Sports Boat, Build A Sleek
Sports Boat, Build A Sleek
Sports Boat, Build A Sleek
Build
a sleek
sports boat
By ARTHUR MIKESELL
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• DON'T BE FOOLED by the sleek, racy lines. In available. Douglas fir, Philippine mahogany, yel-
spite of its high-style appearance, this soft-rid- low pine or even the better grades of hemlock
ing inverted-V is a rugged, do-anything sports will suffice, so long as the wood is reasonably
boat that's fine for fishing, sensational for skiing free of knots. Lumber dimensions denote stock
and roomy enough to hold all your scuba gear sizes, i.e., a 1 x 4 actually measures 13/16 x 3-5/8"
with plenty of space to spare. And it can take • Use annular-ring boat nails (Stronghold An-
anything you're likely to dish out. chorfast or similar) and waterproof glue to se-
To build it, follow these general rules: cure the 3/8-in. plywood planking to the frame.
• Frame with the best stock lumber locally Galvanized nails and screws are suitable if you
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Filler pieces mounted on the keelson are decreasing- Start planking at the transom and work forward. The
angle wedges which give an inverted-V configuration two 1/2-in. plywood butt straps at the planking joints
to this member. The trial-and-error shaping of these must be cut to fit between the framing members. Seal
pieces to receive planking is part of fairing all of these joints with fiberglass tape
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into the fore end as shown, one from above and
two from below. These should be countersunk
slightly to allow for fairing.
When the glue has hardened, join the 2 x 2
outer keelson to the stem assembly with glue and
two 3-in. No. 12 screws. Now notch frame 1 to
fit the bottom stem member, and with legs
clamped to the two outer stems, slip frame 1
over them and check the fit. Next, position the
stem plate, on these two stems and mark their
location on it. Then, if everything fits to your
satisfaction, remove frame 1 and the stem plate,
coat all adjoining surfaces with glue and return
these parts to position, fastening frame 1 to the
outer stems with two 2-in. No. 10 screws per
joint, Fig. 1, and the stem plate to the ends of the
outer stems with two of the same size screws
per joint.
Before securing frame 2 to the outer keelsons,
turn the assembly upside down. Coat all mating
surfaces with glue and drive one 2-in. No. 10
screw through the frame into the after end of
each stem assembly.
Next, add frames 3 and 4 using glue and one
3-in. No. 12 screw per joint. Finally, secure the
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in the same way as the outer keelsons, Fig. 2. fairing. Filler pieces must be attached along the
Secure it to each frame with glue and one 2-in. center keelson and on the stem plate between
No. 10 screw. Bevel the end to fit flush against the ends of the bottom framing members. Mount
the stem plate, then coat mating surfaces with these with glue and 1-in. wire nails when you are
glue and fasten with two 1-1/2-in. No. 8 screws. satisfied with the fairing; however, during the
The precut chines go on next. Cut a 1-in. actual fairing operation they will be easier to
piece off the end to use as a pattern for the chine shape if you simply clamp them in place.
notches in the frames and saw these square to Planking the hull is simplicity itself. The butt
each frame; then, with chines in position, run a joints shown in the photos and in Fig. 2 should
hand saw between chine and frame notch to in- be backed with 3/4 x 2-1/2in. plywood butt straps;
sure perfect seating of the chine in the notch. fasten these to the planking with glue and 1-1/4in.
Attach with glue and one 2-in. No. 10 screw per No. 8 screws spaced 1-1/2in. apart. Use glue and
joint. Don't secure the chines to the stems yet, 1-1/4in. No. 13 ring nails to secure the planking
however, because the stems must be beveled to the frame, spacing them 2-1/2in. apart along the
first. After completing this part of the fairing transom.
operation, bevel the ends to fit against the stems To avoid error, make a corrugated cardboard
and fasten with glue and one 2-in. No. 10 screw. pattern of the planking sheets on either side of
Like the chines, the bottom battens are the center keelson in the forward tunnel portion.
notched all the way through the transom and Then transfer the outline to the plywood.
fastened with one 2-in. No. 10 screw per joint. Once the bottom and side planking has been
Position them midway between the center keel- installed, you can mount the outer transom
son and outer keelsons. To simplify bending, slit beam. Then, before turning the hull right side up,
about 6 ft. of the forward end by running it seal all seams (including planking butt joints)
through a table saw on edge. Then, after bevel- with 3-in. fiberglass tape and resin. When the
ing this split end to fit against the stem plate, resin has cured, you may sand and paint the
apply glue to the slit portion and fasten with bottom. However, for an extra-rugged hull which
one 2-in. No. 10 screw. will be easier to maintain, it's recommended that
Follow the same general procedure for mount- you fiberglass the entire hull.
ing the sheer and side battens, but remember that On the pilot model, we stretched a cotton
the sheer battens, like the chine battens, shouldn't mason's cord down the center of the tunnel over
be secured to the stem until this member is the glass cloth and impregnated it heavily with
beveled. resin to protect this joint. As you have probably
Fairing the frame is undoubtedly one of the guessed, the tunnel joint takes the most stress
most difficult steps in the construction of this on this type of hull.
boat, but if you exercise reasonable care and
don't attempt to hurry through this operation, turn hull right side up
you shouldn't run into any real difficulty. Prop- With the hull turned right side up, you are
erly shaping the frame surfaces to insure perfect ready to install the interior framing.
contact between the plywood planking and the Note that the center keelson is braced with
frame members will require the use of a coarse short lengths of 2 x 4 cut to fit snugly between
wood rasp and a jack plane. the frames, Fig. 4. After installing these, coat
If one is available, a Stanley Surform wood file the contacting surface of the side molding and
will speed up the job. hull with glue, clamp these in place and secure
them with 1-1/2in. No. 8 screws spaced 6 in. apart.
fair the hull The motor well is next, Figs. 2 and 4. After
For those who aren't familiar with this opera- notching the well beam for the deck battens, at-
tion, fairing involves laying a 1 x 1 batten across tach the gussets with glue and five l-1/2in. No. 8
the framing surfaces and removing enough wood screws per gusset, then secure this assembly
from each member so that the batten contacts inside the hull by driving three of the same size
each one fully. Basically, it's a trial-and-error screws from the outside of the hull into the gus-
process—put the batten in place, shave away a sets on each side. Cut the two well sides from a
little wood from the surface and check the fit. 4-ft. length of 1 x 12 and mount these between
It may be necessary to remove screws from the beam and the transom with 2-in. No. 10
some members to make possible adequate fairing. screws. To complete the well, cut out the 3/8-in.
In such cases, simply redrill and refasten after plywood bottom and fasten it to the transom
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