BoatBlog

Painting the rudder

2012-02-12T21:36:00.000+02:00

Today I prepared the rudder box for painting. The plywood and oak do not make a pleasant colour combination, and the honey-coloured layer of Woodoc 50 did nothing to improve it. So I decided to paint the rudder white but leave the oaken battens it's natural colour. (This will echo the rest of the boat, where the sheer strakes are plain varnished, but the rest of the boat is stark white.) So today I masked the oak battens with masking tape. During the week the rudder will be painted by the spraypainter, when he paints drawing boards.

2012-02-11T19:42:00.000+02:00

Today I am making the blocks for my dinghy's rigging. I don't know what I'm doing really, since this is my first blocks to make ever. First I found a round piece of nylon to make the sheaves of, and then I marked out appropriate pieces of stainless steel sheet. In the top piece the markings can be seen, faintly.

Then I cut blanks out out of the sheet, and drilled pilot holes.

The four blanks are bolted together in a stack. The stack was then shaped together on the belt grinder.

Here's the blank cheeks, with the piece of nylon to cut the sheaves from, and a smaller piece of nylon that will serve as a bail.

I must be mad to attempt this. I should just buy some blocks over the internet.

2012-02-05T08:04:00.000+02:00

Today I made the mast retaining collar. It is a clamp-on device that prevents the mast from falling out should the dinghy capsize. I decided that this will be a better idea than the lasing around the gooseneck that the plans specify.

Here's the mast retaining collar hard at work retaining the mast. It seems to work well: I can pick up the dinghy by the mast when the collar is latched on. It is a shot of the underside of the bow seat. It really is painted bright white, but the accumulated dust of months of storage makes it appear brown and unpainted. The white spots are actually fingermarks in the dust through which the white shows.

2012-01-22T13:44:00.002+02:00

Today I completed the rudder. The transom plated turend out to have been a good idea, and it was very easy to finally fit the dugeons, and it was easy to mount the rudder retaining clip.

Despite installing the gudgeons by eye, and everything being individually made, it turns out that the pintles fit very well into the gudgeons, and the merest change in the angle at which the dinghy lies lets the rudder fall to one side or the other.

I think I'm going to change the paint scheme of the rudder, but before that can happen I will have to wait for the varnish to dry properly. It's Woodoc 50, and I hope it's compatible with bright white catalyzed lacquer paint.

2012-01-15T21:51:00.000+02:00

Here's the transom plate temporarily held in position by a clamp. I think it will look really good once it's nicely polished and finished.

2012-01-15T21:30:00.000+02:00

The next part I'm working on is not in the plans, but I thought it would be worth making the effort. First of all the thought of making holes in the hull below the water line puts me off. I don't quite see the point of using plywood to build a boat, and then making holes in it, so I was reluctant to drill holes in the watertight compartment just to mount the gudgeons.

So my brother suggested I make this thing, which I will call the transom plate, for lack of better terminology. It is a stainless steel plate that runs from the top of the transom down to the skeg, and bolts through the transom and the outboard motor mount, and at the bottom bolts through the skeg. On this I plan to mount the gudgeons and the rudder retaining clip. It remove the need for holes through the hull, it will make maintenance simpler, it will protect the transom from knocks from the rudder, and it will look really pretty

The picture shows the transom plate with approximate positions of the gudgeons and rudder retaining clip.

2012-01-15T17:33:00.001+02:00

Here's the dinghy's accessory box, now painted bright white. Very pretty. We think it would look really good with the dinghy's name engraved on the lid.

2012-01-04T18:50:00.002+02:00

This is an experimental saddle I made from sheet metal. It'll probably be strong enough, but it seems quite flimsy and I don't think I'll follow this route: I've had a better idea.

I wanted to put the second layer of varnish on the rudder box today, but it is not yet hard dry, so I can't sand it. Also, it is evident that I had overdone it a bit on the coating thickness: it's gone wrinkly in some places. But I guess that means it's sealed well.

