Download - Duck Skiff
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DuckSkiff
Duckskiff is a 14 foot skiff I designed for a buddy of mine named Tim that I work
with. Tim is an avid Duck hunter and wanted a fairly lightweight boat but in nice quiet
wood rather than noisy aluminum. He also wanted something a little boatier than a
Johnboat styled craft. What I came up with for him is a 14 ft long 5 ft wide at the shear
(45 inches wide at the bottom) kind of semi-dory hull. I did this to make it an easier anddryer proposition when pulling a large dog over the side and back into the boat. The
additional ultimate stability of the 23 flare to the sides allows a lot of weight to be right
at the sides of the boat while at the same time getting the shear lower to the water. He
wanted to be able to use his 7 hp motor to get around now with the probability of
upgrading to a higher hp later on. As the hull was originally derived from a rowing style
hull I was playing with a few months previously I tweaked both of them so that they were
brother and sister similar and decided to present them to you here. Enjoy
Specifications for motorized version:
LOA: 14 3
Beam: 5 2 (with trim)
Depth at midships: 18Draft at design weight of 860 lbs is 4.5
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Bottom Panel Half
Station X Y X2 Y2
1 0 0 0 22 8/162 61 3/16 0 61 3/16 22 8/16
3 76 8/16 0 76 8/16 22 4/16
4 91 13/16 0 91 13/16 21 1/16
5 107 2/16 0 107 2/16 18 8/16
6 122 7/16 0 122 7/16 14 5/16
7 137 14/16 0 137 14/16 8 4/16
8 145 9/16 0 145 9/16 4 6/16
9 153 5/16 0 153 5/16 0
Side Panel First Chine
Station X Y X2 Y2
1 5 4/16 0 0 19 7/16
2 12 14/16 3/16 12 8/16 19 11/16
3 28 3/16 8/16 27 12/16 20
4 43 8/16 13/16 43 1/16 20 6/16
5 58 12/16 1 2/16 58 6/16 20 11/16
6 66 7/16 1 4/16 66 20 13/16
7 74 1/16 1 7/16 73 11/16 21
8 89 6/16 1 10/16 89 21 3/16
9 104 13/16 1 11/16 104 6/16 21 4/16
10 120 8/16 1 9/16 120 1/16 21 2/16
11 136 11/16 1 2/16 136 4/16 20 11/16
12 153 11/16 7/16 153 4/16 20
13 162 9/16 0 176 14/16 18 12/16
Transom HalfStation X Y
1 0 22 8/16
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Bottom Panel Half
a on
1 0 0 0 152 7 4/16 0 7 4/16 16 10/16
3 23 1/16 0 23 1/16 19 3/16
4 38 6/16 0 38 6/16 21 1/16
5 53 12/16 0 53 12/16 22 2/16
6 69 0 69 22 8/16
7 70 15/16 0 70 15/16 22 8/16
8 84 5/16 0 84 5/16 22 4/16
9 99 10/16 0 99 10/16 20 14/16
10 114 15/16 0 114 15/16 17 13/16
11 130 4/16 0 130 4/16 12 9/16
12 145 11/16 0 145 11/16 4 14/16
13 153 6/16 0 153 6/16 0
Station X Y X2 Y2
1 4 4/16 0 0 14 4/16
2 12 2/16 3/16 11 9/16 15 9/16
3 27 11/16 8/16 27 2/16 17 2/16
4 43 3/16 11/16 42 8/16 18 9/16
5 58 8/16 9 6/16 57 13/16 19 13/16
6 73 13/16 1 6/16 73 2/16 20 14/16
Side Panel First Chine
7 75 12/16 1 7/16 75 21
8 89 2/16 1 14/16 88 6/16 21 12/16
9 104 8/16 2 3/16 103 12/16 22 6/16
10 120 2/16 2 2/16 119 6/16 22 10/16
11 136 5/16 1 10/16 135 9/16 22 7/1612 153 8/16 11/16 152 12/16 21 12/16
13 162 10/16 0 176 10/16 20 2/16
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DuckSkiff14 and DuckSkiff14RBuilding Instructions
(Note: Read the whole thing at least once all the way through prior to starting)
Introduction: Usingtheseinstructions,alongwiththeaccompanyingsketches,drawings,illustrations,photosandtables,youshouldbeabletobuildeitherversionofDuckSkiff14withrelativeease
overthecourseof2-6weekends.Theoriginalinstructionswerewrittenforjustthemotorized
versionbuthavebeenaddedto,amendedtoandrevisedintheappropriateareaswherethe
informationorbuildinginstructionsdifferfortherowingversion.PleasetakethetimetoreadALL
oftheinformationasbetterthan90%appliestobothformsoftheboatandinbothmethodsof
construction.Thephotosarenotofthisparticularboatbutareusedtoillustratewhatacertain
methodoroutcomeshouldlooklike.DonotbethrownoffbyaVeebottomoradifferently
shapedhullbutuseitasavisualizationofonepossiblewayofdoingsomething.ThePhotosare
alsonotallminebutarecourtesyofmymanyonlinefriendsinthevariousforumsandgroups
thatIinhabit
Bill of Materials and Construction SequenceBill of Materials:
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getawaywithshorterstuffifyoudontmindjoints.Alljointsshouldbeintheaftsectionsofthe
boat.Thebetterthequalityofthewoodtheeasiertofinishandthelongerlasting.
