) Port side deck (adjoins
48 7 1/8
centerboard)

Side Inside bouyancy tank

179

PUDDLE
RACER
DUCK
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
180

All dimensions in inches

72

Centerboard case side

Bottom

Foredeck
32
Mast holes in
foredeck

48
 All dimensions in inches PUDDLE
DUCK
RACER
Tiller extension attached
using single thread of
rigging cord
29 1/2

3/4 inch
11 7/8

6 1/2

10 36
31 1/2
1 1/2 10 1/2
4 7/8

Rudder details.

If you do wish to take the molten lead contain so much air that any water runs out of
approach, read up on the subject, and be the cockpit before the boat can be righted.
extremely cautious; molten lead is bad stuff. Spray rails on the bow deck help to keep
This Puddle Duck Racer has sides 16 inches water out and can be used to mount hard-
high. This is a good compromise height that ware. A mast sleeve to accommodate a 21⁄ 2-
provides a large enough bow transom to inch square spar is mounted on the deck
bounce off waves instead of diving into them, 271⁄ 2 inches from the bow. The sleeve is rec-
but is low enough to allow competitors to eas- tangular in shape, with a drain hole in the
ily sit on the sides and hike out to balance the bottom that drains any water to the interior
boat in a blow. It has 7-inch-wide air tanks on of the hull. The Wright boat also has a lifting
either side for emergency buoyancy, which are rudder with a stock with only one strong
also good for sitting on when leaning out to cheek: it is attached to the rudder blade by a
balance the boat (a toe strap runs from the single large bolt, nuts, and a washer.
foot of the mast to the stern). The boat comes The lateen sail for the design included in
up from a capsize with no water on board. this book was developed by Puddle Duck Racer
The reason for this is that the buoyancy tanks champion Ken Abraham. It has a yard along
the luff and a boom along the foot, and it can
be hoisted and secured with a single halyard
just like a lug sail. The luff is 12 feet, the foot is
10 1/2 11 feet 4 inches, and the leech is 11 feet, giving
Position of centerboard
7 1/2 bolt a total area of about 62 square feet. The foot
and luff are curved outward to give the sail
some belly. The curve is a smooth affair run-
ning from the tack to the aft end of the boom,
with a maximum depth of 3 inches, about
30 percent aft of the luff. The lateen can be
Centerboard case with logs and easily reefed by running a line of cringles
end cleats, and deck cleats from the tack to the leech and lacing a line
through them when necessary. 181
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING 7-1/2 inch radius
Centerboard (i)

9-inch radius

9-inch radius

7 1/2-inch radius

Laminate centre-board pieces together,

then add 2-by-1-by-18-inch handle

Mast 3 by 2 by 143 inches, rounded off to

an oval profile above the deck

Boom 3 by 1 1/2 by 138 inches

Yard 3 by 1 1/2 by 150 inches

6
each station
Heights at

Side

6 2 3/4 3/4 0 0 1 2 1/2 4 1/2 6

12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Distances between stations,

all dimensions in inches

182
 PUDDLE
DUCK
RACER

The construction of David “Shorty” Routh’s classic PDR Bucket Ears could not have been
much simpler.

The leeboard arrangement Shorty used could not have been

much simpler either. The PDR cuts a surprising kind of dash on a trailer.

183
 SUMMER BREEZE
A VERSATILE ROWING/SAILING SKIFF

Length Over All (LOA): 11'8"

Length Waterline (LWL): 10'10"
Beam: 48"
Weight: 80–90 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 340 lb.
Crew: 1 adult and 1 child or 2 moderate-sized adults
Propulsion: Oars, sail
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue
Simplified chine log

Building the boat using external chine logs

D avid Beede’s Summer Breeze is a great little
boat. Although it’s simple and cheap to
build, it sails and rows well. It’s also a very clever
cuts down on adhesive costs because cheaper
adhesives and sealants can be used, and the
design that makes an 11-foot 8-inch boat with a amount of epoxy required is either much
48-inch beam, 16-inch sides, and a displacement reduced or not necessary at all, depending on
of 340 pounds out of two sheets of plywood, whether you decide to cover the bottom, or
plus a little something extra for the transom. the bottom and sides, with fiberglass cloth.
Those of you who have built any of the David doesn’t favor coordinates when
boats described in the previous sections will drawing up his panels, but in other respects
find there’s little that’s challenging about Sum- the process is generally similar to the one used
mer Breeze, even though it looks a lot closer to for most of the other boats in this book: draw
everyone’s idea of a “real” boat. Because it dif- the fixed dimensions, rule in the straight lines
fers in several of its particulars from most of the (including the places where the internal panels
boats in this book, I’ll present the construction and bracing go), and cut out using a handsaw.
method here in detail. Anyone thinking of Just a glance at the drawing showing
building this boat—particularly if this is your how the side panels of the boat should be cut
first boat—should begin by blowing up the out from the first 4-by-8 sheet of plywood
drawing using a photocopier, and building a reveals just how successful David has been in
model using the expanded images glued to avoiding waste. In a single sheet of plywood,
thick paper or cereal-box-weight cardboard. he somehow managed to fit the panels and
Summer Breeze can be built using either still leave something over to make a pair of
the “instant boat” method (the precursor to oar blades, quarter knees, and a skeg. Take
my simplified chine log method) that David care not to throw anything away that you
used for the prototype, or you can go with cut from this first plywood sheet—the truth
stitch-and-glue. I suggest using the epoxy is that the only waste is the dust from cuts
stitch-and-glue method because I prefer the and you will find a use for every square inch.
look of a well-made taped exterior seam to With every cut a certain amount of mate-
that of an external chine log, and because rial, equivalent to the width of the blade, is
stitch-and-glue can be kinder in allowing for reduced to dust. This is called the kerf, and if
small inaccuracies in marking out and cutting. you look at David’s drawing you’ll see that
But many of you will prefer handling wood because of the material lost to the kerf the fore
184 and nails instead of epoxy and fiberglass. and aft sections of the sides won’t be quite the

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 SUMMER
BREEZE

50 inches

82 inches

185
ULTRASIMPLE All dimensions in inches
BOATBUILDING 37 1/2

Oar blade Skeg

Position of frame
Side butt blocks
Aft side panel

Bow butt block

Quarter knees

Aft side panel

Oar blade Skeg

Forward side panel Forward side panel

3
3
52 1/2

4 3/8
10

90
5 1/4
20 1/2
21 1/4

14
52
16 Trim max 1/2 in.
from here

44

Gussets for
Rotate the transom
triangles to Leeboard backing plate 3 in. wide, three layers
make the Triangle 1
bow section

Dashed lines show positions

of butt blocks Triangle 2 Breast-
Bow butt block, 3 in. wide hook
Mast step

186
 32 3 SUMMER
BREEZE

12 1/8
41°
Bottom - shape
is defined by hull

same width. To reduce this difference to a be used as butt blocks for the sides and the for-
minimum, you have to abandon the usual car- ward part of its bottom, and they too should
pentry principle of always cutting on the waste- be cut out down the centerline so that the
wood side of the line. These cuts are an excep- dimensions are closely matched. Cut one of
tion: when making the long cuts between these the butt blocks into two, carefully join the side
panels, cut right on the line so that the sides are panels, and allow the glue to harden.
exactly equal because the kerf is effectively The drawing shows a distinct but wide
shared between them. angle along the bottom edge of the cut-out side
In these circumstances, it’s good to use a panels. This has to be rounded off equally for
Japanese pull saw that leaves a very narrow both panels. I’d suggest clamping both sides
kerf. Because the blade of a pull-saw is in ten- together, marking a point about half an inch in
sion when cutting, it is thinner than the blade from the “corner” of the obtuse angle, and
of a handsaw that cuts on the push stroke, rounding off gently with a Stanley Surform or
which is thicker because it’s in compression rasp until you achieve a graceful curve that
when cutting. lines up with the mark you have just made.
Similarly, cut the forward-most panels The second nesting diagram showing
along the center of the line, and your panels the layout of the bottom panels shows two
should be closely matched. additional long, narrow butt blocks along
As well as leaving material for the oar the outer edges. Between them are the two
blades and skeg in this cutting-out plan, David large bottom panels, with the twin triangular
has carefully included two strips of plywood to forward bottom panels in the two triangular

Blocks
Components cut from two ten-foot 1-by-12-inch clear boards support
Tiller
oarlocks
Transom Leeboard Crown
for
transom
Two pieces together make stem
Stem
pieces

Keel is slotted
to accept skeg
Keel
Rudder Rudder Mast
Thwart
blade cheek partner
187
 BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
188

All dimensions in inches

34 3/4 45 1/2 38 3/8 2 3/4

5 3/4

1 1/2
11 1/2

2 24 1/8 17 38 7/8 39 1/8

1 1/2

9 1/2 9 1/2

20 23 3/8 34 41
Not to scale.
 All dimensions in inches
SUMMER
BREEZE
48
7 5/8
Plywood gussets between
frame members 15 3/8
1 5/8 5 3/4

39

9 Center f rame

8 1/4

1 1/2
Spacers 1 1/2 by
3/4 by 3 in.
Gunwales and inwales
4 1/2 4 1/2 3/4 by 1 1/2 in.

Second mast foot has

drain cut into it Chine logs make from 1 by 1 in.
trimmed to accept bottom (or one
piece 6/8 by 1 1/2 in. split at 18 degrees)

spaces at the left-hand end of the plywood Once the bottom and side butt joints are
sheet. These have to be butt-jointed together complete, you have to decide between building
with the long, narrow butt blocks laid in a using the simplified chine log method or by
T-shape as shown. the stitch-and-glue method. I won’t repeat
David also manages to find pieces for the everything I said in earlier chapters about these
mast step, breasthook, backing for the lee- methods, but only pick out some key points as
board, and other small parts from this sheet. they apply specifically to Summer Breeze.
With everything safely cut out, the first
job is to butt-joint all the large panel compo- DETAILS FOR THE SIMPLIFIED
nents. This can be done in a variety of ways,
CHINE LOG METHOD
but I recommend that you use the full set of
butt blocks in the plans. Depending on your Stem and Transom
building method, you’re likely to need to cut The solid lumber stock has to be marked out
some of this butt block material away. and cut out carefully. The stem can be cut
You can use a variety of weights to hold from a piece of solid stock sawn to create a
the plywood panels and butt blocks in place 41-degree wedge, but another way is to cut a
while the glue sets. David uses staples for this piece of 2-by-1-inch material to an angle of
purpose and removes them after the glue has 20.5 degrees. The two halves are then reversed
hardened. and glued together to create a stem with little or

