Forfatter: morten

By Morten Olesen © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Anticipation is the enemy of many boat builders. From novices to experienced pros, the excitement of finally sailing the vessel they’ve been building for weeks or months can get the best of them. This can lead to making mistakes that might impede their success. 

But there are ways to cut some time from your construction schedule without hampering the end results. As a matter of fact, I have 5 shortcuts that will let you finish your project earlier than you thought, without causing any heartache. 

Shortcut #1 – Minimal Space for Maximum Efficiency 

Bigger is not always better. This holds true when it comes to boatbuilding workshops. While the tendency is to create a workplace that is large and sprawling, just the opposite can be what you actually need. 

Unless you plan on building boats on a regular basis, you can follow in the footsteps of those who’ve gone before you and create a small workshop. A garage or shed, a tent, some PVC pipe with tarps draped over it… all are standards when it comes to boat work areas. All you really need is enough space for the finished boat, plus a few feet around the perimeter for walking, working and moving about. 

Shortcut #2 – Plastic Makes the Best Fillets

Sure, there is a special tool for making fillets, but it requires some getting used to. In addition, you’ll need some patience while you’re mastering the art of fillet making. One of my favorite shortcuts involves using plain old plastic spoons to make fillets.

Use the back of the spoon to make the curved shape of your fillet. Plastic spoons are sturdy enough to handle the thick epoxy, durable enough to stand up to the resin without dissolving and make cleanup easier than you could imagine. 

Shortcut #3 – Disposable Lofting Is Smart

Once you start transferring the dimensions from your boat plans to the plywood, you’ll want to make sure you stay neat, clean and organized. Getting measurements mixed up or forgetting whether you’ve already transferred some measurements can lead to disaster.

Buying downloadable boat plans is the way to go. Once one set gets cluttered with notes and markings, simply throw it away and print a clean set. Nothing could be easier. 

Shortcut #4 – Know What Could Go Wrong, So You Can Do It Right

When building a boat, you should always be looking ahead. Read instructions (such as those for the epoxy you’ll use), go through processes (like fillet making) mentally or actually try it on scrap wood. These save you time in the long run because they allow you to encounter the hazards that might happen before you actually begin attempting the steps on your boat. 

Shortcut #5 – Check Your Temperature

Many problems with epoxy are due to having an incorrect temperature in your workspace. You’ll want your workshop to maintain a constant temperature between 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). This way, most epoxy products will work as they should. 

If need be, plan the phases of your boatbuilding project so your use of epoxy will fall during seasons that have temperature ranges compatible with the product you’re using. 

By implementing these 5 shortcuts, you’ll find you can shave a bit of time off of the total project. That means you can set sail sooner with full confidence that you’ve built a top-quality vessel.

By Morten Olesen © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Part of the anticipation (and anxiety) of boatbuilding is not being able to see the finished product. Sure, design plans give you the dimensions and other specifications of the craft you’re constructing, but they don’t offer that all-important 3-dimensional view. 

Given a choice, what most boat builders (especially novices) prefer is the chance to actually see the finished boat before they begin the construction process. But how often does that happen? More often than you think!

When you work with 3D boat plans, you have several advantages that help you speed up the building process and more. That’s because you get something extra in addition to traditional, paper boat plans. 

See the Fully Completed Boat – Inside and Out

Three-dimensional boat plans come with paper plans or digital plans you can print yourself, plus a 3D computer model. This allows you to quickly glance over your entire virtual vessel, inside and out, before you ever make the first cut. This gives you an exact replica to follow, which can help walk you step-by-step through the entire process.

Every detail is viewable including seams, fillets, joints and more. Decks, superstructures, masts, keels and rudders are available, too. It’s the next best thing to inspecting a physical boat.

Fully Functional 3D Plans Give More Options

But looking isn’t all you can do. With 3D boat plans, you can also zoom in for closer inspection, pan cross sections to gain a clearer understanding and measure any part of the boat in both U.S. and metric units. 

Want to crawl underneath? You can, because 3D boat plans let you rotate your vessel in every direction, so nothing is out of your reach.

Complete Your Project Faster and with Greater Confidence

Once you’ve gained access to your virtual finished boat, you’ll find the building process is greatly sped up. The visual aids you get from the 3D boat plans act as a roadmap that allows you greater freedom than when building from paper boat plans alone. 

