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Hello,

3 years after I bought the plans I was ready to set sail even it was almost no wind in the day.
She still requires sanding and painting but I'm so happy about the boat and the whole process.
Thanks all for guiding the build process.

Aurelian,
Romania

That's great news! Congratulations!
Do you have a build string?

Beautiful boat!

Beautiful work!!! Jeff

I store a lot of pictures in various stages of construction.
I would like to post as may as I can, to show you the mistakes I made, the issues that I had in all this years.
It was a lot of fun also.

It was built outside, with just a tarp as cover most of the time, far from my town.

So, with a max of 16 hours a in week-end, not all, from may to October each year:
starting with the first cuts in October 2016 and the stitch started in may 2017.

I will organize my photos and soon I will start posting from the beginning,

Thanks you all.

I did learn a freecad program to make printable full size patterns in order to avoid mistakes. That was the plan

Congratulations! Can't wait to hear reports about how she sails

Winter preparations:
- order all fiberglass from UK
- order and test various epoxy resin from local distributors. West System was way to expensive and hard to buy locally so I had to test others.
Best results and used an all build was Epoxy BK
- build the centerboard case at home, in the kitchen, and learn to glass.
- join all the panels at building site in my mother in law house at second floor. It was fun to get them out of the window next spring

At the end of April, 2017 I start with the jig first and next week stitching the panels.





The worse part was filleting between seams.The plywood was bending and I was not able to do a clean job. It was a mess the whole process even the next day when I finish filleting and glass the tape. The putty was every where and the biaxial tape was applied on blobs of hard and wet putty. First time on boat building.

I used most of the time wheat flower for putty and later 5kg of mineral filler.
I started, and used until this year, just a jigsaw and a cordless drill. You can see the missing proper sanding on the boat. This year was the first use of an electric grinder and, oh boy, what a difference it makes. I don't know why I lived without it.

All panels and the A frame were taped and the week ended. Not the best job but I was happy about it. Some of you may find it a crappy job, an you are right, but you'll see progress in the build.

In the following month, may of 2017, I've installed floor frames B, C and frame D.
I've decided not to cut out opening in that frame to make wet storage between frame D and transom.
It was an improvement in filleting and glassing.

In the first 2 months on summer I've made small progress in building the boat.
- dry fighting the cabin sole, CB case glassed in place and prepping under sole for foam.






For practice I've built a 14' rowboat from 2 sheets of 4mm okume plywood. Just for fun, the Flywood row boat.

Impressive work. That row boat would have been enough for many of us.

Nice.

Have you slept onboard? Just curious because I plan to sleep onboard Tipsy a lot

Bogieman wrote: ↑Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:52 pm Have you slept onboard? Just curious because I plan to sleep onboard Tipsy a lot

If you take Jaysen with you then you will have to sleep with one eye open

I didn't slept yet in the boat but I indent to do so, next year. My plan it's to park the boat in Greece for the warm season.

In august 2017 a violent storm hit the location of the build site. Half on the roof flew in the neighborhood. Luckily no damage to the boat but it was really wet. Pieces of the old roof were stored every were and it was hard to do something on the project.

Back to the boat build:

I poured foam under sole compartment but I only had construction foam, fire resistant at least, and epoxy glued cabin sole.
Looking good next day I've continued with the rest of the build but, a week later, the foam expanded more than I've anticipated. So, the sole it's not straight but curved, pushed by the foam. The forward section was cut out next year, to level the foam, because it was to bad.






I did a bad job on plywood management and I've end up with not enough material: I had to join pieces to make the cabin sides.

Love it! Thanks for sharing

Follows a big lot of pictures for the rest of 2017 build, September and October.

It was in rush to get the boat ready for the winter as it can be very harsh on my place. Seats were done as I saw on other builders here on forum: cutting, filling and sanding. Big thanks to all.
There's on mistake on the seats: the stingers between frame C and transom are flush with the deck opening in frame D. When I put the pieces for the curvature I realised that it will not finish in top of stingers.






