01-27-2006, 06:20 AM
Just a reminder to whoever is working on the web-site rebuild that the MiniCup FAQ should probably be re-posted. Does anyone have FAQ files set up for the other boats?
I have copied the version I have from when Kris and I did these up below:
Suggested Improvements to the Mini-Cup Plans
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/COCKPIT
- The cockpit sides are intended to meet the fore and aft cockpit bulkheads 16" out from the center line. The height of the sides - 10 1/4" - is not shown on the plans at that point. If you add it to the dimensions when lofting, the bulkheads will have the proper curve to meet the cockpit sides, and you will get a good fit. If you have already miss-cut the bulkheads, you can either add a filler strip of wood to the tops of the cockpit sides , or move the cockpit sides out until they match up with the bulkheads. Moving the sides out is not preferred, as it will create more un-supported area around the cockpit hole rim, and weaken the deck in the seating area.
Many builders have worried if the exposed 1/4" plywood on the cockpit rim would support them. Since the plywood is bent at that point, it is fairly strong, but some builders have reported cracking here. One option is to use a double thickness of 1/4" plywood around the cockpit rim. (add the second layer to the bottom of the rim) Another, but slightly trickier option is to fiberglass the rim.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/DECK/FOREDECK
- It's hard to see in the plans, but the foredeck is intended to be trimmed to size for installation. Also, bending the forward sides of the foredeck down to the hull sides may be more extreme than you, your clamps, or your plywood can bear. One option is to cut a taper on the foredeck similarly to the hull to get it to fit. Be careful that when you pull the sides of the deck in, they still reach out far enough to cover the hull sides. Another option is to make your hull sides higher at the bow to make the bending less extreme. It could also help to sand the bottom center line of the deck thinner at the bow. This will make the deck bend easier. Do not sand the deck thinner all the way to the edges, only the part that is in contact with the bow frame. You will need the full thickness of the 1/4" plywood along the edges to set the screws.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/DECK/AFTDECK
- The plans indicate to cut the aft deck the same shape as the aft hull panel and then later trim off the curved portion when fitting. Several builders have had difficulty with this panel, so it is recommended to not pre-cut it, but to cut it to fit the boat you have built when you are ready to attach it.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/BOW GUSSET
- The plans call for ripping the bow gussets at a 45 degree angle and then planing them down to fit the angle of the hull bottom as it fits to the bow. Alternatively, you can wait until the bow frame is attached to the hull and then mill/shape the gussets to the proper angle.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/RUDDER
- The stock rudder as designed does not kick up far enough to end up parallel with the hull. Experimenting with the pivot hole location can lead to better placement. Another option is to not use the tiller to control rudder kick-up, but rather use a bungee cord placed along the forward part of the rudder to hold it down. One end of the bungee cord would be attached to the rudder, the other end to the bottom of the rudder box. The tiller could then be directly attached to the rudder box.
Use a nylon collar bushing around the 1/4" pivot bolt on the rudder. This allows you to tighten the bolt completely without crushing the sides of the rudder box. It also protects the 1/2" hole in the rudder from wear.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/COAMINGS
- The plans do not call for coamings on the boat. In heavier seas, a fair bit of water can wash over the fore-deck and into the cockpit. The addition of coamings just aft of the mast tube would greatly reduce this.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/DAGGERBOARD BOX
- See drawing #7 in the plans. The entire interior area of the box is exposed to water. If you create a second part B. and install it just forward of the daggerboard slot, you will drastically reduce the amount of water that enters the box.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/TRANSOME BOTTOM HULL STRINGER
- This stringer gets bent two ways, around the back of the boat, and around the bottom curve of the hull. It can be very difficult to install this stringer without breaking it repeatedly. Try cutting the curve into the stringer from a wider piece of wood. This way it won't have to bend around the back of the transom at all. The only bend will be to follow the slight bend of the rounded hull bottom.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/RUDDER MOUNTS
- The plans suggest using barrel bolts to attach the rudder box to the transom. These barrel bolts work fine for some/most builders. But some builders have had the screws pull out or the parts bend or come un-latched. An alternate solution is to use four stainless steel eye bolts, two on the transom and two on the rudder box. It will be necessary to install a vertical backer block to the inside of the transom to hold the eye bolts. Use a half inch aluminum dowel rod as a hinge pin. It just slides through all the eye bolts and is secured at each end with a spring pin pushed through small holes drilled through the dowel. Stronger, more secure and better looking than barrel bolts.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS/WOOD
- 1/4" luan plywood, commonly sold as bathroom underlayment is an inexpensive choice for hull materials. For pieces that are not to be bend such as the bulkheads shown in Figure 4 - regular construction grade exterior plywood would be fine. Pieces having more of a bend to them, such as the sides, or that are more susceptible to damage, such as the hull bottom, should be of better quality wood, especially void-free wood.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS/HARDWARE
- The most difficult piece of hardware to find are aluminum tubes for spars. Metal Supermarkets - http://www.metalsupermarkets.com - can supply tube to spec, but prices vary widely. Options include using smaller diameter tube for the gaff and boom, using wood reinforced PVC pipe (not recommended for the mast), or wood.
