BYYB Forums

Hello everyone. What a friendly and informative group you have here! I've been reading all of your posts for some time and have been very impressed with the amassed knowledge here. Trust me, if this site were made of paper my copy would be dogeared and littered with margin notes

I had some trouble signing up to the board but with the help of Bill Olney I can finally make my first post!

Here goes:

I live in South Texas and have never built a boat. I went sailing once about 30 years ago and never forgot it. Now that my career is winding down and I have a little time, I can finally indulge in a passion that I have long held in my heart. I want to learn to sail.

Now, the boat building thing is a merely genetic flaw I got from my grandfather (and father). It was simply a matter of time before I had an incomplete hull in my garage. In fact, I'm guessing my Scots ancestors must have been shipwrights. The Scot influence also makes me cheap, so don't be too hard on me for my choice of materials.

The only question was what type of boat it would be. After a lot of anguish and research I decided on the Triad from Stevenson Projects. It looks like a forgiving little boat and I like the Greek construction lines. It fits my budget and SWMBO assumes that due to its small size I won't be tempted to hit the blue water in it :twisted:

I'm not a professional carpenter, but that's never stopped any male in my family before so it shouldn't be too much of an obstacle. I do know how to use woodworking tools and consider myself something of a duffer when it comes to carpentry. In other words -- I can use a table saw and router, just don't expect the joints to be absolutely perfect.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have lots of noob questions. I am still organizing my garage and have not bought my lumber yet. I picked up an adjustable steel roller outfeed for my table saw (on sale at Sears for $11.99!) which should help (I will be a solo builder) and I have studied the plans extensively -- there are a few confusing points, but I have the general idea. I'm hoping to start construction on a keel within a couple of weeks, then progress as I can afford materials.

And of course, I plan to be a pirate.


Cheers,

Mac

Welcome to the board Mac, i am glad that it worked.

there have been other builders in the texas area but i am not sure what ever happened to them. you never know... they may just show up and help you some day if you ask and if there are three paid members in an area we can make you a fleet (there was a lone star fleet proposed once but has been no activity on it) the fleet forums are lower down and that is where you post localized events such as boat sheads when you need help flipping or messabouts.

the triad is a nice looking little boat but let me warn you that once a boat gets to be to small, or even sometimes while you are building one; more plans start coming your way as do the ideas of building larger or different boats. Barnacle Jim for instance isn't even done building his highly modified vacationer yet and he has already gotten the plans for a 12 meter.

Thanks again Bill for all of your help.

As to the Triad. I am going into it knowing I will outgrow it very quickly and therefore I'm not too concerned about using very expensive components (ala the venerable Mr. Harley). My plan is to cut my teeth (and hopefully not too many fingers) on it, learn the sailing and construction basics, then move on to something I can actually do some overnights on with my wife. I also like the idea of having the engine-well feature so I can use the Triad as a throw-down little fishing boat in Galveston later.


Mac

Heya mac nice to see I'm not alone in having a few issues signing up for the boards. I'm a Canadian who has the same idea as yourself but decided to cut my teeth on a mini-cup. unfortunatly the computer that i do my website with (and has all my pics and files) just blew its expensive video card :x ($640 Can). so I can't really do much with my wifes computer except post. I found the smaller boat extremely easy to build with a couple foggy points, for some reason I found I had to add some scraps of 1/4 inch ply to the sides near the bow to reduce the curve of the deck enough so my deck wouldn't crack when screwed down for one.

to be honest if it wasn't for the budget she would have been done in about 3-4 weeks (the female portion of the government has allocated enough of a budget to finish the boat tomorrow ) so I have another one and a half to two weeks left before I can float her.

I found the hull itself came together amazing fast (5 days) but I realize the hard work is in the fairing I really want her to look good when I'm done.

But enough about my lil boat I hope you post lots of pics (unlike me) so we can watch your progress as your first one (of many we all hope!!) comes together!

and if anyone else out there had issues with the mini cup please let me know what they were!! I'd prefer to avoid any more surprises! lol (altho I think it was my fledgling woodworking skills personally)

Mark - you might want to check out the MiniCup FAQ that Kris Nicholas and I put together a couple of years ago - http://byyb.org/pn761/index.php?name=FAQ&id_cat=5 I also have a few pointers on my personal website which is intermittantly up (long story) http://www.floatingbear.ca/MiniCupBuilding.htm

Welcome Aboard Mac.
if You run into any trouble during Your build dont hesitate to ask i will help you out if I can.
Good luck with Your Build and post lots of photos.

Brian.

Ahoy Mac,

Welcome aboard. I've always liked the look of the Triad. Good luck on your project! Glad to see that Bill Olney helped you! Bill's a very special person. Be careful with him, though. Before you know, Bill will try to recruit for the SW Fleet even though you live in south Texas.

I'm not sure what to say about that sketch he posted. The boat looks vaguely familiar.

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I do plan to post some pictures once I get started and I'm absolutely sure I will need to ask some questions.

Mark, budget is a big issue for me too! I work for the county so you can imagine I don't have much of a portfolio hock: -- I don't plan to spend a fortune on this first project and I will be making some cost cutting decisions that shouldn't affect the performance of the craft, just it's longevity. I will use exterior instead of marine-grade plywood, coated screws instead of stainless ones, PL Premium instead of epoxy, and exterior house paint instead of marine-type paint. If I don't do it this way it will never get built and I really want this to be a learning experience (and hopefully a confidence builder) for when I move on to a larger project.

There don't seem to be many Triad builders around, but from reading through the site many of the construction techniques are congruous between the models.

I do have one quick question. If I remember my plans correctly the lower stringers are cut on a 22.5° angle and attached to the bottom hull decking. Do the side panels come down flush to the bottom of the stringer, or do they actually cover the edge of the bottom hull ply? It just seems like if it comes all the way down you would want to cut the deck piece at 22.5° too, but nothing is mentioned in the plans.

Thanks for the warning, Jim

Bill did tell me there was a proposed Texas fleet (but it's empty), so I may have to look into that after I pay my dues. If I'm the only member in the fleet do I get to be Admiral? (my eyesight is starting to go, maybe I could be Nelson)

Quote:...I do have one quick question. If I remember my plans correctly the lower stringers are cut on a 22.5° angle and attached to the bottom hull decking. Do the side panels come down flush to the bottom of the stringer, or do they actually cover the edge of the bottom hull ply? It just seems like if it comes all the way down you would want to cut the deck piece at 22.5° too, but nothing is mentioned in the plans.

Building my Mini-Cup I brought the sides down flush with the bottom of the stringers... and regretted it two weeks later as I bought my third can of Bondo to fill the gap. My 2¢ worth.