A short sail

After having such a lovely time in the morning rowing the pram around the pond, and getting inspiration from the amazingly pleasant weather, I decided that I needed to take the skiff out to the lake and reacquaint myself with her.
Sliding her into the back of the truck, I was reminded of how handy this boat is.  I drove to the closest of the lakes and launched there.  The breeze was up so I prepped the sailing rig.

Lake sailing.  This is the original cut of the sail
that is larger than the current sail.  The sprit is shorter now too.

We sailed the down the Western shore of the lake, the wind was out of the south.  A few little gusts kept me paying attention, especially as the water is cold again, and, there was nobody else on the lake, or it's shores.  When I reached the north end of the lake, where the sand beach is, I changed heading, gybing easily with the sprit rig and sailed across the wind skirting the beach along the entire north end to the eastern side where the dam is.  I beached the boat, dropped the sailing rig and rowed up the eastern shore.
On the southern end of the lake there are two large coves, or bays and I rowed up into the western bay and set the sailing rig back up so I could finish my circumnavigation with a sail back up the western shore to the launch site.
After hauling the boat from the water I spotted a set of antlers and the head of a deer swimming across the bay to get to the land on the other side.  He didn't need oars, but he could have easily set sails on that rack.  It was great to see him come out of the water and shake off before hopping right into the woods.
It was a nice way to end my sail.
Sailing along the sand beach was great fun and had such a different quality than sailing the  rest of the lake.  The beach was the lee shore today and the waves washed up on it making a sound and sight as if it were a much bigger bit of water I was upon.  Sailing along, with the bottom insight, sloping and sandy and the beach moving by quickly, was a bit exciting.
I have come to realize how much more pleasant it is to sail this boat with a minimum of complications.  The lovely rudder I built for it is not an improvement over using the oars as steering oars, each perched in it's after most oarlock.  It easy to switch between the two, or to just start using them both to row.  I still miss the ease at which the boat moved in light airs with the larger sail, but I do enjoy being able to sail in stronger wind.
I did not try to sail to windward at all, and being of the mind to row to wind kept me from worrying over a thing that this boat does not do well.
It was a very lovely day, a very "boaty" day and all in the middle of November to add.

While rowing the skiff I found that I should probably take the time to make a new middle thwart, just a bit wider to accommodate my big fat backside.  I made the thwarts the way I did, loose fitting so that they could be adjusted until the optimum position could be found, and so that the could be easily removed for sailing or lying on the floors.  This has all worked but I do sometimes wish that they were fastened tight so that there was one less thing to fuss over.  The middle thwart, the rowing thwart, needs to be about 6-10 inches farther foreward than I originally thought.  This would also have the affect of moving the bow down a touch, which would be a positive improvement.
I have decided that one of the things I don't like about this design is that the bow sits proud of the water.  This does certainly cause it to pound into the waves and it also gives much more area for the wind to get hold of her.  Instead of a sharp fine entry to the water she has a wide bottom that does help her to plane up over the water and makes her more maneuverable, but at the same time, takes away her ability to track.
In looking at the GOAT ISLAND SKIFF, which is a well reported sailing skiff,  I think it has less rocker, although  the stem doesn't quite make it down to the water, it exposes much less of the flat bottom to the oncoming water.
I do realize that by putting the sailing rig on this boat I was trying to get something out of it that it was not intended to do.  That being said, I have had some success getting her to sail.  She did better in lighter airs with the bigger sail, obviously, but she also seemed to go to weather a tiny bit better with that larger sail, probably due to the affect of the wind on the hull being so much less able to cause leeway.  But off wind and across the wind and in stronger wind, the current sail is much more comfortable to use.  I think it could be a bit longer at the foot, though the sheet lead would quickly become an issue, but it needs no more height on such a narrow beamed boat.
Although I do want to build a boat specifically for sailing and it may not be much different in form from this skiff (MAYBE THE GOAT ISLAND SKIFF)  I may still get the centerboard drunk installed and build a taller mast.
It was good to be out in her again.  It had been a while.  It was truly wonderful to have gotten to sail her.

The most pleasing sound of the day was when I heard the first bubble of the water along her hull as her sail started to pull and she began to make way.

Brailed up

sailing QTx skiff

Sprit rig skiff
no rudder
no daggerboard
steering by the mainsheet and bodyweight!
dead simple

summer sailing

skiff on the lake on a perfect summer day.

Gettin' wet

We piled the pram and the new boat into the back of the truck and headed for the lake.

like pancakes.

 Perfect weather for a first time out in a new boat.

Liz and her new boat.

The boat is small and with that size comes some definite limitations.  Liz seems to like it.  It seemed very tender.  She didn't complain.  It also seemed squirrelly.  I think that I will add a skeg to the underbody to help it track better.

First time out

The boat doesn't seem as small when she is in it.  With her in it the boat draws about 2 inches, maybe 3.  She has to be very aware of where she sits to trim the boat a tiny bit down in the stern seems to make it track better.

The micro canoe.

I got in and tried her out.  Very tender, not a trait I appreciate in any boat.  Otherwise it seems to be about what I expected.  I think I could have increased the beam a bit and decreased the freeboard to get that extra bottom width.  I think that the pram has much more stability because of this added 6 inches on the beam, and carrying the width farther out to the ends.
The boat will do what it was made to do just fine.  It will be an easy way to get on the pond.  Liz portaged the boat just fine.

Happy girl in a boat built for her.