All dimensions in inches

Boom 2 by 1 by 110

Gaff 2 by 1 by 115

Mast 3 by 2 by 120

1 5/8 1

3/4

38 3/8
189
ULTRASIMPLE All dimensions in inches
BOATBUILDING

4
107 1/

8
151 3/

2
t
Midpoin

3-inch seams all around

3 t
Midpoin

56

3
31 7/8

96 3/8

no waste. Use a protractor to measure and the central frame needs no further shaping
mark the angles, and don’t worry about the before you assemble the boat.
half degree; you’ll never be that accurate The best way to make up the frame is to
anyway. draw up the frame profile full-sized on a large
When you come to fit the stern, you will piece of paper (brown paper used to wrap pack-
also need to cut the inch-thick transom as ages is good), and then make up the frame so
shown in the drawing to ensure that it neatly that it matches the paper profile. Leave the sides
fits the shapes created by the side and bottom 18 or 19 inches long so that they can later be
panels. trimmed to exactly the right length.
Mark out and cut out the gussets as shown
Frame in the drawing. These are sandwiched between
Summer Breeze’s central frame is placed at the the piece of lumber that makes the “bottom” of
widest point of the boat where the bottom is the frame and the pieces that make the “sides.”
deepest and where the sides and bottom form Placing the gussets between the bottom and
190 a 90-degree angle to the frame. Because of this side members helps eliminate some shaping,
and the excess where the frame components The seventh step is to glue and screw SUMMER
meet at the chines is easily removed with a rasp the transom into place, shaping its edges BREEZE
or Stanley Surform. to match the angles made by the sides,
while making sure the lower edge is slightly
Assembling the Sides proud so it can be trimmed to accept the
Once the central frame has been screwed bottom.
and glued and trimmed to match the paper As well as being very traditional, this is also
profile, it’s time to go three-dimensional. a great, fast way to build a boat, but if you’re
This is always an exciting moment in any working alone it can be a little like wrestling an
boatbuilding project, and it usually goes better octopus. It’s best to get someone to lend a hand
with a helper. with the Spanish windlass.
The first move into the third dimension is As with the Mouseboats, at this point it’s
to screw and glue the shaped stem to the bow- good practice to use a tape measure to ensure
end of one of the sides—it doesn’t matter that the distance from the stem to each stern
which, and we do it this way only because it’s quarter is the same. This is called “horning.” If
easier to do it at this stage than later. the two distances aren’t identical, jiggle the
The second is to glue and screw both side stern until they are, and you can leave the boat
panels to the central frame. knowing that all is true while the glue hardens.
The third is to find a line and tie a loop Another way to do this is to mark the center
around the aft end of the side panels so that point of the frame, stretch a string from the
they won’t pull outward as you draw the two stem to the center point of the transom, and
halves of the bow together. The fourth step is to jiggle the whole thing around until it lines up
use a Spanish windlass (see page 39, Chapter 4) perfectly.
to draw the front ends of the panels together.
Begin by placing clamps—one each at the sheer- Installing the Bottom
line and at the bottom on each side panel— When everything is good and solid, you can
about a foot from the wobbling ends. Then start on the external chine logs and the bottom.
tighten the loop on the inside of these so that it The chine logs are 12-foot-long, 11⁄4-by-3⁄4-inch
doesn’t get forced off the end. boards glued and screwed to the outside bot-
Tie a loop tied in a second length of line, tom edges of the sides. These should be single
place it behind the clamps and around the boards and should be attached or clamped to
wobbling forward section of the sides, and pass each side simultaneously starting from the stern
a stick through the loop and crank it around so that the boat does not become twisted.
until both sides come together at the stem. As you go screwing, or clamping and glu-
As you recall, you’ve already glued and ing, from the stern to the bow, keep the edges
screwed the pre-cut stem to one of the side sec- of the chine logs flush with the plywood edges.
tions. The fifth step is to glue and screw the When everything has set use a straightedge and
other side panel to the stem, making sure the a rasp or Stanley Surform to make the gluing
tops and bottoms of the two side panels coin- edges horizontal so that they offer a rough but
cide. When you’re done, you should have a flat gluing surface for the bottom.
pointed bow, with the stern sections of the The bottom is not properly marked out
sides only held by their restraining line. and does not need to be; it’s represented in
The sixth step is to glue, clamp, and screw the drawings as a space on the plywood that’s
the sides so that the frame is exactly where you not taken up by any other parts. What you’ll
marked it, making sure that the bottom of the have to do is lay the remaining plywood onto
frame and the bottom edges of the side panels the upturned boat, and jiggle it about until
correspond exactly. Tighten the line a little so the chines, bow, and stern are all covered.
that the gluing surfaces are brought into close Then drive a few temporary nails through the
contact. bottom into the chines to keep everything 191
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE still, and then use a pencil to carefully trace absence of chines, you probably won’t be able
BOATBUILDING
onto the plywood along the chines, bow, and to use small nails to temporarily hold the bot-
stern, making sure that you leave a small margin tom firmly to the rest of the hull while doing
all the way around (see the drawing). Hold the the marking out. Instead you’ll need to use a
flat of the pencil against the boat so that the variety of weights from around the house and
margin is exactly half the pencil’s thickness. the workshop area.
This will give you a small but comfortable mar- When tracing the bottom, rather than
gin all around for fitting to the hull. leaving a margin for error, as you did with the
The bottom is then glued down to the simplified chine log method, place the pencil
chines, transom, frame, and stem, and clamped, point right up against the boat’s sides and
nailed, or screwed at intervals of 8 to 10 inches transom to scribe the exact shape and size
all the way around. To cut down on the amount needed for stitch-and-glue assembly. If you
of sanding required later, wipe up any glue that don’t, you’ll end up with an awkward ridge of
squeezes out before it hardens. After the glue epoxy that will require a lot of unnecessary
has well and truly set, get the rasp or Stanley work to remove from the exterior seams in
Surform out again and trim the excess plywood preparation for taping.
all around the bottom.

USING STITCH-AND-GLUE FINISHING THE HULL

Summer Breeze’s bow has a much more acute The nesting drawing that includes the bot-
angle than any stitch-and-glue joint you have tom panel also shows suitable areas of scrap
seen in the Mouseboats, but that should cause plywood for the breasthook and quarter
no problems—the stitch-and-glue procedure knees (labeled “gussets for transom”). I think
for making the stem is the same for any other these may be a little slight for the purpose, so
stitch-and-glue joint, and the resulting joint I recommend finding some extra bits of ply-
will be very strong. Nevertheless, because the wood to make up the quarter knees double-
bow of a boat often receives a lot of punish- thick. I would recommend making them in a
ment, it should be reinforced with several lay- more graceful shape than the simple triangles
ers of fiberglass and epoxy to make it strong shown—something that gives it some curve
and durable. but without weakening the structure would
The central frame is glued and screwed be nice, but not essential.
into place as we’ve seen, but this time the tran- The breasthook and quarter knees can be
som is attached to the sides and bottom just made up several ways. You can take the
like any other stitch-and-glue joint. It’s per- approach used on the Cinderella canoe; it
fectly okay to cut the transom from something would work very well for Summer Breeze, as
other than the 1-inch-thick solid board that the gunwale would go on last and would
the designer shows in the plans. You can use neatly cover the seams. But since this is, in
3
⁄8-inch or 1⁄2-inch plywood for the transom, some ways, a simpler boat than Cinderella
though I’d use two or possibly even three lay- and needs blocks for oarlocks, you might
ers to make a pad for the outboard clamp, if choose to dispense with inwales altogether.
you plan to use an outboard. In their stead, rely on the frames, the bent
As you saw above, the area of plywood set panel shapes of the boat, substantial gun-
aside for the bottom in the original plans is wales laminated from two 11⁄2-by-3⁄4 -inch strips
intended to cover a boat built with external to a finished dimension of 11⁄2 by 11⁄2 inches,
chines, and it is, therefore, a little larger and the breasthooks and quarter knees to
than is strictly needed for the stitch-and- keep everything rigid. Make up simple soft-
glue version. You will still need to lay the bot- wood cleats and attach them beneath the
tom panel on the upturned boat and trace quarter knees against the boat’s sides, shaping
192 around the hull using a pencil, but due to the the ends with a little taper and cutting them

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an inch or so shorter than the knees to make continue making marks at 12-inch intervals SUMMER
them as unobtrusive as possible. Shape them back to the point where the skeg begins. At BREEZE
to fit the boat’s transom and sides by the good that point, continue at 12-inch intervals on
old cut and try method, using a vise or a both sides of the centerline so that they don’t
clamping workbench and a rasp or Stanley coincide with the slot itself, but drive into the
Surform. Once the parts have been trimmed to material of the keel.
fit, screw and glue them into place. Alterna- Screwing the keel into place is one of those
tively, if you have built the hull by stitch and jobs where it’s useful to have someone help
glue, you may prefer to use the same method you, but, failing that, it’s good to have the boat
for the breasthook and quarter knees. propped up securely in such a way that you
Make the gunwales from 12-foot lengths of can easily get underneath it. However, if you’re
whatever rot-resistant hardwood you can find going to be underneath even a small boat it’s
at a good price. good to have someone around for obvious
Regardless of which construction method safety reasons. It’s best to enlist a helper for
you used, Summer Breeze can easily be covered this procedure.
in fiberglass and epoxy, as it is made up of large From above the upside-down hull, use a
flat surfaces. This is a worthwhile, but by no hand drill to put the screw holes through the
means essential, upgrade to the basic design of plywood bottom at the points you have marked
the boat. along the centerline.
With or without the glass and epoxy, the Then measure, mark, and check that all is
flat bottom is wide enough to require the as it should be, and drill the first screw hole in
reinforcement of a simple plank keel running the keel at the bow end. Loosely drive a screw
from bow to stern. This should be made from from inside the boat up into the hole in the
21⁄2-by-3⁄4-inch lumber. Start by drawing a keel. With this done, line up the keel along the
centerline from the bow to the transom using a centerline, and either weight it in place, or ask
straight piece of lumber or molding. Then draw a helper to hold it in place while you scramble
two parallel lines on either side of the center- under the boat and mark where the rest of the
line to indicate where the edges of the keel screw holes should go with a pencil.
should lie: the distance between them should Unscrew the first loose screw, remove the
be the same as the breadth of the keel material. keel, turn it over, and drill the remaining small
Before you fasten the keel plank down, screw holes. Finally, roughen the gluing side of
you have to cut a slot in its aft end to accom- the keel, apply the glue, lay it back into posi-
modate the skeg. David’s scheme is to laminate tion on the bottom, crawl back underneath the
the skeg from two pieces, which means that boat, and drive all the screws home. Again, this
the slot’s width must be twice the thickness really requires a helper to hold the keel in place
of the plywood. Drill a hole in the plank keel, while you work from underneath.
of the same diameter as the thickness of the An electric screwdriver and a cushion to sit
skeg, where the forward end of the skeg should or lie on underneath the boat will both make
go, then mark out lines from the hole to the life easier for you.
back end of the board and make straight cuts. As the glue sets, take care to wipe and trim
Cut out the skeg pieces as shown on the ply- any excess away, partly in order to do a neat job,
wood cutting diagram, and laminate them and partly so that fitting the skeg will be a simple
together using either epoxy or polyurethane. task that won’t have to begin with chiseling out
Once the keel has been cut to length and a lot of hardened adhesive. So long as you do
the slot has been cut out, it is nearly ready to this, and assuming you have made the slot for
be glued and screwed into place. First, how- the skeg wide enough, fitting it should be easier
ever, you need to mark and then drill the and more comfortable than fitting the keel!
screw holes. Make the first tick on the center- Fitting the skeg is a matter of cut and try,
line, 3 inches or so aft from the bow, then or rather try and then cut. The process can be 193
ULTRASIMPLE summed up as follows: try putting the skeg in Dry-screw the cleats temporarily into the
BOATBUILDING
place and assess how it needs to be trimmed position shown, about 91⁄2 inches down from
first to go into the slot and second to seat the sheer on each side of the boat. With the
home stably. The particular issue I see here is boat on a horizontal surface, use a level to
that while the bottom of the boat is curved in mark how the cleats should be trimmed to
profile, the side of the skeg is straight. This present a wide horizontal surface to support
means that the profile of the skeg will have to the thwart. Trim them, then glue and screw
be hollowed slightly first by spiling, as described the supports permanently in place.
in Chapter 4, and then cut to match the curve Make the thwart from two pieces of
1
of the bottom. Because the curve will be slight, ⁄4-inch plywood, 8 to 9 inches wide and
you can probably do this pretty quickly with a laminated together so that the exterior grain
rasp; however, if you have some epoxy handy, runs from one side of the boat to the other. An
even this may not be necessary. athwartships orientation is stronger and looks
Once the skeg seats properly, it can be good. A couple of knot-free lengths of 1-by-
glued in place. As with the Mouseboats, how- 2-inch lumber beneath the thwart will make
ever, I would nail a little scrap plywood to the it as strong as it needs to be.
transom to use as a brace to keep the skeg per- The specified width is important because
fectly perpendicular to the bottom until the it’s just the right size for most people to “hook”
glue sets. If you do this, of course, you’ll need their bottom onto when rowing—and with the
to use a little polyethylene or plastic shopping comfort of the rower in mind, do please round
bag material to prevent the support from the edges with a rasp and sandpaper. The length
being permanently stuck to the boat. should be measured and cut as in the drawing
so that it bears on the supports, but does not
ROWING ACCOUTREMENTS press directly onto the sides of the boat.
If the boat is only for rowing, all you need to If you plan to only use the boat as a single-
add are a thwart to sit on, a stretcher for your handed rower, and you don’t intend to sail,
feet, and a pair of oarlocks. entertain passengers, or carry anything heavy
Further, if your boat will only be used for in your boat, you can complete your hull by
single-handed rowing, I recommend installing gluing and screwing the thwart in place to cre-
a fixed thwart as shown, so that its front edge ate a strong, permanent structure.
lines up with the central frame. This will align Most of us, however, will have passengers
the boat’s center of buoyancy roughly with the on board from time to time. In a small boat, a
rower’s center of gravity, which I reckon will be passenger in the stern combined with a rower
somewhere around the front of the stomach, if placed in the middle can cause a serious imbal-
his or her legs are spread out aft in the usual ance: the bow will point at the sky and the
way. This is an approximation that has transom will drag in the water, making the boat
worked very well for me in several small boat slow and difficult to steer and row.
designs, and I’m confident that it’s quite close If the boat is strictly for use as a rowboat
enough. (or with an outboard) that will carry passen-
The drawings show the thwart supports. gers, add a second similar rowing thwart a foot
Support the seat using the central frame and a or a foot and a half farther toward the bow, so
horizontal cleat of framing lumber on both that the rower can move forward to balance
sides of the boat, running from the frame to a the weight of a passenger. (The extra thwart
point about 14 inches forward of the frame. will conflict with the mast in the sailing ver-
Take two pieces of 1-by-2-inch lumber cut to sion.) The new thwart should be built like the
size, and cut a taper into the forward 5 inches central thwart, but needs to be fitted using two
or so. This taper isn’t essential, but it will help cleats on each side since there is no frame in
distribute pressure exerted by the thwart on this position, and the cleats should be tapered
194 the plywood sides. fore and aft.
 To make room for the rower’s knees in this If you built your boat using the stitch- SUMMER
forward position, the central thwart must be left and-glue method, there will be no bearing BREEZE
loose so that it can be removed when required. surface along the lower chine, so add two
A piece of elastic cord and some deadeyes bearing strakes, one along the chine and
screwed to the frame and cleat on each side can another balancing strake just under the gun-
be used to hold it in place when in use. wale or use the gunwale itself. The bearing
On a passenger-carrying version of this strakes should be a couple of feet long and
boat, you might also add a thwart near the should be tapered at the ends to reduce
stern, although this isn’t strictly necessary stresses and for a better appearance.
because non-rowing passengers in a boat this David’s rudder design is better looking
size are often happier sitting in the bottom. than the one I drew up for the Flying Mouse.
Stretchers for your feet at either rowing Both follow the same basic idea, with a long,
position can be made up using the method strong tiller and rudder assembly, and a lifting
described in Chapter 6. You’ll need to exper- blade, but in this case there is only one strong
iment with the position of this stretcher in cheek. A simple stainless steel bolt, with two
order to find the most comfortable position. washers and two nuts (again, one is a locknut),
Oarlocks need to be placed just the right provides a pivot. (See diagrams on page 71 in
distance from each of the thwarts. A good tra- Chapter 6.) Be sure the installation is not too
ditional way to do this is to make the hori- tight because the rudder must be able to freely
zontal distance along the sheer, from directly lift if it hits an underwater obstruction.
above the aft edge of the thwart to the center Make the mast from spruce around 2 to 21⁄2
of the oarlock socket, the same as the length inches square using either a single straight-
of the rower’s forearm. If you’re adding an grained piece of lumber or two pieces laminated
extra rowing position, add a second set of together. The lower end of the mast should be
oarlocks using the same measurements. square in section, but from about 18 inches up
The oarlock itself must be well supported. from the bottom it should be planed on its cor-
Make up two blocks, each laminated from ners to make it 8-sided, then 16-sided, and then
three 4-by-8-inch pieces of 1⁄4-inch plywood, it should be sanded with coarse and then
and then glue and screw them to the hull sides
(driving the screws from the outside of the
hull). Make sure they are flush with the sheer-
line and that the fittings of each oarlock sit in
the middle of each block. The oarlocks can be
standard models. I think a pair of oars of 6 to
7 feet will be perfect for Summer Breeze.