On the cabin top I laid the light fiber cloth and on the rest the biaxial.





Next thing to do was an ugly companionway just to keep the inside dry.





The deck





I was planing to have to big opening in the deck to easy storage and I did not epoxy the pieces but sealed with sanitary silicone.




Last thing to do on 2017 before winter was to put a coat of epoxy gel, with aluminium filler.






That was all for 2017 and most of the exterior work was done

Boat build resumed on may 2018 when I flip it. Simple job done by myself alone with couples of Ratchet Straps on bow and stem.



Time for cutting the CB opening and glass the hull





Gluing the keel and primed the surface



Antifouling paint



Gloss paint and flip it back in July 2018

Thank you for posting your pics/ thread. I am almost finished with my AD16 so I'm familiar with every step of the building process. It's neat to see how each builder chooses to build their Adelie. I can tell from your detailed pics that you did a very precise job putting her together. She looks very well done and solid. Your work was/ is much more precise than mine especially where everything comes together at the bow. For me that part didn't turn out as good as I hoped so I ended up rounding everything to hide my lack of precision.In the end it turned out ok just not as crisp as yours.

Bogie

Well, I learn a lot this years about wood working and fiber glassing but, still, the work was mediocre. To many mistakes not fixed, wrong decisions along the build and not enough time. Sometimes I have to improvise just to get things right. Some panels are not straight where it supposed to be and others are straight instead of curved.
But I enjoyed every step of the process and now I feel like I lost something. I build it for myself and I don't care about imperfections and, oh boy, there are many.
Unfortunately I may have to wait until next spring to gail again as it's difficult to get it on the water now. This it's a lake boat or in calm sea water.
I've tried in a river, just motoring with an 2.5 outboard, and it was not fun.

Good luck with your build, Bogie.
Aurelian

The mast partner was installed easy, per plan, from three panels glued in position one by one.


Next thing to do was the window openings on cabin sides.



Sanding and new layer of epoxy gel





A light fiber cloth on rudder


And I had to cut and fit again the cabin sole because the foam caused deformation on it.

Your boat looks real good you should enjoy it once you get it going keep up the god work added another one to the fleet

Wow, that's great! Your pictures show really high quality work. Good job. I liked how your real boat looks like the model you made.

Thank you all!
For a first time builder i'm satisfied with the result. Working outside and with limited time and tools for the build it's all I could get from this.
Now, I have some issues with the access on water as there are so limited places in country where I could put the boat in water. I need minimum 4 people to help me get the boat in and out of the trailer and I would like to do it alone when help not available.

Back to the build:
Painted the cabin sides and cover the windows with lexan





I was thinking that some silicone will seal the leaxan in place but I ended up with a mess. I've put a rubber band on the other window and looks good. I will replece this silicone next year.


Cut the seat hatches




You can see the boat used as storage for all the tools and materials


Inside paint (the cabin sole needs sanding and a cot of epoxy/paint)

At the end of 2018 I've started making the mast and boom.
Mast from 4x4cm pine 4m joined 4 for a 6ish m long post. Rounded and tapered to 4-5 cm at the top with 8cm base.
Boom was constructed from 3m long thinner stingers resulting in a 4x8 cm. Sanded and fiberglassed with 2 layers light tape.
I don't have pictures from construction but here it's the mast with plastic wrap after glassing. Almost straight and round



When making mast I did what every newbie carpenter can do: hurt myself.
On the second day of using an electric planer I've decided to disable the safety switches as it was hard to work pressing 2 buttons. As a result I end up cutting the top of my middle finger of the left hand. No bone affected but say goodbye to guitarist profession


The mast and boom were finished and fitted for photo-session








In one day I had to do something on the cabin interior and I've come up with a shelf. Not great, not terrible


That was all for 2018

Very impressive indeed!
Sorry about the finger!

Very nice work (except for the finger part)

Bogieman wrote: ↑Sat Oct 12, 2019 8:50 am Very nice work (except for the finger part)

I don’t know. He still HAS the finger so it wasn’t “bad”. I know a few “8 finger Bob” woodworkers.

