Slow Going

     While scratching away at the chopsticks produced a lot of little shavings, it hasn't produced much difference in the taper on the end. I am going to have to take it to the shop and put it to the grinder, or sandpaper or a rasp. In any case, Thanksgiving has put the kibosh on finishing up the model this week. The kids are home from school and we have traveled to the in-laws.
     I have had some inspiration this week. While walking through town, I decided to stop in at a local used book store. It is wall to wall to ceiling books in this place. I was hoping to find a good deal on a boat building book, so I can let the library loan out the ones I've been using. I didn't find anything I couldn't live without, but I did spot a wonderful little book.

The Simplistic Sailboat

     It is written by Dan Hookham and chronicles a summer of sailing he did with his wife and young daughter. As you can see by the cover and the title, this was a modest and economical boat. I am about half way through the book and I really enjoy it. The trip took place in the Puget Sound, around my home town. His philosophy about work and living simply is a little too Walden Pond for me, but I appreciate his sentimental feelings regarding family. He takes note of simple pleasures and shared experiences a family can have while living in close quarters at the constant edge of the wild and outdoor life. That he could make so inexpensive a boat for cruising around the sound, motivates me.

     The other bit of motivation and good fortune occurred while spending Thanksgiving at my in-laws house. My Father-in-law and his other son-in-law replaced the banister on the stairs last year and apparently they had a little SNAFU. This left them with an 8' solid oak stair rail they couldn't use. He was happy to give it to me, so his wife wouldn't have to keep looking at it in the garage. I may make strips out of it for the gunwales or use it to make cleats for my boat. No matter how I slice it, it was a good score.

OAK!

What kind of Sail?

     In order to get a better understanding of the differences between the different ways that you can rig a boat for sail, I picked up a book at the library. "The Working Guide to Traditional Small-Boat Sails"
This book is jammed full of information. The downside for me is the incredible amount of jargon and lingo. I realize that the things on a boat are unique and their names come from a long history of sailing and sailors from all corners of the world, but the book is aimed at people who are already familiar with terms like; leech, luff, clew, and snotter.
     After getting about half way through the book, I am starting to understand some terms and get an idea of what kind of sail I want. So I am sacrificing a couple of chopsticks to the cause and making a mast and spar.

First I had to carve off some of the length on the spar

Now I am using the X-acto knife to shave a taper into it.

     I am going to try and make a "Gunter rig" for my little model. The advantage being that all the pieces should be short enough to stow inside the hull of the boat, but still give me enough square footage to move an 8' dinghy. I have some line for the model, but I haven't found a material for the sail yet. I suppose I could use paper, but that just doesn't seem right. I'd like to use something that simulates the action of a canvas or Dacron sail at this scale.

     Couple more photos of the D5 model. The forward deck and Frame A are not installed because I have not decided how I want to step the mast or build it into the boat.

Handsom Transom. Added some flare not on the plans.

I like those curves

Looks like a boat.

Model Looks Good

      Looking pretty good. If I don't say so myself.

Model of D5 boat from Bateau.com next to Boyscout Racer

     Got the last coat of red paint onto the hull. As I was passing through the spare bedroom I realized that the Boyscout Racer I made when I was 9, is the same color red. I doubt the boat will be as fast as the car was.

     Can't decide what I want to do with the paint for the rest of the boat. I may get a wood-like brown for the gunwales and go with white on the inside. I'll definitely buy a better brush this time.

     I was glad to have my mineral oil ready today. I dropped the boat and it flipped, wet side down, onto the kitchen table. A couple drops of oil and a paper towel wiped the paint right up.

     Picked up a couple of new books at the library. One is called, "The Complete Canvasworkers Guide". It shows how to make canvas; tops, bags, covers, flags, and other assorted items. Looks interesting. The other is "The Working Guide to Traditional Small-Boat Sails". If I make my own sailboat, I am sure I'll want to make my own mast and sail. This book looks like the one to help me pick a design and make it.

British Crimson

     Second coat of paint.

Model of Bateau.com D5 boat with 2 coats of Model Masters British Crimson

     Again, I had to pick hairs out of my paint job. I saved 4 bucks on the brush, but next time I'll spend a little more money. The fortunate thing is that the paint is pretty forgiving.

     I did notice as I started with the second layer, that your fresh paint can dissolve the first layer. I was trying not to put much paint on and make multiple passes at the same spot to get the coverage I wanted. This did not work. It was best to get the brush medium wet with paint and then lay it on in one pass. Get more paint and then start where your last stroke ended.

     Since I added the gunwales first I had something to hold onto while I painted the Hull. I haven't decided what color to paint the gunwales, but I have to say that the Ziploc blue doesn't look to bad on the transom. I may go with 2 colors on the hull so I can have a waterline.

     In the background you will see the book I am reading, Ultrasimple Boatbuilding by Gavin Atkin. I read this one before, but I must say it makes much more since after having read a couple of other books and spent some time on the internet. Not that the book is complex. There is some jargon, though it is usually explained straight away. Just having the mental pictures in my brain help illustrate the book. I can also see how this authors opinion differ from others. This helps me form an opinion of my own based on the arguments of multiple builders. I can also spot the things that are the same from one book to another. This emphasizes their importance.

