Page 1 of 1

Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 5:59 am
by OneWayTraffic
Before having a go at any bigger projects I thought I would build a little D5. I am currently boat less, so this will get me by for a year or two. Use will be crossing a river lagoon to access salmon fishing, trout fishing along the edge of local lakes, and sea fishing in sheltered bays and sounds no more than a few hundred metres from shore. Powered by oars and possibly a 2hp outboard if I can pick one up cheap.

Ordered fibreglass and epoxy last week. Got a 100m roll of 400gram biaxial tape, 5 metres of 200g woven for the bottom, 12 litres of Westsystem with Fast.

Picked up the ply on Monday. Okoume Built to BS1088, and seems to be good stuff. Supplied by a reputable NZ company.

So far I have cut the hull panels.

Pictures to follow.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 6:06 am
by OneWayTraffic
IMG_0262.JPG
I doubled up the 6mm to ensure a mirror image. Measured four times cut once. I don't have a lot of practice doing this sort of thing but I teach maths for a living so that part was easy. I will do away with the half sheet of 9mm and cut frame A from the 6mm leftovers. Not yet sure if I will need to double it up.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 6:10 am
by Aripeka Angler
Congratulations on getting started on your build!!
Please do post plenty of pictures :D

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 6:15 am
by OneWayTraffic
I will. There's not a lot of beginning to end fully documented builds for the D5 so I am hoping that this will be one. I will also appreciate the assistance where I can get it. I haven't cut the sheerline for the top of the side panel, leaving it flat against the plywood edge. This is drawn with a concave curve of about 30mm at the widest. I assume that this will only affect cosmetics? I am tempted to leave it as is.

If anyone is looking for a good saw for cutting ply, I can recommend the Dremel Saw-max. It's an abrasive cutter and will go through anything you care to cut, at least to a max depth of 20mm (3/4") It will cut a 2 by 4 if you cut both sides. Goes through ply like butter, and very little splintering.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 8:06 am
by terrulian
Welcome, Stuart.
This is a good time to use your side panels as a pattern to cut your rub rails.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 8:10 am
by OneWayTraffic
Interesting concept. Just trace out the shape?

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 10:09 am
by jacquesmm
OneWayTraffic wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2017 8:10 am Interesting concept. Just trace out the shape?
Yes, the strips will bend much easier.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 11:31 am
by Fuzz
OneWayTraffic wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2017 6:15 am If anyone is looking for a good saw for cutting ply, I can recommend the Dremel Saw-max. It's an abrasive cutter and will go through anything you care to cut, at least to a max depth of 20mm (3/4") It will cut a 2 by 4 if you cut both sides. Goes through ply like butter, and very little splintering.
Good luck with the build. And thanks in advance for taking the time to do a build thread on it.
About the Saw Max I really like mine also. One thing that has been really handy is the flush cut blade. Being able to lay the saw on its side and cut something flush has proven really handy for me. :D

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 12:25 pm
by BB Sig
Looking good so far! 8)

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 1:13 am
by OneWayTraffic
After cutting the side and bottom panels I smoothed the edges with a sanding block and drilled stitching holes. I kept the side and bottom panels lined up and rolled down the connecting edge to avoid getting out of alignment.

I have kept the top edge of the side panel straight rather than cutting the 30mm concave camber shown on the plans. This should allow a straight strip to serve as a rubrail. If there is a good reason for that camber now is the time to tell me. I was thinking about drawing the transom straight across as well.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:41 am
by pee wee
OneWayTraffic wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 1:13 am I have kept the top edge of the side panel straight rather than cutting the 30mm concave camber shown on the plans. This should allow a straight strip to serve as a rubrail. If there is a good reason for that camber now is the time to tell me. I was thinking about drawing the transom straight across as well.
There might be a couple reasons to consider- the boat may be more attractive if you follow the plan, and if you plan to row, the oarlocks may be at a better height. Neither may apply in your situation, but you're right to think twice before making a departure from the plans. Once it's stitched together you'll be able to check the aesthetics, and if you change your mind it wouldn't be that hard to take it back apart and make the cut. Or you could draw the plan line on the ply while it's flat, so you could come back and make the cut after it's assembled, should you decide to.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:09 am
by terrulian
Try bending the sides as they will finally be shaped. I think you'll find that the line that appears straight when lying flat is no longer strait and may result in a reverse sheer. You may like this but I'm betting not. Pee wee's advice is good.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 5:50 pm
by OneWayTraffic
That's really good advice. I'll just build the boat as planned. The plans show a slight concave to the assembled dinghy that actually looks attractive now I think about it.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 10:26 pm
by OneWayTraffic
IMG_0275.JPG
Frames are cut out. I managed to fit frame A into the same sheet of 9mm.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 10:33 pm
by OneWayTraffic
Slight cutting errors in two frames. The pencil line should be the line of symmetry.
IMG_0276.JPG
IMG_0277.JPG
Hopefully this will fair out with enough putty. When I start stitching I will see if there are any other mistakes.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 7:57 am
by OneWayTraffic
Spent 3 hours stitching and wrestling with panels. Looking like a boat. Couple of places where the panels don't quite meet up and others where I will need to use a screw or two.
IMG_0280.JPG
IMG_0281.JPG
IMG_0284.JPG
IMG_0285.JPG
IMG_0286.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 1:37 am
by OneWayTraffic
I am basically done with stitching. Diagonals are 2440mm and 2420mm. I can get them identical with pressure but they fall back when I let go. Most hull panels are within 5mm of where I'd like them. Outside is duck taped and waiting for a warm enough day to weld the inside. Temperatures up to 12 degrees C in the day and dropping down to 0-5 at night.
IMG_0298.JPG
IMG_0299.JPG
IMG_0300.JPG
IMG_0301.JPG
IMG_0302.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 9:44 am
by terrulian
Looks pretty good from here. How does it look to you? Despite the small amount being off that you mention, do all of the curves look fair? That's the main thing. Even if one board is slightly proud of another or there is a gap, you will be filling them or rounding them over with a rasp or sander before taping so it is not necessarily a problem if the hull looks fair.
I suspect the gap where the two bottom panels meet is caused by the frames being slightly out of symmetry, as you showed in one of your photos. I don't think this will be a deal-killer but a little work with a block plane on the frames may settle this out for you--that is, if you don't mind the extra labor and you don't think it will make things worse! :help:
Up to you, though. Once that gap is filled with epoxy putty and taped on both sides, however, it will still have a lot of strength.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 6:58 pm
by OneWayTraffic
Good questions. The hull certainly looks fair and symmetrical for my eyes. I can see the imperfections quite well though, not surprising as I have spent more quality time with the boat than anyone else. The gap between the bottom panels varies from nothing (panels touching each other) to about 7mm. I assume that a thickened putty and 400g biaxial on both sides will not leave it short of strength for what will be a light use dinghy. I can always double the biaxial as well; I bought a 100m roll of tape so no issues there!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 2:31 am
by OneWayTraffic
Temperatures of up to 10 degrees C in the garage convinced me to glue today. Used the procedure shown by Joel in the two FS threads but without the skills. I found it much easier to make a mess than make clean fillets but I think I managed in the end. I'm not sure if I can get fiberglass to conform to the radius I used but I don't mind going bigger later on.