6:Stempiece:28longpieceof2x3or2x4firorhardwood
7:Abagof1004plasticwiretiesorarollofcopperwirefortheStitchandGlueversion
8:Epoxytheminimumamountofepoxyneededisabout1quart,fortaping,gluingandfillingon
aboatbuiltwithChineLogs.Stitchandgluewillrequireanotherquart,aswillglassingthe
bottom.Ifyouwishtototallysealtheboat(notabadideaatall)youwillprobablyneedallofthe
aboveandanadditionalquartsoabout1gallonofepoxy.Idontrecommendpolyesterresinas
itisnotusefulasaglue,isntreallywaterproofintheamountsyouwoulduseanddoesntstick
towoodnearlyaswellasepoxydoes.TosavesomeonepoxyyoucanuseagluelikePL
Premiumpolyurethanegluewhengluingpartstogether,butittendstofoamupsoitdoesnt
worksowellasasealer.
7:FillerfortheepoxyIlikewoodflourmixedwithCabosil(fumedsilicawearadustmask)2lbs
ofwoodflourandlbofCabosilwilldothetrickforStitchandGlue,halfthatforChineLog.
8:Fiberglass:Tape=10yardsforChineLog,25yardsforStitchandGlueCloth=50widthx5
yards4-6ozclothifyouplanonglassingitthebottom.
9:Mixers,mixingcontainers,tonguedepressorsorshapedapplicators(forfillets)latexorplastic
gloves,dustmasks,sandpaper,3/4"Stainlessscrews(ifleavingthemin)ordrywallscrews(if
removing)Clamps(cheapplasticonesarefine,orcutsome4-6schedule40PVCpipeinto1
slicesandsplitoneedgeforareallycheapclamp),primerandpaint.Deckandporchpaintor
anygoodexteriorheavydutypaintisfinealongwithagoodprimer,Paintersplasticorplastic
sheetforcoveringwindows(better).
10 T l Th b l i i I ld b i h i i l d
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Step One Laying out the panels:Option One: Stitch and Glue Construction for both versions:
Wellstartwiththebottompanel.Youwillneedonefullsheet(96)andonepiececuttoa
lengthof591/2ofyourchosenthicknessPly.
Buttthetwopiecesofplytogetherlengthwisewiththeshorterpieceonyourleftandthe
factoryedgestogether.Runalinedownthecenterofthepanelsforthefulllength.ThisistheCenterlineoftheboat.Measureout22oneithersideoftheCenterlineanddrawparallel
linesthesearetheoutsideedgesofthefinishedpanel.Theleftedgeoftheplywoodisthe
transomend.Marktheselinesontheothersideofthesheets.Measurealongthecenterlinea
distanceof613/16(71fortherowingversion)andmarkthispoint.Markpointsalongthe
outsideedgesatthesamedistanceandconnectthedotswithaline.ThisisyourMaxBeam
Station(orangehighlightintheoffsetstable).(Fortherowingversionskiptothenext
paragraph).FromthereforwardthesidescurveinandwillusetheX2andY2offsetstoplotthe
curvesofthebowonbothsidesofthecenterline.TheX2dimensionismeasuredfromtheleft
edgeoftheplywoodandtheY2dimensionwillbethedistancefromthecenterlinetotheupper
andlowerpoints.MeasurethedistanceX2alongthecenterlineandputthesquarethere.
