It took me almost the whole day but I wanted to use good weather to finish cutting out parts from remaining panels. Marking and careful cutting with a hand saw, rough finishing with a rasp.
It’s done. And I mean: DONE!
Next step is making a router jig for cutting scarfs.
I started yesterday evening and continued today - cutting boat parts from plywood panels. I admire ingenuity in squeezing so many parts on each panel, to utilize expensive material to maximum.
Luckily the weather is beautiful so I can work outside - no space constraints and infinite number of mosquitos!
I take my time and work slowly. It is a pleasure after all. Each panel marked according to documentation before I start cutting - there are many parts and it would not be fun to wonder later: what the hell is this thing for??
Using just Japanese saw and block plane - silent and clean. I could have used jigsaw and empty these panels in shorter time but then I would need to clean each plank with a spokeshave since electric tool is so fast that I would not dare cutting “on a line”, leaving much excess material to be trimmed later. And that would take long time.
Japanese saw is very well suited for such jobs - being very thin and elastic it cuts plywood like a butter and blade can be formed around curves, to cut exactly on the line. No trimming needed after the cut - just a touch with sanding paper.
All construction-grade panels are already emptied - these parts will form a jig. Cutting marine plywood takes a bit longer as I am extra careful. It’s damn expensive to cut too much!
Still many panels to do but mosquitos finally won - I escape home.
Next step, after all parts are cut, is to make a router jig. I’ll use this method to cut scarfs.
It was a long weekend in Sweden and I planned for some day sailing with Meritaten today but there was hardly any wind. Weather was beautiful so it called for outdoor activity!
I kept myself out of the workshop and started building Ilur.
Firs step is to assembly a strongback on which the boat will be built. I stayed away from power tools, to not disturb this calm day, and worked just with hand plane and Japanese saw.
Cutting out from panels, planing the edges.
Alec Jordan did a beautiful job on sizing the cuts - all went together as smooth and tight as Lego bricks.
Parts are screwed, not glued together so I can disassemble it after I’m done and keep it as a handy (and huge) work bench.
I added heavy duty caster carts so the boat could be easily moved around the workshop during the build.
Next step is to cut out all planks, make a jig for scarfing them and glue complete strakes.
As promised, Alec Jordan has cut my Ilur plywood kit and sent it near the end of January.
I had some problems with Swedish branch of the logistics company but Alec’s intervention has put it to quick and happy end. The palette arrived to my work place and was lifted down on the ground by the truck. So no fork lift was needed which saved me some additional costs.
Jamal helped me to cut open the package and we moved plywood sheets by hand to my trailer.
I got lucky with the weather: it was -5 C so the roads were dry.
I was afraid that the plywood may get damp and dirty during 100 km journey to my workshop so I wrapped it with tarp, secured to the trailer and we could “fly” safely 90km/h onto my island.
I arrived after dark and started unloading the panels.
And here they are!
While waiting for delivery I was sourcing wood for floor boards, keel and keelson. Plans specifiy which wood is suitable for which part. In case of keel and keelson it may be, among others, mahogany or spruce. Oak was not specified due to difficulty in epoxy bonding but I was leaning at first towards it.
I have glued successfully oak before, while repairing frames and engine beds on Meritaten. I use WEST Flex epoxy, formulated for exactly this purpose.
I checked with the designer, Francois Vivier, that it would be OK to use oak if I am confident that I can glue it well.
My reasoning was that I will need anyway a bit of balast on this boat, as I will mostly sail alone. Having a bit more weight down below, in form of denser and heavier wood will help.
After giving it some more thought I decided not to diverge from the plans. Oak will move a lot once it gets wet and this boat will go through many wet-dry cycles during its life. My initial plan was to encapsulate it in epoxy, so that the wood will never get wet.
Yeah, in theory… It will, inevitably, get wet when I scratch or damage epoxy coating while dragging the boat onto beach or trailer.
During Xmas I had enough time to read Iain Oughtred’s Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding Manual and J.Brooks & R.A.Hill How to Build Glued-Lapstrake Wooden Boats. Both these books recommend other ways of protecting the wood than epoxy, discussing disadvantages of epoxy encapsulation.
They convinced me.