The plans call for 1" screws to attach plywood to 1" stock (stringers). Use 3/4" screws to avoid the tips of the screws going all the way through the stringers.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS/COATINGS
- While the plans suggest only using paint to coat the hull, some builders have reported cracking along the chines after some time. Using fiberglass tape and epoxy resin in this area can prevent that from happening.
Areas of the boat that can get a bit "beat up" such as the hull, can benefit from couple of coatings of epoxy resin before painting. Also, if you used fir plywood for construction, epoxy coating can reduce the chances of future cracking.
For the most protection from abrasion, the elements, and the best protection from cracking, a light coating of fiberglass fabric and epoxy can be used.
The interior of the floatation chambers can be just painted, although epoxy resin here would certainly add to the longevity of the boat.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS/FLOATATION
- The plans suggest using packing peanuts for floatation. Other options are:
- Nothing at all - the sealed chambers provide floatation as long as you do not have a hull breach.
- Pop bottles - use a bit of glue to keep them from rattling around
- Bubble wrap
- Swimming noodles
It is not recommended to use pour-in or spray-in foam as this can trap water between the foam and the hull. Never inject spray foam into a sealed floatation chamber through a small hole. It is easy to "over do it" and the foam will continue to expand until it blows your boat apart.
I have copied the version I have from when Kris and I did these up below:
Suggested Improvements to the Mini-Cup Plans
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/COCKPIT
- The cockpit sides are intended to meet the fore and aft cockpit bulkheads 16" out from the center line. The height of the sides - 10 1/4" - is not shown on the plans at that point. If you add it to the dimensions when lofting, the bulkheads will have the proper curve to meet the cockpit sides, and you will get a good fit. If you have already miss-cut the bulkheads, you can either add a filler strip of wood to the tops of the cockpit sides , or move the cockpit sides out until they match up with the bulkheads. Moving the sides out is not preferred, as it will create more un-supported area around the cockpit hole rim, and weaken the deck in the seating area.
Many builders have worried if the exposed 1/4" plywood on the cockpit rim would support them. Since the plywood is bent at that point, it is fairly strong, but some builders have reported cracking here. One option is to use a double thickness of 1/4" plywood around the cockpit rim. (add the second layer to the bottom of the rim) Another, but slightly trickier option is to fiberglass the rim.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/DECK/FOREDECK
- It's hard to see in the plans, but the foredeck is intended to be trimmed to size for installation. Also, bending the forward sides of the foredeck down to the hull sides may be more extreme than you, your clamps, or your plywood can bear. One option is to cut a taper on the foredeck similarly to the hull to get it to fit. Be careful that when you pull the sides of the deck in, they still reach out far enough to cover the hull sides. Another option is to make your hull sides higher at the bow to make the bending less extreme. It could also help to sand the bottom center line of the deck thinner at the bow. This will make the deck bend easier. Do not sand the deck thinner all the way to the edges, only the part that is in contact with the bow frame. You will need the full thickness of the 1/4" plywood along the edges to set the screws.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/DECK/AFTDECK
- The plans indicate to cut the aft deck the same shape as the aft hull panel and then later trim off the curved portion when fitting. Several builders have had difficulty with this panel, so it is recommended to not pre-cut it, but to cut it to fit the boat you have built when you are ready to attach it.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/BOW GUSSET
- The plans call for ripping the bow gussets at a 45 degree angle and then planing them down to fit the angle of the hull bottom as it fits to the bow. Alternatively, you can wait until the bow frame is attached to the hull and then mill/shape the gussets to the proper angle.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/RUDDER
- The stock rudder as designed does not kick up far enough to end up parallel with the hull. Experimenting with the pivot hole location can lead to better placement. Another option is to not use the tiller to control rudder kick-up, but rather use a bungee cord placed along the forward part of the rudder to hold it down. One end of the bungee cord would be attached to the rudder, the other end to the bottom of the rudder box. The tiller could then be directly attached to the rudder box.
