BYYB Forums

Thanks Bob.  I think I've seen this Skipjack in the gallery.  What is that yellow grating on the floor?

It's called dri-deck , interlocking flexible tiles that keep your feet dry if you get any water in the boat
Not sure if I like it or not, also allows dirt to collect and its a pain to remove to clean underneath. We may remove it

This weekend's update.

Hours worked Friday through Sunday, 10
Ripped and installed side stringers, top and bottom.  Faired top curve of keel with handheld power plane.

Hours shopping, 2.5
Money spent, $51.38 (glue and supplies)



After really struggling with the first stringer by myself, I decided there must be a better way.  So with two bar clamps and a piece of scrap plywood I came up with this gizmo to position the stringer for each screw.  So much easier.  And despite what Stevenson says in his DVD about just driving in drywall screws as you go, I found it much easier to counter sink starter holes and put all the screws in finger-tight before applying the glue.  If you look closely you can see the screws lined up along the edges.  These are 1 1/4" coated deck screws.  My stringers are a little fatter than the plans call for so that I don't have to grind off the tips of the longer screws.  The downside is that the stringers are a bit harder to bend.




Nights have been getting down into the thirties (F) and daily highs only mid fifties, so after applying glue and fastening the stringers I put the deck and floor on sawhorses, put an electric heater under them and tented with a sheet of poly tarp.  This helps keep the temperature up enough for the epoxy to cure.



I was hoping to get the deck and floor attached to the keel and bulkheads, but that probably won't happen until next weekend.

Mark,

    Your coming along nicely with your boat!  I do not know if I will have enough done on our Vacationer to get it in the water this summer, I am however hopeful for next summer.  The weekender in Mukilteo I believe Belongs to Barry , and is now in Shoreline.  I have seen postings of at least 1 more in progress down south and 1 more on the water somewhere in the sound.  Would be nice to have a fleet here, I am liking that idea

Regards,

    Will

With the forum crash over the weekend I couldn't update this thread until today (Tuesday, 2/24/2015).

Summary for 2/21/2015 through 2/24/2015

Hours building, 11.5
Hours spent in hospital instead of building, 3.0
Money spent on build, $0.00
Money spent on hospital bills, TBD

So I was working away on Saturday, when the handsaw slipped and gouged my index finger.  Two stitches worth.  Good thing it wasn't a power saw that got me.




Mockup of keel to floor.  The new handheld power plane had done a nice and quick fairing of the keel.



The 10-foot long floor panel, as mentioned previously, enabled me to locate the joint forward of the front bulkhead, with enough room to even be forward of the mast box.  I notched a limber on each side of the panel joiner, and both bulkhead gussets.




Here she is, mocked up before gluing.  (The stringers are already glued to the deck and floor.)



The little triangle piece of wood behind the front bulkhead is cut to 87 degrees, just as an easy gauge to make sure the bulkhead angle is right.  It's not attached to anything.  See, there are no seams in the floor or deck in the cockpit area.  the seam on the foredeck will be covered by a v-shaped coaming.


I'm having trouble with the rear bulkhead though.  Even with kerfs on two sides of the gussets I'm only able to bend them in one direction.  I managed to get them on the bulkhead, but then couldn't get the bulkhead into position on the boat, between floor and deck.  The bottom gusset started to crack apart when I tried to screw it to the floor.  I think I'll have to rethink and rebuild both gussets.  Maybe use a more bendable type of wood.  Any suggestions?

i had the same problem, it just didn't want to fit. i decided not to try and force things, i made a few cardboard templates till i got the size and shape right and went with that. the final piece didn't really resemble the plans much, but i decided it was better to go with what worked insted of forcing the plans on it.
otherwise, your boat looks amazing so far, make me want to build another one , lucky my wife will explain the error of my ways to me

hope the hand heals fast!