Thanks, but I'm glad that I still have all 10 fingers. I have some relatives that have similar issues with fingers but none with missing ones.
Until recent years all the woodworking, as a hobby or as a professional, were made exclusively on hand tools and work was relatively safe.
I'm so scared about the power tools, especially the ones with rotary blades, and I always work with care. But sometimes accidents happens. I have a lot of scars from cuts, burn marks, I always hit things with my head and step in nails.

First time I put the mast in place, on the boat, I was really hard to do it by myself as it's heavy and long. That time I was thinking to have a more practical solution to rise the mast and I end up with a tabernacle system.
So, I've cut the mast 30 cm above the mast partner and glued plywood battens. This first mast part it's secured with stainless screws from the inside.
The first design was not great and it snapped when I raised the sail on the first time. Now I've made it out of hardwood and steel plates.


From galvanized steel I've made a semi-detachable support, don't know the name of it, for the standing rigging.




Then I've glued and cutting the sail track







Next thing was to construct a bowsprit, not per plan, but detachable.




Light dacron purchased and with the sew the sail out of it.


Some time lapses of mast track construction:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/WwQoy_cJTfM[/youtube]

[youtube]https://youtu.be/VJYLNQTq1Kc[/youtube]

Great work and documentation. Keep it coming!

You have done some amazing work. I love how you are able to build what you need.

If it's possible to get where you are,you might consider getting a basic nicopress kit so you can swage your rigging instead of using the cable clamps.

https://www.sailrite.com/Swage-It-Rigging-Kit

Thanks,
I will consider improving the rigging because the first time one cable snapped from clamps and damaged the tabernacle.

Few pictures I have from this year, 2019, and from small things but here are all the construction ones.

The centerboard was glued in 2017 and was shaped in this summer. Because I was afraid of pouring melted lead I just cast multiple pies of it and glued together in the cb holes. Just 30Kg of ballast and with resin and plywood it weights around 40kg.



[youtube]https://youtu.be/xWS9qeWXw7g[/youtube]
[youtube]https://youtu.be/jqwI7FSRb1E[/youtube]

The rudder gudgeons and pintles was made from steel by myself. Not good looking work but it will do the job.



For seat hatches I've made a false bottom just above the deck, with water holes for drainage




From 4x5mm plywood glued together I've shaped hand rails. First time using a power grinder as a toll for shaping/sanding things. What a versatile tool and what a foul for not using it.




Companion way
[youtube]https://youtu.be/oFCFpdaUdgo[/youtube]

That was all about the AD14 construction. I still have to sand and paint things but this will have to wait til next spring.
I will take more detail pictures of parts that are not here like, deck, motor mount, the new tabernacle, sail, trailer, outboard, etc.
Also, I have to calculate the bill of materials not included small bits like infinite brushes, rollers, gloves, sanding pads, cups and you know, all the materials that are too small to count but adds a lot to the cost. Not including car gas, electricity, beers and so on

Again, impressive work and documentation, especially on the rudder hardware.

On the rigging: cable clamps will work if done properly. Believe it or not, I found Moitessier's boat in Raiatea with galvanized hardware store rigging using clamps. He was long gone and his girlfriend was the skipper. Who knows whether it was his idea or hers. Nicopress would be better, and my own preference would be Sta-Lok or Norseman fittings. But this is a small boat so anything should be quite sufficient.

I guess I'm the contrarian here. other than "do it right" I don't see what the issues could possibly be with cable clamps. This is not a high performance boat with oversized sails. Using cable clamps is inexpensive, easy to source, and easy to setup/repair. What am I missing?

Nothing. As I said, cable clamps would work if done properly. Sometimes they get installed backwards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4ThsQ8gijU

I Think that cable clamps will do just fine for now but I will search for alternatives. I have a zip line used by kids but will support an adult too and it's ok.
The first time I've used PVC coated wire rope and that slipped under the clamps.