Use a nylon collar bushing around the 1/4" pivot bolt on the rudder. This allows you to tighten the bolt completely without crushing the sides of the rudder box. It also protects the 1/2" hole in the rudder from wear.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/COAMINGS
- The plans do not call for coamings on the boat. In heavier seas, a fair bit of water can wash over the fore-deck and into the cockpit. The addition of coamings just aft of the mast tube would greatly reduce this.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/DAGGERBOARD BOX
- See drawing #7 in the plans. The entire interior area of the box is exposed to water. If you create a second part B. and install it just forward of the daggerboard slot, you will drastically reduce the amount of water that enters the box.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/TRANSOME BOTTOM HULL STRINGER
- This stringer gets bent two ways, around the back of the boat, and around the bottom curve of the hull. It can be very difficult to install this stringer without breaking it repeatedly. Try cutting the curve into the stringer from a wider piece of wood. This way it won't have to bend around the back of the transom at all. The only bend will be to follow the slight bend of the rounded hull bottom.
PLAN IMPROVEMENT/RUDDER MOUNTS
- The plans suggest using barrel bolts to attach the rudder box to the transom. These barrel bolts work fine for some/most builders. But some builders have had the screws pull out or the parts bend or come un-latched. An alternate solution is to use four stainless steel eye bolts, two on the transom and two on the rudder box. It will be necessary to install a vertical backer block to the inside of the transom to hold the eye bolts. Use a half inch aluminum dowel rod as a hinge pin. It just slides through all the eye bolts and is secured at each end with a spring pin pushed through small holes drilled through the dowel. Stronger, more secure and better looking than barrel bolts.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS/WOOD
- 1/4" luan plywood, commonly sold as bathroom underlayment is an inexpensive choice for hull materials. For pieces that are not to be bend such as the bulkheads shown in Figure 4 - regular construction grade exterior plywood would be fine. Pieces having more of a bend to them, such as the sides, or that are more susceptible to damage, such as the hull bottom, should be of better quality wood, especially void-free wood.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS/HARDWARE
- The most difficult piece of hardware to find are aluminum tubes for spars. Metal Supermarkets - http://www.metalsupermarkets.com - can supply tube to spec, but prices vary widely. Options include using smaller diameter tube for the gaff and boom, using wood reinforced PVC pipe (not recommended for the mast), or wood.
The plans call for 1" screws to attach plywood to 1" stock (stringers). Use 3/4" screws to avoid the tips of the screws going all the way through the stringers.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS/COATINGS
- While the plans suggest only using paint to coat the hull, some builders have reported cracking along the chines after some time. Using fiberglass tape and epoxy resin in this area can prevent that from happening.
Areas of the boat that can get a bit "beat up" such as the hull, can benefit from couple of coatings of epoxy resin before painting. Also, if you used fir plywood for construction, epoxy coating can reduce the chances of future cracking.
For the most protection from abrasion, the elements, and the best protection from cracking, a light coating of fiberglass fabric and epoxy can be used.
The interior of the floatation chambers can be just painted, although epoxy resin here would certainly add to the longevity of the boat.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS/FLOATATION
- The plans suggest using packing peanuts for floatation. Other options are:
- Nothing at all - the sealed chambers provide floatation as long as you do not have a hull breach.
- Pop bottles - use a bit of glue to keep them from rattling around
- Bubble wrap
- Swimming noodles
It is not recommended to use pour-in or spray-in foam as this can trap water between the foam and the hull. Never inject spray foam into a sealed floatation chamber through a small hole. It is easy to "over do it" and the foam will continue to expand until it blows your boat apart.