2012-01-03T22:12:00.001+02:00

Today I gave the rudder box its first layer of varnish. I'm using Woodoc 50, and following the instructions carefully. It is amazing how much varnish the wood can soak up if it isn't sealed beforehand. Getting a glossy cover with no dry spots took quite a lot of varnish. No picture of the varnish drying.

What I do have a picture of is my boom extention. The sail I have, which is still unidentified, has a foot that is longer than the Argie 10's intended sail, a whole 220 mm longer. So I'm extending the boom by 220 mm, so that the sail outhaul can still haul the sail out all the way and get it tight. For the joint I'm using the same kind of rosewood plug that is used on the mast joint.

Sail ahoy

2011-12-18T11:32:00.000+02:00

Once again, I got a great gift from Monty, in the form of a suite of dinghy sails. Here's the mainsail. I know it seems upside down, but it is draped from the stoep, so a picture from the other end looks really odd.

I don't know what dinghy class this sail belonged to.

This is the jib from the same suite of sails. I don't think I would use it: I wouldn't want to rig a bowsprit on my dinghy.

2011-01-09T20:08:00.000+02:00

Here's the box completed. The picture on the left shows the completed box closed, and the one on the right shows the box packed with all the loose parts of the dinghy. When the dinghy is converted from sailing to rowing, the rudder and rigging will be removed and need a place to be stored. Also, when the dinghy is stored all the loose parts are better kept indoors, and a single box for everything will keep things tidy.

The box is not finished at all. At the moment it is still all bare plywood, quite ugly looking because it was scrap plywood, but I needed it in a hurry. I will probably paint the box a bright white, the same colour as the the dinghy.

2011-01-09T13:06:00.000+02:00

With so many loose parts that might get mislaid and lost, I decided to build a box to keep it all together and safe. It's a surprisingly large box, because the daggerboard fits in it. In the picture I have all the parts I've completed in the box, to show how it will work.

The dismountable tiller comes in very useful here. It would not fit if was of the original design

2011-01-08T19:28:00.000+02:00

I have now completed the rudder box. This will be the final version ... no major screw-ups so far. It still needs finishing and assembling, to be followed by installation.

2011-01-03T19:39:00.000+02:00

While the rudder box is in the clamp, I'm learning to make saddles. These ones are not quite right, but I will make five more that look something similar. They will take their places for different jobs on the rigging.

One the end of the boom for the sail outhaul.
One on benind the midships seat, for hanging one of the blocks for the mainsheet.
Two for the boom vang, or kicking strap, that pulls the boom down. One goes on the bottom of the boom, the other one on the mast.
One on the mast collar on the bow seat for the mast holddown.

2011-01-03T13:44:00.000+02:00

The new rudder box parts. In the middle is the oaken tiller, separating the two halves of the rudder box, with their battens glued and screwed.

2011-01-01T20:42:00.000+02:00

I've cut the parts for the new rudder box. It's all oak and beautiful birch aviation-grade plywood. This rudder might yet become a thing of beauty.

2011-01-01T14:30:00.000+02:00

It seems that I'm going to build a third version of the rudder box. It is pretty certain that the plywood I used for this version is not marine (i.e. waterproof) plywood, so it will rapidly disintegrate when it gets wet.

Now that I know how to build the rudder box I'm getting more daring, and I'm planning to make a different tiller. In the picture I show a trial tiller made of soft pine. I think it's quite pretty.

2010-12-31T18:58:00.000+02:00

Here I'm trial-fitting the pintles and their fit to the gudgeons. Everything seems to fit, and the rudder can fold flat, as I intended, but spot the deliberate mistake!

2010-12-30T19:20:00.000+02:00

The pintles in stainless steel starting to take shape.

2010-12-30T13:13:00.000+02:00

Here I'm pondering the design of the pintle. The one's too long, the other one too short.

2010-12-29T19:02:00.000+02:00

Here are the gudgeons, ready for installation. They came out quite pretty.