SAILING RIG
Sailing rigs usually add a lot of complexity to
a boat, but David has kept this rig about as
simple as it can be.
The leeboard should be made as shown
in the drawings. It’s a pretty easy piece of
work and should be attached on the port side
and bolted to the side of the boat using a
large stainless steel bolt, big washers with
holes that match the bolts, and two nuts (the
second is a locknut). The bolt should pass
through a good-sized circular piece of scrap David Beede’s Summer Breeze is a classic that uses very little in
plywood glued to the side. the way of materials, but is a lot of fun to sail in a sheltered area. 195
ULTRASIMPLE medium and fine sandpaper to make it smooth The mast step is made from four 6-inch-
BOATBUILDING
and round. Don’t plane it so that it becomes too square pieces of plywood. The bottom one is
thin, and sand lengthwise rather than across the left whole, the second one has a square cut in
grain for a better appearance after it’s varnished. the middle to accept the mast and drain holes
The mast support partner is like the solid cut in the sides, and the third and fourth
version of the thwart I discussed earlier, but it have the simple square hole. These pieces
needs to be sited near the sheer, with the center should be laminated by gluing and clamping
50 inches aft of the stem. In the center there them together, and should then be glued and
should be a square hole, sized to accept the screwed to the bottom of the boat in the
mast, and directly below that should be the position marked.
mast step. Block the hull so that it is horizontal The yard and sprit-boom can be made from
(the bottom of the stem and the lower edge of 1-by-2-inch lumber, but I strongly suggest lam-
the transom will be at exactly the same inating them from two pieces of 1-by-1-inch
height above your working surface), and use a material chosen to have opposing grain to pre-
level to find the point directly below the hole vent warping. The ends of the spars should be
in the mast partner. rounded for safety.

196
 D O R I S T H E D O RY
A ROWING AND SAILING EXPEDITION BOAT

Length Over All (LOA): 15'3"

Length Waterline (LWL): 13'
Beam: 48"
Weight: 100 lb.
Displacement at Design Waterline: 480 lb.
Crew: 2 moderate-sized adults or 1 adult and 1 child
Propulsion: Oars, sail
Construction Methods: PU stitch-and-glue
Epoxy stitch-and-glue

by expert boat handlers who knew just how to

I n many ways, flat-sided Banks-style dories are
great boats when built from plywood.
They’re simple to build, exciting to row, and
look after themselves even when separated from
their mother fishing schooner by fog or bad
good in moderately lumpy water (particularly if weather. These boats sometimes survived all
there’s something heavy in the boat’s bottom), sorts of storms and dangers, and the legend is
and they usually have a dramatically sweeping that some even made the Atlantic crossing to
sheer and an attractive narrow transom. Ireland.
Dories are small boats for their length. However, a light plywood dory piloted
Although a more mainstream 16-foot boat by a flabby desk jockey (like me, for example)
with, say, a 5-foot beam can be quite roomy, is a very different kind of boat and shouldn’t
a 16-foot rowing dory just over 2 feet wide be expected to carry you through the same
on the bottom and 4 feet on the beam is situations. Using a dory does not mean you
really not much more than a single-handed can ignore the weather forecast.
boat. A dog or a couple of kids (one fore and The stability characteristics of a dory can
one aft) would be OK, and a petite adult in seem strange and unsettling. Although a dory
one end of the boat may also be OK for a short may be pretty steady when heeled, when sit-
while if you put a balancing bag of picnic stuff ting bolt upright they can seem very tippy to
in the other end—but if you need a boat you someone used to more conventional boats. If
can share with the family, a dory isn’t the you decide to build a dory, you should proba-
answer. By contrast, if you need a boat to get bly expect to spend a little time getting used
away from the demands of work and home, a to its interesting and unusual ways.
dory might be just the thing you need. Doris the Dory (in French, the word doris
Although you’ll be alone, your boat will cer- means “dory”) is enjoyably quick to row. It
tainly have the carrying capacity to accom- sails pretty well by traditional boat standards,
modate camping or other gear. with a 65-square-foot spritsail setup so that I
Another consideration: the narrow, high can lower the whole rig into the boat in an
ends that give the dory its characteristic looks instant. However, it is a challenging boat to
and easy ride and stability also tend to catch manage under sail and isn’t at all suitable for
strong winds and can make the boat a little dif- beginners in sailing. The technique required is
ficult to control. The legendary seaworthiness of very different from dinghy sailing, and it could
the dory comes from heavily-built traditional irritate many sailors familiar with conven-
models loaded with fish and gear, and manned tional small boats. 197
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
Doris the Dory

480 lb.
198
 DORIS
THE
DORY
199
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

200
 All measurements are in inches, except where shown DORIS
THE
DORY

72

3-inch borders

123 5/8
60 sq. ft. 2

126 3/8
79 5/8

26 1/2
3

106 3/8

Unlike a conventional dinghy, Doris sails you’re through the wind you have to move aft
as straight when heeled well over as it does to let the bow fall off on the other side.
upright, which is useful in a gust—there are no In common with other narrow boats, Doris
sudden broaches with this boat. This is a good is also difficult to right and re-enter after a cap-
feature, as is the comforting way it becomes size, though not impossible. In order to avoid
steadily more stable the farther it heels, once capsize as far as possible, I devised a quick-
you’re used to it. release mechanism that lets the mast down
However, don’t expect to execute any dra- into the boat in a hurry when necessary. It is an
matic racing turns when you go about. Like essential part of the gear and should be used as
most long and lean boats, Doris needs to be soon as there’s the slightest hint of trouble.
coaxed around using a slightly different tech- The quick-release is simplicity itself. The
nique, which I think many beginning sailors mast is supported by two open partners
will find difficult, largely because it’s different (supports). What prevents it from falling into
from what the sailing schools and textbooks the boat when in use is a line looped around it
teach. that runs through a ring and back to a cleat I
If you’re on the wind in Doris—or in a sail- can reach from the central thwart. When I need
ing canoe, for that matter—it’s normal to bear the mast to come down, I slacken the line with
off from the wind for a moment, get some one hand and lower the mast into my other
extra speed up, turn smoothly but smartly into arm before rolling the whole thing up and put-
the wind, pulling smoothly on the sheet and ting it to one side in the boat. Fortunately, I
moving your weight forward to help the boat rarely have to do this because Doris can stand
into and through the eye of the wind. Once up to a strong breeze. 201
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BOATBUILDING
ULTRASIMPLE
202

y x Trace from foredeck

w Foredeck
v below left
Line of aft

u
bulkhead

t Bottom aft
22 5/8 in s
r
q k j
p l
o
bulkhead
Line of forward

n m

d
e Bottom forward
c
f Foredeck
g
a b h i

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 Side (trace around
opposite side below)

l
u t n m
s r q p o
St 1in
em
Side
a k
b c j
d h i
e f g
203

DORIS
DORY
THE
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING Doris the Dory Coordinates Part 3
(in inches), Part 1 x y
x y Forward frame
a 0 0
Foredeck b 333⁄ 4 0
a 0 0
b 441⁄ 8 0 c 25 151⁄ 2
c 143⁄ 8 123⁄ 8 d 85⁄ 8 151⁄ 2
d 0 171⁄ 8
Transom
Bottom panel, forward section e 361⁄ 4 0
e 24 131⁄ 2 f 391⁄ 4 0
f 50 53⁄ 8 g 451⁄ 2 185⁄ 8
g 653⁄ 8 21⁄ 8 h 30 185⁄ 8
h 807⁄ 8 1⁄ 2
i 96 0
j 96 27 Aft deck 1
k 807⁄ 8 265⁄ 8 i 0 263⁄ 8
l 653⁄ 8 247⁄ 8 j 297⁄ 8 263⁄ 8
m 50 213⁄ 4 k 297⁄ 8 401⁄ 8
l 0 331⁄ 4
Bottom panel, aft section
n 0 181⁄ 4 Aft frame
o 153⁄ 8 183⁄ 4 m 345⁄ 8 281⁄ 8
p 307⁄ 8 201⁄ 4
q 46 221⁄ 2 n 48 203⁄ 4
r 715⁄ 8 271⁄ 2 o 48 48
s 841⁄ 4 301⁄ 4 p 345⁄ 8 405⁄ 8
t 841⁄ 4 331⁄ 4
u 715⁄ 8 36 Aft deck 2
v 46 41 q 0 341⁄ 4
w 307⁄ 8 431⁄ 4 r 297⁄ 8 411⁄ 8
x 151⁄ 2 443⁄ 4 s 297⁄ 8 48
y 0 451⁄ 4
t 0 48

Part 2
x y

Sides
a 11⁄ 4 4
b 167⁄ 8 35⁄ 8
c 485⁄ 8 21⁄ 2
d 791⁄ 2 11⁄ 8
e 95 1⁄ 2
f 1101⁄ 8 1⁄ 8
g 1253⁄ 4 1⁄ 8
h 1415⁄ 8 3⁄ 4
i 1575⁄ 8 17⁄ 8
j 1743⁄ 8 31⁄ 2
k 1913⁄ 8 51⁄ 4
l 1683⁄ 8 241⁄ 8
m 150 221⁄ 4
n 1411⁄ 4 211⁄ 2
o 1251⁄ 2 201⁄ 2
p 110 197⁄ 8
q 947⁄ 8 195⁄ 8
r 791⁄ 2 193⁄ 4
s 481⁄ 2 201⁄ 2
t 221⁄ 2 213⁄ 8
u 93⁄ 4 213⁄ 4

204
Doris the Dory Coordinates Part 3 DORIS
THE
(in millimeters), Part 1 x y DORY
x y Forward frame
a 0 0
Foredeck b 826 0
a 0 0 c 613 380
b 1080 0 d 826 380
c 353 303
d 0 419 Transom
e 887 0
Bottom panel, forward section f 961 0
e 587 332 g 1115 456
f 1224 131 h 735 456
g 1603 53
h 1981 11 Aft deck 1
i 2352 0 i 0 645
j 2352 662 j 733 645
k 1981 651 k 733 983
l 1603 609 l 0 813
m 1224 532
Aft frame
Bottom panel, aft section m 848 688
n 0 447 n 1176 509
o 378 461 o 1176 1176
p 756 497 p 848 997
q 1128 551
r 1756 674 Aft deck 2
s 2063 740 q 0 838
t 2063 814 r 733 1008
u 1756 881 s 733 1176
v 1128 1004 t 0 1176
w 757 1058
x 378 1095
y 0 1109 Note: Small discrepancies may exist between the millimeter and
inch tables. See page ii.

