A place to share YOUR boat building story

• Tee Shirt Contest Winner!
  
  
• Building the Glen-L Series 1700 Trailer by Ray Macke
  
  
• Viking Ships: The Drakkar
  
  
• Tech Talk: Clinker Planking
  
  
• Luxury Yacht Diving Competition
  
  
• That Old Boat by ArtDeco
  
  
• Photos sent in since the last WebLetter...
  
  
• Calculating Maximum Boat Capacity
  
  
• Shop Talk: Applying Finishes Over Epoxy Coated Surfaces
  
  
• Recent email
  
  
• Age Is A State of Mind (?)
  
  

• The big news in this WebLetter is that I edited it all by myself, so now there's no one else to blame. I really hope that you'll all find this edition both entertaining and worthy of your time in terms of boatbuilding substance. I know that you're all used to Barry's style, so I've tried to not put too much of my own personality into it (yet), but, watch out, my own (some call it "odd") sense of humor and personality will become more and more apparent over the next few months. That being said, please do me (and yourselves) the favor of sending me some feedback about this issue. It would be extremely helpful to hear from you what you liked, what you didn't care for, and what you think is missing in order to make this the most valuable publcation it can be for you.
• Big News! Don't tell anyone that you heard it from me, but Glen has been working on a new "Boatbuilder's Notebook" which is a complilation of many of the things you need to know when building (or thinking about building) a boat. It will cover what you need to know "without all the bells and whistles; just the basic info." From the foreward:

  "This 'Notebook' is primarily slanted toward the builder or prospective builder whose interest is a plywood boat of trailerable size, power or sail. Yes, most of the information will apply to all sizes and types of boats...to make your boatbuilding project easier and subjects quicker to locate...each subject is titled and that's what's covered; not a lot of prose but simple basic condensed facts...."

  I can't give you an approximate publication date for it yet, but I don't think it'll be too far down the road...I'll keep my ear to the ground and keep you updated as much as I can.
• No doubt you’ve heard the latest news that the stimulus package has been signed by President Bush, so get your tax returns in and be on the lookout for a check in May or June. Everyone who files a tax return will receive a FREE $600 ($1200 for married couples, more if you have children). Since this whole exercise is designed to stimulate the economy, I hope you won't do anything unpatriotic like paying off your bills or (ugh!) saving the money for a rainy day; let's all really focus on stimulating the economy, and what better way to do so than by purchasing some Glen-L plans/supplies and building a boat! Now that's not only a stimulant to the economy, it's an investment in a lifetime of memories!
• Finally, remember that the WebLetter is prepared between other responsibilities and the finished product depends a lot on input from Glen-L builders. If you have a story to tell, don't be bashful, our readers are interested in your boatbuilding project. Don't worry about grammar, spelling, etc. Three people proofread the WebLetter and we often make corrections. Email your story, attach photos with captions. Seeing other projects is a great help to builders. Thanks so much to those of you who contributed to this WebLetter.
• West Coast Rendezvous, May 4, 2008 at Bethel Island, CA
  "Bring your boat, Share the experience"

     
Editor      

Announcing! Glen-L Tee Shirt Contest Winner

Yes, we have a winner of our recent contest to find a new Glen-L Tee Shirt design. Dennon Osterman of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the winner with his original and classy design: click on picture to see front and back of shirt

Congratulations Dennon and thank you so much for your hard work. We'll let everyone know when the new shirts are available for purchase…

In an upcoming Newsletter, we'll post photos of all the submissions that we received so we can give due recognition to all of you who contributed to this contest - I just didn't have time to do it for this issue… thank you again to all the participants!

--- Gayle

Building the Glen-L Series 1700 Trailer

Update by Ray Macke

(Fe2O3-nH2O)

Continue

Viking Ships: The Drakkar

Out of the fragmented world of Europe in the Middle Ages, after the decline of the Western Roman Empire, several societies began to make their presence felt. One of those societies was that of the Norsemen, or more commonly known, the Vikings.

The Vikings' primary mode of transportation was a boat pulled by oarsmen. In the first millennium, these boats were small, but by the 10th century, the longboat had come into use and nothing instilled fear in the hearts of Medieval Europeans more than the sight of an approaching Viking longboat full of men ready to pillage and plunder.

The longboat had a shallow draft and could be easily sailed up shallow rivers, and ranged in size from a few dozen feet to over one hundred and fifty feet. The Vikings used the longboats to conduct raids against isolated towns and monasteries in France, Germany, and England, as well as Russia and even the Mediterranean Sea.

