The Start of Something New

Recording the creation of a new John Welsford designed Navigator!!! (Now) Selway-Fisher Waterman12,  a boat called Dwynwen

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Time

Blimey, where does time go? Anyway. two things to announce.

1. Dwynwen was blown off her stand during the winter and suffered damage to her planking. Hopefully that is something I can fix...

2. I've been honing my carpentry skills by scratch building a kitchen for the last half year. Skills now in place to get me back into boat building. Plenty of oak left over from the work surfaces so a rather nice piece will now become the bow! On that note, dropping this here for reference. http://www.boat-building.org/learn-skills/index.php/en/wood/steaming-a-strip-of-wood/  

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Breakthrough

Having had no real time to work on Dwynwen for months, its been good today to bet back into the swing of things, albeit tech wise and not by actually getting my hands on her sleekness. No, today has been about sailplans, about working out the final design, and going with it. Then a case of Microsoft Visio and some nifty design work and now she is kind of ready to go. Single masted now, have dropped the plans for the mizzen and gone for something slightly less complex. So now to work. Centreboard first before I can stitch her rump to her top half, so to speak...

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Unzip

Well it had to happen. To create what I want I’ve had to unzip the stern. And didn’t she just ping apart.

However it’s now given me added impetus and have made good progress today.

The rudder post has been cut (the sheets that i laminated 10 days ago) and I’ve marked up the last full sheet of ply for the 3 new bulkheads (1 is s replacement as I managed to NOT measure twice cut once and it hurts when it’s wrong).

So now for some more temporary stitching, and some glue mixing.

I was going to order the rudder pintle mounts (going for bronze) but 2x MoTs have trumped 2x rudder straps this month…

Anyway, a big step forward today even if it actually isn’t.

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Epoxy

Hmmm, first go with the West system and hadn't realised just how much you need to mix when bonding surfaces together. Not 100% it's worked, will see next weekend when I try and de laminate this test piece. If it stays in one piece it's going to become part of the rudder mount :-)

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Work stops play...

Been a couple of weeks now with no work on Dwynwen and it feels bad. Not even any more rope fenders have been made.

However, I have now digitised some of the plans which is allowing me to look at different sail plans and mast layouts, generated by a rather mental excel spreadsheet I’ve created.

But for all the technology, seeing her now as she will look is both a blessing and a curse.

Dwynwen, whilst just 12 foot stem to stern was being built as a bolt together canoe, with a lot of modifications to make her what I wanted. Problem though is that having built the first half, for some reason I totally failed to grasp how wide she would be. I only drive a little car and no way will the two halves fit on the roof!

Oh, and with the designed sailplan, the centreboard is set to cut right through the join!

So, she will now be joined together, the centre board will go where it needs to be, and I will have to source a trailer :-)

Maybe she will sail next spring… Or at this build rate, the one after.

So watching Ondine instead, and thinking of Selkies...

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Don't look at the gaps...! :-) front half stitched together :-)

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Well, at last I've started the stitching !!!

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This beautifully crafted round spokeshave made by Veritas of Canada arrived yesterday. It is so wonderful to use. Will be ordering more tools from that company from a little UK supplier, Toolnut Limited :-)

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The first cut is the deepest...

So finally braved the new jigsaw and put it through the first sheet... Once the first slice went through it all became much easier, but still the thought in the back of the mind that this is a £60 piece of timber I’m hacking to pieces... Anyway, cut and planned the first part of Dwynwen, and feeling rather happy :-) (oh and did some more work on restoring a lovely little flower boat made by Ivor who lived in Brora many years ago...

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"Lofting..." Well, that's the first board lofted up. Doesn't look big enough to be half a boat! Hurrah for picture pins and curtain track...

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Dwynwen has arrived! Think she will need a bit of work though before she is ready to sail...

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No Going Back...

Robbins delivering the marine ply on Wednesday. The dream is finally turning into reality (or maybe nightmare...)

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Sail makers bench hook.

Something else that will require making... http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/07/howto/hook/

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Another book of things to learn. This sailing lark is certainly making me feel less digital...

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Jurassic's Blog.

Found this yesterday :-) http://jurassic-chris.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/lismore.html#comment-form

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Finally got round to actually making something, and found it wonderfully therapeutic. Its not the neatest of fenders, and there is at least one error so it will never win any prizes, but, it is my first attempt and I am rather happy. With thank to Tim and his @ilur for the inspiration (and showing what well made ones look like!)

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Multi masted sail canoe’s

Just putting this here as a reminder in case I lose the link! 

Ideas for Dwynwen... http://dragonflycanoe.com/stephens/ and detail...

http://dragonflycanoe.com/stephens/progress5.html

http://dragonflycanoe.com/stephens/progress9.html and then this ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vGcH0Bk3hg