     If you want to jump in feet first and whip out something the kids can splash around in. I definitely recommend Ultrasimple Boatbuilding. The Micromouse is the first boat my son has shown any interest in.

Paint

     I decided to move on to painting the outside of the boat. I am done with the gunwales and quite frankly I was to excited about seeing my model with some color on it instead of Honey Nut Cheerios.
     I did a test on some spare cardboard with Crayola Poster Paint. While I love the pictures my kids paint with this stuff, It seemed kind of lousy for my boat. The color was dull and flat. I also didn't think I would ever get it to look smooth or totally cover the graphics on the paperboard.
     I decided to finally hit up the hobby store. The Hobby Town where I live, seems reasonably well stocked. I must say there is a surprisingly large collection of miniature doll house items. And not plastic beds and toilets either. I mean super detailed armoires and vanities. They have wall paper and wainscoting. This stuff is not for children. in fact, I am having trouble thinking of someone who would build such a thing, and not be creepy. Anyway, I didn't ask the hobby guy about that, but I did ask about paint. He said since I was painting something absorbant I should try a petroleum based paint.

Model Master's "British Crimson"

     So far it is working great. The deep red color looks great and the paint seems to flatten it self out as it dries. Which is fortunate, because I bought the cheapest paint brush in the store. The phrase, "You get what you pay for." seems to be a recurring theme on this project. Indeed, most of the advice I read about boats follow that logic. On the flip side though, you also hear people say "Don't pay for that, you can make one." I guess the common trait is that you have to have good materials. So the paintbrush I bought was adequate for laying down the paint. But only because the paint was decent quality. I did however wind up with a hairy transom. My cheap brush kept shedding and leaving hairs in my work. It took me a few minutes to pick them out.

     Another thing to be aware of with Petroleum based paints, is that water wont clean your brush. I took mine over to the sink and began to rub it with my fingers. The cold water made the paint congeal on the brush. Suddenly I was rubbing blood red goop all over my fingers. Shoot! I ran through what I know about petroleum in my brain. You can use another petroleum product to clean your hands. I wasn't about to go to the neighbors house with blood red fingers and asked for a tablespoon of Vaseline, so I started digging through the cupboard with the 2 clean fingers I had left. Finally I found a massage oil made with Mineral oil. I had to rub my fingers together with the oil and then wipe them off with tissue. I did the same with the brush, so I should be able to use it again tomorrow for the next 2 coats of paint. If not I'll just have to spend money for a real brush and a bottle of mineral oil.

D5 model gets first layer of paint

     I saw some very thin 6"x12" pieces of plywood at the Hobby store. If I make another one of these I might consider using real wood. I can't deny the thrifty nature of using a cereal box, but I could varnish a real wood boat.

Rear View and Possible name

     Found some inspiration for the rear transom on another website.
Apple Pie Tender

Tracing the Transom

     I started by tracing out the transom. And then made a freehand sketch of the shape I wanted. This shape was inspired by the Apple Pie Tender. It gives my little boat more of a nautical feel and will also strengthen the rear of the boat for a rudder or motor.

Gluing a plate to transom of D5 model

     This part has been difficult to glue. Because I have glued on the rough side, it is absorbing a lot of glue. This will make it a stronger bond, but it causes the piece to swell. I have to keep moving the clips and even added 3 more, to keep all of it held down. It wants to bunch up and pull away from the boat. This is a problem unique to building the model and not the full size boat. Although I am sure that some methods of boat building, like strip canoes, might have something similar happen.

     The shape I drew gave me an idea for the name. My boat has a big rear end and this new piece looks a bit like a tail. I may have to name her after a hippo. Growing up with Hungry Hungry Hippos, it sounds a bit silly, but they are faster than they look in water, and kill a few thousand people a year in Africa. Very manly, I think.

Decided to add gunwales

     I found some very strong little clips at Fred Meyers for fifty cents a pop. I thought they might be useful for my model, or holding chip bags closed, so I grabbed a few.
     Turned out they were great for clamping down my tiny gunwales, while the glue dried.

Clamped gunwales to my D5 model. Plans from Bateau.com

     I used an x-acto knife to cut narrow strips for the gunwales. To make a straight line I used a chopstick.

Cutting the gunwales.

     This worked pretty well except that the gunwales absorbed some of the glue and actually lengthened. This caused them to pull away from a few areas, because they bunched up between the clamps. By removing and repositioning the clamps, I was able to correct most of this. Once they are dry I'll trim the ends and see about adding gunwales to the bow and the stern.

     I am trying to figure out how long the mast should be. My chopstick is only about 7 feet long once you calculate the scale. It seems like it ought to be 10 feet. But I don't having anything that would fit the bill right now. Maybe I'll pick up a piece of dowel at the hardware store.