MeasureupYandmarkapointatthecorrectdistancefromthecenterlineforthatcoordinate.
Dothesamethingontheothersideofthecenterline.Thelastpointatthebowshouldbeonthe
centerlineandalmosttotherightedgeoftheplywood.Hammerinnailsplacedoutsideeach
pointandoffsetbythethicknessofthebatten.Bendthebattenagainsttheinsideofthenails
andclamptoeachnail,thenrunapencillinethroughthepointsalongthebatten.Takeselectedmeasurementsbetweenthepointsoneachsideandadjustthelinessothattheyareequalall
the way to the bow Cut out the bottom panel and set it aside
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bothsides(Hint:drillaverysmallholejustoutsideeachofthetwopoints,thenconnectthe
holesontheotherside).Cuteachpairofpanelsatthesametime,makingexactmirroredcopies
foreachside.Asafinalitem.drawalinefromthebottomcornerofthetransomendatanangleof15fromthetransomedge(or90fromthewaterline)forwardanduptotheshear.Onthe
motorizedversionthiswillbeperpendiculartothebottomedgebutontherowingversionitwill
lookslightlycantedduetotheupwardandinwardcurvatureofthebottomonthefinishedhull.
Youwillusethislinelaterasastartingpointforsomemeasurements.
Using3/4"ply(3/8fortherowingversion),Layoutanddrawthetransomrememberingto
subtractthethicknessofthesidepanelfromeachsideedgeandthebottompanelfromthe
bottomedgeandcutitout.Whencuttingthebottomandtopedges,puta15bevelontheedges(seesketch).FortheMotorizedversionyouwillneedtoknowwhatsizedshaftyourmotor
has.Ifitisashortshaft(15)youwillneedtocutapieceoutofthetopofthetransomtogetitto
thecorrectheight.ForaLongshaftyouwillneedtoaddacenterbumpof31/4"toraiseitto
21.Fortherowingversionyoucanmakethetopofthetransomwithanicecurveabovethe
shearandyoudonthavetobevelit.Forthemotorversiononly:Cutoutasecondpiecethatis
thesameasthetopofthetransomdowntoabouthalfthedepthofthetransomthisisthe
doublerandyouwilltrimittofitlater.TheDoublershouldhavethesamebevelatthetopasthe
transom(seesketch).Whenlayingoutthetransomtheoffsetsareforhalfofthetransom(just
likethebottom)andthetransomlookslikeitissideways(seepicture).Forbothmakeamoldout
of1x4sandplywoodscrapsforthemaxbeamstation(seesketch).
Option Two: Chine Log Construction.
The only difference in the layout of the panels is in the bottom panel You must add an
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apaintertooryoucancutitdownandcoveritwiththebreasthooktohideit.Trimthebottom
endtothecorrectangleandthestempieceisdonefornow.
Step Three: Assembly:Joining the panels for either version or method of construction:
Tobeginassembly,youneedtofirstjointhepiecesofthepanelstogether.Thiscanbe
donewithButtblocksorwithfiberglassbutts(Ifyouwanttoscarfthepanelstogether,youwillhavetoscarfthembeforehandthenlayoutthepanelsandcut).Tomakeabuttblock,takea
pieceofplywoodofthesamethicknessand12timesaswideastheplywoodisthickandlong
enoughtoleavejustenoughroomforafilletandtape(about2)oneachsideofthebottomand
onthebottomedgeofthesidepanels(StitchandGlue).ForChineLogbuildingyoucangoto
within1/2"oftheedgeandbevelit.Onthetopofthesidepanels,leaveenoughroomforyour
insidewale.Toattachthebuttblockapplyepoxytotheedgegrainofthepanelpiecestobe
joineduntilitdoesntsoakinanymore,paintthesurfacestobematedwithepoxyandjointhe
panelpiecesinthecenterofthebuttblockandeitherclamporputinafewscrewstokeep
everythingtogetherwhiletheepoxycures.(youmayuseotherwaterproofgluessuchasPL
Premiumforthesealso)Dothisforeachofyourpanels.Putapieceofplasticdownunderthe
jointtokeepthingscleanandpreventgluingthepanelsdowntosomethingpermanently.You
mayusethepanelsasisuntilyoucometofinishtheoutside.Whenyouaretapingtheseamsor
chinelog,youshouldtapetheoutsideofthejoint.Thisisntstrictlynecessary,butitdoes
preventanypossiblecrackingatthesejointsandisonlyatinybitofextraworkandmaterials.