His and Hers

So Liz's boat is finished.  I really like it.  All the wood and varnish make it look special.  I am eager to see her in it and on the water.

I decided to change the rowing situation on the pram for the 4th time, I think.  Brought it up to the shop and worked on it then took the opportunity to see both boats together.

His & hers.

In some ways the boats are very similar and in others so very different.  I have enjoyed watching the evolution of my building style and methods.  I suppose I am giving myself a education that moves in baby steps over a long period of time.  I have built 3 boats over a year and a half, all of similar type, but each different in the particulars and the intended use.

Pram & Double paddle canoe

I took off the red oak oar locks that were on the pram for 2 reasons.  First, the red oak just looked out of place on the boat overall.  Second,  If I was to use the double paddle option then they would be in the way.  I had always intended for the oar locks to be removable so that either rowing or paddling could be chosen.  Now I have a 1-1/2" x 3/4" x 12" thole pin that bolts to the frame with a bolt and wing nut for easy removal.

My fleet is growing.  Seems a bit crazy at times to have so many boats, but I am sure they said the same thing about Imelda Marcos and her shoes, and we know she was as sane as any of us, right?  I think that building boats is like any addiction, "Hi, my name is Richard and I am a boat-aholic".  Actually it feels more like a therapy, the way painting a canvas or throwing a clay pot, or playing guitar, are therapeutic as well as artistic.
I think I am ready for the next phase of my apprenticeship.  I am not sure what that is but it feels like I have done the "One sheet of plywood, flat bottom boat" and of my own dimensions and could move on.  Maybe a multi chined boat, maybe a stitch & glue, definitely a longer boat.
I like that these boats are inexpensive to build, really cheap, and use very little "milled" purchased wood.  The plywood is a guilt trip for me to some degree.  It takes a bit of manufacturing and shipping and cutting to make a sheet of plywood, as well as some chemicals that aren't so nice.  I think these boats already have a limited life span because of the type of plywood, glue and finish I am using, so I go ahead and use the Plywood.  If I could build a traditional planked boat, or dug out, all with found materials I would, but then again, I don't know that I could build the type of boats I would use with that method, so then why build at all?  I have built 3 boats and used 5 sheets of plywood.  I think that's OK.  I don't feel too badly about it.
I think about building for other people but I don't know that anybody would want one of my boats.  They are easy enough to build and I think people should just build their own if they want won.

shiny

Liz's boat.  I am pretty happy with the way it came out.  The test will be how it works for her.

first coats of varnish

The floors have gotten varnished too.  I decided to just varnish the entire boat.  There is something very, very pleasing about the wood grain and the gloss finish.

So the boat is basically done, but for a few more coats of "shiny".

I like that this boat, these boats that I have built, won't last for ever, maybe not even the rest of my days.  the wood and the varnish allow for some moderated aging.  All things should eventually crumble and decay.  The pleasure of building a boat is such that I think lots of people should get the chance to do it, so the idea of handing down a boat to another generation becomes less appealing to me.  Let my children have the experience on their own.  Let me have it again when the time comes, when these boats are beyond repair.

Another boat, really?

Yes, it's true.  I have begun to build another boat.  This will be a small (of course) double ended canoe, hard chined, pond boat for my wife.  She indicated that she would like me to build her a boat & that she might like to be able to come out to the pond in the mornings to use it.  Soooooooooooo.

The form comes from the needed dimensions at mid ships.  As much surface area as possible, for buoyancy,  little flair on the sides for paddling, depth of hull for reserve buoyancy and comfort.  The rest comes from the limitations of the single sheet of plywood and making as few cuts as possible.

I realize the boat might be lighter if I built it stitch and glue instead of with a chine, but I wanted to make it dead simple to and low tech.  Hammer, nails, and caulk is all it really needs, (don't even need the caulk if you don't mind bailing a little) but the glue and paint and fiberglass armor make it a bit more serviceable.

Lizzy's Boat
double paddle canoe

LOA     7'-6"
Beam   2'-6"
depth amidships  11.5"
Draft    3"  (one person 125 lbs.)
weight 20 lbs. (+/-)

Made from a single sheet of .55mm luan plywood.  Cedar decking scrap for stems, gunwales, and misc.  This is in order to keep the boat as light weight as possible for portage.  Galvanized ring nails and Gorilla Glue for fastening.  Hopefully 3 oz fiberglass clothe on the bottom for armor.

-4 saw cuts for the sides panels.
-the stems where cut with rabbets and bevel, in 4 passes on the table saw.
-the gunwales will be laminated in place, 1 cedar, 2, yellow pine.
-chines will probably be external, one piece with continuos bevel, yellow pine.
-the bottom is trimmed to fit and attached last.

basic shape set in place with one mid station(jig,mold,form) and the stems taped on.

The nice thing about building one sheet boats is that the building forms fit on a piece of plywood and can be lofted on the wood.

I'd like to finish it with varnish only.  I have to work carefully, no marks, mistakes.

rabbeted stem fastened with galvanized ring nails and Gorrilla glue.

So far I have about 1 and a half days time in on it, most of which was spent in building and setting up forms and jigs.  I Have since added 2 more forms.

Added stations at 18 inches from midships, stem brace forms,  All of this was added for
shaping the gunwales and chine.

I also added braces at the stems to keep everything aligned, this was a problem I was lazy about on the skiff and the pram.  They are both crooked boats, but you have to look real hard to notice and it doesn't affect their performance, as far as I can tell.