BLUFF RATTY 15 Jan 21 Musings and Materials

 15 Jan 21:

We had a 4x8 sheet of 1/4 inch marine grade ply and some 3/4 inch thick cypress in varied widths, so I thought we'd use that up first. We used several punt (flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water) plans to get an idea on what size pieces to cut, how long, how wide, how high. Our limiting factor on this BLUFF RATTY v1.0 Marine COnstruction Contract Design 1, Hull number 1 (MCC-101) is using only one sheet of 4x8 plywood. SUPER BLUFF RATTY (MCC-201), in design also, will use 2 sheets.  Marine grade plywood is nice, otherwise work with you local lumber store or cabinet shop to order the best grade plywood you can, with waterproof glue, higher grades are best, they have fewer voids in the plies, smoother and thicker veneer, and more internal plies. Pressure treated plywood might be considered as well. Southern Yellow Pine, white pine, douglas fir or spruce would work fine for the solid wood, white oak best, some woods will need more care and maintenance and some are easier to work with. Availability of materials will usually be the main issue.

Those are the basics for material selection, there are builder decisions to be made. A white pine boat with the cheapest grade plywood could have a very limited lifespan of one season unless it is pampered with excellent coatings and stored out of the weather. It will be inexpensive and fun to build. A white oak or cypress boat with high grade marine ply, excellent coatings and silicone bronze fasteners could be a family heirloom "100 Year Boat" with reasonable care and maintenance, and it will also be fun to build. Either way there is fun to be had building a boat that will easily carry an adult and a kid, or a couple of kids. Crew capacity and weight will be determined soon and posted here, we are shooting for 2-3 crew, 300-400 pounds total weight.

Insert Materials List here.

Insert Plans here.

Using numbers floating around in our head, we cut 8 inches off each side to become the 2 lower planks (garboard). Once this is done, Congratulations! You are building a boat.

The bottom is going to be one inch narrower on either side than the top (sheer), so we cut 2 inches off the length of one side of the bottom panel.

The lower planks have a rise of 5 1/2 inches starting 30 inches in, from each of each panel, so we made 2 marks on each side plank.

We cut out the 3/4 inch thick lumber next, to varied widths and lengths (see Materials List, once we develop it). One of the cuts is a 3/4" x 3/4" strip to make the chine, the strip that a side panel and bottom panel attach to. Today we used several #6 x 3/4 inch screws to temporarily attach the side panel to the chine out past the 30 inch mark, since we plan on screwing the sides in final construction, clamps could be used also. Then sprung the chine strip up 5 1/2 inches, measured to the top of the strip, to get the lower curve (rocker) of the bow and stern. Marked that rocker on the lower side of the chine strip, removed the chine and cut off the lower bit of panel with a jigsaw. You could cut 2 panels at the same time if desired. Save the lower cutoff(s) to mark the other end and for potential use later.

Next we cut the solid stock to varied widths and lengths per plan. These bits will make the bow, transom, seats, chine, upper plank (sheer plank), frames and other bits. If you ever thought about buying a portable table saw, now is the time :) 

Bow and transom.

Seats, bow and transom. Lower and upper planks. Bottom.

We work to Sharpie tolerances aka Galloping Horse Marine Construction. Some folks use sharp, sharp pencil. Measure twice, cut once. Cut a few extra pieces. We leave a tiny bit extra, and trim to fit during final construction. Keep a Moaning Chair handy to sit and ponder mess ups and future plans. Drink coffee.

Log of BLUFF RATTY.

St. Jacques Log 26 Dec 16 CB and Middle Seat

26 Dec 16:

Cut out the middle seat and attached the centerboard case. Sealed, primed and varnished some pieces.

Primed the port planks and stringers with Rust_Oleum Marine Coating wood and fiberglass primer.

Checking the plans to see where the seat sits on top of the centerboard case.

Pulled seat length and thickness off of this plan.

Picked the bevel off of the stringers and set the circular saw.

Scribed the curve.

Picked the bevel off of the stringers and set the circular saw. I cut the top board first hoping it would be long enough. It wasn't but the curve was right, so I used the first board to mark a longer boar. Cut the bevel and the curve with one pass. I'll use the first board for other seat parts.

Dry fit the centerboard case and middle seat. Drilled holes for the case log (bottom) screws and seat screws.

Sealed the bottom of the seat with Jamestown Distributors TotalBoat Wood Sealer and prepped for Gleam satin varnish. This is the first time we used the wood sealer, we got a free sample from JD and I bought the varnish to go with it. We also bought the varnish kit which came with paint pots, 10" stir sticks, paint straining filters, and 2" foam brushes. I really liked how it flowed on, nice and smooth with minimal brushing and it did a good job of sealing the wood for the varnish. The foam brushes knocked the top ridges down nicely and kept us from having drips down the side. It was nice to know that we had the right amount of sealer vs guessing on a thinned varnish approach. And we also try to stick to the same system of epoxy, paint or varnish once we get started on a project. I have to say I was impressed by the JD video and the results that Louis Sauzedde got with their varnish system. And I can't speak highly enough of how the JD technical and sales staff have supported us through a variety of phases in several projects, by phone, email and even their forum. Free shipping for VIP membership has come in handy, we just got some more silicone bronze screws with the varnish and THIXO on our last order. THIXO is ready to seal up the centerboard case.

Attached the centerboard case with Jamestown Distributors THIXO Fast Cure thickened epoxy and 6 silicone bronze screws. The screws are basically used to hold the case while the THIXO cures. I taped up the centerboard and kept it in the case during install to make sure I had the right clearance. Taped the area first to minimize epoxy spread. Peel the tape asap before epoxy cures. Don't drive to the airport and come back later expecting to peel it then....okay I did that...if that happens, get and exacto knife and cut through the epoxy along the tape edge, then peel the tape up.

Once the board was screwed in, I removed the centerboard and put in a few spacer sticks. I wrapped a few spacer sticks in plastic and dropped those through the top. Then crawled underneath to wipe out excess epoxy.

Port side primed for Oyster White. Starboard side sealed. First coat of varnish on the seat. Note the alignment sticks in the centerboard slot, I put plastic on the bottom of those so they don't get glued permanent. And yes, the centerboard case is offset to port because there is a small continuous keel under the boat. Where's Waldo?

Click here for St. Jacques complete log.