2010-12-29T14:29:00.000+02:00

These two little arches will form part of the rudder gudgeons.

2010-12-28T18:56:00.000+02:00

This is the new rudder box, ready for varnishing. A trial fitting of the rudder in the new rudder box. It now fits snugly, with no play. In the previous bos the first version was too loose, and second version was too narrow for the rudder blade to even fit. The battens that will carry the pintles are of saligna, but the tiller is meranti.

2010-12-28T13:14:00.000+02:00

Here are the fresh materials for the new rudder box.

2010-12-28T13:12:00.000+02:00

These two stainless steel strips are destined to become part of the pintles and gudgeons for the rudder.

2010-12-27T19:05:00.000+02:00

This afternoon we made a tool to help make the pintles and gudgeons. There's a rather sharp U-bend that I need to put in stainless steel sheet, and it would be very difficult to do it by hand. So I'm planning to use a hydraulic press to make the bend. The angle bends I can do on the box bender. In the picture the trial U-bend lies in the foreground, the 12 mm rod behind it will become the pintles. The stuff in the background are the tools that go in the hydraulic press to shape the strips.

2010-12-27T13:49:00.000+02:00

This the plan I have for making the gudgeons.

2010-12-27T13:14:00.000+02:00

Here's a picture of the rudder box, with the front end of the tiller glued and clamped. It's a poorly done piece of work, but it should do the job.

2010-12-24T18:10:00.000+02:00

No picture, but I've assembled the new rudder box. It's not a very pretty piece of work, but it will do the job well enough for long enough. The glue is now drying under pressure, and should be ready by tomorrow.

2010-12-24T15:09:00.000+02:00

I'm building the rudder box. I've made a mistake long ago, in assembling the rudder box without the battens, so I had to open it up and I'm now rebuilding it with new material. In the process I discovered that I had never varnished the inside of the rudder box, so here I have an opportunity to do it over.

2010-12-23T18:52:00.000+02:00

After a lot of small pictures, here's a big picture: The dinghy with a trial fitting of the boom. It's starting to look like a sailing craft!

2010-12-23T18:46:00.000+02:00

The plans says nothing about it, but I decided to also make a plug for the boom end. I'm sure it will help protect the boom from damage, prevent water from entering in case of a capsize and also prevent injury.

2010-12-23T14:02:00.000+02:00

The gooseneck end of the boom. Don't be fooled by the nice-looking square hole in the wooden plug, the other end is a mess. But that will be hidden inside the boom, so nobody would notice.

2010-12-23T13:17:00.000+02:00

The mast joint. One half fits tightly into the top section of the mast, the other half more loosely in the bottom section of the mast.

2010-12-22T20:10:00.000+02:00

The finished gooseneck. It came out differently than I anticipated this morning, but bending the little boxes in 2 mm stainless steel would have been just about impossible. I will have to make a square hole in the boom end, but that's the job of a few minutes with a chisel.

2010-12-22T19:56:00.000+02:00

I've completed the turning work on the mast head and foot plugs. They came out very nice. Now they need a coat of varnish before installation.

2010-12-22T13:11:00.000+02:00

I've made progress on the gooseneck. This one is a prototype made of mild steel, which is cheaper and easier to work with than the stainless steel that the final one will be made of. It seems a bit small to me, but it's the same size as the model that's specified in the plans.

2010-12-22T13:07:00.000+02:00

I've made progress on the mast head and mast foot plugs, made of hard rosewood.

2010-12-20T20:29:00.000+02:00

These two strips of stainless steel and bar of brass will become the 'gooseneck', the flexible junction between the mast and the boom.

2010-12-20T20:27:00.000+02:00

Here are the mast sections and boom, cut to length.

2010-12-20T20:08:00.000+02:00

These are two blanks for making plugs for the ends of mast and boom, and the piece that will join the two sections of the mast.

2007-12-17T10:27:00.000+02:00

Here's the raw material for the mast and boom. It was kindly donated by Monty Jeffries of Kitplanes for Africa.

