new member (would like to build the SOF rowing wherry Ruth)

Thank you G. Gentlemen I am a brand new user from the desert of Nevada. I would like to build the SOF rowing wherry Ruth and probably will call on you for help. I am 79 years old, built a St Pier Dory in the early seventies and rebuilt a 32 ft Monterey fish boat in the early eighties both with the help of knowledgeable shipwrights. A span of 30 plus years. This will be a brand new project but I have been out of touch for many years and will need help. Hope I can count on some of you for that help.

Dave

 

Congratulations on you project, and welcome to the forum.

 

You can, indeed, count on some of our knowledgeable members for help if you need it.

Welcome to the forum.

 

welcome to the forum!

I have built about a dozen SOF kayaks and a number of small sailing dingys also using SOF construction of my own design. Nothing to be intimidated about, it is one of the fastest methods and easiest to learn I think of all construction methods. Many here will be happy to help you along your way.

Nothing from stopping you to get started right away.

 

Lost my message! Thanks for your response. First order of building will be to locate wood.

Being in Southern Nevada it may be difficult.

Dave

 

you can buy suitable wood from any lumber yard, but you will have to pick through the pile of larger lumber to find the clear pieces. Than you rip them down with a table saw to the size you need, or a bit larger and sand or plane them smooth. often the lumber yard will cut it into smaller stringers for a reasonable fee if you do not have a table saw.

You can make a good circular saw into a suitable table saw by getting a very good quality narrow curf blade and than screwing it to the bottom of work bench with a plywood top that has a slot cut into it.

I have used doug fir, western red cedar, alaskan yellow cedar (if you can find it), and spruce that I bought from a big box store lumber yard. often I have to work my way down through the pile to get some fairly clear pieces. They do not have to be perfect, just have enough if it clear so you can get some full length stringers without defects or grain runout. It is a really inexpensive way to make your own boat lumber, but it takes some effort.

 

Thanks Petros. I have located Marine plywood at $70.00 a sheet (4x8). the only cedar I have located were fencing material will probably have to go with fir and as u advise pick it carefully

Dave

 

If you can only get fir, and you're fussy about weight, you could use slightly thinner stringers. IIRC they're sized at 3/4" thick, and are fine at that size in western red cedar. Douglas fir has a modulus of elasticity around 50% greater than WRC, so for an equivalent stiffness you could plane them down to 21/32".

This would drop the weight by 14%, and would make the stringers easier to twist into position, while leaving the overall stiffness the same. Strength would be greater than WRC at 3/4". They'd still be substantially heavier than WRC stringers though.

You could also change the width, but optimising that way, while potentially better for weight, would make building a bit more difficult.

 

Dave uses fencing material... Make sure you soak everything. Getting the twists and bends to stick without it cracking is a pain. I currently have an Annabelle under construction in my dining room, however... the bends on the Ruth aren't quite so dramatic as it is considerably longer.

 

Thanks Steve I will see what I can find. May have to go with a CVG fir for the stringers,etc if I can't get the length.

I wrote a response a few minutes ago, but lost the screen. Hope you don't get this twice.

Dave

 

Are you able to get to a Home Depot or Lowes?

They both (locally) have WRS. You probably will have to splice the stringers to get full length, I regularly get 8, 10, and sometimes 12' boards for 15' kayaks, so everything has to be spliced.

Best to do a 8/1 splice or longer and use a boat building epoxy.
I personally use West system, mostly because that is what I started with.
The splice joint will break in the wood if you take just a little care.

Actually, here in Texas, it wouldn't matter if I used Fir, I would most likely have to splice anyway.

It does take a good bit of time picking thru the entire wood pile to find enough useful wood. You really don't want any knots in the finished stringer. Most of the time I go back to the store multiple times to get enough for one project.

I hope you actually have such stores, reasonably in reach.

Good luck.

PS. to get the curve Dave specifies for the Gunwale I personally would laminate two thinner boards in the specified curve. One person had the full sized wood "relax" closer to straight and had to add shims to the keel, etc to get the proper shape. There are other threads about Ruth here and on woodenboat. com

 

You can always scarf join for length if you have to. Beginners are often a bit worried about scarfing, but it's not difficult.

 

Ruth build

Thanks guys appreciate the info. We do have Lowes and Home Depot so I will investigate. As far as laminating, years ago I laminated oak frames into a Monterey Clipper (fish boat). If I laminate I would have to pick up the bend and am not quite sure how to go about this. In the Monterey we could get a little sloppy with the glue. We picked up the bend right in the hull, however picking up the bend for gunwales and stringer for the Ruth might be difficult unless I fastened them to the frames and be extra, extra careful with the process. Making a pattern would be ideal, but not available or ! (help)

I will be scarfing.

Dave

 

Can't see why you couldn't laminate them in situ on the frames. The frames will be set up on a strongback anyway so...

 

I personally would do just that.

It is a vertical bend that is difficult, so split the gunwale in a horizontal plane, put one half on the frames, straighten up all the stringers like you want them, then attach the top 1/2 of the gunwale.

I generally use deck screws thru the stringer into the frame to set the position. That way I can adjust as much as I need. When it is set I pull out a few joint screws, epoxy the joint, and put the screws back in to hold it while it cures.

If you want to just lash the joints, you can always cut loose one that is out of place and re-do it.

PS, I haven't done a Ruth but I have done 6 SOF kayaks.