Keel - 'Where's My Prozac?'

Take my sincere advice:  Dry fit the pieces of the keel BEFORE epoxy to make certain the aft end of the keel is straight!.  Then monitor it closely during and after the glue up.  Strongly suggest having the keel vertical (instead of laying flat) during this procedure.

Have a look at mine below - and this is after I improved it after the initial glue up.....I've spent hours scratching my head wondering it if had to be straight; and, if so, how to fix it.  By the way, I'm really building Pocketship for the building experience and challenge; I really don't care much about it's sailing performance - which is a good thing because by the looks of the keel it's gonna sail in circles! haha  Hmmm, probably won't get lost that way...look on the bright side.

Thought I may have to trash the keel and start over.  So twice I dragged it down to Chesapeake Light Craft for John Harris to get a close look and advise.  I only live an hour away.  He actually dropped everything when I walked in the door and asked for help.  Outstanding service - as always.

The picture below seems to be worse than the problem really is - or maybe I'm just kidding myself...

Below is a more realistic view...
I'm thinking about cutting the port (left) side keel panel away from both the vertical blocking piece in the stern and the horizontal blocking piece in the bottom.  Then insert a thin piece of timber onto both blocking pieces and reglue.  Hell if I know....but it's time to shoot or get off the pot...

Below is a shot with the keelson in place.  The keelson can easily be shifted laterally a bit so that it's centered on the keel thus allowing the bottom panels to be stitched to it.  I have some concern that the boat's sides will uneven....jeez...John Harris says that it's not really a big problem and just proceed with the build....

You can see in the top down pic below where I cut the aft side panel away from the vertical blocking, inserted a 'shim', and reglued.  It improved the problem on that side quite a bit.

Another angle below:

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November 8, 2011

My Keel is Straight!

I think I'm about as happy as I was when my children were born!  The keel is straight!!  I took the crooked keel down to CLC about a week ago for another 'fix it; trash it, or leave it alone' discussion.  Spoke with Ed Wigglesworth, CLC's general manager and a great guy.  He suggested I leave the keel at CLC so that his guys could have a look and advise.  Ed called me back a few days later and told me that the keel had been straightened by one of his builders.  It was perfect when I picked it up.  Thanks Ed.  Bought 80#s of lead while I was at CLC and some Western Red cedar timber.

Gettin' Started - Centerboard Trunk and Noseblock

I'm starting to write this blog about a month after I actually began to build the boat so not many pics.  Anyway, I currently have the centerboard trunk assembled, expoxied up, and sanded down which was fairly straight forward.  However, I overlooked some of the epoxy squeezeout when clamping the centerboard sides to the blocking and had a real mess of a time sanding it down. (well, Dad did anyway...)

Noseblock: Fairly straightforward also.  Epoxied 2 pieces of timber (forgot what kind) together.  Used a table saw, drawknife, block plane, than sandpaper in that order get final form.  Getting a fair curve marked on the top of the noseblock was a little tricky as was cutting it to length on the bandsaw.

The noseblock still needs a little more sanding before install.  See pictures below:

Dad made this ingenious little jig (left of noseblock in picture below) to help stabilize the noseblock while we cut it to length:

Top down view in the picture below....Note the small space behind the noseblock and the centerboard trunk (below the orange clamp).  A small bit of timber needs to be expoxied in there so the lead that is poured into this compartment doesn't drain out.

 Profile view below.  Looks like starboard keel panel may need a little planing down....jeez.

Pocketship - Overview and Basic Stats

I don't know much about sailboats.  Been more of a motorboat guy in the past.  Here's a link to CLC's website:  www.clcboats.com

Basic Pocketship stats and building overview below:

LOA:                               18'6"
LOD:                               14'10"
Beam:                              6'3"
Length:Beam Ratio:        2.37
Hull Weight:                   800 #s
Finished Boat Weight:    Approx 1,200 #s
Draft (board up):             1'4"
Draft (board down):        3'
Max Payload:                 1,600 #s
Sail Area:                       148 sq. ft
Ballast:                           270 #s

The boat is constructed using mainly 6mm and 9mm marine grade Okoume BS1088 plywood which is essentially sheathed in 6 oz. fiberglass and epoxy.  Construction method is 'stitch and glue' with the hull wrapped around the frames and bulkhead.  It has a single-chine hull form and is built 'right side up'.  There is a centerboard in an external trunk.