2007-03-04T00:26:00.000+02:00

The water chuckles at the stem. The oars clunk in the rowlocks. Little bubbles float in the spreading wake. Hot white sun on cool green water. She gives everything one would want from a little boat.

2007-01-05T10:56:00.000+02:00

There's the little Argie 10 with the paint job completed for now, and the masking tape removed.

2007-01-04T02:09:00.000+02:00

After puzzling for a long time how I was going to hold the boat while sanding and painting the inside, I discovered this trolley.

The first layer of white paint on the inside. The trolley made it very simple and easy to move the dinghy into the spray room, where there is adequate ventilation and everything needed for painting is at hand.

2006-12-29T05:42:00.000+02:00

Here the collar for the mast step partner can be seen, installed under the bow seat. One can see the laminations through the hole in the seat top. This will hold the mast upright, while the mast step in the bottom of the boat will carry the weight of the mast and sail.

2006-12-26T18:20:00.000+02:00

See the Juliana in action!

2006-12-26T13:48:00.000+02:00

Here's Juliana at the water's edge. Oars loaded, ready for launch.

Rowing made to look easy. It's not too difficult, but it requires some skill to do it efficiently.

It can carry a dog, too!

2006-12-25T14:56:00.000+02:00

On inspection, the mast step seems to be well-joined to the hull. It'll take some work to clean up nicely, but it seems sound.

2006-12-23T20:25:00.000+02:00

Installing the mast step. This looks very ugly, but it is work in progress. The steel pipe is there to align the step at the bottom with its partner in the bow seat. The brown cardboard on the bottom of the boat is a dam for polyurethane resin, that will stick the step to the bottom of the boat. The black stuff is plasticine that seals the dam to the bottm.

2006-12-22T18:52:00.000+02:00

Here's a picture of Juliana, ready to row!

2006-12-22T18:39:00.000+02:00

The bow ring attached to the dinghy. This picture shows the circlips that hold the shaft to the mount.

2006-12-21T23:01:00.000+02:00

A completed pair of oars for my Argie 10 row/sail/motor dinghy. The sleeve is made of red webbing tape, and the "button" is a Turk's Head made in soft rope. Once again, the webbing tape is not traditional at all, but it should do the job of protecting the oar loom from chafing on the rowlock. The oars are likely to see hard work, because they will mostly be used by amateurs, and therefor the flat blade with a blunt end is best. Performance absolutely not guaranteed.

2006-12-21T15:11:00.000+02:00

Trial-fitting the oars. The rowlock rings are a bit too small for the job, so I'll make another pair.

It looks romantic already!

2006-12-21T14:56:00.000+02:00

The rowlock sockets installed. The outside holes are screws holding the block down temporarily. The inside holes are for stainless steel pins that will transfer the force from the oarlock to the boat.

2006-12-21T14:38:00.000+02:00

Installing the bow ring. First I screwed down the mounting plate.

The bow ring fitted. This view shows how it works, the shaft of the ring passing through the stem of the boat and secured by the mount on the bow seat.

The view of the bow ring from the outside. I think the protrusion will be a bit less on the final installation.

2006-12-19T22:38:00.000+02:00

The metal part of the rowlock completed. Not as shiny as it could be, but it will do the job.

2006-12-19T21:49:00.000+02:00

Shaping the oar blades. First get the outline right, by removing the excess plywoond with a bandsaw and giving it the final shape on a belt sander.

Next comes streamlining, done on the belt sander. There's a surprising amount of wood that needs to be removed to get to this point. The quality of the workmanship here is not of the best.

The square looms need to be nearer to round. I've made it octagonal, but not a regular octagon, to save as much wood around the groove as possible.

Small stainless steel pins fix the blade to the shaft.

The completed pair of oars. I don't think there is much about these oars that is typical. The blade is separable from the shaft, and is made of plywood. It is oiled, rather than varnished. The aim has been to produce an acceptable oar in a reasonable amount of time.

