Eider Duck build

Good to see the project coming along. Do you have a tentative launch date?

 

First weekend of June or before. I plan on taking it to the Lake Pepin Messabout and ideally I would like to try it before but it wouldn't be the first boat I have tried for the first time there.

 

Hey Steve,
I have been following the build but have missed something. What is Eider Duck going to be used for? I noticed the two "pontoon" structures. Why did you use this design?

 

Those are air boxes/flotation compartments/seats. They are common on a lot of PDs. It is for my daughter to learn/practice sailing in and so she can go fishing on the local small lakes rather than from the bank.

 

Here it is mocked up so I can get the proper DB placement (the board is from my son's Butterfly). Got the board for this boat (2 pieces of 3/4"x5"x4' Meranti) glued together and curing. Measured and cut out the pieces for the case, glued the spacers to one side and coated the inside of it with epoxy. I am using a couple of slices of really nice Doug Fir 2x4 which I milled to clear straight grain quartersawn for spacers and a couple of pieces of 1/2" 7 ply plywood. I'll be attaching it to the port flotation compartment wall and cleating it to the bottom. I will probably make a box step for the mast to raise it a bit for some head clearance.

 

Numbaone Daughter got the sanding finished today so I let her go early. I continued and finished up the Daggerboard case and cut and beveled the Daggerboard itself. I also installed the forward bulkhead and mast partner and cut and dry fitted the front deck panel. That bowed front transom is sure playing hell now trying to fit everything. Good thing the side boxes are still a bit flexible...I can cajole things into fitting nearly 100%.

 

Con't:

Up under the Partner is a 1x2" doubler so there is the 1x4", 1/4" ply bulkhead and 1x2" doubler to make sure things stay in one place. The Deck will lock everything together and complete the box section. The Partner is glued down over the edge grain of the bulkhead to protect it and the deck will butt up against the partner, glued of course, so that will protect the back edge of the deck. I will be installing a bit of a combing to deflect any water coming over the bow to the sides. I'll tape the external edges of the front, rear and side decks and epoxy seal the interior edges for now. I'll see about taping them when I have more time if needed. I didn't install the deck because I want to put some paint on the raw wood I installed today...hopefully this evening but probably tomorrow.

 

I had the wildest idea...how about a hood scoop in the middle of the front deck?...maybe an old low profile Mustang type?

Something like this?

 

Why not? I can think of a couple of reasons.

 

I can think of three. Your bid.

 

I once saw a trike (3-wheeled motorcycle) whose body was mostly the hood from a '62 Chevy pickup. What had been the turn signals on the Chevy were the tail lights for the trike.....

And it was a good-looking machine too, not just a novelty item.

 

I ran it by the daughter...nixed on the spot thank you. It did get your attention though

 

Girl came over today and she finished painting the inside of the bow compartment and the underside of the deck while I built the bulkhead for the back compartment. She also painted the underside of the aft deck but I needed the glue to cure before the inside of the after compartment could be painted...tomorrow. I also installed cleats for the ends of the side decks so they would be supported.






I switched the the other boat and epoxied the the other chine and runner.

 

Lots done today...the interior bare wood in the aft compartment got a coat of paint and the after deck installed, the Daggerboard case got installed, one of the side decks got put on...forgot to paint the interior surface so it will get painted through the Deck plates. We also made the Coaming and I shaped the handle on the Daggerboard and epoxied one side. We also installed the forward deck and I adapted the mast step from the little 5.5 ft dinghy that I will not be putting a sail on any time soon to be the step for the ED. I will wrap some glass around it as it is only a Cedar 4x4 with a big hole bored in the end. It is just perfect for this though...it raises the heel of the mast about 3-4" and the socket was made for the same diameter mast. On top of everything else...we took the dogs for a 3 mile walk and I sanded the ODL and applied a coat of epoxy on the side I didn't get yesterday.

Daggerboard case...buckets of glue on the back, 2 Lag bolts on the bottom






The Mast Step.



Daughter painting the inside of the second side deck panel.

 

Con't

The progress so far oblique view



And Stern view...notice the placement of the deck plates...there will be 2 per side and 1 fore and aft.