Wh i fib l b tt th t th ti l th f th j i t Y ill d
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Assembling the hull (both versions) Stitch and glue method:
Tobegintheassemblyofthehull,wefirstneedtodrilltheholesforthestitches.Asthis
hulldoesnthaveanydrasticcurvaturewecanspacethestitchesout.Ontherunaftofthemax
beamstationthestitchescanbe12apart.Inthefrontsection8-10incheswouldbegood.Start
withthesidepanelsbyfacingthemtogetherandliningupalltheedges.Clampthemtogetherso
theydontwanderandthenstartmarkingforyourholes.Leavea3spacefromthetransom
edgebeforeyour1stafthole,andalsoa3spaceatthestemarea.Markyourholesabout
5/16infromtheedge.Drilltheholesusinga1/83/16bit(Hint:useabackingplatetoprevent
splittingandraggedholesasthebitcomesout).
Nextweglueandscrewthestemtothesidepieces.Hereyouneedtopreplanabityou
willneedtodecideifyouwanttohavethestemprotrudeorifyouwantthebreasthooktocover
it.Ifyouwantitcovered,youwillneedtotrimitdowntobelowtheleveloftheshear.Supposing
yourBreasthookthicknessisyouwillneedtocutthestemsothatitis9/16belowthetop
edgeofthesides.ThiswilltakecareofthethicknessoftheBreasthookplus1/16fittingroom
MINUSthe1/4"fortheouterrailcapovertheplywoodedge(explainedlater).Cutthestemso
thatitisparalleltotheshearsothebreasthookwillsitflushandevenwiththeshear.When
mountingthestembesuretodrilltheholesforthescrewstopreventsplittingthestem.Space
yourscrewsevery2orso.Nowitistimetogo3D.Therearetwowaystodothisstartingfrom
thefrontorfromtheback.Thetraditionalmethodstartsatthetransomworkingforwardaround
themoldthenpullingthesidestogethertoattachthestem.Mypreferredmethodstartswithputtingthefronttogetherthenusingthelengthofthepanelasleveragetobendtheply.(italso
allows you to have the stem glue fully cured and strong when you bend) You will need quite a bit
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Whenyougetbacktotheboat,takeagoodlookatitadmireitpatyourselfontheback
thengetbacktowork.Nextissquaringuptheboat,beginningwithlevelingthebottom.After
thatyouneedtoshapethebowareaattheshearasitisprobablynarrowerupfrontthanthedesigncallsforandthebottomismissingsomerocker.Howyouwillfixthisistoputinacouple
ofspreadersmadefrom1x2stripstopushthesidesouttotheshapewewant.Thespreaders
shouldbenailedinwithasmallfinishingnailthroughthehulljusttokeeptheminplaceand
shouldbebelowtheleveloftheinsidewalesothattheycanbeinstalledwiththespreadersstill
inplace.Tapertheendsallthewayaroundsoitfitswellagainsttheinsidecurveoftheside(see
sketch).Youwillremovetheseoncetheinsidewaleison.Thedistancesforwardofthetransom
bottom(thatlineyoudrewatthetransomendofthesidepanelsearlier)andhowwidethe
outsideedgeoftheplyshouldbeatthesepointsareintheoffsettables.Thebestwaytoget
thesepointsmarkedistomeasurethelengthfromthebottom/transomjointandsubtract11/4"
forthemotorizedversionor5/8"fortherowingversion(StitchandGlue)orthethicknessofyour
cleatplusthethicknessofthetransom(ChineLog).Plantthecornerofyoursquareatthe
correctlengthandrightinthecornerofthesideandbottom.Putalevelagainsttheupwardarm
ofthesquare.Pleasedontgettoohunguponthelengthwiselocationofthesepointsasitis
notverycriticalsoavarianceof1/2"fromthetablevalueswontmakemuchofadifferenceso
longasbothsidesareequalinthatvariance.Thewidthcanalsovaryby1/4orso.
