Nesting dinghy build

[Vincent]

Posts will slow down for a while. I will be out of town for ten days starting next week. And since the boat is tacked with epoxy, filleting and laying in the 3 in fiberglass tape will take some time with no real change in the look of the boat.
I am happy to talk more with anyone contemplating this kind of build. Also, the guys at B&B have been great. They answer the phone and if you send pictures, they are happy to offer advice.
I guess shoot me an email and we can exchange cell numbers.
More to come. I can’t wait to cut this bastard in half. I think it will be easier to work on it with the halves standing up. I am 6ft5 in and had recent back surgery, so not fond of bending over the rails as it is now.

[K Chiswell]

Looks great.

These are great little boats. I built a 10N with my family a couple years ago. Not only does it row and sail well it can carry a surprising amount and remain stable. We have had 2 adults, 3 kids, and quite a bit of gear in ours comfortably.

[Vincent]

This is the last post for a week or two. I am heading to Utah and Colorado to see my daughter and with her a road trip to Leadville CO to see by brother.
Dinghy progress has been coming along, but there has not been much change visually. All of the interior seams have been filleted, and then fiberglass taped. With the exception of a small area at the nesting bulkheads, the boat would be watertight. All the wobbly is gone, the boat is easy to move around and I don’t have to check twist and measurements anymore. When I get back, I am going to flip it, trim the side/bottom edges and lay in a layer of glass fabric. I think I mentioned this before, but B&B says no glass is necessary. I am trading some extra weight for some added durability. Plus, I notice some oil canning in the bottom of the rear plywood bottom. This might go away with the addition of the seats. I also just noticed on the vlog Sailing Florence that their boat has wood strips, on the bottom. Two on each side of the keel. Stiffness and bottom protection I assume. I had planned to do this anyway. The keel goes on and then I will probably cut the boat. The rear seats can certainly be installed after cutting the boat, I think the daggerboard trunk can as well. I will confirm this. It might be easier to sight the trunk for with the boat whole, but leaning over to do this will be hard on my back. (Ulcers be damned, pass that bottle of ibuprofen).
The other reason to get the boat split is that my work area is really limited. I have a 3x7 tabletop that can sit on sawhorses. I need that area to epoxy coat all of the remaining parts before they are installed. A big garage would be ideal for the build. The spare bedroom in our condo would have worked, but divorce and eviction was a bit too high a price to pay.

[John Stone]

She’s looking great Vince. Have a great trip with your daughter. Good call on building her in the storage shop vice the spare bedroom.

[Vincent]

Hahaha, I’m not terribly bright, but after 66 + years you eventually pick stuff up by osmosis, or just plain old beat downs.
Waiting for the two worst parts of this trip. Going and coming. Flying is fun, I like it. But crammed in a small space for five hours-torture. I am envious of all these short people. And those people that always talk behind you in a movie is theatre? The only other 6 ft 5 or above with BMI of 40 is always my seat partner. Karma? I guess I was a bad person in a previous life.

[Vincent]

Back from Utah and Colorado. I spoke to the lads at BandB, they suggested if I was going to glass the bottom, cut the boat first. Easier to wrap the glass up the nesting bulkheads with the boat split. Makes sense. I got the glass from Defender but decided to tape the exterior seams as a bit more reforcement. I willglass over all this and then add the keel, as well as a couple of stiffeners on either side of the keel. These will also protect the bottom when pulling it up a beach. Might be ready to cut the boat this weekend or next. Seats and daggerboard trunk can be added after the cut. Because of limited room, I need the boat out of the way to prep all these parts.
A couple of photos, rounding and smoothing the edges, and glassing in the tape.
The lads at BandB suggested after cutting the boat, bolt it back together to make the nesting bulkhead stiff when putting in the daggerboard trunk. I also plan to glass the inside of the trunk. Maybe overkill, but again, I would rather a but more weight and have it a little sturdier.

[John Stone]

Very good work Vince. I’m looking forward to reading about “the cut.” What saw are you going to use to make the cut?

[Steve Laume]

If you have some time and want some tips on glass work, it will be well spent on watching some of these videos. Nick is a master designer and builder of wood/glass boats. He is also an accomplished paddler and a really nice guy. There are some excellent tips in these videos that apply to all boats. Keeping the amount of resin to a minimum will help ensure a lighter boat. If you watch one of the videos where he is cutting the keel strips it will give you some tips on sawing your boat in half. Just don't ever expect to reach his level of craftsmanship.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE4SrE ... K_dUCXy4Fw

[K Chiswell]

We used an inexpensive pull saw from lowes. I did not want to use my good saws cutting the fiberglass. The thin blade worked great between the two bulkheads.

Here is a link to some photos of out Spindrift 10N.

https://www.banksandreedboatworks.com/a ... indrift-10

[Vincent]

Thanks for both of the links. I hadn't thought about what saw to use, but I have that same pull saw, and if it works well it is inexpensive compared to my other crosscut saws. Easy to sacrifice it and get another. I am not at the boat now, but I think the cut goes right through the spliced area of the plywood, so it will be cutting through a fair bit of epoxy.
It looks like you cut your boat after you installed the daggerboard trunk. I was going to cut first. The guys at B and B said this would be ok, if I bolted the halves together to stiffen up the nesting bulkhead. Aft seats will be put in after the cut, I need the room and I can set the forward section upright and out of the way.
The other website looks good, I see a few videos I will be interested in watching, Thanks.

[Vincent]

Cutting the boat was anticlimactic. I used a cheap Lowe’s drawsaw, it worked well. I can state with great confidence however, it is completely ineffective when attempting to go through a 1/2 inch SS bolt. It is a good idea to keep 4 of the 5 bolts installed. This to keep the boat from pulling apart. I forgot the bolt was there. A couple of swipes and the neurons fired. I was working alone and had no other issues. As you can see, the boat nested nicely, with a few inches to spare. The front section rail sits on the back section rail, so the seat supports will have to be accurate. I think I am not even half way to completion at this point. Keep you posted.

[Vincent]

Several more pics. Sorry, not in order

[John Stone]

Outstanding Vince. You have to feel pretty good about that.

[Vincent]

Yes, it’s pretty slick. The cardboard gap guides the cut. I can now stand the sections on the floor, out of the way and prep the rest of the parts. I still have some taping to do, so I will proviso that and then set them on the floor, and then prep parts. I think the project will be weeknights after work, and Freya will be the weekends. I have many half finished projects on her, doubtful I will launch in the spring. The back surgery was necessary, but it was a big hit on the boatwork. Tiller install here I come.

[Steve Laume]

I find that the hardest part of most difficult projects, is getting started.

Also; the last 10% of a project, tends to take 90% of the time.

Fairing, sanding and finishing on the dinghy is going to on until you get tired of doing it and then call it good enough, Steve.