Pathfinder - Idle Fiddler Build

A final comment and over due acknowledgements

2009-08-07T18:59:00.005+01:00

August 2009 - and I've come to the end of the build blog. It remains to be seen if we start another blog to record the sailing adventures of Idle Fiddler and its crew.

However, I cannot let the opportunity pass without making sure that my 'build partner' Paul Lewis receives the recognition that is due to him. Yes, I wrote the blog, and consequently have received many kind comments on the quality of the build etc but virtually all of the items that evoked praise were down to Paul - they were his ideas and his craftsmanship.

We've greatly enjoyed the whole project and in all the 4 and half years we've never even had a cross word or disagreement. Thankfully too, we've had very understanding and supportive wives - so a big thanks to Anne and Sheila who have scraped, sanded, painted, shoved, lifted, listened, mopped brows, and provided endless tea , food and encouragement!

Modifications 2 - snotter to goosneck on the boom

2009-08-07T18:42:00.004+01:00

The other major modification was to the sprit boom. We liked the idea of a loose footed sail, the idea of the boom being out of 'head-thwacking' range and the way in which the sprit could be used to help maintain the set of the sail. However, what we didn't like was the constant snagging of the jib sheets when tacking. So, more discussion on the best way forward! We didn't like the goosenecks on the market so we decided to make our own.

Paul, as usual, came up trumps with a design which he made himself using 25mm wide x 5mm thick stainless steel for the mast bracket and the boom straps. The 2 way pivoting 'knuckle' joint was made out of very hard purple heart. Again we used stainless dropnose pins to keep it all together.

A few modifications - the tabernacle

2009-08-07T17:47:00.008+01:00

I mentioned previously that during the sailing trials it became apparent that we would have to do a few things to make life easier for pre-sail rigging and to correct what we felt was a tendency for the jib sheets to snag on the snotter arrangement every time we changed tack.

The first priority was to look at a tabernacle arrangement so that we could take away the 'struggle' (for us) of inserting the hollow wooden mast through the fore deck and into the step.

The advantages would be considerable by reducing the rigging time, take away the risk of a dangerous slip or fall whilst trying to locate the mast, and finally allowing us to use the mast when hinged down and at rest as a structural support to the boat cover.

Paul and I had lots of discussions on the best design and we did a lot of asking and web searches. We then produced a mock up to test the feasibility before taking the plunge and cutting the old round hollow wooden mast at a point above the foredeck. The old 'discarded' piece was replaced by two new solid pieces; the lower portion maintained the round section to go through the foredeck but had a rectangular section above the foredeck which fitted into the tabernace. The 'upper' section had the same rectangular section to fit the tabernacle but then tapered to fit the old round section of the mast. Paul made both of these new sections on his lathe. A few photographs are worth a thousand words!

Although we made most of the tabernacle ourselves we eventually took it to a local fabricator who welded a back plate on for us and polished it. The result was extremely pleasing and worked well using two 10mm x 80mm 316 stainless dropnose pins as pivot and locking devices. The design meant that all the compression forces were transferred to the keel via the mast and also via the tabernacle itself.

Bits & Pieces

2009-07-04T17:23:00.007+01:00

Just a few photos of details on the boat that might be of interest.

The trials went very well and we learnt a lot despite the trying wind conditions with frequent calms, complete changes of wind direction and speed. We measured gusts of up to 20 knots (apparent wind) and managed speeds of up to 7.6 knots.

We came to the conclusion that we needed to investigate changes to the sprit boom system (constant snagging of jib sheets), yet more alterations to the trailer (to make launch and retrieval easier) and finally to look at a tabernacle system for the mast (to cut down on rigging time and reduce the dangers of trying to step the mast in anything other than a dead calm!). Apart from that it was a roaring success and worth all the effort. It is a really beautiful boat, both to look at and to sail. We were surprised at how easy it was to row too, so it will be useful as a 'Raid' boat.

Sailing Trials, Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala), North Wales, 27 - 30 June 2009

2009-07-04T17:10:00.004+01:00

Launch Day Friday 12 June 2009

2009-07-04T16:17:00.011+01:00

The great day dawned at last when, a few days after my return from a month in France, we decided - almost on a whim - to get down to the river about 6 km away and launch her in the local marina. As the river is useless to sail on we just wanted to try out the oars and the outboard and at least to say we had launched the boat at long last (four and a half years of building!!). The champagne had been cooling in readiness for a month or so. Although we had at first thought of inviting all and sundry along we felt a 'private' affair was more appropriate. We all wanted to be IN the boat anyway and selfishly not talking to friends and neighbours on the bank instead.