Ballast is made up of 120 #s of lead cast into the keel and another 150 pounds of internal ballast.  There's a porta potta that can be stowed and enough room for 2 adults (and maybe a small kid or 2) to lie down and sleep in the cabin.  There seems to be plenty of stowage aft.  The cockpit is quite large and can sit 4 adults comfortably.

The gaff rig is pretty large with an SA/D of 17.31 (whatever that mean's)  The mainsail can be reefed down twice to handle squalls (which can come out of nowhere during summer months on the Chesapeake Bay)

Auxiliary oar power will drive the boat a few knots/hour and an outboard motor can be installed as an option.

Pocketship hull #1 was built by a professional boatbuilder for CLC and it took him 525 man hours to finish the hull and spars, ready for hardware.  I'm guessing it will take me around 1,000 hours over the course of 1.5 years.  But I'm really building Pocketship for the building 'adventure'; and am not in a rush.  Heck, if I was in a rush to go sailing I'd just drive down to Baltimore harbor and buy one.....God bless....

Pocketship - Decision and Prep

Late last summer I was close to making a decision and leaning hard towards Pocketship.  Chesapeake Light Craft is only about an hour's drive from my home so I visited them early one morning so I could sit on their Pocketship for a few hours to get a 'feel' for the boat and to try and determine if this build was to far over my head. Discussed the project at length with Ed Wigglesworth and John Harris, both of whom I've come to know - and trust - from building the Skerry.  'Damn the torpedos!  Full speed ahead!!  I'll take it!'

My buddy, John Doherty, drove me down in his van the following week to pick up the skid that the kit was on.  Thanks John.  Brought it home to my shed and unwrapped her.  Very exciting actually.  Jeez, had the same feeling bringing my two children home from the hospital when they were born....

Preparation:  Got everything out of my garage (now my boatyard) that wasn't connected to the build.  Bought a few tools, respirator, and a good low-angle block plane.  Dad gave me a very nice contractor's table saw for Christmas last year which will come in very handy; and he brought over a ton of his tools for us to use.  Gave my chisels and plane irons a good sharpening

Hope Dad joins me regularly in the project.  He's 83 and doing well - thank God; me 57; so more days behind us than in front.  He's very knowledgeable and I learn a lot everytime he's around.  Actually have been learning at his heels for 57 wonderful years....

Pocketship - Time To Get Started

Hi.  Thanks for checking in and welcome.  This blog will chronicle my mid-life adventure - building a 14'10" wooden daysailor know as Pocketship.

Here's a few pics of a Pocketship that's already been completed:




Very large cockpit for a small sailboat...



Dad and I built a small 15' open sailing/pulling boat a few years ago. Well, Dad actually built most of it in my garage as I was out trying to get a new business off the ground.  That boat is called a Skerry.  Purchased as a kit from Chesapeake Light Craft in Annapolis, Maryland which is not far from our homes.  It was built in the 'glued lapstrake' method.  It's length to beam ratio and flat bottom is such that it is quite stable even in a chop.  I'm not much of a sailor yet so I've enjoyed rowing it primarily on Middle River which is in the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay.  Lots and lots of compliments.  It weighs in at just over 100 pounds so it really runs like the devil when sailing with some wind.  Here's a pic of the Skerry, without her sail, below:

Ok, onto Pocketship....After completing the Skerry I found myself subscribing to the wooden boat building magazines, reading related books, visiting boatbuilding websites and forums.  Even took a course at the Woodenboat Building School in Brooklin, Maine last summer with my wife, Jennifer.   Great place; had a wonderful time.  Here's a pic of me at the WB school working on a strip built canoe:

Really started getting the itch to build another boat.  After much research, I decided on the Pocketship, again from Chesapeake Light Craft.  

The project is far above my head in terms of my experience and ability.  But I wanted this effort to be my  'apprenticeship' and I fully expect the build to go quite slow (+/- 1.5 years) with a lot of mistakes, redos - and much (understated) salty language.  My Dad is a both a surgeon and experienced woodworker - and all round great father.  So, between Dad and a few engineer/woodworker friends that I can call on when I'm stuck, I think I'll be ok.  Of course, John Harris, the owner of Chesapeake Light Craft, is always available for questions and suggestions.  Excellent service from John, Ed Wigglesworth, and his entire team at CLC - always.  Here's a link to CLC's website:  www.clcboats.com 

Thanks for joining in!  I'll need as much help as I can get so don't be shy about offering comments.  Glad to help you in any way....

Best wishes,  Jimmy V