Part 2
x y

Sides
a 31 99
b 414 88
c 1190 61
d 1949 26
e 2327 11
f 2699 3
g 3080 5
h 3470 19
i 3862 47
j 4272 85
k 4688 128
l 4127 590
m 3678 541
n 3462 528
o 3076 503
p 2696 488
q 2325 482
r 1946 484
s 1191 502
t 552 523
u 237 534

205
ULTRASIMPLE
All dimensions in inches
BOATBUILDING
t s o
Transom camber
Aft decks r
2 1/8 2 1/2 p

Aft frame
k
1 5/8 q
2 3/8
15 1/2 l
j m
i
n
Cut out quarter knee,
then spile to match angle h g

Transom
with transom d c
14 7/8
Forward f rame

4 a b ef

The Doris design would make a good hull due to Doris’s greater length and weight. It’s
for a small battery-powered trolling motor. difficult to build a boat of this length on a
The slippery dory hull form is efficient and flat concrete surface unless it has a flat bot-
offers little resistance to the water, and the tom with no rocker. Doris is more likely to
improved weight-bearing capacity provided assume the right shape, therefore, if you
by her wider-than-usual bottom would enable build it on a couple of sawhorses placed 9 to
her to carry more battery and human payload 11 feet apart. This will also make it easier on
than other 16-foot light dories. your knees and back. The sawhorses should
As a building project, Doris is very much be solidly built. (It is possible to build this
a standard stitch-and-glue job built from just boat using lightweight plastic ones as I did,
three and a half sheets of 1⁄4-inch plywood. but they do tend to wriggle as you work.)
In drawing up this project, I decided that Because the boat is likely to weigh 110 pounds
the butt joints were more than long enough to or so, it’s important to tie the sawhorses
be safely made after cutting out the material, so together with lines or even straps of lumber so
this project begins by squaring off the plywood that they won’t suddenly slide away and drop
in 12-inch square blocks and carefully cutting your boat on your toes.
off any excess over 8 feet in length, in a good Once the hull panels are assembled, Doris
straight line. Then it’s time to plot the panels benefits from a breasthook at the bow and
and the frame positions before driving small quarter knees at the stern, a solid gunwale,
nails into each plotted point, bending a flexible gapped inwales, a couple of blocks to mount
batten around them, tracing the curve with a the oarlocks, a stretcher to brace your feet,
pencil, and cutting the whole thing out in and—if you’re brave and experienced enough
preparation for the stitching and gluing to venture into sailing a dory—a rig, dagger-
process. board, and rudder.
When I built Doris, I butt-jointed the sides In this narrow boat, stretchers for your feet
and bottom using glass tape and epoxy on both can be simply pieces of wood glued and
sides of the plywood without difficulty. The screwed to the side of the boat at the right spot
weather was unusually sunny and warm for the for your leg length: you have to find this by
United Kingdom, and the epoxy hardened experiment. Alternately, they can be made up
nicely by the following afternoon, allowing me using a double thickness of plywood cut into a
to quickly do the stitching with cable ties and “comb” and glued and screwed onto the sides
the taping of the structure with cloth-backed of the boat where they meet the chines, as
tape. described in Chapter 6.
The only real complications compared Because this is a larger project than some
206 with some of the other boats in this book are of the other boats in this book, covering the
 All dimensions in inches

6 7/8
3
Rudder cheeks,
8 16 21
two-off
16 7/8

Tiller half, two-off. The halves are screwed and Rudder pivot
glued together at 8 and 16 in., and bolted at 5 1
10 5/8 1
21 in. through the head of the rudder 1 1/2
15 1/4

6 1/8
1
3 5/8

7 1/4 1

25 3/8

7 5/8
3 1/2
207

DORIS
DORY
THE
ULTRASIMPLE All dimensions in inches
BOATBUILDING

12
Plywood daggerboard case cheeks—two-off

15 1/2
1 1/4
3
11 1/2 12 1/4
2 1/2
5
14

44
Use 1-inch wood or laminate four sheets
of 1/4-inch-lywood or equivalent to create
a robust mast partner structure

bottom with scratch-resistant fiberglass and The rig is another sprit rig, very much
epoxy is even more advisable, although it is like the one on the Flying Mouse, although
still a matter of personal preference. If you of course it is significantly larger, and its
wish to keep the cost or weight down, and mast does not require the Flying Mouse’s
are willing to accept a shorter lifespan and forestay and shrouds. The daggerboard and
the need to take greater care when beaching case are very straightforward. The tiller is
the boat, you could omit it. quite long; it has to be to enable the helms-
man to steer the boat from amidships or
even forward of that when beating or going
about.
Because of its size, it is essential that the
tiller can be separated from the rudder so
both can be transported in a car. The best
way to do this is to attach them using a stain-
less steel bolt and a couple of nuts.

Doris the Dory isn’t fast, but she is perfectly happy in condi-
tions like this—probably around Force 5. Some people say
that dories don’t sail well, but with her wider-than-normal Built much lighter than a traditional Banks dory, Doris is
bottom and bit of ballast carried down low, Doris does just also very competent under oars and will prove an excellent
fine, even in winds a notch or two stronger than this. expedition boat.

208
 WHAT SHALL WE
BU I L D N E X T?
MORE DESIGNS AND THEIR DESIGNERS

woodworking classes, you may well make

T he best books are inspirational, and I
would be delighted to learn that you have
been inspired to build models, full-sized boats,
contacts with people who’ll let you use their
tools.
or both from the plans in this one. If you have Don’t lose sight of what it is you enjoyed
built boats before, you know how satisfying it about building your first boats: if you’re a busy,
is to take to the water in a craft you fashioned impatient type who likes simple, quick con-
with your own hands. The boatbuilding bug struction in your first boat, that’s what you
will have bitten hard, and once bitten, it’s should be looking for in your next. However, if
hard to stop building and messing about in all your instinct is to spend hours making every
sorts of small boats. aspect of the job beautiful, you may want to
The intense, often dreamlike process of take on some much more difficult challenges
choosing your next boatbuilding project is well and spend years building beautiful lapstrake
recognized, so much so that it’s often called boats that turn heads every time you’re out on
boat-dreaming. It can take months or even the water.
years. This is normal, and not at all surprising, But, above all, avoid getting into a project
given that it has much in common with falling that’s too big or complicated, one that may
in love. As in love, most people will play with a crush your morale and possibly lead to dis-
few alternatives before making their final agreements at home. Designers will tell you
choice. There has to be a certain magic in the that most plans don’t get started, and that
selection, and you must convince yourself that most projects that do get started are never fin-
you can make a rational justification for your ished because they were just too big. Choose a
decision. The process itself is mostly enjoyable boat that meets your real needs. If you’re going
and life-affirming. to be on your own most of the time—like most
And, as in love, sometimes it turns out all boating enthusiasts—you need a boat that you
wrong, no matter how hard you try to get it can handle on your own. This often means a
right. smaller boat than you might otherwise be
So take your time and enjoy the process inclined to dream of.
of making your design choice as you explore If your makeup includes an interest in
what’s available in books and on websites, such theory, reading about boat design will make
as the excellent www.duckworksmagazine.com. you more confident about making a good
Make models. Contact other boat nuts about choice. It is useful to read everything you can
their experiences of building and using the kind find by the great designers for home boat-
of boat that interests you. Visit them, pay them building: Philip C. Bolger, Jim Michalak, and
extensive compliments (as you would someone John Welsford are some of the obvious candi-
with a new house or car), learn what you can, dates, but don’t forget Reuel Parker, Thomas
and, most important, try out their boats if at all Firth Jones, Iain Oughtred, and L. Francis
possible. Herreshoff. And there are also some great lit-
Work on improving your skills with hand tle books about design, including How to
tools, which is more useful than buying expen- Design a Boat by John Teale and Understanding
sive power tools. If you go to boatbuilding or Boat Design by Ted Brewer. 209
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
ULTRASIMPLE Now, if you want to go further than the
BOATBUILDING
projects I’ve covered in this book, let me tell you
about some of the boats you might consider
from some of my favorite designers.

PHIL BOLGER
To many, Phil Bolger is the most influential
designer for home boatbuilders. In fact, his
influence has been so great that many labor
under the misapprehension that his boxy, utili-
tarian-looking designs for home boatbuilding
represent his entire output. But Bolger’s work
covers a wide range and includes boats designed
for looks almost beyond any other considera-
tion, as well as designs where effectiveness,
economy, and ease of building top the list.
He has also written a series of entertain-
ing and inspiring books about his designs
that have now become collector’s items. Two
of the great things about Bolger’s writing are
that he’s so apparently honest and revealing
about his thought processes, and that he so
clearly communicates many of the issues Teal. (Bob Chamberland)
involved in designing his boats. Third is that
he has huge experience of designing and 12'-by-3'6" boat can be built from two sheets
using skiffs and sharpies, both boat types of plywood.
that have long fascinated home boatbuilders, According to my copy of his book The
who are instinctively attracted to the appar- Folding Schooner, published by International
ent simplicity of flat-bottomed boats. Marine, Teal was a long time in gestation as
I’m sure that his engaging writing style Bolger returned over and over again to the
and original boat designs have been the problem of how to get the best double-ended
inspiration of more than a few of the current boat possible out of two sheets of material.
generation of designers focused on small These days, of course, we’d use computers to
home-built boats. help solve the problem, but back in the mid-
1970s Bolger did the whole thing on paper,
Teal: An Instant Boat for Kids which can’t have made it any easier.
Phil Bolger has drawn up many small boats Teal is still a contender for anyone con-
for home boatbuilding, but I doubt any of sidering building their first, second, or third
them have proved as popular as Teal. This home-built boat: it’s simple, rows and sails
well, and is a great little boat for a couple of
kids or one adult to play with. It won’t carry
Contact Info much crew weight, but like the Mouse, it’s
These plans are available from: the kind of small boat that kids love making
Mr. Philip C. Bolger their own, and I’m quite sure that many fam-
P.O. Box 1209 ilies with three kids would not find three
Gloucester, MA 01930 Teals were too many.
978-282-1349 (fax) Teal is actually a little larger than the
You can also buy the plans from Harold Payson, Phil’s long- Cinderella canoe (see page 146), and the
210 standing collaborator, at www.instantboats.com. fact that she is capable of standing up to
54 square feet of sail is a powerful testament Even at 19'6" overall, don’t expect the His WHAT SHALL
to the stability that comes from having a hard ‘n’ Hers to be any kind of rocket ship, particu- WE BUILD
NEXT?
chine rather than a round bottom. Teal is an larly on the wind. Schooners start with a disad-
“instant boat” intended to be built with exter- vantage in sailing to windward compared with
nal chine logs, frames trimmed to the angles of boats that have their largest sails forward, and
the sides and bottom, and cut and shaped dividing up the sail plan of a small boat into so
stem and stern pieces, although I’m sure that many low-aspect pieces of sail greatly increases
with a little ingenuity much of the construc- windage and reduces efficiency. However, it
tion could be made to work in stitch-and-glue does have advantages, not the least of which is
for those who prefer that approach. that it is very easy to adjust sail area by either
Bolger suggests some options for building raising or taking in sails.
buoyancy foam into the ends of this boat, and Although the build is standard “instant
if you choose to build it I would urge you to boat,” this is naturally a rather more complex
do as he suggests. Trying to stick to his two- job than Teal and it does require the boatbuilder
sheets rule, Bolger couldn’t find any room left to master the art of melting a slug of lead into a
in his materials allowance to add decks, but hole cut in the daggerboard.
I’d suggest that finding some plywood from
somewhere to add decks will make this boat Micro: A Tiny Holiday
stiff and strong, and will protect the foam Home on the Sea
insulation to boot. Phil Bolger’s 15'4" Micro first appeared in
print in his book Boats with an Open Mind,
His ‘n’ Hers Schooner and since that time it has become a legend.
This is a project for a perfectionist with an It’s a boat that divides people: some like its
extrovert streak. One of the key reasons for bull-doggy and blunt-nosed look and would be
building your own boat is that it enables you delighted to be seen with one in any company,
to own the boat you really want, not just the while others see it as simply a particularly foul
boat the manufacturers want to make or feel example of the kind of thing that only a ply-
you should buy—and this is a boat no manu- wood backyard boatbuilder could love, and
facturer would produce. then only if they’d never seen a real boat.
The His ‘n’ Hers is a cute, retro-styled Both are right. The magic of the Micro is
micro-schooner that will turn heads wherever that it is a combination of appealing things:
it goes—which is why you’d want its finish to it’s a heavy coastal cruiser that two people
be as perfect as possible. It’s also a lot of fun can use to overnight in reasonable comfort,
because it has enough strings to give every- and it’s easy and cheap to build. Add to that
one on board something interesting to do. the appeal of a rig with the safe qualities of a
cat-ketch (let go of the main for any reason
and you can be confident that the boat will
quietly turn upwind and stop while you sort
out whatever’s going on), and a clever bow
and keel arrangement that allows the crew to
step ashore with dry feet, and you have some-
thing close to a winning combination.
There are disadvantages to owning a Micro.
The boat’s heavy enough to make launch and
recovery a two-person job; it needs a good out-
board and sufficient gas on board to get you
home (the Micro’s windward performance is
not its star attraction); and the flat bottom will
His ‘n’ Hers Schooner. (Phil Bolger) often pound in a chop when you’re trying to 211
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