Onbothversionsyouwillwanttochecktheheightsofthebottomatthebowand
transombothendsshouldbeabout41/2"(Rowingversion)withthecenterrestingonthefloor
orworksurface.Onthemotorizedversionyoushouldhave6atthebowandthetransomend
shouldbeflatonthefloorandthereshouldbenohumpsorbumpsintheflatrunfromthemold
aft.BlocktheRowboatatthisheightsoitwontrockonyou(themotorversionshouldstayput
butyoucanblockitifyouwant).Whatyouwanttodonextismeasurefromtheverytipofthe
bowalongeachsidetoapointthatis3or4feet along the curve.Markthispointandthenmeasurefromatopcornerofthetransomtothemarkonthe oppositesidepanelandwriteitdown Do the same on the other side and bang bump and twist the hull until the measurements
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3/8depthatthecenter.Rundownonewholeside,thenmixupasmallbatchofregular
epoxyandtakeadisposablebrushandwetthesurfaceofthefillet,smoothingitasyougo.
Dontpushtoohardasyoudontwanttodeformthefillet.Wetthesideandbottomasyousmooththefillettoawidthslightlymorethanyourfiberglasstape.Takealengthoftapeandlay
itintothefilletbeingcarefultokeepitrelativelycentered.Carefullysmoothitintothefilletand
ontothepanels.Theglasswillsoakupsomeoftheepoxysoallyouwillhavetodoiswetout
thewhitespotsifany.Dotheothersidejoint.AtthetransomandStemendsoverlapthetapein
thecorners,makingsuretofilletuphighenoughonthetransomendsothereisfilletunderthe
tapeoverlaparea.Justalittlebitisneededatthestem,justenoughsotherearenoairpockets
underthetape.YoudonothavetotapetheStemallthewayup,butyoucanifyouwanttoits
uptoyou.Youshouldsealthejointsbetweenthestemandtheplywoodwithalittleputty
though.Youwillwanttofilletandtapethetransomtosideandtransomtobottomjointssodo
thesenextwhilethingsarestillsticky.Nowyoucanletthewholethingcureovernight(follow
thedirectionsofyourepoxyastothetemperatureneededtocure).Ifyouarearealsticklerfor
perfectjointsyoucanfilletthejointsthensandthemtoyoursatisfaction,glassthensandto
yoursatisfactionyougetthepicture.Afterthejointshavecuredovernightitistimetosand
them,featheringtheedgesofthetapeintothewood.Ifyouhaveweaveshowing,youcan
carefullywashofftheblush(waxycoating)oftheepoxywithwaterandagreenplasticscrubbypad,dryitoffthenfilltheweave.Youcanuseplainepoxyinnumerouslightcoatsre-applying
whilethesurfaceisstilltackytoavoidhavingtocleanofftheblusheachtime.Youcanalsouse
epoxyfilledslightlywithCabosilorMicroballoonstofilltheweaveinoneshot.Onceyouhave
theweaveoftheclothfilledandcured,sandabittosmooth.Whenyoupullthemold,sandthe
epoxy/glassendstogiveitabitoftoothandfillandtapethegapusingthesamemethodas
above.Glueandclamporscrewthetransomdoubleron,makingsuretocoatalltheedgeswith
epoxy,lettingitsoakin.