Can't you strip the pvc for the connections?

I've replaced the cables with ones without any coating so It's ok now.

Jaysen wrote: ↑Tue Oct 15, 2019 9:07 am I guess I'm the contrarian here. other than "do it right" I don't see what the issues could possibly be with cable clamps. This is not a high performance boat with oversized sails. Using cable clamps is inexpensive, easy to source, and easy to setup/repair. What am I missing?

Nicopress is slightly stronger and much cleaner. Less likely to snag lines, sails, clothing, life jackets, skin, etc.

Hi all.
First sail this year after the lock-down.
Just a few hour sail in light wind with 6 knots and 12 gusts and 2 feet waves:
-upwind speed was maximum 3-4 knots
- downwind with 4-5 knots
I don't know the maximum boat speed but 5 knots seems good for me. 4 adults and a child in the boat and it was so stable in that conditions.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Hh7fJsOtMsI[/youtube]

Things I don't like:
- the sail it's not easy to raise from the cover. The top batten doesn't allow the sail to be folded as I want.
- the mast it's to flexible
- having a drunk friend does not help


Few improvements made in the last weeks:
- new paint
- removed the handrails as were damaged in the winter (made from cheap birch plywood)
- cover for the seats and deck

Congrats, looks like a nice day on the water!!! Jeff

Thanks for the report, the boat looks good.
Some remarks:
it's a small boat, theoretical hull speed for a boat that size is about 4 knots. You may go faster in strong winds but not often.
Furling the sail underway on such a small boat is not always easy because of the boat size but you will become familiar with. A couple more sails and it will feel easier.

And last, the most important one: mast flexing.
I was following your build, saw the partner, all was good but I missed the part where you modified the mast and cut it to be a deck stepped mast.
That is a problem.
Also, I do not specify a wooden mast: it's Al or carbon fiber but we can live with a wooden mast if it has some biaxial and carbon as specified on the plans.
The flexing problem is because the mast is not supported properly: it should be buried in the cabin, stepped on the keel.
I see in the picture that the mast is twisting the tabernacle out of shape.
You did cut the mast, it is too late to step it on the keel. Until you fix it, sail with what you have but reduce sail quickly when it blows.

I would scavenge local boat yards to find an Al profile close what I specify. I always see abandoned masts laying around when I don't need them. That should cost you less than $ 100.00 and you can move the fittings around. I often see them listed on Craigslist.

Besides that, your boat looks great. Don't worry too much about the mast. My son in law sailed 2.5 times around the world and he kept changing his rig and masts all the time. He went through at least 7 rigs in 20 years.

Thank you, Jacques.

I know I did a mistake cuting the mast but it's the past now. I wanted a solution for me to be able to raise it without help. I have the bottom of the mast still on the keel.

I live in a european country where there are no used spare parts for boats, especialy for the sailboats. I had to make my own mast or to import one with great cost.

I saw people using AL electricity posts as masts or other long AL pipe. But again I did not find any supliers for sail tracks or a replacement locally.

Most of the parts I imported from other european countries; even the SS and the delrin for the centerboard were imported. A damn ss pipe 20 cm long

I will make some adjustments next time and post reports.

Now I need to find some good sail battens as this is the second time I snaped 2. ones made by myself from laminated pine with 1/4' fiberglass layers.

Building the boat was the easiest part but rigging it takes forever

Sorry, I missed the location.
I understand that supplies are difficult to get. It is remarkable you did find most of them. You may not have another choice than wood.
I agree that the mats may be difficult to rig alone if it is solid wood with the sail attached.
Anyway, keep looking, you may find an alumunium profile somewhere.

Very nice Adelie brother! Her paint looks great! I love it when Jacques comments on our builds-pro wisdom there. So far, my boat “Tipsy” w/ her junk sail works like a dream. Taking her out on Friday I’ll post pics

Hi,
Beautiful boat and congratulations to finish it so fast. It took me 6 Years to finish my Adelie.
I wish you just as much fun sailing your boat as I have.
Greetings from Karl