Micro. (Jay Kammerzell)

sleep while at anchor. But the advantages AF3: A Lake Sailor’s Escape
and the eccentric snub-nosed romance of the Named after Alison Krauss’s fiddle (Jim was an
Micro outweigh the disadvantages for many, early fan), the AF3 cuddy skiff (Jim likes to call
and I think we’ll see a great many more Micros it a sharpie) is 16 feet by 5 feet and weighs
built in the coming years. about 250 pounds, which makes it easily trail-
It’s worth noting that there are also the erable. At that weight, I’d expect to be able to
19-foot Long Micro and the open 11-foot launch and recover it single-handedly without
Oldshoe versions to choose from. a winch. You could use this boat as an overnight
camper.
JIM MICHALAK It’s just about my favorite among Jim’s
I really like Jim Michalak’s designs. They may designs.
not always be as attractive as some might wish, The AF3 has a sharpie-style spritsail with
but for Jim, function, value for the money, and its center of effort over the trailing edge of a
effort come a long way ahead of looks. The narrow leeboard, which will seem unusual to
small collection of his boats presented here are many but works well in these flat-bottomed
all simple to build using the techniques I’ve dis- boats with their bows out of the water. Jim has
cussed in this book. What’s different about shown external chine logs because he believes
them is that in general they’re larger than the they make an easy, quick, and strong bottom
boats we’ve looked at and have uses that the attachment, but traditional interior logs can be
smaller boats simply can’t match. used instead. Taped epoxy chine joints of a
good size would be even better and cleaner,
and taped epoxy has the advantage that it elim-
Contact Info inates a structural member that has an unfor-
Jim Michalak’s plans are available via his excellent online tunate tendency to rot in boats kept where
newsletter:
freshwater can reach them.
http://homepages.apci.net/%7Emichalak/#Contents The AF3 also has a slot-top cuddy, which
212 Or, go to www.duckworksbbs.com. provides partial shelter and headroom when

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 WHAT SHALL
WE BUILD
NEXT?

AF3. (Peter Simmons)

you need it, and good ventilation. The high more, like Bolger’s Micro it will need to be
sides and side decks that make up the cuddy are dragged out of the water or moored in a very
designed to prevent the boat from swamping sheltered spot for sleeping, as the pounding of
in a knock-down, but I fear that the slot may be even small waves on the AF3’s bottom will be
wide enough to take in water when the boat is noisy, even when they are too small to be any
on its side in waves of any size. If I owned one threat to the boat.
of these boats, therefore, I’d probably prefer to However, an AF3 equipped with a small
sail with a watertight cover in place in any- outboard could be a great deal of fun in the
thing but light winds. right conditions on sheltered estuaries, and in
Then again, I also see some big advantages the hands of an experienced sailor with an
in the slot-top, for together with some useful extra sail—such as a foresail used for reaching—
shelter from the weather and sun, it allows it could be a hoot on networks of small inland
easy access to the mast and bow, excellent waters such as our Norfolk Broads.
ventilation (on hot days it’s said to make good The first AF3 builder, Herb McLeod, and
use of down-draught from the sail), and only a string of subsequent builders have reported
the very hard-hearted would find the prospect that the AF3 sails well and can be easily
of sleeping under the stars on a warm, still righted by a single-handed skipper in a cap-
night unappealing. size. Herb also reported that he completed
I should add that a lightweight flat- the boat in 70 hours of work using spruce
bottomed skiff or sharpie of this size and form is exterior plywood—it uses only six sheets of
1
very much a fair weather, sheltered water sailer, ⁄4-inch and two sheets of 1⁄2-inch plywood,
and not really suitable for windy and rough which I guess accounts for its relatively low
waters such as those found along the coasts of weight, and which in turn contributes to its
the United Kingdom and New Zealand. What’s performance. 213
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
AF4: A Low Horsepower
Motor Cruiser
The AF4 is a lightweight, flat-bottomed cuddy
power skiff, 18 feet by 5 feet, that planes easily
and economically with an outboard engine of
10 to 15 hp. The AF4 is a little larger than the
AF3 and offers more internal space, but the fam-
ily likeness couldn’t be more obvious.
At around 350 pounds when empty, it’s
still very trailerable, but you’ll probably need
two people to launch and recover. (The smaller
15-foot AF4 Breve, also from Jim’s catalog, is
better suited for regular single-handers.)
The flat bottom that gives the AF3 the
ability to stand up to its sails (albeit at the cost
of a large wetted surface area) is also the AF4’s
secret weapon, for it is what enables it to
Ladybug. (Chuck and Sandra Leinweber)
plane efficiently and travel so cheaply. Like
the AF3, this is very much a sheltered water
boat, but for the low budget boater, I’d say Ladybug: A Simple Open-Boat
that limitation is well worth living with in Camp-Cruiser
return for this boat’s convenience, value for Ladybug is Jim’s all-purpose cruising dinghy.
money, and fun potential in sheltered areas At 14 feet long, it has a big cockpit and lots of
such as estuaries, rivers, lakes, and the occa- storage in buoyancy boxes at each end. There’s
sional sheltered-sea trip when wave condi- a single balanced lug of 75 square feet. This is
tions and the weather forecast permit. not a big sail, but this is meant to be a safe, spa-
The large and unimpeded cockpit is 6 feet cious little cruiser capable of taking a family for
long and 4 feet wide, and aft of that there is a a day’s outing, not a racing boat, and it’s light
draining motor well with space for a good- enough to be launched and recovered by most
sized fuel tank. Jim says that a 15 hp engine is single-handed sailors. In fact, I’d say that it
a good maximum, and I think he’s right to should be a serious consideration for any-
discourage over-large engines, which are dan- one interested in open-boat cruises that
gerous in a boat not capable of handling them include camping overnight on board under
and encourage irresponsible speeds. Going a boom tent.
smaller in terms of power is also better for the It has a good slippery hull, and the wooden
environment and easier on your wallet. spars will prevent the boat from turning turtle
in a capsize. After you get the boat back on its
feet, climbing back on board is easy since Jim’s
plans include a slot cut into the rudder for use
as a step.

Harmonica: Home
Away from Home
Ask any group of people what kind of boat
they’d want to have, and quite a few will say
that they’d go for a shanty boat like Harmonica,
a little 12-by-5-foot rectangular floating box
214 AF4. (Max Wawrzyniak) that includes a small balcony area and a place
 Contact Info WHAT SHALL
WE BUILD
Murray Isles’ plans are available at: NEXT?
www.islesdesign.com

the influence and economic importance of

the sea in Tasmania is as strong as anywhere
in Australia.
Murray’s work as a designer reflects all this
economic activity. Much of his design work is
specialist and commercial. It includes work-
boats, tugs, ferries, charter passenger vessels,
small cargo vessels, site barges, conversions,
and a range of pens, tanks, and transfer systems
used in fish farming. Luckily for us, however,
somewhere along the way he has found time to
design a range of practical and interesting small
craft, some of which can be built by the simple
methods covered in this book.

Harmonica. (Chris Crandall)

Swallowdale 15: A Favorite

to clamp a tiny outboard. What makes this
All-Purpose Dory Skiff
boat so attractive as a low-cost building project
Jim Michalak’s Ladybug represents one good
is that it uses so little material: four sheets of 3⁄8-
approach to the cruising dinghy, but this
inch plywood and six sheets of 1⁄4-inch ply-
15-foot dory-skiff represents an alternative that
wood banged together with glue and nails and
many might prefer. By dint of its narrow beam,
hardly a bevel cut in sight. Really, it couldn’t be
Swallowdale is a significantly smaller boat than
easier.
Jim’s, despite its slightly longer length.
Sitting on a small trailer, Harmonica
A dory-skiff is somewhere between the
would look just like a tiny recreational vehicle
flat-bottomed skiff form we saw in David
(caravan) and I imagine that it might be used
Beede’s Summer Breeze and a genuine dory
in both roles.
form. Its bottom is broader at the stern than
Harmonica’s limitations are the ones you
a traditional dory, but the boat is still propor-
would expect for a flat-bottomed boat of this
tionately narrow compared with conven-
kind: it can’t be used anywhere there may be
tional sailing dinghies.
sizeable waves, and the windage is so great
One consequence of this is that it’s a slip-
that I doubt it would be possible to steer it in
pery boat despite its relatively simple hull
windy conditions.
form, and will row very well for a boat that’s
also capable of sailing. More, it can be used
MURRAY ISLES with a 21⁄2 hp outboard, which makes it
Murray Isles lives and works in Hobart on unusually versatile. Most small boats either
the large island of Tasmania. It’s Australia’s row well, sail well, or motor well, but Swal-
southernmost city and famous for being the lowdale achieves all three in an easily built
destination of one of the world’s toughest sail- hull. This makes it a good boat for many
ing races, the Rolex Sidney Hobart Yacht Race. beginning boatbuilders, particularly if they
The sea has a large influence on Australian are not yet experienced in handling small
life, not least because so much of that huge boats and would like a boat that can be used
country’s population lives near the coast, and in a variety of ways. 215
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING

- SWALLOWDALE 15 -

Swallowdale. (Murray Isles)