2006-12-16T14:12:00.000+02:00

The real set of oars being made. First I made a set of grooves in the loom, by repeated grooving on a circular saw.

Here's the blades, cut from 18mm plywood, with a notch that fits on the loom. Everything is still very rough.

Testing the fit of the blade to the loom, and showing the relative size of the oars and the dinghy.

2006-12-16T13:55:00.000+02:00

I made small oar to test a concept. It is about a quarter the size of the real one. It's very cute, but not very neat.

2006-12-15T20:31:00.000+02:00

In one afternoon I made and installed the transom rings. Here are the u-rods, bent to size. They are not very smoothly round, but they are identical enough that I could drill the holes on measurement.

The transom rings intstalled. This is a bit of an experimental approach. The rings are not bolted or screwed at all but glued in with aircraft epoxy. It would be interesting to see how well it works.

2006-12-15T20:25:00.000+02:00

I see a pair of oars. What do you see?

2006-12-14T13:03:00.000+02:00

Here's the bow ring's base plate with holes for screwing it down. With a little bit of luck it won't interfere with the screws already there.

2006-12-14T12:57:00.000+02:00

Here's the rowlock parts. I can now start assembly. A start would be to weld the bearing surface to the rowlock tube.

2006-12-14T12:54:00.000+02:00

Here's the beginning of a pair of oars.

2006-12-12T20:38:00.000+02:00

Here's some progress on the rowlocks. These outlined blocks have been machined on a CNC router. They will be cut out and screwed to the inside of the gunwale.

2006-12-12T20:31:00.000+02:00

Progress on the bow ring. The cylinder will be welded to the mounting plate, and the shaft of the hook will pass through the cylinder, and be secured at the end with the hole in it.

2006-12-11T22:39:00.000+02:00

Today I started making a bow ring for Juliana. The plans specify a u-bolt fitted through the stem, but I don't have a suitable u-bolt, and I think the plans just want to hide the ugly nut-end of the u-bolt inside the flotation compartment. I'm planning on mounting a swivelling ring on the bow seat.

Here's the swivel mount plate cut out from the blank metal:

Roughing out the shape. The white object is a paper template.

The swivel base plate cut to shape and being fitted to the bow seat top. About five screws will secure the plate.

2006-12-10T19:14:00.000+02:00

Here's Juliana in storage, patiently waiting through the winter.

She was very dirty with dust. Here's some pidgeon footprints in the dust on her bottom. Amazingly, no droppings or nests. I guess that the paint might be too slippery.

Here she is, before and after cleaning. I first had to sweep off all the dust with a broom, and then wiped her down with a wet rag. The paint is still in very good condition.

2006-12-09T19:25:00.000+02:00

Some stops added to the daggerboard and rudder blade. Stainless steel rod with rounded ends, held in place with cyanoacrylate adhesive.

2006-12-08T21:57:00.000+02:00

A pair of oarlocks, daggerboard stops, rudder stops, saddles and other hardware. OK, maybe not in the final shape yet!

2006-10-04T16:46:00.000+02:00

I've bought another piece for my dinghy: 10mm stainless steel rod to make stops for the daggerboard and rudder blade.

2006-04-17T12:44:00.000+02:00

Sealing the insides of the flotation compartments, with kittens assisting. It only took half-an-hour, half a tube of latex sealant and double joints.

2006-03-18T21:48:00.000+02:00

After a break of about two months, the little Juliana got some attention again. I sealed the leak on the bottom with epoxy adhesive.

I'm satisfied with the paint quality: after I've removed the dust and wiped the hull with an absorbent cloth, it was sparkling!

The dinghy has been named Juliana Octavia Theodora, Juliana for short. This refers to a family joke.

2006-01-20T22:06:00.000+02:00

A poem has been written about the dinghy after launch day.

2006-01-14T23:49:00.000+02:00

There was a pirate too! Jaqueline Sparrow?