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startputtingtheboattogether.Hereyouneedtopreplanabit(SeeStitchandgluemethodfor
detailsonthestem)Startatthefront(bow)andglueandscrewthesidepanelstotheStem
pieceagain,drillingfirst.Lineupthepanelssotheyextendjustatadpasttheforwardedgeofthestemandmatetogethernicelyalongtheiredges.Youwillneedsufficientspacefortheside
panelstoVeeoutwardswhileyoudothis.OncethesidepanelsareattachedtotheStemyou
canattachthetransomtoonesideofthepanelandbendtheothersidetomeetit.Youmay
needsomeoneelsetohelpyouoryoucanslingaropearoundtheothersidepanelandkindof
walktowarditandreelitinatthesametime.Thelengthofthepanelswillgiveyoulotsof
leverage.Whenyougetthemtogether,tieaquickknottokeepthingsalmosttogether,thenglue
andscrewthissidetothetransom.Whengluing,makesureyougetsqueezeoutalltheway
around,thisensuresagoodsealagainstwater.Oncethegluehascuredyouwillsandorcutoff
theexcessoffanyways.Takeyourmoldandnailitinwithafewfinishingnailsatthecorrect
spot.Flipthehullover,supportitoffthefloorabitandlaythebottompanelontothechinelogs,
liningupthetransomcornerswiththebottomedgeoftheplywood.Ifthesideandbottomedges
dontmatchasyougoforward,musclethesidepanelsabittofit.Thereshouldbeabitof
excessatthebowthatwillneedtobetrimmedofflater.Glueandscrewthebottomtothechine
logagainpre-drillingtheholes.Ifyouleftthescrewsinthelogearlier,trytohitinthemiddle
betweenthemwiththebottomscrews.Oncethisiscompleted,youcanflipthehulloverandsquareitupusingthesamemethodasdescribedaboveintheStitchandGluesection.Ifyou
gotyourcutsaccurateandeverythinglineduprightitshouldbeprettydarnsquarefromthe
gitgo.
Bracing pieces:
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(preferred)orcleatedin.Youmustmakesurethatyousealalledgesandthatallthejointsare
waterproofedifusingplywoodfortheknees.Youdontwantwatergettingintotheinnerplys.
Theopenspacesattheendsofthestringersleaveroomforwatertoruntothedrainhole.Ifyouplantoboxintheareabehindtheseatyoudonotneedthekneesastheboxsectionsprovide
plentyofsupport(Motorversiononly).
TheBreasthook:Asstatedbefore,thisisatriangularpiecethatfillsinthebowareaand
providesstrength,supportandvisuallyandphysicallytiesthetwosidesoftheboattogetherat
thebow.Itisusuallysomewhatarrowshaped,withadecorativecurvecutintotheopenedge.Thewaytomakethisistotakeyourchosenstock(solidwoodorplywood,thickormore)and
layitonthetopofthehullinthebow,buttedrightupagainstthestemifitsticksup.Tracethe
outlineoftheopeningonthebottombyfollowingthehullpanels.Cutoutthepanelthencarefully
bevelituntilitfitsinsnugly.BeforeinstallingtheBreasthookcaulkthejointsbetweentheStem
andtheplywoodpanelsifyouhaventalreadyfilletedthem.ToinstalltheBreasthookgluea
coupleofcleatsonthehullforittositonorthenglueittothehullandcleats.Makethecleats
shortsoyoucanrunthewaleupunderthebreasthookforamoreprofessionallook.Ifyoustill
havetheexcessstemstickinguphere,youcancarveituporshapeitanywayyouwant.Drilla
1/2holethroughittotiearopetoandawayyougo.IfyouputtheBreasthookontopofthe
stem,andthereisabitofagapbetweenthestemandthebreasthook,goaheadandglueupa
thinwedgeandtapitintothegaptojointhetopofthestemandthebottomofthebreasthook.
Walesorgunnelsorrubstripsorwhateveryouwishtocallthemserveanumberof
purposes.Theystrengthenandstiffentheshearoftheboat,actasspacerstohelpkeepthehullpanelsfromcontactingthings,theyarestrongpointstoattachcleatstoortoboltotherthings.
Wales s all consist of an inner and o ter strip or a g nnel (G n Wale or G n Rail) (inner) and
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thetoptocovertheedgegrainoftheplywood.Theinsiderailshouldberaisedtomatchthe
outsiderail(Seedetailsketches).Theinsiderailshouldbeinstalledafterthebreasthookand
kneesareinplacesothatyoucanblendthingstogethernicely.Youcanbutttheinsidewaleagainstthebreasthookornotchittorununderthewaleforabit.Youalreadydecidedearlier
whethertobutttotheaftkneesorgooverthem.Theoutsidewalecanbeinstallednoworafter
finishingtheoutsideoftheboatandjustpriortopaintingtheexterior.