216
 Another consequence of this particular hull just large enough for one or two people to WHAT SHALL
form is that it will be difficult, if not impossible, overnight aboard. It’s built using the stitch- WE BUILD
NEXT?
to find space for two to sleep in it under a tent, and-glue method.
as compared with, say, Ladybug. Does that mat- Pepper Gal is not really intended for
ter? In practice, it won’t matter to many, though coastal cruising, but it is certainly seaworthy
it may to some where camping on privately enough for most semi-sheltered waters, and
owned land is not allowed. it’s small enough to be built in your garage.
Swallowdale 15 was originally designed Catboats are traditionally wide boats, and
with the elegantly high-peaked single standing with a beam of 7 feet 2 inches, Pepper Gal is no
lugsail shown in the drawing. It is quick and exception. It’s as beamy as many 19-footers,
easy to set up, reefs well, and is cost-effective, which makes it a “large small boat,” and in
but demand from builders has led to an alterna- sheltered waters it’ll have a stable, broad-
tive cat-ketch rig. The plans include full details shouldered feel and will stand up to her good-
for both rigs. sized but simple rig of 142 square feet. With
that much sail, Pepper Gal will move smartly
Swan Bay: A Spacious but in a good breeze.
Light-Sailing Semi-Dory However, the price you pay for having a big
At 17 feet 10 inches, Murray’s Swan Bay has a boat in a small envelope is that in waves you
similar hull form to Swallowdale and many of may have a rougher ride than you’d experience
the same virtues (see next page). In fact, Swan in a less beamy boat, as the hull tries to follow
Bay could be called its big sister. Like the Swal- the moving surface of the water. Also, because
lowdale, Swan Bay can be rigged as a cat-ketch Pepper Gal’s broad shoulders have to push a
and makes a good cruising dinghy, but with a good amount of water aside, I’d also expect her
proportionately broader bottom and a five- to make slow progress when beating against
panel form rather than slab sides, it is much waves in light winds—and when that happens
more of a cruising boat for two. And yet at less it may be time to start the engine.
than 200 pounds of hull weight, it’s still in the All the controls for the single sail are avail-
weight range where a couple of reasonably fit able to the skipper without leaving the cock-
people can pull it up or down a beach. pit, and Murray has found a clever way to
Murray has also drawn up a gunter-rigged enable a skipper working on his own to step
sloop rig for this design. While simple one-sail the mast without difficulty: the unstayed mast
and cat-ketch rigs have much to recommend is mounted in a tabernacle and pivots through
them, one of the advantages of the sloop is the forward hatch.
that it gives the crew something interesting to Below the foredeck, the cuddy has space
do, and that can be particularly important if for two generous canvas quarter berths and a
that other person is an easily bored child. galley area forward, and by placing the cen-
Enthusiasts could rig the boat both ways. terboard case slightly to one side of the hull
centerline it is also possible to slide a Porta
Pepper Gal: A Catboat for Potti under the cockpit well.
the 21st Century
This design is for boatbuilders who are both JOHN WELSFORD
ambitious and perfectionists at heart because The designs of New Zealander John Welsford
building it will demand a bigger investment reflect the coastal conditions where he lives.
in effort and materials than any boat in this New Zealand is so far south that it picks up
book, even if its build does not require any weather systems associated with the leg-
techniques you haven’t already learned here. endary Roaring Forties, and it comes as no
Still, I really like the design (see next page). surprise that most of his boats are strong, with
Pepper Gal is a little catboat of 15 feet round plywood lapstrake bottoms, handsome
3 inches for daysailing, but with a cuddy sheerlines, and a good amount of freeboard. 217
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
Swan Bay. (Murray Isles)
218
 WHAT SHALL
WE BUILD
NEXT?

Pepper Gal. (Murray Isles)

219
ULTRASIMPLE with the forward-placed centerboard, pro-
BOATBUILDING Contact Info
vides a long and wide platform for camping,
John Welsford’s plans are available at:
lounging in a deckchair, and so on.
www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz
The boat came into existence some years
That said, he has also designed a number ago when John found himself without a boat
of boats that are perfect for those who lack to cruise in and needed a new one he could
confidence in their woodworking skills and build in a hurry—which is perhaps the rea-
are attracted to simpler boats. son she’s a stitch-and-glue chine boat that’s
definitely suitable for a second or third boat-
Houdini: Classy Dinghy building project. The design reflects John’s
desire to be able to sleep two on board under
Cruising for One or Two
a tent, and that it not be too large for his wife
The 13-foot 2-inch Houdini is an excellent
and 12-year-old daughter to sail alone.
general-purpose and cruising dinghy that
The sprit-boomed standing lugsail rig is a
John calls his “escape machine.” It’s like a
favorite of John’s. It offers a lot of sail area for
catboat with its large single sail of 115 square
little money, it has a low center of effort, and
feet and a generous beam of 5 feet 10 inches,
it is incredibly powerful when reaching and
a centerboard positioned well forward, and a
running. The spars are short enough to stow
good-sized skeg and rudder. But there the
securely in the boat, which is particularly
similarity to catboats ends, for despite its
useful when it’s being trailered.
beam Houdini has a relatively narrow water-
line. This combination is achieved by a gen-
erous flare and is there to provide the leverage Tread Lightly: Serious
to allow a skipper to keep the boat on its feet Cruising for One
in strong winds. Another unusual feature is A host of factors came together to prompt
that Houdini has a self-draining floor that, the development of this surprising little solo

220 Houdini. (Burton Blais)

 WHAT SHALL
WE BUILD
NEXT?

Tread Lightly. (Bob Trygg)

cabin sailing cruiser, which is based on a The rig has a balanced lugsail main and
scaling up of John’s best-known tender, the sharpie-style spritsail mizzen, which allows the
Tender Behind. I’ve often thought that the masts to be placed close to the ends of the boat.
kind of pram hull form that makes a good Balanced lugsails are rare on cruising boats
tender could also be developed to make a designed for the sea, but this is a simple and
good one-man microcruiser, and Tread Lightly economical rig, and because its sail area is well
is the proof. spread out and low the boat will often be able
A lot of questioning went into this design. to self-steer. Overall, it’s difficult to imagine a
How much room does it take to lie down? better design for a garage-built solo cruiser.
How much space does a month’s worth of pro-
visions take if the boat can be resupplied with Trover: Economical
water once a week? What sort of hull form Outboard Boat
could carry a really decent weight on a length John designed Trover for an aid organization
that would fit into a standard garage? How can that wanted a simple inshore and estuary fish-
a boat that would suit all of the other parame- ing boat for the people of East Timor. These
ters be made to have the smallest possible villagers use boats for just about everything:
range of stability if inverted? How could you
make it capable of being reefed or hove-to in a
seaway? Where would the cooking stove go?
Where would you store dry clothes? How
much space is needed for sitting headroom?
How much natural light is needed?
John’s answer was a flat-bottomed, round-
sided pram dinghy 13 feet in length with a
5-foot beam, a sail area of 123 square feet, and
a displacement of 661 pounds. A pram hull
can cope with all the gear for cruising, as well
as some ballast for stability under sail, all in a
short length. Trover. (Burton Blais) 221
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
ULTRASIMPLE not just fishing and trucking material around, He’s also the man behind the D4 8-foot
BOATBUILDING
but also as the local ambulance, taxi, hearse, V-bottomed dinghy design, which is available
and wedding carriage. as a free download from his website. This use-
The problem was a terrible one that few ful small boat was one of the very first free
boat designers ever need to think about. A disas- boat designs to be made available online and
trous war had left the Timorese without boats, has been built many times. Along the way it
and the country needed several thousand to must have introduced large numbers of people
recover, yet people were starving, money was to stitch-and-glue boatbuilding.
short, there were few skilled boatbuilders, and
local materials were almost unobtainable. Time Cat Ketch 17: Big, Comfortable
was at a premium, but they did have stocks of Two-Sail Skiff
plywood and Yamaha 15 hp engines supplied One of Jacques’s American-style boats, Cat
by the United Nations. Ketch 17 is a large general-purpose cat-ketch-
To cut a long story short, John devised a rigged skiff that’s 17 feet 6 inches long with a
simple and effective 14-foot 5-inch by 4-foot 6-foot beam. It has a lot of storage space, a flat
7-inch boat that was a significant contribu- gently-rockered bottom for ease of building
tion to solving the country’s problems. and for camping, and an easily adjusted and
Fast, stable, roomy, and dry, it is also very distinctive two-stick rig that can be reefed right
well suited to the needs of people who want to down whenever required. I think a well-built
build their own small and economical out- and nicely finished boat to this design would
board boat for fishing and messing about. It attract attention almost everywhere.
has a narrow, flat bottom panel and a fine Jacques comments that it would be a
entry; the entry ensures that the boat handles great boat for the light winds and shoal
waves well while a planing shoe enables it to waters of the Florida Keys, and he’s right. It
plane a heavy load with a relatively small has a clever daggerboard designed to kick up
motor. The chine panels incorporate sufficient when it hits something, making the boat
V to ease the motion in a seaway, and the top- particularly suitable for shoal waters. It’s also
sides are flared enough to keep the boat dry big enough and narrow enough in beam to
inside. In short, it’s ideal for the short sloppy be able to cope with waves better than
waves of lakes and estuaries. shorter, relatively fatter skiffs.
However, I’d suggest that even at these
JACQUES MERTENS-GOOSENS dimensions an unballasted flat-bottomed
A Frenchman who lives and works in the boat will be difficult to manage in one of the
United States, Jacques Mertens-Goosens is a windy and rough corners of the world, and
designer whose collection of boat designs that flat bottom will be noisy at times, partic-
neatly combines both American and Euro- ularly if you do decide to follow his recom-
pean influences: while he’s drawn a series of mendation and use her for camping.
classic looking little plywood skiffs and Still, the CK 17 is a great boat. It would
power dories, for example, his pocket cruisers be a perfect summer picnic boat for a family,
and V-bottomed dinghies are clearly inspired but perhaps its most obvious use is sailing
by boats often seen in European waters. with groups of kids and for fishing parties of
Looking at his designs, it’s obvious that he’s a three or even four adults who like to fit in a
great draftsman and has the knack of making little sailing on their day out.
even simple little boats look good.
Otter 16: Row-Out, Sail-Home
Daysailer
Contact Info This is a much more sophisticated boat than
Jacques Mertens-Goosens’s plans are available at: Doris, yet like the sailing light dory I’ve pre-
222 www.bateau.com sented in this book it’s intended to be a rowboat

www.Ebook777.com
 WHAT SHALL
WE BUILD
NEXT?

Cat Ketch 17. (Jacques Mertens-Goosens)

first and a sailer second. The difference is then sailed home downwind. The rowing
that Otter’s more sophisticated hull makes it had to be pleasant, because he loves rowing
a better sailer, albeit with more complicated and can’t stand a sluggish rowboat, so it
construction. Jacques designed it for his own should have a narrow waterline. The hull
purposes, which is always a good sign. would widen as it goes up, to enable it to
Jacques wanted a boat that could be stand up to its sails. The end result is a hull
rowed from his dock to the local fishing cross section amidships that is a five-panel
spots between one and three miles away, and shape not unlike that of a Swampscott dory. 223
ULTRASIMPLE
BOATBUILDING
Indian River Skiff: The Poor
Man’s Power Dory
This is another of our Frenchman’s distinc-
tively American-style designs, a small 15-foot
4-inch by 5-foot power dory.
We don’t see many boats like this in
Europe. They typically have a bow section not
unlike that of a conventional rowing or sailing
dory, but with a central section that broadens
out to make a straight run. It is this shape
that gives them their characteristic combina-
tion of seaworthiness and performance, and
it’s also a relatively straightforward shape to
build. I’d expect this boat to have some of
the seaworthiness of the larger power dories,
but with its slim proportions, light weight,
and narrow flat bottom leading to a strong
stern, I’d expect it to perform really well with
a 25 hp engine.
The Indian River plans come with three
different internal layouts for different purposes,
including one that is largely decked-over and is
specifically designed for fishing. Jacques says
it’ll carry three to five adults, depending on the
conditions.

