A Few Things Weve Learned so Far

As I mentioned in my last post, we took some video of our last work session. The majority of this video footage covers tasks weve completed to date, a quick summary of some of our day-to-day tasks, and a couple of things weve learned along the way. This post is primarily to post links to the videos we made. I apologize in advance for the poor audio quality (we left the TV on in the background, and it is a little distracting), but I am posting this in the hope that youll pick up a couple of tips and tricks that we learned along the way. It will also let you actually see who we are, and what our workshop is like.

Video of the epoxy tray we made
Mixing the epoxy
Applying the epoxy sealer coat
Mixing the thickened epoxy (Peanut Butter)
Be careful after you lay the epoxy

After laying the sealer coat of unthickened epoxy to each surface to be glued, lay the thickened epoxy on one of the sealed surfaces with a trowel. After the thickened epoxy is applied, set the pieces together, weigh them down to ensure a good solid bond between the surfaces, and apply a couple of screws to hold the surfaces together. We specifically recommend the weighting and screwing process, as if you dont weight them down, you may not get a nice tight fit. If you dont screw the pieces together, the epoxy can act as a lubricant between the fitted pieces between when the surfaces are laid together, and when the epoxy sets. The result is that you can end up with the pieces sliding a little, and the fit of the boards is not as precise. You can remove the screws after the epoxy has dried.

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Engineering Problems A Plenty

Boys Trip 2006 066
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

As I mentioned yesterday, our first trip was completely uneventful. This is mainly because there was just enough wind to get us from the landing to our campsite, so we cruised to the island, set up camp, ate, and hoped for more wind the following day. Our wish was fulfilled.

After a hearty breakfast of beer and eggs, Greg and I were anxious to continue our experiment and to test our skill as sailors. We did a quick sail in the water immediately next to our camp site, and were soon satisfied that our boat and our skills were solid enough to venture further into the open water.

Being novice sailors, it took us a little bit of time and experimentation to learn the ropes, but we took great pleasure in the new experience... until we heart that first **CRACK**. I dont remember whether it was caused by shallow water, or by actual stress, but our leeboard mount broke. As this picture shows, the leeboard itself held up to the stress, but the frame wasnt quite as strong, flexible, or whatever.

Despite our hobbled watercraft, we were able to limp back to our campsite, which was upwind from us when the malfunction occurred, and fortunately Greg brought plenty of material for repairs. He pulled the leeboard mount and had soon fashioned a repair of glue and screws. On the downside, we had to wait for the glue to cure, so our sailing was finished for the day.

Stay tuned for our continued misadventures.

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How We Did It

Boys Trip 2006 055
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Our construction process was precise yet simple. Engineer-boy took the measurements and did the conversion mainly with things he already had laying around his garage... plywood, 2x4s, wooden dowels, ratchet straps, hose clamps, lag bolts and so forth. About the only parts he needed to buy were the flagpole that we used for the mast, and the tarp that he cut to the shape of a sail.

When we got to the reservoir, we spent the first two hours or so assembling the catamaran. By the time we finished the construction, got to camp, set up the tent and ate, it was time to go to bed. Additionally, the maiden voyage from the landing to the island occurred on a day with almost no wind. We were able to make our way to the island, but it was slow going. Our real test would have to wait for another day.

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Boat Building Is it Easy to Build a Boat

Many want to know how hard building a boat is. Well truth of the matter it is can be simple or it could be quite hard. It just matters on what type of boat you want to build. When it comes to the designs and boat building, they can be quite simple or hard. There are a few things that could make your boat design difficult.

If you are new to making boats and all that, when you first begin reading a boat plan you might be a little lost. You might even think that boat building isnt easy. This is because they use shorthand and you will still be getting used to all the terms. However, it gets easier as you go.

Knowing what materials to use could make boat building seem tough. There are many choices and when you choose one material there might be all sorts of things that could fall in that category to use. You just have to know your stuff, but there are plenty of resources out there that can guide you.
The bigger the boat, the harder it will be. That is a given. Also, the more things you add to the boat the harder it will be. There are things like the hull and so forth that have to be calculated just right in order for you to fully finish and have a successful boat that you are proud of. Boat building can be a hobby and those who find it a hobby are the ones who dont find it as challenging to do. There is a lot to consider when building a boat and people learn quickly that it doesnt always have to be as complicated. Using resources and using practice can make it easier than you think. Is it hard or easy? Time will tell.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3000398

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closing in on it

I installed the cross braces at station 3 and 10 today.  Michalak says the one at 3 is probably optional, but I plan on keeping it as it might make a nice place to tie a temporary anchor or help tie it to the roof of the car. 

This is the bottom, zip tied in place.  I was using wire, but gave up after punching a few holes in my hands.  This is much more user friendly. 

The bow twist is a little difficult to get to lie flat.  From here it is nothing some filler (ok, lots of it) and glass wont hide.  This took a lot of patience and some easing the center seam with a hand saw.  I was just glad that I put the halfs together in the correct orientation.  That would have been annoying.  The zip ties work well.  I believe I can sand right over them and leave them inside the putty. 

Another view. 

I got a little too aggresive easing the center seam in the middle of the boat.  Once again, filler and sanding should hide it pretty good.  I am not looking forward to working upside down in here.

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These 1/4" holes allowed me to use a larger size zip tie 8" long.  that really helped a lot with the assembly.  If I were to do it again, I would loosely join the two panels, secure the edges and do the final trimming on the centerline last. 

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Epi blogue

Boys Trip 2006 041
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Though this experiment met with one mishap after another, its one that I wouldnt have missed for the world. Despite the fact that we spent two hours repairing our craft for every hour of sailing (or some semblence thereof) -- kind of like owning an Italian sportscar -- its something Id do again. This trip was a blast... or should I say "gust?"

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How it all began A quick sidenote

Dave, doing what he does best
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Ive been asked quite a few times "What made Greg decide to build a houseboat, and what kind of massochist are you for volunteering to help?" This picture may help explain it. We love the water. Greg, our friend Darin, and I have been water rats since we earned our canoeing merit badge in Boy Scouts together, over 20 years ago. For over a decade, weve had at least one annual trip where the the three of us and another friend, Sonny, go on an extended canoeing or whitewater kayaking trip. Others have come and gone, but the "core four" of us are always on these trips. So love for the water is one of the driving forces behind building this boat.

Greg is a Mechanical Engineer, and loves to design and build things. Hes been that way for as long as Ive known him. Ive always liked building things too, but Ive never had quite the knack that Greg has for complex projects. Once I can conceptualize the basic process of a task, I can frequently find ways to improve or streamline an existing process, but Greg is the visionary. (Im great at reverse engineering.) So Gregs desire to design/ build and my desire to see the inner workings (how does this work, and how can I make it work better?) is the other major driving force.

And of course theres the friendship factor... hanging out with a friend, drinking a few beers. But Ive already covered that aspect in another post.

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An Invitation to look at my Other Blog

This blog about the houseboat isnt my only blog. If youre interested in seeing my other blog, which discusses about everything except this project, go to my other blog.

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