I will let it set up for a week or two. Probably won't get much done now school holidays are almost over, I got to go back to work.
IMG_0314.JPG
IMG_0315.JPG
IMG_0316.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 8:25 am
by terrulian
Interior corners are the worst. I'm not just talking about yours. You will need to smooth that one out.
Anyway, good progress. What did you use to create the fillets? Everyone on the forum has some tool they think is just the bees knees for this. Although I've tried a lot of things, I have always returned to a tongue depressor.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 9:26 am
by pee wee
If you don't enjoy sanding rock hard epoxy fillets you might want to find time to sand sooner than a few weeks from now. Depending on temperature you may be able to sand it after 24 hours, if it balls up on the sandpaper wait a little longer. A sharp scraper works well to remove the worst of the lumps and bumps that are clear of your fillet, that chore can be done sooner than the sanding.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 2:27 pm
by OneWayTraffic
I will tackle bumps and lumps today or tomorrow then. I was planning to use a sealant applicator tool for the fillets, halfway through I realised that wasn't working so used the rounded corner of the fibreglass plastic spreader that I had. I need to get a better tool as that was much too large to get into the corners very well so I used a mixing stick in a couple of places. I'm telling myself that when I go back over them after taking out the stitches no one will know that it's there. Then I remembered the photos. :)

I am open to ideas for fillet tools. Not sure whether I can find tongue depressors. I do have a couple of metal scrapers to remove uncured epoxy that seems to get everywhere but I didn't think of using them this time.

One of the reasons I am building this dinghy is to learn how to work with the material, and to gain experience. I am good with theory, learning concepts first time, but for hands on stuff I need the learning curve.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 2:28 pm
by terrulian
Tap Plastics carries tongue depressors.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 2:30 pm
by cape man
soft, plastic baby spoons.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 2:31 pm
by OneWayTraffic
I will probably do over with bigger fillets just before glassing and doing that wet on wet. I can hardly wait to see how many new ways I can stuff that up. :oops:

I am based in Christchurch NZ so no tap plastics.
Love the baby spoons idea, I will look into it.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:09 pm
by terrulian
I would think any drugstore would have them, or Target or a store like that if you have them.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:32 pm
by Jaysen
cape man wrote: Fri Jul 21, 2017 2:30 pm soft, plastic baby spoons.
Look at his photos.

I used regular plastic spoons at first with good results. Really good option. Biggest problem I had was messy gloves and lots of clean up on the sides. Loved it though.

At some point I started getting... cheap. The spoons I used would get soft and lose shape after a few feet (i said I was cheap). At one point I did not have a soon near by and was desperate. Looking at my GLOVED HAND i took a finger and ... made the best fillet on the boat. Was already changing gloves after every batch so all I had to do was remember to not touch anything after making a fillet. Which is why, if you ever strip off the paint, you will find a LOT of hand print looking things. :)

And did anyone point you to the straight epoxy "top coat" tip yet?

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 6:59 pm
by Aripeka Angler
Since you are going to tape over dry fillets, stop short of the stitches. Pull the zip ties after your tack fillets dry.
It's impossible to make a great fillet with the zip ties in place.
For a fillet tool, the baby spoons work great.
I also use scissors to cut a radius on the edge of a bondo spreader. You can also customize the angle of your spreader to fit various hull angles before you add the radius. Put a spoon full of goop right in the corner and drag it along with the spreader. Don't be afraid to make multiple passes over the same spot until you make a good fillet. This method is probably one of the best ways for a first time builder to master fillet making. The main thing is do your absolute best work on the inside of the boat. It's tough sanding in there :wink:
Your are making great progress, build on :D

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 8:31 pm
by OneWayTraffic
I have heard of the straight epoxy top coat. I should probably clarify my original intention here. I intended to tack weld the frames together, using just enough epoxy to do that. Then later bigger fillets for the tape and wet on wet. I put on more than enough ('maybe it won't hold' :oops: ) and now am looking at the solid, less than smooth epoxy on my boat and thinking of the sanding! I was a bit generous with it as it was my first time working with it, and now that it's cured I think I could have gotten away with much much less. The boat would be just as firmly in place.

Oh well nothing a few hours of sanding won't fix. :(

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 10:56 pm
by Jaysen
Per my wife I am "a lazy turd". Which means "shortcuts and no sanding". It would not be a capital crime to make multiple passes to get an even fillet. But, take this from my experience, you DO want to make sure your fillers are consistently sized unless you want some funky looking seams. And you can use softer fill for the extra coats to make sanding easier. I like silica since it's suitable for under glass and a little goes a long way.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 2:01 am
by OneWayTraffic
Ok asking for advice here. i have included photos of some of the best and the worst spots. The final finished product I am shooting for is workboat by use but good looking workboat. I don't want to be looking at it ten years from now at funky looking glass work.