The Drakkar

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Tech Talk: Clinker Planking T here is nothing particularly mysterious about clinker and carvel planking. Although rarely practiced by boatbuilders today, these methods can be used to create boats with far more character than the typical mass-produced vessel. One of the quickest and cheapest ways to plank small wooden craft since Viking times (see article above on the Drakkar) clinker work is more popular than ever among amateurs today, especially for dayboats, fishing boats, tenders and dinghies. Clinker building is a method of constructing hulls of boats and ships by fixing wooden planks (and in the early nineteenth century, iron plates) to each other so that the planks overlap along their edges. The overlapping joint is called a land. In any but a very small boat, the planks will be joined also, end to end. The whole length of one of these composite planks is a strake. The technique developed in northern Europe and was successfully used by the Vikings. The Tang (7th century AD) and Song (9-11th century AD) Chinese developed the technique independently. The construction method is known in some places as lapstrake. Examples of clinker-built boats, and which are directly descended from those of the Viking ship-builders, are the traditional round-bottomed Thames skiffs, built of mahogany, which can still be seen on the River Thames in England, and the larger, (originally) cargo-carrying Norfolk wherries. Building a dinghy Since the ninth century, perhaps culminating in the nineteenth, many ships were clinker-built. Although it was developed primarily for use on wooden ships, some later iron ships also used this method. To give an understanding of what it involved it is best to describe the building of a dinghy. The reader should allow for the added complexity which comes from constructing larger sized boats. A comparison of clinker-building and carvel-building styles. Planking In building a simple pulling boat, the keel, hog, stem, apron, deadwoods, sternpost and perhaps transom are assembled and securely set up. In normal practice, this will be the same way up as they will be in use. From the hog, the garboard, bottom, bilge, topside and sheer strakes are planked up, held together along their lands by copper rivets. At the stem and in a double-ended boat, the sternpost, geralds are formed. That is, in each case, the land of the lower strake is tapered to a feather edge at the end of the strake where it meets the stem or stern-post. This allows the end of the strake to be screwed to the apron with the outside of the planking mutually flush at that point and flush with the stem. This means that the boat's passage through the water will not tend to lift the ends of the planking away from the stem. Before the next plank is laid up, the face of the land on the lower strake is beveled to suit the angle at which the next strake will lie in relation with it. This varies all along the land. Gripes are used to hold the new strake in position on the preceding one before the fastening is done. Continue

Luxury Yacht Diving Competition

This boat took first place at the exclusive annual Luxury Yacht Diving competition
with a spectacular forward twist. The judges gave it a very respectable 9.3, commenting that points were lost due the large size of the splash.

Calculating Maximum Boat Capacity

Q UESTION: Sea Knight Maximum Capacity
I was looking over the USCG Safety Standards for Backyard Boatbuilders to get the information on max. load/person/gear. On page 6 it begins with filling the boat with water and counting the buckets full, then figuring out the weight of water it took to fill it. After searching for the part saying it was a joke, I realized they were serious.

ANSWER: We concur, the USCG method of filling the boat with water is not a practical method. They do have a method to calculate the interior volume, but it is rather complex. A short method follows that is reasonably accurate for the purpose and is on the conservative side. It assumes that the boat was built per the plans.

Plansheet 2 shows the sections of the hull in HALF SECTION.

• Strike a line parallel to the reference line at #0 (transom) sheer level. The square footage of the area below this line and inside the hull outline must be calculated at #0, #2, and #5. The drawings are to 1 inch = 1 foot scale.
• The area can be figured by dividing these areas into geometric shapes (rectangles and triangles). The area must be in SQUARE FEET.
• The simplest way to do this is to use transparent graph paper with a 1/4" square grid. Each square in scale is 3" or 16 squares per square foot.
• Lay the graph paper over the section drawing and count the squares in each of the three sections.
• Figure the area of each of the three stations.
• Add them together and multiply by 2 (2 halves).
• Multiply by 5' - The result is in cu. ft total volume.
• Mutliply the cu. ft. by 64 (weight of water)
• The final answer is the weight required to sink the boat to the sheer level.

We've taken some liberties on the conservative side as to where the sections are taken, but it's probably as accurate as filling the boat with water.

When the US Boating and Safety Act was first passed we assumed we would be required to calculate these figures for each design. We contacted the USCG to ask how we should go about this and they asked if we built the boats... no, then you cannot make the calculations. Only the builder can certify the figures as the builder may not follow the plans.