CONRAD NATZIO
Like many of us involved in small boat design,
Conrad Natzio came from another discipline
Otter 16. (Jacques Mertens-Goosens) entirely: he spent 20 years as a probation
officer. At the end of that long stint, he
needed a more physically demanding occupa-
tion and retrained as a boatbuilder at the
The rig did not have to be very large
International Boatbuilding College.
because the sailing was intended to be lazy
In the United Kingdom, we have almost
and undemanding. In fact, the most impor-
no tradition of boats made from wide, flat
tant aspect of the rig was that the whole
panels, but Conrad is nevertheless fascinated
thing had to fit inside the boat and be out of
by traditional North American boat styles that
the way while fishing. The rudder also had to
be easy to install and unobtrusive, so as not
to interfere with fishing lines when trolling
Contact Info
them astern.
Conrad Natzio’s plans are available from:
Jacques concluded that a design from the
early days of stitch-and-glue plywood boats The Old School
called the Dobler 16 came closest to the boat he Brundish Road, Raveningham
felt he needed, and so he designed this 15-foot Norwich NR14 6NT UK
6-inch boat for himself along the same lines. He +44 1508 548675
224 says he hopes to find time to build her one day! Or, go to: www.broadlyboats.com.
Indian River Skiff. (Jacques Mertens-Goosens)

WHAT SHALL
WE BUILD
225

NEXT?
ULTRASIMPLE use wide, flat areas of lumber or plywood, and
BOATBUILDING
also by Phil Bolger’s bold and simple designs
for home boatbuilders.
Having built several from Bolger’s designs,
around 10 years ago he decided to develop
and sell plans of his own that would allow
boatbuilders to construct boats quickly and
confidently, and which would be useful for a
wide range of purposes.
Conrad’s boats have a more traditional
look than many of Bolger’s, and I strongly
suspect he has also been very much influ-
enced by the shallow waters of the Norfolk
Broads, an area of rivers and flooded medieval
peat workings near his home. Several of his
designs have unusual twin shallow bilge
keels. Easy to build, they also strengthen and
stiffen the hull, and open up the space inside
the boat.
Another shallow water feature favored by
Conrad but which hasn’t seen much use in
small boats in the United Kingdom is the
end-plate rudder developed some years ago Sandpiper. (Chris Partridge)
by Phil Bolger. This is a short rudder with a
horizontal plate at its lower edge to create an
inverted T-shaped structure that holds on to sheerline and bottom profile are created by
the water as well as a deeper conventional bending them around internal frames. Just
rudder. Because it does not need to be lifted three sheets of 1⁄4-inch plywood are required,
when the water is shallow or when beaching, but the long keels make the bottom of the
it’s extremely easy to make and requires a boat extremely stiff.
minimum of hardware. Buoyancy bags are recommended to enable
the skipper to right the boat in a capsize, and
the plans include two snug rigs: a spritsail with
Sandpiper: A Skiff a jib and a balanced lug.
for a Summer Day
Originally designed to be built at a boat show
over a four-day weekend and subsequently Oystercatcher: A Skiff That
used on sheltered waters, Sandpiper is a 13-foot Lets Everyone Have a Go
7-inch by 4-foot 8-inch flat-bottomed skiff with Oystercatcher is a bigger, heavier, flat-bottomed
Conrad’s trademark long bilge keels. skiff that at 15 feet 3 inches by 5 feet is big
Sandpiper’s open interior makes it a com- enough to allow a small family to sail together.
fortable daysailer for a couple of adults, and The design is based on New England skiffs,
with a tent it would also be a good camp which means that it has a jaunty near-vertical
cruiser for one on inland waters. As you stem and a well-rockered (curved fore-and-aft)
might expect in a boat of this size meant to bottom that enables it to carry a large load while
be built in just a few days, Conrad has kept retaining the ability to go about quickly.
everything as simple as can be: the side panel Oystercatcher can be rigged with a bal-
edges are parallel to each other, and the anced lug main and a leg-of-mutton mizzen in
226
 either of two sizes. This rig looks very salty WHAT SHALL
indeed. However, it can also be set up as a WE BUILD
NEXT?
schooner-rigged lugger, which will suit many
children. Most kids prefer to take part in sailing
rather than simply watching their parents do
all the work, and the schooner rig provides
the maximum number of interesting strings
to pull.
A little larger than the Sandpiper, Oyster-
catcher is very suitable for camping with two
adults.

Oystercatcher. (Conrad Natzio)

227
 APPENDIX

SUPPLIERS OF
B OATBUILDI N G
MATERIALS

POLYURETHANE GLUES MAS Epoxies

The Chemical Company Ltd. (Balcotan poly- 2615 River Road #3A
urethane glue) Cinnaminson, NJ 08077
22 Highgate 888-627-3769
Cherry Burton www.masepoxies.com
Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 7RR
United Kingdom System Three Resins, Inc.
+44 (0) 1482 874059 3500 West Valley Highway North
www.holdich.demon.co.uk/chemical/balcotan.html Suite 105
Auburn, WA 98001
Henkel Consumer Adhesives (PL Premium poly- 800-333-5514
urethane construction adhesive, available at most www.systemthree.com
builders’ supply stores)
7405 Production Drive UK Epoxy Resins
Mentor, OH 44060 3 Square Lane
800-999-8920 Burscough
www.stickwithpl.com/contact.asp Lancashire
L40 7RG
EPOXIES United Kingdom
Chinawind Yachts +44 (0)1704 892364
The Old Workshop Fax: +44 (0)1704 892364
Barrs Lane [email protected]
Benington www.epoxy-resins.co.uk
Boston, PE22 0ED
United Kingdom West System Inc.
+44 (0) 1205 760662 102 Patterson Ave.
E-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 665
www.masepoxies.co.uk Bay City, MI 48707-0665
866-937-8797
Fyne Boat Kits www.westsystem.com
Unit 5
Station Yard FIBERGLASS SUPPLIES,
Burneside EPOXY, POLYESTER RESINS
Kendal Fiberglass Supply
Cumbria LA9 6QZ 314 West Depot
United Kingdom P. O. Box 345
+44 (0) 01539 721 770 Bingen, WA 98605-0345
[email protected] 509-493-3464
228 www.fyneboatkits.com www.fiberglasssupply.com
Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.
 APPENDIX
BOAT HARDWARE MAGAZINES
AND SUPPLIES Duckworks Magazine
Duckworks Boat Builders Supply 608 Gammenthaler
608 Gammenthaler Harper, TX 78631
Harper, TX 78631 [email protected]
www.duckworksbbs.com www.duckworksmagazine.com

Hamilton Marine Messing About in Boats

155 E. Main St 29 Burley St
Searsport, ME 04974 Wenham, MA 01984-1943
800-639-2715 www.messingaboutinboats.com
www.hamiltonmarine.com
Watercraft
Jamestown Distributors Bridge Shop
17 Peckham Drive Gweek, Helston
Bristol, RI 02809 Cornwall TR12 6UD
800-497-0010 United Kingdom
www.JamestownDistributors.com +44 (0)1326 221424
Fax: +44 (0)1326 221728
Jeckells the Sailmakers [email protected]
Jeckells of Wroxham Ltd. www.watercraft.co.uk
Station Road
Wroxham
Norfolk
England, NR12 8UT
United Kingdom
www.jeckells.co.uk

Trident UK
Trident Quay
South Shore Road
Gateshead
Tyne and Wear NE8 3AE
United Kingdom
+44 (0)191 490 1736
Fax: +44(0)191 478 2122
[email protected]
www.trident-uk.com

229
 INDEX

Numbers in bold indicate Summer Breeze, 4, 53, Micro, 211–12

pages with illustrations 184–96, 185, 186, 187, Teal, 210–11
188, 189, 190, 195 boltrope, 72, 73
A black-painted boats, 130 booms, 71
Abraham, Ken, 181 blocks, 62, 74–75 bottom panels, 40
adhesives. See also epoxy; bloom, 17, 21, 47 breasthooks, 53, 54, 55–56
polyurethane glue boatbuilding material sup- Brewer, Ted, 209
formaldehyde glue, 13, 17 pliers, 228–29 Brown, Les, 96
model making, 77 boatbuilding methods. See also Bucket Ears (Puddle Duck
polyurethane versus epoxy, stitch-and-glue construc- Racer), 183
9–10, 17 tion methods Bucknell, Barry, 17
safety precautions, 10, 33, alternative methods, 1–2 bulkheads
34, 35, 48, 57 choosing a method, 10–11 cleats for, 36–40, 37, 38, 41,
suppliers, 228 “egg crate” construction, 42
supplies for working with, 121, 128 marking location of, 28
21 simple and quick methods, simplified chine log method
water-resistant adhesives, 1, 4 assembly, 37, 39–40
17 simplified chine log, 8–9, stitch-and-glue method
AF3 sharpie, 212–13 36–41, 37, 38, 40 assembly, 41–42
AF4 power skiff, 214 taped-seam construction, 9, Bumblebee (Micromouse), 96
Atkin, Ella, 163, 164 42 buoyancy, 137
Atkin, Ewan, 163 boat design theory, 209 buoyancy tanks, 75, 76, 181
Auray punt, 4, 5, 130, 131, boating skills, small boats and, Burke, Al, 153
136, 137 2 butt joints, 25, 29–30
Aurette, 5, 137–42 Boats with an Open Mind (Bol-
ger), 211 C
B Bolger, Philip C., 77, 130, 209, carpenter’s tri-square, 23
bafter (Bailey) sail, 164, 165, 210, 226 carpentry skills
166, 171, 174, 175 Boats with an Open Mind, for lumber, 22–25
balanced lugsails, 221 211 for plywood, 25–30
Banks-style dories, 197 Folding Schooner, 210 Castan, Pierre, 17
230 Beede, David, 4, 184 His ‘n’ Hers Schooner, 211 Cat Ketch 17, 222, 223

Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Click here for terms of use.