I have attached photos of some of the best and worst seams. All cable ties removed and the boat seems solid. How much sanding do I need to do at each to get it so I can lay glass down smoothly, aside from going over fillets with a bigger size and consistent radius? I have already spent a bit of time removing the most obvious lumps.
IMG_0318.JPG
IMG_0319.JPG
IMG_0320.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 6:57 am
by OneWayTraffic
I I have been thinking about how to proceed. There are four areas on the boat:

Fr
IMG_0323.JPG
IMG_0322.JPG
ont to frame A. I have sanded out most irregular lumps here. I think it's ready for the 25mm fillets specified and biax. I have no idea how I will get biax around the acute angles but as this will be storage I want it on the bottom and sides if I can. This area won't be very open or visible under anchor, rope and other gear. I thought I would do this area second.

Frame A to Frame B. Some of the tidier fillets were here. If I sand, clean up and then lay fillets paint with neat epoxy and tape it should look ok. This area will be visible when done. I would do this area last.

Frame B Frame D. Same as above.

Frame D to transom. This area will be closed off as an air chamber with a small limber plug. I thought that after I get it cleaned up I would attack this area first. As long as it is strong and there are no air gaps, cosmetic mistakes won't matter much. So when ready, I will do this first.

I have just about got the bow to Frame A area cleaned up.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 8:01 am
by Jaysen
If you want it to look good it has to be smooth. No ridges in the transitions. Consistency in radius and size of fillet.

Consider taping off the edges before you fillet. I'll be doing that next time.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 8:26 am
by OneWayTraffic
I will take my time.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 10:40 pm
by OneWayTraffic
I used a mixing cup 50mm in diameter to get an idea of what a 25mm radius fillet looks like. Anything outside of the line where the cup intersects the hull is getting a go over with sandpaper, and in some cases the grinding head of a fuller dremel clone. If need be I will step up to a larger fillet size. That will only cost money. I bought twice as much epoxy as specified, in order to get the price break.

The hull bottom seams I am sanding smooth so I can go over them with fresh thickened epoxy when I lay the fillet. I will post some photos when I have something to report.

I can honestly say I've learnt my lesson with respect to tack welding a hull!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 2:59 am
by OneWayTraffic
Photos of inside the boat. Got two or three hours of quality time with it today.
IMG_0330.JPG
IMG_0331.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 7:46 am
by Jeff
Good progress OneWayTraffic!! Jeff

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 9:18 am
by terrulian
I think you're done it! Made a boat! All that remains is the rouge and lipstick.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 11:46 am
by BB Sig
terrulian wrote: Sun Jul 23, 2017 9:18 am I think you're done it! Made a boat! All that remains is the rouge and lipstick.
Terrulian,

What kind of boat are you building!? :help: I'm worried you actually know what this rouge is used for. I know what lipstick is but .... :lol:

One way,

Great job!!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 12:28 am
by OneWayTraffic
Fibreglassed the back compartment today. As this will be covered, out of sight and filled with polystyrene beads (I will bag them and have a hole for ventilation I think) I did this as my first attempt at glassing.

I took the boat outside to warm up in the sun, and put the epoxy in a warm place for a couple of hours.

I first went over my sanded, resanded and wetsanded first filleting job with neat resin. I brushed the remainder over where the fibreglass tape will go and over the bottom.

Then I went over the fillets with about 125ml of resin thickened with silica (westsystem 406). I used a plastic spoon to make the fillets and found this much better than the last week. I applied the goop with a spoon where needed and used the spoon several times to form the fillet, then the plastic fibreglass spreader to remove excess off the sides and then spoon again. I went over each fillet several times before I was happy. I then painted over the fillet with neat epoxy with a chip brush brushing away from the fillet to smooth things out.

Went inside to take a break, have something to eat and let the fillets firm up.

I had already cut the tape to size but had not cut slits in the end to help it go around the corners. So I got some epoxy over our good kitchen scissors. (Now cleaned off I hope!)

I wet out the fibreglass tape (I didn't count carefully but I think I got about a 40% glass content after using excess resin to wet the wood sides.) I applied one layer of tape, wet it out then applied the second layer on top. I did have issues with the odd bit of stitching getting caught in my brush and getting pulled out and the little bits of glass near the edges of the cut tape pulling out and making all kinds of mess. Photos of the worst spots.

After all was done and all the glass was transparent I ran the brush and spreader over the fillets applying a fair bit of pressure to ensure the glass was firmly down, and to try and remove any air bubbles. There were a few places where the tape lifted up here thanks to the friction of the spreader and needed to be pushed back using the brush and my gloved fingers.

Later I used a clean brush to go over the whole surface, pushing down errant threads, popping air bubbles, and smoothing over drips and runs.

Took about 3 hours start to finish. According to the plans I should have been able to fillet, tape and epoxy coat the entire inside in that time. I can see an expert doing it that fast, but I am happy to keep plodding along.

For a first attempt, I am content.

Photos in a minute.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 12:35 am
by OneWayTraffic
image.jpg
image.jpg

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:31 am
by OneWayTraffic
Thanks to a fan heater and a makeshift tent the epoxy cured without issue. I am thinking about how to avoid the frayed cut edges of tape for the more visible sections. For the back compartment I left the tape a little long so I had overlaps (and some wrinkles) at the corner. If I were to instead cut the tape a little short for two of the three tapes at a 3 way corner, then the third could wrap and overlap both without the wrinkles.

The photos seem to show some shiny areas of glass. I am pretty sure that that is just the camera, not unwetted glass.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:50 am
by BB Sig
Looking good! Don't worry about the time that Jacques could do things in. Just eat the elephant one bite at a time! :D

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 7:31 am
by Jaysen
OneWayTraffic wrote: Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:31 am I am thinking about how to avoid the frayed cut edges of tape for the more visible sections.
The question is "what caused it?" In my case there were two different issues
1. bad cut of tape
2. over working the edge

If you get a nice clean edge to your cut (SHARP knife/scissors) you should be ok. I had to change razors in my box cutter every 4th cut to get nice edges. I bought my wife two sets of scissors thinking that would be better. Going forward I think the best option was described by Peter Curico or maybe someone on his flyer thread
paraphrased wrote:Use a cutting board and a pressure board. mark your glass, set on board, put pressure board on top at mark, then push down on pressure board and cut using p-board as guide.
I did that for a few cuts and ... dang it... it worked great. Peter C also talks about using different methods in that thread. Everything I tried seemed to work really well.