And, because you can actually see the boat as you build, you’ll have greater confidence that you’re on the right track. 

TIP: Be sure to buy 3D boat plans that are compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems. Many will not function in a Mac environment. 

Do Over!

Boat plans that come with 3D capabilities also give you a chance to see your possible mistakes before you make them. It’s like getting a second chance or a “do over” without having the delays, frustration or added cost associated with trial-by-fire boatbuilding. 

If you’d rather have a step up from ordinary boat plans, look for 3D boat plans for your next project. The added flexibility and assurance they offer will speed up your completion time, reduce expenses and help you build a better-quality boat.

By Morten Olesen © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Building your own boat could be the culmination of a lifelong dream, or an impulsive project if you’re the avid woodworker. In either case, the amount of learning that goes into following a boat design and crafting the panels can look daunting. 

Lofting, in particular, is a drafting technique that takes a keen eye for shape, a good head for mathematics, and confidence in your woodworking talent. Don’t fret… becoming a lofter is easier than you think once you master the 3 most common elements. Plus, learning this new skill will open up a world of design options for your building projects. 

Getting Started

Assembling your lofting tools in advance will help you go through the steps with more ease. Most of the materials are common household tools, like a pencil (ink from a pen may soak into the wood grain), measuring tape and carpenter squares. You’ll also want to buy some lumber filler to construct your curves and arcs.

Reading the Boat Plans

Each of your boat plans is based on a set of drawing files. You’ll see top-down and profile perspectives, dimension of the elements like offsets, diagonals and buttock lines; assembly details and more. If you purchased 3D boat plans, you’ll also have the added advantage of being able to slice, dice and rotate the plans via computer to see every possible angle. 

Curve Lofting

Curves in panels can be challenging if you’re a new lofter, but like all elements of the boat plans, are based in scale numbers. Take a close look at the panel plates; on some boat plans the dimensions are depicted in both U.S. standard and metric units. Be careful not to mix the dimensions as you make your cuts!

Curve panel lofting begins with a grid, drawn with vertical lines using a carpenter’s square. Once you’ve finished marking your grid on the plywood, it will resemble a football field. Set out the dimensions of the panels, marking with a pencil along the long edge of the plywood. 

With that done, make the curvature of the panel. One of the most recommended ways is to hammer in small nails at the cross-points, then fit the lumber fillets to the nails. Hold the fillet in place with some extra nails or weights. Repeat the procedure on the other side of the panel, then use your circular or saber saw to cut the curve out of the panel.

Symmetrical Lofting

You may find lofting symmetrical elements, such as the nesting, easier than the curved panels. A file based on symmetrical pieces will show each piece as part of the overall boat plans. Some symmetrical elements have dimensions set from the centerline, which makes the centerline part of the symmetry line. 

A carpenter’s square will be your tool to set the centerline on the plywood. You’ll mark the dimensions on the wood from the horizontal distances. Afterward, you can draw the out-line of the element by connecting the points you marked with straight lines. Finally, you’ll draw the inside of the element, starting with the vertical sideline

Perpendicular Lofting

Your boat plans will include perpendicular elements that are relatively easy to configure. Create a straight line (12 inches long, for example). Then, with your measuring tape, make a mark approximately perpendicular to your line, in this case about 16 inches from the first line. 

From the other end of your first line, mark 20 inches in the direction of the mark you made from the first end of the first line. Mark the distance where it crosses the first mark, and you will have a triangular-looking figure. Where the points cross, the lines are perpendicular.

While you hear a lot of talk about the challenges lofting presents, once you’ve learned the right way to do it, you’ll more quickly and confidently.

By Morten Olesen © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

When you begin building your own boat, the questions seem to come at every turn. If this is your first attempt at boatbuilding, you probably have a longer list than most. It’s always helpful to have the ear of a professional to guide your steps and keep you on track. 

Take a minute to look through this Q&A session with Master Boat Builder Morten Olesen. It’s sure to shed a little light on some of those questionable areas. 

“How do I stitch and glue plywood?”

Morten: The stitch-and-glue building method is quite popular with hobbyists and amateurs. The reason is that the method is easy to use and it makes the construction process fast. 