Seating:
Seatingforeithermethodofbuildingcanbedoneinacoupleofways.Thesimplest
methodistoglueandscreworboltcleatstothesidesofthehullandattachplanktypeseattops
tothesecleats.Thehardermethodistocreateseatboxesthataresealedchambers.Thisis
thepreferredmethodalthoughitinvolvesquiteabitmorework.Tobuildtheboxseatsthe
easiestwayistobuildthemoutsideofthehullandsimplyinstallthemwhereyouwant,screwing
themtothebottomstringersandthroughthesides.Filltheseatswithempty2literbottles
securedwithcannedexpandingfoamorcutsheetsofPinkinsulatingfoamforunbeatablycheap
flotation.Toensurethebottlesdontcollapsewhenchilled,sticktheminthefreezerwiththe
capsoffforafewminutesthencapthemtight.Thebottleswillnotcollapseunlesstheyget
colderthantheairinyourfreezer.Youmayonlywishtobuildoneboxseatandleavetherestas
plankseatsuptoyou.(Motorversiononly)Tobuildtheseats,usethesamemeasurementsas
youwouldforthetransomatleastfortheseatsthatwillfitinthestraightaftsection.Whenyou
havethetransomshapedrawn,subtractanamountequaltothedepthofthebottomstringersfromthebottomedgeandtheamountyouwanttheseattoptobebelowthesidesoftheboat
from the top edge taking into account the thickness of the seat top too This will give you a
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plywoodgussetswouldbefine.Thisframeshouldbeattachedtothefloorstringerslikethe
seat(s)andbegluedandscrewedtothesides.Thefrontseatcanbeaplankseat(easiertofitto
thecurvesofthesides),withsome2foamgluedtothebottomsideforflotation.Puttrimpiecesextendingdownwardsfromthebottomoftheseattohideandprotectthefoam,andpaintthe
bottomofthefoam.Thetrimpiecesshouldbesetbackfromtheedgeoftheseatbyabit.For
seattops,youwantthemabout12-15fronttobackwidth,soyouwillprobablyhavetouse
eitherplyorsomeniceedgegluedshelvingpieces.Youwillwanttohaveabout36fromthe
frontofthefrontseattothestemforlegroomandstorageofanchor,ropeandstuff.
Anotheroptionistohaveremotesteering.Theboatisplentywideenoughtohaveeither
acentersteeringconsoleorasteeringconsoletoeitherside.Thissystemmovesalotofweightforwardandbetterbalancestheboatforeandaft,thoughasideconsolwillcausetheboattolist
alittletothatsidewhenyousittherejustlikeanyothersmallboatsetupthisway.Yourremote
controlswilldeterminehowthisneedstobesetup.Aconsoleiseasytomake,justlookaround
forideasonhowyouwanttoshapeit.
Oncethefrontandrearseatsareinplaceyoucanpullthemold,filletandtapethegap
(StitchandGlue)andinstallthecenterseatorframeandcenterconsoleorsideconsole
(RowingVersiononly)Youwillhavetohaveacenterseatforyourrowingpositionand
youcanhaveyouraftseatfurtherbackasyoudonotneedroomtosteeramotor.Boxseatswill
bemoredifficulttomakeasyouwillhavetomeasureeachseparateboxwallandcustomfitthe
topsduetotheconstantcurveofthesidesonthisversion.Asyouarenotsupportingtheweight
ofamotororfuel,youmightchoosetohaveonlythecenterrowingseatasaboxwithflotation
asitiseasiertofitandtheseatsateitherendasplankseatswithfoamunderneath.Youcan
alsohavetheaftseatattachedtothetransom.Inthiscasetheseatshouldbeatleast18deep
fromtransomtoforwardedgeforcomfort.PositiontheRowingseatcenteredontheMaximum
beamstationandyouroarlocksapproximatelythelengthofyourforearmfromelbowtotipof
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SealingJoints:Allcorners,jointsandedgesshouldbesealedpreferablywithepoxyalthough
someconstructionadhesivesdoafairjob.Siliconecaulkwontdothejobnorwilllatexunless
youpaintthecorners/jointsfirstverywell,letitcurethensandtoroughenandcalkpressingthebeadintothejointverywell.Anypealingatallrequiresanimmediatere-caulkbettertobesure
anduseepoxypriortopainting.Infactcoatingtheentireinteriorwithepoxyisanexcellentidea
tohelpyourboatlastalotlongerbutitisntnecessary.