If you had a clean edge and you still got that, then you are overworking the edge. A few things I've noticed folks have done:
1. create a wetting trough for your tape (soak the tape vs paint the tape)
2. use peel ply
3. use the roller and not the brush
4. stop overworking the tape
#4 is the big one. You are going to have to sand. No way around that. Stop trying to make perfect edges and just sand it later. I mixed 3 and 4 toward the end of my v12 and achieved much better results much faster (roll a bit o' 'poxy, lay tape, roll more epoxy a bit heavier, drink beer). No fiddling. Better coverage. Less epoxy used. Same amount of sanding but looked better. Way less stress (might have been more rum than beer, but whose tracking that?).

Hopefully something in this post helps you figure out what works best for you. Just remember, there's no real "bad way" to do this as long as the end result is a boat that floats and you enjoy. Some ways are just a bit more efficient for different folks. You'll figure out what works best for you soon enough.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 9:19 am
by terrulian
There are neat builders, there are fast builders, there are perfect builders.
I don't fit in any of those categories.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 2:55 am
by OneWayTraffic
Fiberglassed the inside today. Cut out biax tape to size last night. The razor trick worked a treat. Rolled epoxy inside the boat and laid tape and 200g woven cloth. The cloth laid in a fraction of the time! Just pour on the epoxy and spread it Round.

Still a bit of rough edge in places. I'll use a knife and sander.

It's likely I'll have at least a few small air bubbles do I need to grind these down if it's not structural? What are the pros and cons of leaving them?
IMG_0351.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 8:18 am
by terrulian
If not structural they will disappear in the fairing process.
I never cared whether the edges were nice and neat. Why does it matter? It all must be sanded and faired anyway. As long as the tape is properly applied and the epoxy properly cured, there is zero difference in strength between a clean edge and a ragged one. Please correct me here, guys.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 7:00 pm
by OneWayTraffic
If you look closely at the tape edge in the photos you can see a couple of places where loose strands from the corners of the biaxial got pushed into a little mound by the brush and spreader. It looks ugly but will not effect strength at all. Too much to fair over. I think doing the outside will be easier as I can cut the tape longer and then slice off the overhangs.

As for this I will grind/sand off what will be exposed and leave the rest. It will probably bother noone but myself.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 1:45 am
by OneWayTraffic
Ground out air bubbles and rounded off the outside of the hull. Used a grout removal rasp on a multi tool to do most the work and a rotary tool for the finer stuff. I'm not sure if it will be ok to leave the pictured bubbles. They are on a seat frame. I'd rather fill with putty and move on but am willing to glass over if it's needed.
IMG_0359.JPG
IMG_0362.JPG
IMG_0363.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 10:30 am
by pee wee
If it's just what's shown in your photos, no need to glass over.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 7:08 am
by OneWayTraffic
Glassed the whole outside today. 400biaxial tape plus 200g woven cloth. Applied a cover of epoxy with 420 aluminum powder and silica wet on wet. It was looking very smooth until I had the bright idea of putting plastic on it. Made a mess and I ripped if off.

Filled the obvious ridges etc with more epoxy 420 paste and called it a day. I'll have a good look after a full cure.
IMG_0367.JPG
IMG_0371.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:23 pm
by OneWayTraffic
Glued on a skeg (I will round if off a bit once set) and had another go round the bottom filling obvious gaps and rough patches while the epoxy is still green. It's not fully cured but already looking like I won't be sanding it smooth. A grinder would be the go! The bottom has an industrial texture I could get used to kind of like swimming pool paint. I may leave it as is and fair the top of the sides and the inside.

Rubrail is next then cleats and seats. Buoyancy will be 100 liters of bean bag beans still in the thick plastic bag from the shop. This should fit under the rear seat. I'll drill a small hole for ventilation.

If anyone is curious about west system 420 aluminum powder I will post my impressions when it's cured. Graphite is not easily obtained in NZ in suitable quantities. I mixed it in quite thick about two heaped spoons per 125ml (5 oz) epoxy. With silica it makes a grey paste that spreads and self levels. A plastic spreader is much better than a brush. I understand that it won't sand so make sure it's where you want it!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:35 pm
by OneWayTraffic
IMG_0377.JPG
IMG_0376.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 8:44 pm
by OneWayTraffic
The more I look at that photo of the bottom the more it bothers me. In person it doesn't actually look as bad, as long as you are about 5m away! The boat will be used in reasonably remote places, where people judge a boat by function more than form.

But it still bugs me, knowing that I could have had (and did have) a much smoother finish. I am not willing to use regular fairing cream on the bottom as I want it as tough as nails first and foremost.

When fully cured and the rubrail is on I will have a go at sanding it smooth(er) and recoating. At this stage I am planning to put a thin coating on the sides for abrasion and fair over it.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 10:57 pm
by terrulian
Do you think it's worth a try to go with a slightly thinner mix?

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:34 pm
by OneWayTraffic
I can find precious little information about Westsystem 420 and nothing from anyone who has used it. I don't know if a thinner mix would help at this stage without a lot of sanding between. I think I would need to knock off the highs a bit before filling in between. The mix I used was quite thick but had reasonable self leveling properties.

I am open to feedback from those who have used graphite and managed to rescue a botch up.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:59 pm
by Fuzz
I have a 7 inch orbital sander that runs 0-3000rpm. With a 24-36 grit disk and soft pad it would take the highs off pretty quick. I would try something along those lines. If you leave it as is it will always bug you. After sanding I would think a couple of thin layers would help a bunch. You say it self levels so I might try to level one side of the bottom at a time and then coat it. I do understand your need for function first. Best of luck what ever you do :D

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 10:10 am
by terrulian
Not sure it applies to what you're doing but most of us avoided dust by wet sanding the graphite if possible. Graphite dust can be a pain to clean up all over your shop.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 10:35 am
by Eric1
OneWayTraffic wrote: Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:34 pm I can find precious little information about Westsystem 420 and nothing from anyone who has used it. I don't know if a thinner mix would help at this stage without a lot of sanding between. I think I would need to knock off the highs a bit before filling in between. The mix I used was quite thick but had reasonable self leveling properties.

