Hello again!
Before i start my weekender I have 2 pretty basic questions..
The first is on wood selection for the keel (I know this question has probably been addressed a dozen other times but please bare with me
). I know the plans call for Mahogany, Fir, Pine or another medium hardwood. Why would you not use a Hardwood such as white oak for the keel (besides the cost)? It makes sense that since this is the "spine" of the boat and is going to take all of the beaching/landing, you would want a wood that could take the abuse.
Second question..
I noticed how most of the cutting involved during the construction of the boat involves the use of a skill saw, sometimes using multiple passes at differnt blade depths to achieve a curve.. Would the use of a jig saw be a better option during the construction of this project rather than a skill saw due to the amount of curves involved? Has anyone had any luck with one over the other?
Thanks!
-Jason
Hi Jason, I'm just starting my weekender as well. White oak is perfect for the keel, but so are the other woods listed. You won't be beaching your boat at 20 MPH or onto sharp rocks, so any wood will do and take the kind of abuse hese boats should see. I have a 15 year old boat of similar construction to the weekender with a plain spruce keel. Over the years there have been a few nicks out of it from all the landings, big deal. If you are reallly concerned, buyild your keel from a less expensive wood and put a half inch or so of oak srip on the bottom. If you hit something that penatrates this... well, you have more to worry about then the keel
The saw issue makes sense to me. A jig saw is good too but harder to keep on line maybe. But, whatever you are comfortable with. Try not to over think things, remember:
"Building a boat is just one corrected mistake after another"
The skill saw (a good one) will work better than a jigsaw for 2 reasons. The blade is wider in the wood which will help you stay online easier. The other is setting and keeping the angle where it should be. A jig saw blade will bend a lot of times and if your trying to cut an angle at 27degrees the and you get your blade set there once you start cutting the blade could start to bend and you may get a 34 degree angle. It's very easy to cut the curves with the skill saw but get a blade for cutting plywood and not ripping lumber. You want one with a lot of teeth and carbide tipped will last much longer than an all steel blade. Get yourself a good protractor and a sliding T bevel for setting your saw up to cut at an angle. Glad to see you getting ready to build and white oak is a good choice just don't use red oak
Keith
I used a bandsaw to cut out the pieces of my keel. I should mention that I am building a Triad not a Weekender. It went ok but I have to agree with an earlier comment about the straightness of the cut. In my case it wasn't much, the bandsaw has a 3/4" ripping blade, but I did have to spend some time with a small hand rasp and a power sander to get the top of the keel flat. If I had to do it again I would use a circle saw and double cut.
You can use whatever saw you have on hand. The directions for using a skill saw were a part of the original concept of building this boat with a minimum set of tools and a skill saw is something that nearly every homeowner has or that can be purchased inexpensively.
You can use a jigsaw, bandsaw, skillsaw or whatever you wish. In the case of my weekender, I used all 3 - I already had them and each has its own advantages and limitations. If you are going to build the entire boat using a single saw - the skillsaw is probably the best overall choice.
The backbone on weekender isn't the structural element that most traditional "keel" boats have. In fact, considering the loads imposed on the hull, the keel isn't really necessary for sufficient strength. It's primary function is providing lateral area and some support to the sprit (which could be eliminated with a bob stay).
Weekender could be built without he keel at all. In it's place a keel batten could be used (inside or out) and a small stem (inside or out) attached to it. A transom knee would be necessary (inside or out) and some replacement for the lateral plane would be necessary, but he hull is more then strong enough without the deadwood assembly (assuming some changes to the plans of course).
As far as wood for the deadwood assembly, you can use pretty much anything you want, and over the years, everything imaginable has been. Some species are better then others. Personally, if sticking to the plans, I'd build with light weight wood, such as spruce, Spanish cedar or even Douglas fur (not so light). The lighter you build the boat, the better it will perform. Softwoods will "move" less that hardwoods when wet are are less prone to "checking".
The best tool(s) is the one(s) you feel most comfortable using.
If thinking about making some changes, some to consider are: eliminating the chine battens and going with a filleted and taped seam), or for that matter removing all battens, in favor of a filleted and taped seams, eliminate the bottom butt block and either scarfing or using the Payson butt joint (taped seam method again). This decreases the number of pieces you need to buy, build and install, makes the boat lighter and stronger, plus is more water tight. It does increase the "goo factor", but most will be fooling around with epoxy pretty good on the build anyway.
There are many other modifications and changes you can employ in the build too. Some address performance, others common weak areas or trouble spots.