centerboards, 68, 176 plans for, 122–27 removing, 35
center of effort, 164 power for, 121 safety precautions, 10, 33, INDEX
chine logs, 8–9, 40–41. See also dories, 197 35, 48, 57
simplified chine log con- Doris the Dory, 4, 197–208 sanding, 48, 57
struction method breasthook, 206 spit coat of, 15, 57
chisels, 32–33 capsize, avoiding, 201 stitch-and-glue method, 10
Cinderella, 4, 146–53 daggerboard, 70, 208 sunlight and, 48–49
gunwales, 152 fiberglass cloth, sheathing suppliers, 228
hull assembly, 146, 151–52 hull with, 206, 208 supplies for working with,
inwales, 53, 152 gunwales, 206 21
joining plywood for, 146, hull assembly, 206 time frame for recoating,
151 inwales, 53, 206 49–50
plans for, 147–50 plans for, 198–208 uses for, 35
T-molds, 151 power for, 206 working with, 10, 34–35, 49
clamps, 19 quarter knees, 206 epoxy-latex paint, 19
cleats, 9, 36–40, 37, 38, 41, 42 quick-release mast mecha- epoxy paints, 35
closed-cell foam, 137 nism, 201
Colpitts, David, 3, 84 rowing option, 208 F
coordinates, marking, 25–28, sailing characteristics, 197, fasteners
26, 27, 29 201 driving nails and screws, 32
costs sailing rig, 200, 208 pre-drilling holes, 31–32
advantages of small boats, 2 sail plan, 201 splitting around, 30–31
boatbuilding methods, 11 stretchers, 206 types of, 18, 63
fittings, 62–63 tiller, 207, 208 feathering oars, 64
materials, 13, 15 double-ended boats, 55 fiberglass boats, 10
varnish, 18 drafting square, 23 fiberglass cloth, sheathing hull
cramps, 19 drainpipe clamps, 19 with, 48–50, 57, 206, 208
Cruising Mouse, 4, 111–15 drain plugs, 75, 76 fiberglass suppliers, 228
characteristics of, 111 drywall square, 21, 28 fiberglass-taped butt joints, 30
construction of, 10, 20, 30, Duckworks Magazine, 209, 229 fiberglass-taped seams, 11,
43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 52, duct tape, 9, 42 43–44, 45–47, 48
115 fillets, 9, 11
inwales, 53 E additives to make, 10
materials for, 111 Eek!, 4, 164–75 epoxy fillets, 45–46
plans for, 112–14 deck reinforcements, 170 masking tape to back seams
two-part version, 111, joining plywood for, 164 for, 44
114 mast, 170 polyurethane glue fillets,
versatility of, 111 plans for, 165–73 44–45
Culler, R. D. “Pete,” 63 sail plan, 171, 174 size of, 45, 46
Culler-Michalak oars, 63–64, wishbone battens, 170, 175 fittings
65 “egg crate” construction cost of, 62–63
cutting lumber, 23–24 method, 121, 128 fastening to hull, 63
cutting plywood, 23, 28–29, e-mail address for author, 5 materials for, 62–63
101, 184, 187 emulsion paint, 19, 59–60 reinforcing hull for, 63
D end-grain, 13, 41 for rigging, 73–75
daggerboard case (trunk), end-plate rudder, 226 for rudders, 70–71
69–70, 137 epoxy suppliers, 63, 229
daggerboards, 68, 69, 70 additives for, 10, 35 on transoms, 71
deadeyes, 62 advantages of, 17 types of, 62
decks application of, 49–50, 57 flotation, 137
Cruising Mouse, 48 black-painted boats and, 130 Flying Mouse, 4, 154–63
Lilypad, 97 bloom, 21, 47 deck reinforcement, 156,
Micromouse and Mini- coating hull with, 48–49 159
mouse, 93–94 cost of, 10, 11 hull reinforcement, 154,
reinforcements for, 156, development of, 17 159
159, 170 fillets, 45–46 plans for, 155–62
designing boats, 3, 209 maintenance of, 48–49 rudder, 70, 160
Dogsbody, 4, 121–29 measuring, 35 sail logo, 155
“egg crate” construction polyurethane glue versus, sail plan, 155, 161
method, 121, 128 10, 17 foam for buoyancy, 137
231
Index foam rollers, 50, 57, 60 Jiggity, 4, 130–36 placement of, 76
Folding Schooner (Bolger), 210 materials for, 130 quick-release mast mecha-
footrests, 66 plans for, 131–35 nism, 201
forestays, 154 joining lumber, 24–25 McLeod, Herb, 213
formaldehyde glue, 13, 17 joining plywood, 25, 29–30 meranti, 16
frames Cinderella, 146, 151 Mertens-Goosens, Jacques, 222
cleats for, 36–40, 37, 38, 41, Eek!, 164 Cat Ketch 17, 222, 223
42 Summer Breeze, 189 Indian River Skiff, 224, 225
marking location of, 28 Jones, Thomas Firth, 209 Otter 16, 222–24
simplified chine log method Michalak, Jim, 63, 143, 209,
assembly, 37, 39–40 K 212
stitch-and-glue method kerf, 184, 187 AF3 sharpie, 212–13
assembly, 41–42 Krauss, Alison, 212 AF4 power skiff, 214
Kuhn, Butch, 103 Culler-Michalak oars,
G 63–64, 65
gapping blocks, 54–55 L Harmonica, 214–15
Gavin Atkin Boatbuilders dis- Ladybug, 214 Ladybug, 214
cussion group, 4 laminating lumber, 53 Piragua, 5, 143–45
girder, 146 lateen rigs, 177, 181 Micro, 211–12
glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), latex paint, 19, 59–60
Micromouse, 4, 12, 96
10 lawn chairs, 95
building technique, 8
glue. See adhesives lead ballast, 70, 176, 181
characteristics of, 84
Greenlee, S. O., 17 leeboards, 68–69
construction methods, 84,
grommets, 72, 73 lee helm, 76
88
GRP (glass-reinforced plastic), Lewis, Steve, 5, 116
decks, 93–94
10 Poorboy, 5, 116–20
gunwales, 94
gunwales, 48, 53–54, 56 Lilypad, 4, 97–102
hull assembly, 92
characteristics of, 97
plans for, 89–91, 93
H construction of, 37, 100–102
seats, 95–96
hammers, 32 deck, 97
skeg, 94–95
hand drills, 31–32 materials for, 97, 100
time frame for building, 12
handsaws, 23–24, 187 plans for, 98–100
Minimouse, 4
hardware suppliers, 229 power for, 97
characteristics of, 84
Harmonica, 214–15 stability of, 97
construction methods, 84, 88
hatch lids, rotating, 75 uses for, 97
cost to build, 13
Herreshoff, L. Francis, 209 limber holes, 75
decks, 93–94
His ‘n’ Hers Schooner, 211 Lion (Mouse), 110
development of, 84
Holt, Jack, 17 lug rigs, 137, 138
gunwales, 94
horning, 191 lumber
hull assembly, 92
Houdini, 220 buying, 16
materials list, 12–13
How to Design a Boat (Teale), carpentry skills for, 22–25
plans for, 85–88
209 cutting, 23–24
seats, 95–96
dimensions of, 23
I joining, 24–25 skeg, 94–95
Indian River Skiff, 224, 225 laminating, 53 time frame for building, 12
Instant Boatbuilding (Payson), marking, 22–23 mirror-image panels, 28–29
8, 40 splitting around fasteners, Mirror sailing dinghy, 2, 17, 75
Internet boatbuilding 30–31 models, making, 77–82, 136
resources, 3–4, 209, transporting, 16 Mouse, 4, 103–10. See also
228–29 types of, 15–16 Cruising Mouse; Micro-
inwales, 53–55, 54 wetting, 58 mouse; Minimouse
Isles, Murray, 5, 137, 215 characteristics of, 84, 103
Aurette, 5, 137–42 M development of, 84
Pepper Gal, 217, 219 magazines, 209, 229 Flying Mouse, 4, 70, 154–63
Swallowdale 15, 215–17, mainsheets, 74 hull assembly, 103
216 marine-grade plywood, 14, 15 model of, making, 77–82
Swan Bay, 217, 218 marking lumber, 22–23 Mystic Mouse, 3
masts plans for, 104–6
J attaching sails, 73–74 popularity of, 84
Japanese-style pull-saw, 23, materials for and construc- Rowing Mouse, 4, 106–9,
232 187 tion of, 71 107, 108
 space for boatbuilding, 21 end-grain, 13, 41 rowing and paddling gear INDEX
Mouseboats Yahoogroup dis- epoxy and fiberglass cover- oarlocks, 65–66, 195
cussion group, 3–4 ings, 15 oars, 63–64, 65
Mystic Mouse, 3 finishing, 15 oar safety cord, 64–65
grades of, 14–15 paddles, 66–68, 67
N grain direction, 14, 30 stretchers, 66
nails, 18, 32 joining, 25, 29–30, 146, tholepins, 136
Natzio, Conrad, 224, 226 151, 164, 189 Rowing Mouse, 4, 106–9, 107,
Oystercatcher, 226–27 quality of, 14–15 108
Sandpiper, 226 sanding, 15, 58 rowing techniques, 64
Nevin, James, 13 waterproof plywood, 13, 17 rudders, 68, 70–71, 226
Newton, Ken, 121 water-resistant plywood, rulers, 22
17–18
O weaknesses of, 13, 14 S
oarlocks, 65–66, 195 safety precautions with adhe-
wetting, 58
oars, 63–64, 65 sives, 10, 33, 34, 35, 48,
plywood boats
oar safety cord, 64–65 57
advantages of, 2
offsets, table of, 22 sailing characteristics of small
bottom panel dimensions,
oil-based paints, 59, 60 boats, 75–76
40
online discussion communi- sailing gear, 68. See also sails
cutting hull panels, 25,
ties, 3–4 centerboards, 68
28–29
orbital sanders, 58 daggerboards, 68, 69, 70
fiberglass cloth, sheathing
Otter 16, 222–24 leeboards, 68–69
hull with, 48–50, 57,
Oughtred, Iain, 209 rigging, 73–75
206, 208
outside hull, finishing, 47–50,
joining hull panels, 25 rudders, 68, 70–71
57
labeling hull panels, 28 spars, 16, 71
Owen, Bryant, 34
mirror-image panels, 28–29 sailing upwind, 76
Oystercatcher, 226–27
outside hull, finishing, sails
47–50, 57 attaching to mast, 73–74
P
pole, 102 bafter (Bailey), 164, 165,
paddles, 66–68, 67
polyester resin, 10 166, 171, 174, 175
paint
polyurethane glue balanced lugsails, 221
advantages of, 18–19
application of, 19, 59, 60 advantages of, 17 construction of, 71–73, 72
black-painted boats and, epoxy versus, 10, 17 function of, 68
130 fillets, 44–45 lateen rigs, 177, 181
buying, 19 safety precautions, 33, 34 lug rigs, 137, 138
coating epoxy with, 48–49, stitch-and-glue method, materials for, 72
130 9–10 mouseboat logo, 155
hull preparation for, 57–58 suppliers, 228 reefing sails, 75
for interior of hull, 15 working with, 33–34 sprit rigs, 74, 75, 154, 161,
to seal plywood, 15 Poorboy, 5, 116–20 208
types of, 19, 35, 58–60 power tools, 19–20 sanders, orbital, 58
paint brushes and rollers primers, 59 sanding
cleaning, 60 Puddle Duck Racer, 4–5, epoxy, 48, 57
foam rollers, 50, 57, 60 176–83 hull preparation for paint-
storing, 60 Puddle Duck Racer class rules, ing, 57–58
Parker, Revel, 209 176 plywood, 15, 58
Payson, Harold “Dynamite,” 8, PVC pipe clamps, 19 wetting hull before, 58
40, 43, 210 sanding blocks, 57–58
Pepper Gal, 217, 219 Q sandpaper, 57
Piragua, 5, 143–45 quality of materials, 14–15 Sandpiper, 226
pirogue, 143 quarter knees, 53, 55–56 saws, 23–24, 187
plywood scandalizing, 75
advantages of, 13 R scarf joints, 25
buying, 14–15 reefing sails, 75 screwdrivers, 32
carpentry skills for, 25–30 rigging, 73–75, 154 screws, 18, 32, 63
coordinates, marking, rot, preventing, 75 seat riser, 48
25–28, 26, 27, 29 rotating plastic hatch lids, 75 seats, 48
cutting, 23, 28–29, 101, Routh, David “Shorty,” 176, sheerline, 54
184, 187 183 sheets, 75 233
 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com
INDEX shrouds, 154 stitching materials, 9, 42 hand drills, 31–32
simplified chine log construc- turning boat over, 47 handsaws, 23–24, 187
tion method workmanship with, 44 orbital sanders, 58
advantages of, 8–9 storing boats, 75 power tools, 19–20
chine log, adding, 40–41 straightedges, 22–23 screwdrivers, 32
cleats, 9, 36–37, 38 stretchers, 66 Stanley Surform, 28–29, 45
hull assembly with, 36–41, Summer Breeze, 4 topcoat paint, 58–59
37, 38, 40 breasthook, 192–93 transoms
skegs, 48, 50–52 characteristics of, 184 cleats for, 36–40, 37, 38, 41
small boats construction methods, 184 fitting to attach rudder, 71
advantages of, 2 cutting plywood for, 184, simplified chine log method
boating skills and, 2 187 assembly, 37, 39–40
choosing a boat to build, finishing hull, 192–94 stitch-and-glue method
209 gunwales, 192, 193 assembly, 41–42
choosing a model to build, inwales, 53, 192 Tread Lightly, 220–21
77 joining plywood for, 189 Trover, 221–22
quality of materials for, keel plank, 193 trucker-style knot, 143
14–15 oarlocks, 195 T-square (drywall square), 21,
sailing characteristics, plans for, 185–89 28
75–76 quarter knees, 192–93
simple and quick designs, rowing option, 194–95 U
4–5 rudder, 70, 195 undercoat paint, 58–59
space for boatbuilding, 21 sailing rig, 195–96 Understanding Boat Design
Smith, Anthony, 10, 20, 30, sail plan, 190 (Brewer), 209
43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 52, 57, simplified chine log con-
V
115 struction method,
varnish, 18
snotter line, 74 189–92
application of, 60, 61
Solo sailing dinghy, 18 skeg, 193–94
coating epoxy with, 48–49
space for boatbuilding, 21 spars, 189, 195, 196
maintenance of, 60–61
Spanish windlass, 39 stitch-and-glue construc-
vinegar, 35
spars, 16, 71 tion method, 192
spiling, 50 stretchers, 195 W
spit coat of epoxy, 15, 57 thwarts, 194–95 water- and boil-proof (WBP)
sponge rollers, 50, 57, 60 Swallowdale 15, 215–17, plywood, 14
spritsails and sprit rigs, 74, 75, 216 water-based paints, 19,
154, 161, 208 Swan Bay, 217, 218 59–60
Stanley Surform, 28–29, 45 waterproof plywood, 13, 17
stitch-and-glue construction T water-resistant adhesives, 1, 17
methods table of offsets, 22 water-resistant plywood,
advantages of, 41 taped-seam construction 17–18
cutting stitches, 45 method, 9, 42 weather helm, 76
epoxy stitch-and-glue tape measures, 22 Welsford, John, 64–65, 209,
method, 10 tarp sails, 72 217, 220
fiberglass-taped seams, 11, Teal, 210–11 Houdini, 220
43–44, 45–47, 48 Teale, John, 209 Tread Lightly, 220–21
fillets, 9, 11 tenders, 130, 136 Trover, 221–22
gaps between panels, 44 tholepins, 136 wetting lumber and plywood,
hull assembly with, 9–11, thwarts, 48 58
41–48 tiller, 207, 208 wishbone battens, 170, 175
joint between panels, 42 timber. See lumber workshop for boatbuilding, 21
outside hull, finishing, time frame for building boats, Wright, John, 4–5, 176
47–50 4, 12 Puddle Duck Racer, 4–5,
polyurethane stitch-and- tools, 19–21 176–83
glue method, 9–10 chisels, 32–33
skegs, 50–52 drywall square, 21, 28 Y
stitching joints, 11, 42–43 hammers, 32 yard seats, 95

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