I am open to feedback from those who have used graphite and managed to rescue a botch up.
WEST SYSTEM 420 Aluminium Powder
Aluminium powder is added to increase toughness and to shield the substrate from ultraviolet radiation. Adding between 5% to 10% of 420 Aluminium powder by volume will provide protection from ultraviolet light in areas which are not protected by other coatings. For this reason it is often used as a base for subsequent painting. The additive will also substantially increase the hardness of any coated surface.
I hope this helps.
Eric

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 6:21 pm
by OneWayTraffic
I will sand it outside in the drive. I would love to have a shop, but am stuck building in the garage.

I have read the specs for 420, and I have no reason to believe that it doesn't work but I have looked for info or photos from people who have used it and found none. I will post again after sanding and gluing on the rubrail; we will see how it comes out.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 7:12 pm
by Eric1
OneWayTraffic wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2017 6:21 pm I will sand it outside in the drive. I would love to have a shop, but am stuck building in the garage.

I have read the specs for 420, and I have no reason to believe that it doesn't work but I have looked for info or photos from people who have used it and found none. I will post again after sanding and gluing on the rubrail; we will see how it comes out.
You can do it! Sand it down build on. :)

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:45 am
by bateau-webmaster
Looks good so far. We recently added the aluminum powder to the site. I've been thinking about mixing it with graphite, looks like it could turn out an interesting color, and provide wear and heat resistance. I've added your thread to the build threads page as well!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 5:50 am
by OneWayTraffic
Not sure what you mean by build threads page? I'll have a look.

Anyway glued on the first layer of rubrail. That suggestion way back to use the hull panels as a template works like a charm! I also feathered in a thin coat of more 420 using the leftover of my glue mix as a base (I added some neat epoxy)
IMG_0381.JPG
. The idea was to ease the transition. When I sand it down I hope that the tape edges will be harder to see

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 5:50 am
by OneWayTraffic
Yes those are clothespeg clamps.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:22 am
by terrulian
Yes those are clothespeg clamps.
8O :lol:

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 4:26 pm
by OneWayTraffic
They actually worked. Might be marginal for the second layer though. I have six proper clamps so if need be will do one side at a time.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 3:30 am
by narfi
I was really happy with the split PVC pipe clamps. Cheap and functional for a LOT of clamps.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 4:25 am
by OneWayTraffic
My clothespegs and screw amps proved enough for the second layer of rubrail too. If I was doing a bigger boat I'd do the PVC thing.

I would need to buy PVC while I had these lying around.

Plan this weekend is to sand down the bottom and side transitions. I'll probably need to smooth off the rubrail and am planning to politics some glass over it to protect against dings and bumps.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 4:13 am
by OneWayTraffic
Used my sawmax and multitool to cut down the edges of the rubrail then over both sides with a round off router bit. Sanded the bottom for a couple of hours at least. Rounded off the skeg and coated with epoxy. The pieces of wood you can see I'm bonding to the back will be for the beachmaster wheels. I'll attach the wheels to a ply bracket glued to that wood. Should be better than drilling holes in my boat, letting water into a sealed compartment.
IMG_0385.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:56 am
by OneWayTraffic
After sanding the hull down both by hand and with the multi tool I put another coat on. Covered sides and bottom, special attention given to the bottom of the rubrail which got two coats of neat epoxy then brushed over with a thicker mix.

The finished product is much better than last week. I may paint the bottom or I may not.
IMG_0390.JPG
IMG_0391.JPG
IMG_0392.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 4:02 am
by OneWayTraffic
In case anyone is interested I used about one heaped dessert spoon of 420 to each pump (1 oz) of epoxy. Slightly thickened with silica. Then I mixed well poured it on a used the flexible spreader to get it on smooth. Worked well overall. I could repeat it for a better finish but since this is not easy sand fairing mix I am calling it done. Will sand before painting.

Speaking of paint what do people think of Toplac? My choices are international Toplac, marinecoat or house paint either water or oil based. I am not using polyurethane, partly for cost partly ease of use.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 7:10 am
by terrulian
I don't know anything about International Toplac. It is expensive in the US, maybe not where you are.
I did not use 2-part paint on my boat and I'm happy with that decision. Although some builders keep their boats on trailers and never touch gravel or shell beaches, that is not the case with my use of my dinghy so I didn't see spending a lot of money on paint that I knew would be bashed and gashed. I think you'd do fine with either Rust-Oleum or Interlux Brightside, but I don't know if those products are available there. Of the two, Brightside is more expensive but is still cheap compared to the good stuff and is very durable. A lot of builders have used Rust-Oleum marine topside paint and are happy with it. I'd stay away from latex house paint...on the other hand, I don't know of anyone that's used it for a boat so who knows?

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 5:59 am
by peterrivers
I used Toplac Stuart. It gives a very nice finish, but is quite easily damaged. For next one I will definitely use a two pot something.

My father in law used International Perfection in a bus shower. Very beautiful finish, seemed to be very tough.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:40 am
by OneWayTraffic
At least I can touch it up if needed.

Ordered a set of beachmaster dinghy wheels today. $300 but better than carrying it across rocks etc. Should also save the bottom from scratches.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 9:39 am
by terrulian
I hope so but doubt it. First rocky or shell beach landing and you'll be glad to have that epoxy bottom. But at least you might be able to get to and from the beach. What I've found useful as well as a cart is a big carpet remnant, say 6x6 feet. I use it to slide my boat over rocks and berms on the way to/from the water.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 3:02 am
by OneWayTraffic
Boat wheels arrived today. Solid and strong as far as I can tell. Rated to 100kg I am sure that's conservative. 5mm aluminum and stainless connections. Plastic in between to protect against galvanic corrosion.
image.jpg

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:59 am
by OneWayTraffic
The wheels will be attached to brackets. You can see where the bracket supports are located at the back. I am planning to bond 9mm ply to those with 6mm holes drilled and epoxy coated. Then the wheels will be fixed to that ply with no holes through the hull.

