project wooden boat

Discussion in 'Wooden Boat Building and Restoration' started by stewart thompson, Jul 3, 2017.

  1. stewart thompson
    Joined: Jul 2017
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    Location: NS... Canada

    stewart thompson New Member

    hello everyone. A friend gave me this boat and I am trying to find more details to finish building it.

    It has a centre board and a sloped transom. I am not sure if it was meant to be a sailboat or power boat... any information you can give me would be appreciated ..

    Thanks: Stewart
     

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  2. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Welcome to the forum.

    That boat has seen some butchering and you'd be best advised to find the plans to this sailboat (from your friend), modified to also be a powerboat. As a powerboat, it'll truly suck, especially if overpowered. As a sailboat who knows, but the centerboard case is a dead giveaway as to what it really is. The first thing I would do is cut off that ridiculously shaped aft portion. It looks, though I'm assuming, the stringer defines the shape that the aft sections were supposed to have. The transom doesn't need to be that tall, even with an outboard hanging on it. It appears to be a dory derivative of some sort, but with the modified sides, hard to tell just what she was going to be.
     
  3. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Asking the friend seems like a good idea.
     
  4. stewart thompson
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    stewart thompson New Member

    Thanks.... But there are no plans what so ever. It was in the basement of the house that my friend moved into and he needed it gone. Not sure where you would step the mast on this. It came with a center board and a small rudder of sorts.
    worst case it make a nice row boat.
     
  5. Milehog
    Joined: Aug 2006
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    Milehog Clever Quip

    Those 50's Cadillac fins are... unique and just :eek: .
    First thing I'd do, were it mine, is fill it with water and see if it leaks.
    From there decide if it is a planter or a boat.
    If a boat I'm skeptical of it's ability to sail with any competence. Not worth the bother, IMO, just to be disappointed.
    Install oarlocks and a suitable seat and/or a 2 hp motor. Adjust the centerboard so's about 4-6 inches protrude under the hull, this will act as a skeg.
     
  6. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Filling it with water is a really foolish idea, with the likely result of a broken boat and lots of water on the floor, once the seams ripped open from attempting to resist forces, in the opposite direction they were intended to withstand. Toss it a pool or the local pond, to see how water tight it might be, though a good inspection of the seams will probably tell you all you need to know about this.

    I don't think the "fins" are indicative of an era of design, but an ad hoc attempt at styling, by someone less skilled than necessary. On a sailboat this is the worst place to increase freeboard. The transom cutout looks like an attempt to make it both a sail and powerboat. This rarely works very well.

    As to where the mast might step, well it's likely you'll need to have an adjustable step, so you can dial in the lead on the boat, for balance. You'll also need to design a rig that'll work too, which given your questions so far, suggests you'll need some outside help with this as well.

    What I see is about 5 sheets, of less than desirable plywood (the football repairs are a dead give away), arranged in a semi haphazard fashion, somewhat resembling an oddly shaped boat, with no plans and an owner with a limited skill set. Have I got this about right? With a set of plans you might have a reasonable chance at completion, without would you say considerably less? I'm not trying to poke holes in your balloon, so much as level the playing field, so you can have an honest assessment of what's in front of you. The economical thing is to make a set of shelves, out of the newly found abundance of plywood you've just received. If you insist, you can make this a boat, either a displacement powerboat or a sailboat, though an uphill battle, given what you're starting with. Simply put, you'll need a sail plan drawn up and it would be nice, if some solid construction details could be worked out for you too. It's probable you can use a rig from a one design if well thought through by a designer.
     
  7. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    A poor man's gondola ? The "fins" look vaguely like something that might have supported a roller for dragging a fishing net over the stern.
     
  8. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Dragging a net over an outboard?
     
  9. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    What outboard ? :) It is a bit of a dog's breakfast, but who knows what it was intended to be or do.
     
  10. stewart thompson
    Joined: Jul 2017
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    stewart thompson New Member

    I will not attempt to make it into a sailing vessel but rather a power boat....slash....... row boat. I have some West Coast epoxy left over from other jobs that I am sure will completely seal the bottom and maybe some cloth as well.

    on closer examination the transom is solid maple 1-1/2 inches thick. so no issues for an outboard. My next question is what horse power outboard could one use on this ??? would a 9.9 be ok???

    the boat is 14 feet in length.
     
  11. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    How long is the boat? Given the aft sections shape, you'll be limited to mid single digit speeds, so a 5 HP will be more than enough. A 9.9 HP will get you close to double digit speeds, but you'll pretty unstable and the bow will be pointing skyward. A 9.9 will mostly just beat the water to a froth, in the process of offering a few more MPH.
     
  12. Milehog
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    Milehog Clever Quip

    Par, look again. The boat will not fill to the top with water on account of the open centerboard case top. I'm giving Stewart enough credit to understand a few inches will reveal most/any serious leaks.
    On one hand you worry that filling the boat with water (after the centerboard case is sealed?) will cause it to break apart. On the other hand you suggest he break down the boat and use the ply to build shelves?
    Maybe we could pack the centerboard case with Tannerite, fill the boat with water and light a fuse? Stewart, do you have a YouTube account?
    OP, I would not trust the boat to handle well or even stay in one piece at the speeds a 9.9hp engine could potentially push it. A tiny 2 hp kicker will propel it at displacement speeds. A 6 hp kicker would easily propel my 3,000 pound sail boat at hull (displacement) speed.
     
  13. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    4 hp motor would easily propel this, there are plenty that size around, any more will only result in squatting anyway. The fins must stay !
     
  14. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Filling a boat is a leftover process that should long be forgotten. On traditional builds, boats were often sunk, by filling them and left to "suck up" for a few days. This is wholly different than filling the boat, as the pressures are equalized inside and out on a sunken boat, but not so if it's a bathtub. The boat above looks poorly built and has poor quality materials. Testing it by filling, even partly will place many hundreds of pounds of pressure on question building techniques and materials.

    Let's assume the boat is 10 - 12' long and the case about a foot tall. this is about 70 - 100 cubic feet, at 62 pounds per, a hell of alot of weight. Just filling it halfway up the case would still be over a ton of water in the boat. I've seen guys do this, thinking they'd check water tightness, just to explode the seams. Sinking a boat at shore side is one thing, but filling, well . . .

    Agreed, a 2 HP will do fine, though a 5 might offer reverse and neutral, which is handy, plus you can stand her on her transom and have some fun. Lastly, the fins are hideous and have to go, plus they'll cause the boat to march around a mooring or anchor line, like a hooker outside a check cashing outlet on a Friday night.
     

  15. Milehog
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    Milehog Clever Quip

    I'd rather have her break apart in the back yard vs. on the lake.
    Some of those little air cooled kickers are pretty noisy. A 5 hp water cooled version might be a better traveling companion.
     
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