2006-01-14T20:04:00.000+02:00

Launch day! Load the boat on the bakkie. Take her to the local picnic spot. Build a floating jetty. Have a sumptuous lunch. Take the boat to the water's edge. Slide her in. She floats! Fun on the water. She leaks like a sieve! Let her dry in the sun for a while.

2006-01-13T16:14:00.000+02:00

A thermometer. It is not really an essential tool, but paint and glue drying depends on the temperature, so it is good to know what it is. As you can see, it's cooled down nicely.

2006-01-13T16:09:00.000+02:00

Sanding paper. Coarse grit to remove material, fine grit for smoothing.

2006-01-13T16:07:00.000+02:00

This is an odd-looking protractor, which I used mostly to measure angles to set on the mitre saw.

2006-01-13T15:44:00.000+02:00

A hammer. A purist would say a mallet would be more appropriate (there are no nails in this boat), but I found a hammer and a striking block quite perfectly suitable to persuade the odd piece into position.

2006-01-13T15:32:00.000+02:00

Marking and measuring tools:

Sliding square
Bevel gauge
Steel ruler
Awl
Marking gauge
Compasses
Pencil
White pencil
Eraser

2006-01-13T13:11:00.000+02:00

Pliers and cutters, used for twisting and trimming the copper wire ties. Also used for removing staples.

2006-01-13T13:07:00.000+02:00

Electric router. I've only used one cutter bit from the selection available, and used it to round the edges on the shear strakes and other corners.

2006-01-13T13:03:00.000+02:00

An air grinder. Probably the crudest of tools to use on a boat, but useful for removing quantities of wood from pieces after they have been fitted.

2006-01-13T09:39:00.000+02:00

There she is, safely stored.

The hanger, by the way, is not a very good idea.

2006-01-13T09:36:00.000+02:00

Here the hanger is on the boat. I just need to find a wardrobe now.

2006-01-13T09:35:00.000+02:00

Here's hanger on the boat.

2006-01-13T09:30:00.000+02:00

I've made a hanger for the boat.

2006-01-10T23:14:00.000+02:00

Things are getting really smooth now.

2006-01-10T23:10:00.000+02:00

Mother and daughter together in the paint shop, each awaiting the next coat of paint.

2006-01-09T18:18:00.000+02:00

The first layer of white paint is of course there solely to show one all the spots that still need filling and sanding. This is a secret that is securely kept from children and beginners to keep them from losing heart.

2006-01-08T21:33:00.000+02:00

Planes and scrapers. Top is a block plane, very useful for trimming the odd piece of plywood or timber. Middle is the spokeshave, which we've met before in planing the shear strakes. Bottom is a wide cabinet scraper, good for removing small amounts of wood, or paint and glue.

2006-01-08T21:26:00.000+02:00

I used chisels in its traditional role only for carving the nosepiece. Otherwise useful for removing drips of glue and paint. The metal obling on the left is a power planer blade, which I learned excells in removing polyurethane adhesive foam-out.

2006-01-08T21:19:00.000+02:00

We call this tool a blow-pipe. All it is is a connector for the air hose, that sends out a powerful jet of compressed air when it is plugged into the connector. It is very useful for blowing dust and chips and scrapings out of the boat or off the table. Noisy and inefficient, but gets the job done.

2006-01-08T21:09:00.000+02:00

Polyester resin, glassfibre tape, catalyst and scissors. The only things missing are the working resin container and brush.

2006-01-08T21:05:00.000+02:00

Empty space. Cleaning up now that the boat construction is complete.

2006-01-08T21:01:00.000+02:00

Here's the Argie 10 now moved to the paint shop, in a first coat of white paint.

2006-01-08T11:51:00.000+02:00

Various temporary tools. From left, a device for aligning the skeg, a set of chocks for the bottom, and a block that aids the installation of the shear strakes.

2006-01-08T11:48:00.000+02:00

Orbital sander. An air-powered device for sanding open surfaces. Unfortunately not much good near inside edges.