For More Information see USCG Regulations FAQs

"All you have to do is know where you're going. The answers will come to you of their own accord."

Shop Talk:Applying Finishes Over Epoxy Coated Surfaces

All exposed epoxy surfaces should be painted or varnished with a high ultra-violet (U-V) resistant varnish to protect the surface against potential long-term breakdown from U-V radiation, a phenomenon which occurs with all boatbuilding resins. POXY-SHIELD® provides an excellent paint base for most paints and varnishes, even though varnished coatings will still require periodic renewal. Interior areas not exposed to sunlight can be completely coated and finished with resin alone, and in many cases, this can be done PRIOR to putting interior components in the boat.

While marine paint system technology is a rapidly advancing field where direct unqualified statements may be subject to change and revision in a relatively short period, in general, just about any paint commonly used on boats can be used on boats made with the GLEN-L EPOXY ENCAPSULATION SYSTEM. These include the standard-type marine enamels, silicon/alkyd types, epoxy paints, and the one or two-part urethanes. With many marine paints, manufacturers recommend an "etching" primer over polyester or epoxy coated surfaces, with or without fiberglass.

Linear polyurethane (LP) systems can usually be applied directly over epoxy coated surfaces without primers, but they are costly and frequently have much more critical application parameters. Many brands and types of marine paints are available which are suitable for roller or brush application by the amateur. Marine paints are extremely durable, and most give a high-quality "yacht finish". Marine paints and varnishes are formulated to stand up to gasoline and other solvents found in a marine environment as well as the strong, direct and reflected, ultra-violet light. While expensive at first, marine paints may be less so over the long term because these finishes last longer in a marine environment. Remember that if your boat remains in the water for long periods, it will require an anti-fouling type bottom paint.

An alternative to marine paint systems, particularly on smaller, low budget boats, are industrial grade alkyd enamels. Like marine paints these paints may not be available in local consumer paint stores and may take some searching to find. As in all cases with various paint products, always follow the instructions provided by the paint manufacturer to the letter. lf questions arise, contact the paint manufacturer directly for his advice, since most firms have highly qualified technical staffs that will know how to answer questions.

Continue

Recent email:

Subject: Quagga Mussel Danger
Date: 5 March 2008

Editor's Note: As of 4 March 2008 Lake Casitas has closed to all outside boats for one year (click on Lake Casitas link above for more information).

Subject: Wooden Boat Show
Date: 21 March 2008

Editor's Note: Anyone else with a Glen-L design planning on displaying or even just attending the WoodenBoat Show (in Mystic, Connecticut, June 27-29) please contact us so that we can support you in any way we can. We think it would be great fun if all the Glen-L boatbuilders could meetup sometime duing the show!

Subject: T-Shirt Contest Winner
Date: 21 March 2008

Subject: T-Shirt Contest Winner
Date: 21 March 2008

Subject: T-Shirt Contest Winner
Date: 22 March 2008

Subject: T-Shirt Contest Winner
Date: 21 March 2008

Subject: The "Mac" Clamp
Date: 3 March 2008

Photo #1 - I bought 3/4" hardwood dowels, drilled a hole in each end (being careful to put holes as straight and close together so that the matching ¼" threaded rods will fit).

Threaded rods cut to desired length. I put a single nut on one end and a double nut on the other end so that a drill can be applied. The purpose for this is so the drill will actuate on the double nut and a wrench can be used at the opposite end . . . at times you will have to tighten and in a moments notice back off the pressure so the double nut trick works fine.






Photo #2 - An application at work. Even though you get a little glue on the top dowel, don't worry; a little tap and it releases with no after effects.





Photo #3 Here we have the one inch holes drilled in the stem form with the clamps inserted to show what can be done with a little ingenuity. Be sure to place a flat washer between the nut and the dowel to keep the nut from digging out the dowel when things get tight. Believe me, the nut will dig into the dowel and split it.

Subject: The Whitehall
Date: 12 March 2008

Gayle Answered Scot as follows:
"Thank you for your interest in our Whitehall design. We agree, the Whitehall is a beautiful design and I'm sure you've seen some of our customer photos of the finished boat online. This design was taken from classic designs, but not any one in particular. We are very happy with this design and would you 'be a fool not to build her?' Hmmm, of course you would!"

Subject: Wildfires
Date: 10 March 2008

Subject: 11 ft. Feather "Blue Chip II"
Date: 24 March 2008

Age is a State Of Mind...huh?!

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