I am not sure if a piece of 9mm ply would be enough. I could double up with two pieces, this will cost just a little time and glue as I have plenty of offcuts. If it is overkill I won't bother.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:40 am
by Eric1
That is some serious hardware!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 7:42 am
by OneWayTraffic
Indeed. Why muck around with anything less. They self lock in the up position, and drop and lock when lifted. Oh and they float.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 7:46 am
by Jaysen
I'll be interested to see your opinion with some use. I opted to not use those as I felt they would be problematic for sailing. To get them low enough to provide skeg clearance they would interfere with rudder swing.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 8:33 am
by OneWayTraffic
They are more outboard friendly. I have left enough room for a small outboard. I had similar wheels on my previous boat and they were no issue at all. I am hoping that this will avoid dragging the boat too much.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 8:37 am
by terrulian
Yes, I'll be interested also. These seemed attractive.
I've found on my boat, which is a bit heavier, that I want the wheels under the center of gravity. That way, you are lifting almost no weight.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:39 pm
by OneWayTraffic
For my Smartwave 3500 (3.5m plastic dinghy) I had a weight of 120kg (boat) plus (45kg) motor plus 30kg of gear in the boat. The wheels were off the end. I could lift this and walk a very short distance downhill or on the flat. I used them to drop the boat on a concrete ramp and leave it while parking the car. Then I could go back and time a wave to launch it in. Retrieving I needed to drag the boat just enough out of the surf so it wouldn't be picked up by the waves.

This should be far easier.

An idle idea of mine is to have a 5m boat say a FS17 with two of these at the back, and two along the sides. That way I could launch without getting the trailer wet.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:53 am
by OneWayTraffic
Ordered paint. 1 litre of Cream colored Toplac. I will use an older white oil paint that I have around as an undercoat. It will be mostly sanded anyway. Also ordered a sand anchor, 2m of chain and some Railblaza rod holders. Going to have fun fitting all this in the weekend. See how far I get through it anyway.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 3:06 am
by OneWayTraffic
I am having second thoughts about undercoating paint.

International have a precote for Toplac but buying it would involve a separate order. I will be painting over fresh well keyed epoxy. Will I require undercoat? What are the pros and cons?



Photo of this weekend progress. Not much to look at. Glued on cleats for the seat Tops, last frame filleted in and checked the seats by dry fitting. Used left over glue thinned with epoxy and colored with 420 to cover the two front frames. One other advantage of the 420 is that I can see where I have been and that the wood is well encapsulated.
IMG_0395.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 4:25 am
by Netpackrat
bateau-webmaster wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:45 am Looks good so far. We recently added the aluminum powder to the site. I've been thinking about mixing it with graphite, looks like it could turn out an interesting color, and provide wear and heat resistance. I've added your thread to the build threads page as well!
I hear the aluminum powder is also useful in making things go boom. :roll:

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:39 pm
by bateau-webmaster
Netpackrat wrote:I hear the aluminum powder is also useful in making things go boom. :roll:
Yeah, just add a little finely powdered rust, and light it off with a magnesium strip!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 1:38 pm
by terrulian
It occurs to me that there are some folks on this list who need parental guidance. Don't encourage them. :help: :lol:

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 2:52 pm
by bigyellowtractor
bateau-webmaster wrote: Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:39 pm
Netpackrat wrote:I hear the aluminum powder is also useful in making things go boom. :roll:
Yeah, just add a little finely powdered rust, and light it off with a magnesium strip!
A Mapgas plumber's torch will do the trick too. Small terracotta plant-pots make ideal receptacles. :lol:

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 2:59 pm
by Fuzz
terrulian wrote: Wed Sep 20, 2017 1:38 pm It occurs to me that there are some folks on this list who need parental guidance. Don't encourage them. :help: :lol:
Even the actual adults here have cannons for toys :help:

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 3:02 pm
by Jaysen
Fuzz wrote: Wed Sep 20, 2017 2:59 pm
terrulian wrote: Wed Sep 20, 2017 1:38 pm It occurs to me that there are some folks on this list who need parental guidance. Don't encourage them. :help: :lol:
Even the actual adults here have cannons for toys :help:
We really don't need to here about you and burritos...

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 3:14 pm
by Netpackrat
True story; my father in law was making a fitting out of a piece of titanium on a lathe when he got a little too aggressive and it caught fire. A "class D" extinguisher not being available, there was little to do but let it burn itself out. He reports that coffee is not a suitable extinguishing agent.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:59 pm
by OneWayTraffic
IMG_0404.JPG
IMG_0401.JPG
Last weekend I put 400g biaxial fiberglass tape over the rubrail and glued on the front seat. I went over the rubrail with a round off router bit to get a good curve and put the tape over the outside, round the top and down about 100mm into the boat.
After it had all set up I used a rotary tool to sand of the bits overlapping over the outside.

Front last weekend and the rear two today. Fillets much much neater than my first attempt.

Not really happy with the curve on the front seat. I cut it by eye so it's not really fair. I'll leave it be for now. If it bugs me it's an easy fix at a later date.

For fairing the boat I have ordered a liter of west system 410. I was think of not fairing the sole as the texture will help give some grip after I paint. If this isn't a good idea someone tell me.

To do:

Glass over the seats (I have spare cloth.)

Install oarlocks and rodholders (using the Railblaza system: Kiwi designed and brilliant.)

Fair

Undercoat

Topcoat

Install the dinghy wheels on the back.

Splash.

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:16 am
by OneWayTraffic
Current state. Put a second layer of ply for the outboard mainly to give some thickness more than strength. The seats are glassed and I filled the weave. I found out that the west system pump won't reach the bottom of the 10 liter container so I had to tilt it. Nuisance.
IMG_0405.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 3:48 am
by OneWayTraffic
IMG_0421.JPG
IMG_0442.JPG
IMG_0443.JPG
Have been away fishing but managed to get some done the past week. About two steps forward, and one back. In summary, without all the thinking time and mucking about:

1) I had glued on ply brackets but to my chagrin discovered that there was not enough room behind to hold the nut with the spanner I had.

