Boat project (recreation)

[VictorBravo]

I started building a 20 foot Pacific City Power Dory on December 1. My spare time amounts to maybe 5 hours on Saturdays and 1 hour on two or three evenings during the week.

I took advantage of the global shutdown today and put in another 6 hours, broken by a nice hour long walk with my wife on the Snake River.

I managed to fit the keelson (2X8 longitudinal frame member in the middle of the picture):

And notched some previously made frames to accept a chine clamp:

And installed chines:

It's starting to look like a boat, and it's starting to look big.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

That is really nice.

 

[jwithnell]

We have a boat builder among us, and apparently a fine wood-worker too! Did you build the canoe in the background? (I have so many pleasant memories of hanging out with my Dad when he built a few boats.)

 

[VictorBravo]

Did you build the canoe in the background? (I have so many pleasant memories of hanging out with my Dad when he built a few boats.)

Yes. That's a "scrap wood pirogue" of my design. I built it back in 1994 and keep patching it together. It's light enough I can toss it into a pickup with one hand. I've built a couple others of them, a 16 foot sailboat, and another rowing dory.

Fine woodworking may not exactly describe my style.... But I do work on wood.

 

[Cymro]

That's a great undertaking. How about building an Ark to disprove the sceptics? And the weather we are having in the UK for the last Two months, with repeated floods, we might need your services!

 

[earl40]

Very nice. One question, how are you going to lift that monster out of your shop? Those are some serious stringers that Moby Dick would have a tough time breaking up and a 2X8 keel is even more impressive. I vote hunter green for the color also.

 

[johnny]

Thats a really cool project.

I had a friend who spent years building an ultralight plane in his garage.
Took it out on its maiden flight, crashed it, and nearly died.
At least with boats they can only sink, (much safer)

 

[Gforce9]

[video=youtube;7khQNR7s1Ho]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7khQNR7s1Ho[/video]

 

[ZackF]

Nice job Agent Gibbs. In all seriousness Vic, is there anything you can't do? You've built some nice telescopes right? Large dobsonian?

 

[VictorBravo]

You've built some nice telescopes right? Large dobsonian?

Yes, I ground mirrors for 8" and 12" Newtonians. Not exactly Dobson style-- mine have a bit longer focal length: f6 and f8. Still on my project list is to get those up and running again with solid equatorial mounts and clock drive. After our move they've remained boxed for the past 5 years.

 

[VictorBravo]

One question, how are you going to lift that monster out of your shop?

Ha, Earl. That's what the car lift is for! Right now the whole assembly is on casters and moves around pretty easily. I'm figuring the hull weight with planking and bottom will be around 1100 pounds.

Got more done today, but it doesn't really show. Both the chines are glued in and faired up. I'm making sheer clamps (which define the upper edge of the hull) out of 8 foot sections of 1X4.

That's probably all that will happen until Tuesday evening.

 

[VictorBravo]

So a week went by with inactivity on the project. But I seized upon the opportunity offered by New Year's Day to make a bit more progress.

I've gotten the sheer members (which define the top of the hull) in place on both sides. After some planing and fairing, I'll be putting on the marine plywood sides and bottom.

I'm starting to think about paint color.

 

[VictorBravo]

A year has gone by, and I've had only snippets of spare time since last December. But snippets add up, and I've accumulated 190 hours into the project over the last 12 months.

A few highlights along the way:

Mid Summer, closed up the sides

Flipped the boat using a lift and scaffolds

In early Fall, I started on the cabin frames

Mid Fall

Three weeks ago

And last Saturday

Still more finish work to do, but it's getting close to launching.

BTW some of my spare time involved the other old little boat and fishing with my wife. We've gone out just about every week until late November. I can't stop myself from sharing this picture from last October:

It's been a lovely year.

 

[Ask Mr. Religion]

I could not stop asking myself, how does he get that boat out of there, just like they ask Gibbs on NCIS.

 

[earl40]

Looking good Lewis! Put some white stars on the truck, and paint the bottom white and you could have Evel Knievel Jr. jump his motorcycle over it.

 

[VictorBravo]

I could not stop asking myself, how does he get that boat out of there, just like they ask Gibbs on NCIS.

Heh. You drove me to google to look up the reference. I'm culturally illiterate after 1975, it seems. I could have used the team a few times.

Looking good Lewis! Put some white stars on the truck, and paint the bottom white and you could have Evel Knievel Jr. jump his motorcycle over it.

That's funny, Earl. I was trying to figure out if you were reference the movie Trading Places, or if you knew that our valley was called the Lewis-Clark Valley, or referencing the Snake River canyon in that last photo. We are hoping Evel Jr. doesn't find us--that's more excitement than we really want to undertake.

BTW, I lived in Butte MT for a while a long time ago. Evel Knievel grew up there and would periodically come back. About half the town was mad at him at any given time.

 

[OPC'n]

Beautiful! I think carpenters are some of the most intelligent ppl alive! I wish I could build stuff!

 

[jwithnell]

I love the line of that hull! Very nice! On the smaller boat too! Did you use resin over the marine plywood?

 

[VictorBravo]

I love the line of that hull! Very nice! On the smaller boat too! Did you use resin over the marine plywood?

Yes, I used marine plywood and then covered with fiberglass and epoxy. Three layers on the bottom, two on the sides.

It's way overbuilt, but we have rocks we will be attacking.

 

[RobertBruce]

I can only admire the dexterous and handy since I can't even change a leaky tap washer. Much respect to you and I hope it is a source of great enjoyment for you and your bride!