Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

Hi. My name is Jonny Mac and I want to build a boat. I really want to build a larger boat like a DE25 or GT27 or maybe a future not designed boat. But I figured a small boat would be a good choice to get used to working with a the materials and trying to make it look good. I'm temporarily located to the New Hampshire coast for the next year, and I thought it would be great to have a light boat, I can put on my truck and take different places. And fish off if I want. I almost bought a CNC paddleboard kit when as I was checking out I remembered an old thread mentioning a similar project here. So I bought the FS13 plans and here I am. I'm not quite ready to start building, so I went to my local maker space and used the laser cutter to cut out the parts. And build this model. It's not pretty, but it works.

Good luck. Neat model. Can't wait to see your build.

Welcome to the group. Another boat built in New Hampshire is a great thing. There’s a few of us building here in New England and a good few completed excellent examples of what you can achieve. Do you have somewhere warm to work?

Fair WX Pilot wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 7:53 am Welcome to the group. Another boat built in New Hampshire is a great thing. There’s a few of us building here in New England and a good few completed excellent examples of what you can achieve. Do you have somewhere warm to work?

The maker space near me has some floor area you rent, so I'm working out what size area I need and how I would set it up. It's a heated space at the back of the building past where all the different workshops are. So thankfully I have a comfortable area. They couldn't really tell me what the temperature of that area is though just that it was warm. so when I get closer to the epoxy/paint stuff I'll bring a logging thermometer and see if I need to build a plastic tent for the critical steps.

jonnymac wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:40 am

Fair WX Pilot wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 7:53 am Welcome to the group. Another boat built in New Hampshire is a great thing. There’s a few of us building here in New England and a good few completed excellent examples of what you can achieve. Do you have somewhere warm to work?

The maker space near me has some floor area you rent, so I'm working out what size area I need and how I would set it up. It's a heated space at the back of the building past where all the different workshops are. So thankfully I have a comfortable area. They couldn't really tell me what the temperature of that area is though just that it was warm. so when I get closer to the epoxy/paint stuff I'll bring a logging thermometer and see if I need to build a plastic tent for the critical steps.

Sounds great, very envious of the amount of room you may have. With the exception of paint I haven’t found the need to critically control temperature. Things just cure a little slower or a little faster depending on how warm you keep it(within reason). I prefer slower as it gives me more time to work. A tent or covering would be great to protect everything from all the dust you’re about to make. May stop the others in the building getting upset.

We need another FS13 builder. The SK14's have been out pacing me ...

making some progress. didn’t take as much time cutting some of the panels as i should have. hope to have some epoxy holding her together tonight.

Looking good!

Nice work!!! Jeff

Thanks everyone. I have the stretchers and frames glued in and the internal fiberglass work done. i got the cleats for the doubler in and most of the cleats cut. I’m using paulownia for the cleats and the rubrail. Its 2/3 of the density of douglas fir with most of the strength. it was about $150 for enough to do the whole boat. I learned the hard way that when mixing the epoxy for the tabbing it wasn’t stiff enough and some of it slowly moved out of place on me. so there is some extra epoxy on the bottom.

Well, moved to southern Maine. Got a new job. Got my NY house ready to sell, and now I’m racing to finish the boat enough for the winter. I’m working out of an unheated garage, that is packed with a lot of shit so its hard to heat. And I can’t leave it unattended for very long.

So today I glued some more of the cleats on, I ran out of clamps so I need to finish the rest tomorrow. And Hopefully pour some foam tomorrow evening.

Pretty sure those pour foams are usually temperature sensitive. Just hate to see it go wrong is all. It got cold here some now, too. Dan

fallguy1000 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 01, 2021 12:20 am Pretty sure those pour foams are usually temperature sensitive. Just hate to see it go wrong is all. It got cold here some now, too. Dan

yea, I have two days this week where I can get the garage warm enough to pour the foam with my two heaters, but If I miss those windows. I guess I'll be doing it in the spring.

Put the jugs of pour foam in a hot water bath. If you get the foam up over 100f it will be much more active with better expansion. Just be ready to mix and pour quickly as the reaction happens a lot faster.

Racing a falling thermostat or waiting out a rising thermostat are a big part of my builds as well, so I feel your pain.

I like Fuzz's idea about warming the foam, I use a "New England Patriots" crock pot to warm my epoxy and it makes things much easier, no experience with foam though.

Best of luck!

I’ll have to look out for a crock pot at a garage sale, as that would probably be a good tool for the shop anyway.

I’m going to put the one heater under the boat hull to warm it directly. the other heater blast it in the vicinity for the air temp as best I can. My wife is going to help mix, so we can go as fast as possible. And I’m going to have a warm bath in a cooler for the foam.

I want to do a bigger build some day and I’m not even going to start unless I have a relatively temperature controlled environment. Its hard enough to find boat building time let alone weather dependent boat building time.

I am in weather window here as well. I was in a pretty mad dash for awhile, but we are newr freezing overnites. I have cold weather epoxy for a couple final projects, but my exterior finish/epoxy work is ftmp all wrapped up until April.

I built my shop over 30 years ago. It is one of the few really good investments I have made. If a man likes doing stuff with his hands you need a place to work in. Those of us who live in cooler climates more so. It does not have to be perfect but it does need to be dry inside and be able to be kept warm when needed.

Fuzz wrote: ↑Mon Nov 01, 2021 12:22 pm I built my shop over 30 years ago. It is one of the few really good investments I have made. If a man likes doing stuff with his hands you need a place to work in. Those of us who live in cooler climates more so. It does not have to be perfect but it does need to be dry inside and be able to be kept warm when needed.

Yea, i did the same at my previous house built a 16’x28’ workshop finished it, just in time to move. We are renting for a little while while we sell our other house and buy a new one. Hopefully a new house either has a barn or workshop already or it has space to put one up quickly. Now that I am near the coast, going to need a seagoing cruising boat