2. So after a bit of pondering I took out the saw and cut them out. Then I drilled holes for the bolts except I had already glued on the rear seat so no way to tighten them up. I set two lower bolts in epoxy using a wooden jig to check the location. Once they had set up to the point they would hold the bracket I put the wheels on. Except they wouldn't fit! I had drilled the holes a little to high and the wheels were rubbing. So I drilled higher holes in the bracket.


3) Took off the wheels so I could fair the transom. One of the bolts came off (epoxy had glued the bolt to the bracket.) After a day of thinking it over I decided to put a hatch in the back. With access now I removed the bolts (hit them with a hammer), drilled out the holes a bit and refilled with thickened epoxy. I cut out two 9mm pieces of ply slightly bigger than the beachmaster bracket and drilled holes using the beachmaster wheels as a jig to locate them. I have glued this on now and it is setting up.

4) The hatch has been cut out, the screw holes drilled to 10mm and filled with epoxy. Duct tape under or behind all holes to stop drips. I will let the epoxy set up then drill a pilot hole and screw into it. I was thinking I would need to stiffen up the area near the hatch a bit (doubling the ply) but it seems solid. I generally sit the other side anyway.

5) I spent a bit of time mucking about with rodholder locations, glued on oarlocks (two layers of ply with a hole drilled, all epoxied), started a rough fair of the interior sides, (I won't do the floor- I like the grip of the glass.)

So after two full days of work I am approximately half a day further in.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:06 am
by OneWayTraffic
And a couple of fish photos:

IMG_2518.JPG

IMG_0437.JPG
Both brown trout (U.K. Native). We also have chinook salmon ( up to 30 pounds) and rainbow trout (up to 6-30 pounds depending on the location)

Both photos taken in the Twizel canals. The fish get to enormous size.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 5:41 am
by Eric1
Beautiful Fish! :D

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 6:50 am
by OneWayTraffic
Worlds biggest trout. No joke. Roughly 30% of rainbows caught go over 10lb with 10% over 20lb.

The canals combine constant fresh cold water, no floods and an endless food supply both natural ( a lot of forage fish) and man made (trout hang under the salmon farm cages) and get fat on the pellets.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:41 am
by Eric1
If you only knew how hard we fish to catch a 2lb trout you would think we were crazy! :lol:

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 8:15 pm
by OneWayTraffic
Plenty of places in NZ where a 2 or 3 pound is a good catch too. It all depends on food supply, water quality and habitat.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 8:18 pm
by OneWayTraffic
I have put a fairing coat over the inside, and just a couple of rough patches on the outside. 120grit over the whole lot and a wet sanding sponge and wash with a wet cloth. Holes drilled and filled for all fittings. It's not perfect, but you need to get up close to see.

Today I will seal with a final roller coat of epoxy then undercoat once sealed.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 7:12 pm
by Eric1
Good progress!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 12:03 am
by OneWayTraffic
Three coats of paint (two undercoat) on now. Up close you can see the bits where I skimped on fairing. Looks good from a couple of meters though.
IMG_0451.JPG
IMG_0448.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 8:58 pm
by OneWayTraffic
And it's all done. The finish is more workboat than yacht, but I am quite proud of it overall. Very satisfying project.

Getting it wet in a local lake (large pond really in a local subdivision this weekend.)

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 9:06 pm
by OneWayTraffic
IMG_0455.JPG
IMG_0457.JPG

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:34 am
by pee wee
Congratulations, you're a boat builder! You ought to be able to have some fun with that. :D

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:48 am
by OneWayTraffic
Splashed it in the Waimakariri river yesterday. This is a few hundred metres wide, shallow in places and calm.

My thoughts:
Some of the paint on the exterior sides scratched off while on the trailer. I am not sure how much of this is due to poor prep work or not fully cured paint. The epoxy Aluminium powder coating underneath is just fine.

I may remove the exterior paint completely at some stage as this boat will be kept inside.

The boat itself handled fine once I learnt how to handle it. With just me I can move around more or less as I please in calm water, with my 30kg son we need to be more careful. Two of us on one side causes an alarming lean. We had to learn to treat it like a kayak, rather than an inflatable dinghy.

The clamping board was too narrow for the outboard. I had doubled it up but still needed to add a loose scrap piece of 6mm ply just to get it to stay on. I will fix this, probably by bolting on a plastic clamping board. I want the clamps to dig in somewhat as the outboard would move a little as I had it.

Outboards without a neutral are a pain in the ass! I have a 2.5hp Mercury 2 stroke, but it is light and easy to move around.

I wasn't happy trying to row it I much preferred outboard and using the oars as paddles. It is possible that my shortish skeg contributes to the difficulty in rowing or just that I am out of practice.

Water leaked into the back compartment. I will remove the wheels (again!) completely epoxy seal the lower bolt holes and drill a new hole for the bracket above the seat level. The bolts will be a little close together, but the load is almost vertical so they shouldn't torque the bolts much.

I need to drill a hole through the front of the middle seat. When cleaning it with the wheels extended water pooled underneath the seat. A drain hole at the front will allow this to run to the front of the boat where I can sponge or bail it out.

Overall quite happy with it. It will do what I need it too.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:37 am
by Jeff
Congrats OneWayTraffic!! I hope you enjoy her!! Jeff

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 8:39 am
by terrulian
I wasn't happy trying to row it I much preferred outboard and using the oars as paddles. It is possible that my shortish skeg contributes to the difficulty in rowing or just that I am out of practice.
In a boat this small, you will not be able to row easily without weight being distributed evenly. Best just one person on the main thwart. With two people it will be down at the head or the stern and will be sluggish. If you were rowing with the outboard installed, this will have the same effect, in addition to adding drag with the prop in the water.
It is possible that my shortish skeg contributes to the difficulty in rowing
Don't know what the designed skeg length is but if you built it according to plan this is probably not the problem.

Another issue is your oars. If you use oars that are too short you will not be able to maintain a good, rhythmic stroke. There are formulas online--don't have one in my memory--that will help you figure out the proper length, but my guess would be about 7 or 7 1/2 feet.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 2:16 am
by OneWayTraffic
DCA77003-1FFA-4D3B-830B-FACD972C64C7.jpeg
86500CA5-5A6A-44FC-82EB-6FDA2E96C479.jpeg
Got the boat wet again in the local river. Another leak into the back compartment. Filled it up with water to see where it was coming out of, and I am pretty sure that a couple of pinholes under one of the back brackets is to blame. 30minutes work with a rotary tool sander, then a fillet of 1:1 mix epoxy has hopefully got it sealed.