SmoothingandSanding:Besuretoroundovertheseatedgesverywell,androundanysharp
cornerstooorsureassinyouwillfindthemthehardwaywithsensitivepartsofyouranatomy.
Finishing the outside-Stitch and Glue method:
Tofinishthehull,flipitoverandsandtoroundoveralltheseams.Ifthereareanyholesorgaps,useepoxyputtytofillthemthensandsmooth.Usingtapeorstripsofcloth,tapeallthe
seamsmakingsuretooverlapatthecorners.Letthiscure,fillanyshowingweaveandaftercuringsandsmoothandfeathertheedges.WhenusingA/CExteriororFirmarineplywood,be
carefulaboutsandingthefacesofthewood.Therearelayersofharderandsofterwoodinthe
grainandwhensandingyouwillremovemoreofthesoftthanthehard,makingthesurface
moreuneven.ThisdoesntapplytomostoftheimportedmarineplywoodlikeLuan,Gaboon,
Meranti,Sapeleetc.Youcannowaddalayerofclothontothebottomforabrasionresistanceif
youwish.Iwouldrecommenditifyouplanonusingitinanareawithsharprocksorlotsof
floatingdebris.Thefinalinstallationshouldbebottomrubstripsthataregluedandscrewedthroughthehullintothestringersontheinsideoftheboat(Pre-drillingofcourse).
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seamsandaddalayeroftapeasabove.Roundoverthebottompanel/chinelogseamandI
recommendyoutapethisjointtoo.Thisisnotforstrengthbuttoprotecttheendgrainofthe
plywoodfromgettinganywaterinit.ThejointwheretheChinelogandsidepanelmeetisaverybadareaforrotsoyoumustbesuretosealthisareaverywellwhenpainting.Youcanalso
caulkitorevenbetterputasmallfilletofepoxyinthereensuringitiswellprotected.Youcan
glassthebottomasaboveifyouwish.Installrubstripsasabove.
Painting:
Dependingonhowprettyyouwantyourfinishtobewilldeterminehowmuchworkyou
wanttoputintofinish.Foraworkboatfinishalightsandingtogivetooth,acoupleofcoatsof
primerand2-3coatsofpaintwillsuffice.Foragoldplateryouwillwantseveralbuildcoatsof
primer,sandingbetweeneachcoat,andmanythincoatsofpaintalsosandingbetweencoats.
Colorofcourseisuptoyoubutsomethingstonotedarkpaintinhotsundoesntdoyouor
epoxyanygood.Brightwhitepaintinsidewillglareatyou.Glosspaintshowsthemostflawsflatpainttheleastbutcleanstheworst.Semiglossandsatinarethebestbalanceforhidingand
cleaning.FirplywoodWILLcheck(showcracksinthegrainandpossiblypaint)inthesununless
glassed,regardlessoftheamountofepoxyorpaintonit.YouMUSTputsomethingonthewood
tosealitfromthewater.
Powering:
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NOTE:Theauthorofthisworktakesnoresponsibilityfortheconstructionoforuseofeitherof
theboatspresentedhereashehasnocontroloversaidconstructionoruse.
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List of Pictures and Illustrations:
Duckskiff (motorized version) Linesplan Duckskiff (Rowing version) Linesplan Panel shapes (Motor) Panel shapes (row) Frame Detail Plank Seat Detail Boxed in motor area Stitch, Fillet and Tape detail Non-spaced gunnel detail Spaced gunnel detail Center mold Chine log detail Knee detail Spreader measurement and marking detail Breasthook example
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Fiberglass butt picture two Fillet on inside Smoothed fillet Tape on inside Stitching one Stitching two Knee, Butt block and box seat picture Another knee picture Boxed in Motor area Non spaced gunnel Spaced gunnel (plywood plank edge covered) Spaced gunnel (solid planking edge left exposed) Outside seams dry taped and stapled into place Outside hull with fiberglass Skeg picture
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