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COMPUMARINE |
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10' Power Dinghy
Compumarine Dear Sirs: Enclosed are photos of my just-completed 10' Power Dinghy, built from your plans. This was my first boat, and I am pleased with the results. I was surprised that the completed boat only weighs 74 pounds. It took me 5 months, working less than 1/4 time, so about a month's labor total. There were a couple of things I did different than the manual called for. First, I decided to make a curved transom out of cedar. It was very simple, and turned out well. I wanted a I" curve at the top, tapering to flat at the keel. To make it, I drew a line alongside the centerline of the transom pattern, crossing at the keel point and 1" away at the top. I then divided the vertical line into 3/4" intervals, so I could measure the offset at each one. Using lx4 cedar, I cut curved arcs 7/8" wide for each interval, stacked and glued them, then planed and sanded until I had a 3/4" thick, curved transom. The layout was done using a 1/8" dowel to draw the curve. I cut the lx4 about 2" longer than the pattern dimension, so I could cut the profile shape later. I put small brads at each end, and a center brad at the offset measured. Bending the dowel around the brads, I traced the curve. Then I removed the dowel and used a small block of wood 7/8" wide to make a parallel line. I sawed the curves on the band saw, glued up about six at a time, then glued these larger sections together, making sure the perimeter was flat on the inside(concave side). Next I clamped the glued assembly to the 1/2" plywood that had the transom shape drawn on it, and used the jigsaw to cut them both out. Now I had a blank that only needed smoothed up. Another thing I did different involved gluing the strips. I had a lot of trouble getting the strips at the bilge to bend sideways. What I did was use the fence on the band saw to split them down the middle after I had fitted the prow end. Now they were easy to hold; on the finished boat you have to look closely to even see that they are split. Of course, it took twice as long to let the glue dry after that, but I was only doing a few a day anyway. (Incidentally, a split strip had about 1/4" difference in length at the free end - that was a lot of stress!). One other thing, I used 1/8" dowels to secure the ends of the strips at station 0 and at the transom. I cut about 1" dowel lengths, drilled the strip after it was in place, glued the tip of the dowel and hammered it in (gently). It made a strong connection and helped keep the twisted ends flat against the support. The ends of the dowels were sawn off and sanded smooth with the hull. The plans and manual were easy to follow. I was nervous about getting into the epoxy, l but that turned out to be easy. I used plastic laundry soap cups to do the measuring, a separate one for resin and hardener, and I kept the cups in closed cottage cheese cartons between batches. I found that one small cup of each made the right sized batch for me to handle (I only got a warm pot once). I decided to make my own oars (my wife says I'm cheap). I used 1-1/2" x 8' hemlock dowels from the lumber yard, and glued on the paddles. I made laminated blocks of pine/cedar/pine for each side of the shaft, 3/4" x 1-1/2" x 20", glued on the 1-1/2" face. Then I set up my table saw to cut the inside piece to fit snugly on the dowel. You do this by clamping a temporary fence diagonally to the blade. I have a 10" blade, which requires a 6" offset in 24" along the table. I used a scrap of 2x4 on edge to get it centered and check the fit. You raise the blade in 1/8" increments to safely make the cut. It works neat. I tapered the blank thickness on the band saw before gluing to the dowels, then raised the guide and trimmed the protruding dowel ends after the glue was dry. I jig-sawed the perimeter of the blades to fair into the shaft. Shaping the paddles using a plane-and sander was easy. I epoxied them before varnishing. I probably spent less than $20 for materials. They are 7' long. If you're still reading this book, I also enclosed a check for $20 to have you send me an identification plate. Thank you. Gary L SheltonCongratulations to Gary on a boat-building job, well done!
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