Impressions of the boat:
A 2.3hp two stroke is heaps of power. There is no need to any more than half throttle.
It is an amazingly strong construction. The Westsystem 420 mix on the bottom has been scraped over the odd submerged rock and no obvious damage.

It is a lot smaller inside than outside. It's as big as I can fit into my trailer, but it is really a 2 person boat max. You need to keep your weight centered like in a kayak, but I rode out some chop and boat wake at anchor with no issues and no water aboard.

The beachmaster wheels make launching a breeze. Going out at low tide, I leave them down. They roll over the shoals and allow the front to float free (if that makes sense.)

I scrapped the idea of oars for now and bought a double sided kayak paddle. Much easier, and it breaks in half to work as a pair of smaller paddles. The outboard is the propulsion of choice.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 2:20 am
by OneWayTraffic
Not sure what happened with that second photo. The boat isn't that unstable. :help:

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 4:12 am
by OneWayTraffic
6FD60506-A099-4D37-8E8E-6081A3AF5731.jpeg
Took it down to the Hurunui river mouth today with my son. This is a small but fast river, with clean water that terminates in a spit with a lagoon. The best fishing is where the river outflows to the sea, but access is anywhere from a 15min to a 90minute walk depending on where the last fresh cut to the sea. Hence the boat.

When we got there, we saw that it wasn't such a long walk to the mouth, and the launch site was a wee bit hairy (fast water with a couple of overhanging willows. So we walked, leaving the boat on the trailer.

Hoping for salmon at the river mouth but still a bit early in the season. There was a school of Kahawai sitting in the surf chasing smelt and whitebait running up river. Fun fishing as these fish fight very hard on light gear, never giving up. Imagine somewhere between a salmon and a tuna on a pound for pound basis, with jumps like a rainbow trout.

I had to cast the rod out as my 10 year old boy wasn't quite getting the distance. Hooked 5 or 6 (I forget), landed two, kept one for dinner. At times it was a fish on as soon as the lure hits the water.

Not bad eating either, as long as you keep them cool.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:23 am
by terrulian
I have a feeling you made a very seamanlike choice.
As the saying goes, there are old sailors, and bold sailors, but no old, bold sailors.
Didn't stop you from fishing, obviously.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:44 am
by Eric1
Nice pictures! Thanks for the report. :D

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 8:49 am
by Jaysen
terrulian wrote: Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:23 am I have a feeling you made a very seamanlike choice.
As the saying goes, there are old sailors, and bold sailors, but no old, bold sailors.
Didn't stop you from fishing, obviously.
I’m afraid I may prove this one day...

That’s some beautiful fishing. Congrats on the catch and the time well spent with a young one.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 1:39 pm
by Fuzz
Nothing better than taking the kids fishing. Well taking them catching is better come to think of it :lol:

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 3:21 pm
by OneWayTraffic
terrulian wrote: Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:23 am I have a feeling you made a very seamanlike choice.
As the saying goes, there are old sailors, and bold sailors, but no old, bold sailors.
Didn't stop you from fishing, obviously.
Probably wouldn't have involved much other than wet feet to get the boat out into the main current. Still why bother when it's a short simple walk.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 10:23 pm
by OneWayTraffic
Posting a few pictures of wear and tear after the summers use. Some scratches on the bottom deepest about 1mm. Few spots on the outside where it was scraped against the trailer sides (using a domestic trailer. Worst on the inside where i left the outboard for a road trip and it rubbed a hole to the glass cloth. Patched that with 1:1 epoxy. I’ll repaint over the winter but am considering a keel strip for next year. Aluminium bar isn’t expensive and I think I can epoxy it on.
6A536B3E-1034-472D-84E5-8EB033F138A0.jpeg
8C07989F-03F8-470C-97AC-83D261306973.jpeg
39B476C8-40DD-4985-B059-BCB0D13FA899.jpeg

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 10:24 pm
by OneWayTraffic
Most of those scratches were paint only.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 11:48 am
by jacquesmm
Recoat with epoxy and try to find better than a one to one epoxy. Resins 2:1 or more are harder.
On the bottom, mix the resin with graphite power, it is inexpensive and very hard.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:31 pm
by OneWayTraffic
Thanks Jacques. I used west for the build but only have a little left. The damage was largely to a non structural area. I won’t be putting the outboard there again so I hope to avoid repeats. I am thinking about graphite on the bottom though it’s not easy to find in NZ except art supplies or small bottles for keyholes. I used west 420 Aluminium powder which seems to have given a fair bit of scratch resistance.

Good info about the epoxy.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:34 pm
by Jaysen
You had me considering aluminum. What caused those scratches? Logs. Sand. Buildings?

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 5:09 am
by OneWayTraffic
Scratches to the bottom are largely river stones and boat ramps (the small ones that barely mar the surface.) The deepest scratch I am pretty sure is either the time I scrapped over a rock at low tide with two in the boat or scratches from the steel trailer I put it in. The side scratches are definitely that trailer but they don't bother me as it's paint only. The epoxy I put on under is untouched. I covered the whole outside with a coat of aluminium powder epoxy mix.

I have worked on my trailering technique and now have a decent mat and groundsheet to lay it on. No damage since. I am putting it down to teething issues rather than the materials or use of the boat.

The launch wheels work a treat. The skeg hasn't been called upon to take any damage at all yet. I put the wheels down in the water and nosy in to the ramp.

I did buy some flatbar aluminium for $5. 1m by 20mm by 1.6mm. About 3.5' by 1'' by 1/16''. I'll glue it on at the end of the season or earlier if I get around to it.

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:21 pm
by magoo_za
A nice build, well done!

Re: Stuart's D5 Dinghy.

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 3:36 am
by OneWayTraffic
Cheers. It was definitely a learning experience. I am taking more care with my second build. Bought a quality jigsaw with clean cut blades and decent circular saw. Also a full size set square (probably one of the biggest omisions in the dinghy.)