When you build a plywood boat, the hull side and bottom meet at the chine. At this chine seam small holes are drilled and the side and bottom are stitched together with either metal wire or cable ties. 

After the stitching, the chine seam is glued with epoxy thickened with wood floor or another suitable filler. After the gluing, it’s normal to apply some fiberglass tape over the seam to reinforce the joint between the side and bottom. 

“What is strip plank?”

Morten: Strip plank is a building method normally used for canoes and kayaks. When building with strip planks you glue together long slender wooden strips over a skeletal frame or template that has the desired hull shape. 

Once all the strips are assembled the hull is faired and covered outside and inside with fiberglass fabric and epoxy resin. 

“What kind of plywood do I need to build my boat from?”

There are 3 kinds of plywood: interior, exterior and marine. There are also many grades of plywood which can be found at your local lumberyard. I normally recommend – as a minimum – using exterior plywood. However marine plywood is normally much nicer and is preferred when you want to construct a boat that will be varnished. 

Never use interior plywood on a boat. The difference between exterior and marine plywood is the quality and soundness. Both are made using waterproof glues. The primary concern is the inclusion of interior and surface voids. These can make your plywood more fragile and prone to breakage. 

In the bow, the bottom and any places where the stitch-and-glue method (described above) is used, you’ll want to work with marine plywood. Most other areas of the boat could be built from exterior-grades.

“Lumber is really expensive. What type do you recommend for the frame of my boat?”

One good choice is fir. You’ll want it dense enough to hold a screw tight. Look for fir that has a clear grain and as few splints or knotholes as possible. If fir is too expensive for your budget, look to treated pine.

The same lumber used for decking material would be suitable for framing a boat. Just as with the fir, look for pieces with as few knotholes as possible. Pine isn’t pretty, but if it’s for the frame (which won’t be seen) or is going to be painted, appearance won’t matter nearly as much as structural integrity.

Have more questions? Click over to https://BoatPlans.dk and ask!

By Morten Olesen © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

As a Master Boat Builder who has practiced this trade for decades, I can tell you there are certain questions that get asked frequently, especially by novices. I’ve compiled 4 questions below; the answers to which offer vital information every boat builder needs to know.

1. What are the 3 most common boatbuilding mistakes newbies make?

The first is lofting errors. A mistake occurs when you set out the wrong dimensions or misread them. Just like with any construction project, you must constantly double-check yourself. It’s far too easy to get off track right from the start if you don’t pay careful attention when lofting.

The second mistake is cutting errors. After adjusting the lines you’ve drawn, you sometimes end up having more than one. Only one is the right line to cut, however, so if you choose the wrong line, you could easily make a mistake that would cause you to start over again. Always make sure you mark the right line clearly so you won’t use the wrong one. Draw an arrow to the correct line, mark it with a star or with something else that lets you know which is the line you should cut.

The third mistake comes with assembly errors. Sometimes, especially with first projects, you get the frames mixed up or the side and bottom panels turned upside down. Check everything twice and also step back to visually examine your work. 

2. What if my new stitch-and-glue boat leaks?

That’s not likely to happen since all seams are glued with fiberglass tape. The tape will act like the hull of a normal fiberglass boat and prevent water from leaking through. But if for some reason your new boat does leak, pull it out of the water and locate the leak. Dry everything off very well then add an extra layer of fiberglass tape over the leak. It should be as good as new!

3. Should I paint or varnish my new boat?

Let’s face it: For beginners the best thing to do is paint your new boat. This is simply because painting is a much more foolproof method of sealing the wood. In addition, you will be able to hide small mistakes that occurred during the building process by simply filling them in and sanding them smooth before you paint. 

However, if you have some woodworking skills and can’t imagine your new boat without stain/varnish, don’t hold yourself back. Go for it!

4. What’s the most important tool I need to build my boat?

A good handsaw is the number one tool that makes boatbuilding much easier. When used correctly you can do a lot of accurate and beautiful work with it. I have experienced a lot of time as a boat builder where my favorite handsaw was practically the only tool in my toolbox. 

I strongly recommend a handsaw that is between 20” (500 mm) and 22” (560 mm) long and has 6-8 points per inch. 

Now that you have a bit more knowledge under your belt, go build yourself a fabulous boat!