While encapsulating plywood has it’s place on board of the boat, in areas where plywood may get spray but is not constantly immersed in water (like cabin sole boards on Meritaten) it can cause more damage than good when water gets under the epoxy cover and becomes trapped there. With no way to escape the rotting process begins and does its job out of sight until the wood fails.
Yep, so I decided to stay with softwood, according to plans.
Sitka spruce is unavailable for me in this length here. I need strong yet easily glued wood with good rot resistance. I bought Siberian lark. I’m not entirely sure if I use it as keel but it certainly will be used for benches and sole boards.
I’m still considering getting mahogany for the keel. It will be expensive but… smakar det så kostar det.
Right now I cannot start gluing anything - it is still proper winter here, too cold for epoxy.
This weekend I will look closely onto the kit and start assembling the base for moulds. Before I put the moulds I’ll use the base as a bench, to cut scarves and glue planks.
Following Albert’s advice I covered the ceiling with white tarp.
This will seal the isolation from vapours and protect me from mineral wool dust.
As expected, the interior got more light and pleasant feeling.
I felt playful so I made a proper sign above the door. It is an ancient wooden plank from very old barn, with wooden sticks forming the name.
Some Xmas lights added, to lighten this depressing darkness this time of year.
I have finished building Lilla varvet - yet another workshop, this time to build Ilur boat.
The weather got very warm for one day - around 10 degrees C - so I managed to finish painting the outside walls. Falu röd is water-based paint so painting below 5 degrees is not recommended.
Next step was to do some finishing touch on door frame and prepare the interior for thermal isolation. I started with the roof, as the most important.
I chose 90mm thick mineral wool - to leave a little gap between metal roof and the wool. Support beams are spaced so that wool panel ends land on the support (most of the time).
A few hours job, lots of wool dust on the face and aking neck but the roof is done.
Moving onto wall isolation. I start with NW wall as the wind comes mostly from this direction.
The next day is not so warm anymore but sunny and inviting. I drive to Meritaten, to see if all is well. It is.
I re-circulate the linseed oil and go back to Lilla Varvet.
By the end of the day I’m done with walls isolation.
The only wall left without wool is the one I will dismount to take the boat out, once she is done. It will not happen soon but I run out of wool so I use this excuse to call it a day.
Ilur drawings and plans hanging at hand, to refer while building.
My small Nano, in folded form, got its place on the wall, too.
Marine plywood for building should arrive mid-January. Till then I continue my crash-course in boatbuilding!
More about it in the new section: Ilur
First step before building a boat is to find space for such a project.
Luckily I don’t have to build so high workshop as I did when renovating Motoko. The new boat will be much smaller and is a centerboarder so I don’t need so much height.
I decided to convert my car-port to the workshop. I never park my car here anyway - there are too many nails and screws in the gravel, after Peter who was renovating his boat here.
Material for walls is construction plywood. Crapy quality but good enough for sheeting walls. Folded Nano adds some weight to take away warp from the panels.
We had a few days of nice weather and above-zero temperatures so the work was pleasant.
Just two days later came snow and proper winter. Work progressed but slower: at -18 C I had to take it easy to keep my fingers unfrozen.
Working in the evenings, after work and during weekends I finally enclosed the space for new boatyard.
After two weeks of very cold weather there came one day with +4 C. I used the opportunity to paint the workshop, both to protect the plywood and to please my neighbours. Falu röd was an obvious choice.
White details on corners will come later.
I want to be able to move the boat inside during the build so flat floor is essential. Casting concrete is out of equation so I make a wooden floor.
Japanese panel-saws prove very handy and much quicker to do the job than circular saw, in most cases. Floor supports are above the ground, supported at very ends and in the middle.
Third weekend of the build and I’m finished with the structure.
Simple bench along one wall will serve for tools and epoxy work.
The next step is to add thermal isolation. My ambition is to carry on the build even during winter so I will need to keep temperature inside around 10-15 C for epoxy to kick. I will start with roof isolation and go down with walls. Mineral wool should work fine and I can re-use it once I’m done with the boat and demolish the workshop. Or maybe I’ll keep it for another build?
Francois Vivier’s website for Ilur boat:
https://www.vivierboats.com/en/product/clinker-kit-ilur/
Jordanboats (CNC-cut plywood kits):
https://jordanboats.co.uk
Roger Barnes:
https://www.rogerbarnes.org