Weekly update for 2/23/2015 through 3/1/2015

Hours spent building  20
Hours spent shopping  4.3

Money spent
Trailer kit  $358.04  (Ordered online from harbor Freight.  Was on sale plus I used an online coupon to save about $180.)
Materials  $426.40  (Fiberglass, epoxy resin & hardener)
Supplies  $46.95


So, I had to rebuild the lower gusset for the rear bulkhead.  If I hadn't already glued the upper gusset I would have rebuilt that one too.  Too hard to bend, as you'll see.  For the lower one, I decided to cut strips and laminate them to make a curved gusset.  I suppose I could have just cut a curved piece out of board stock, but I wasn't sure if I would have to bend it two ways, and this glue lam method is what occurred to me.  It worked pretty well.




Strips bend fairly easily.



Glued and jigged.




While I was waiting for that to cure, I decided to give the stringers a nicer, radius edge with a router.


The laminated gusset holds a nice curve.




Staged and ready for glue-up (or so I thought).



Disaster!  Here's what can happen when you try to force things.  I don't think I like Meranti marine plywood.  Hard to work with and hard to get a clean edge when cutting.  Veneer layers splinter easily.  Veneer layer also delaminates relatively easily.



So how to fix?  I couldn't remove the bulkhead because it was already glued to the floor and the glue had cured.  So I cut out a section where the damage was and made up a replacement panel piece, cut a curved gusset and also shaved a top curve with a power plane, and also made a backing strip a few inches long on each end, which will be glued and clamped.





Installed and the backing strip glued and clamped.



Glue-up done.



So, I guess I'm going to have to hide the bulkhead goof with a layer or two of fiberglass.  Hopefully I can make it disappear.

All things can be made lovely and wonderful under some putty and paint. Don't sweat it, you'll make more "charm" marks, that you might have to hide.

Looks amazing, I agree that forcing things never works out!
Your boat is going to be a beauty

A few days ago I sent Mike Stevenson an email asking for advice on my Skipjack build.  I haven't heard back from him yet but I was hoping for answers before resuming my build this weekend.  So I'm reprinting the query here in hopes for some feedback from my fellow builders, to wit:

Mast
I’m considering building a birdsmouth mast.  I’ll try to find Sitka Spruce but If I can’t get that maybe Douglas-fir.  What diameter and wall thickness should I build it to?  Should it taper towards the top?  If so, to what diameter at the top?  Should I insert a solid wood pole (dowel) at the top to make the above-the-gaff section?  Same questions for the other spars:  bowsprit, gaff and boom.

Mast step
I’d thought I’d build a tabernacle for the mast, but now I’m thinking of using the mast box merely as a compression post, and just step the mast at deck level, with a hitch pin and appropriate hardware.  Then when I prep for transport,  I could remove the hitch pin and move the foot of the mast forward to connect it to the forestay eye with the same hitch pin.  This way the top of the mast won’t hang off the stern of the boat as far.  Is there any reason I would not want to do it this way?  Do you have any suggestions for this approach?

Positive flotation
I’m planning to tuck some rigid sheet foam flotation up under the side decks, foredeck, benches and rear deck where they won’t be noticed, fastening with an adhesive to the undersides.  What kind of foam and glue would you recommend for this?  I’m also thinking of making stand-off strips to be positioned between the foam and the plywood to provide ventilation.  Do you think this is worth the extra effort?

Hull Sides
I’m planning to build the benches, install the foam, and locate the hardware (cleats, blocks, etc.), and epoxy seal & paint interior before attaching the hull sides, making that the last major part of the build (but prior to fiberglassing & painting the outside of the hull of course.  This will give me easier access for the other parts of the build.  Is there any reason I would not want to do it this way?

Sole
I was thinking of fiberglassing the sole (floor) before installing the benches.  This would be easier and make for a cleaner install of the floor fiberglass.  If I’m using System Three Gel Magic as my adhesive (but regular epoxy for glassing), would a layer of glass and epoxy in between the floor and the foot of the bench framing be any cause for concern?  (I thought glassing the sole might be a good idea because it’ll get the most wear, being underfoot.  Especially after seeing the wear on the sole of the Skipjack on the projects website that’s shown as a rigging example.)


Any and all feedback is welcome.