After going out of the marina and onto the Severn an incredible thing happened. A canal narrow boat passed us and somebody shouted out "is that a John Welsford design? We're on holiday from New Zealand". What a one in a million chance! They took a photograph which us has just come back to us from John via Mike Austin of British Backyard Boatbuilding (http://www.backyardboatbuilding.org.uk/) What a small world. We only know of one other 'Pathfinder' being built in the UK at the moment.

trailer, rigging and finishing off

2009-07-04T13:52:00.014+01:00

Now that the boat was essentially finished, thoughts turned to designing a suitable trailer, getting the boat out of the workshop (walls to be knocked down and a wider opening needed) and final rigging before the launch. We had intended to launch in early spring but it took us much longer to find a suitable trailer design and to get the manufacturer to provide what we wanted.

We eventually settled on a 'Gullwing' aluminium trailer with keel and side wobble rollers. It took a lot of modifications post delivery to get it anything like usable and caused us a lot of angst. It is still not quite right in that launch and retrieval is not easy (impossible if single-handed).

1 April (an appropriate day) was the first time the boat saw the light of day and for the trailer deficiencies to come to real light as we struggled to transfer the boat from the build trolley in the workshop to the waiting trailer outside. Later came more problems in getting the boat off the trailer and onto blocks on the ground where it was to remain for another two months whilst modifications were sorted out. We were able to use some of the time in leathering spars, masts and oars, fixing and testing the wire stays and sorting out all manner of minor things such as cleats on the masts, rudder stock, sprit boom etc. Meanwhile Anne had sorted out boat cushions (we like comfort) and various useful bags for storage of things like rowlocks and belaying pins.

Paul's sister Sarah was commissioned (or was it inveigled) into painting a name plate for us and it really helped finish the boat off.

Masts, spars & oars

2009-07-04T12:57:00.008+01:00

Whilst the plans suggested aluminium masts and spars we decided to try and maintain the boat's tradional look by making wooden spars and masts. Weight considerations meant hollow construction but we also wanted a tapered mast too. We decided on the 'birdsmouth' design using interlocking pieces of tapered douglas fir. Calculating the correct dimensions was made easy by using two little pieces of free software from the section on 'shareware for boat design' located on the web page of http://www.carlsondesign.com/ . Rounding the masts seemed to produce enough shavings to keep a pet shop in business for a year!

The spars (yard, sprit booms and boomkin) were made out of solid wood. We decided on rectangular cross section for the main sprit boom just for ease of construction and fixing of cleats.

Everything was finished off again with Deks Olje.

Paul made all four double handed oars (I think I was away at the time - again) and made a beautiful job of them especially with a decorative insert of purple heart into the blades. The picture shows Anne, his wife, putting the finishing touch to them.

Tiller

2009-07-04T12:40:00.006+01:00

Early on in the construction of the boat we had decided that we would have the tiller going over the transom rather than through it mainly because of concerns over possible fouling with the top of the outboard. Now was the time to start work on a design of the tiller using a simple mock up of scrap pieces of ply to get the general shape.

Once that was worked out we made a form that could be used to shape the glued laminates of ash and mahogany (decorative strips). After gluing, the final cutting to shape was done on the band saw, and then lots of work with plane, spokeshave and sandpaper to achieve the finished product. Paul used his wood turning skills to produce a button for the end of the tiller shaft.

Cockpit sole and other items

2009-07-04T12:18:00.006+01:00

December 08

I mentioned before that we had been given just enough teak to complete the cockpit sole. Now came the 'sticky' job of caulking. After careful cleaning with degreasing agent we used SABA primer and caulk to do the job and the best masking tape we could find. It was messy, but effective. A week or so later the joints were ready for final sanding and then oiling (using Deks Olje again). We then started putting on some of the fixings such as hatches, cleats and fairleads, thinking about rigging and trailer design, sourcing rope, blocks and tackle and finally arranging for a marine surveyor to come and do a detailed survey for insurance and valuation purposes. Thankfully this last hurdle was passed with flying colours.

modifications

2008-11-28T16:09:00.008Z

There were quite a few modifications we made as we went along some of which I have already alluded to. Most involved what we saw as 'strengthening'. Hopefully we haven't made the boat too heavy or too stiff. I've listed some of them below in case they should be of any use to others.

Frame #2 : doubled in thickness as we felt that there would be enormous pressures in this area because of all the twists in stringers and planks.

Frame #6a : doubled in thickness - all that outboard vibration transmitted through this frame. Also added doublers on the port side to match the starboard side.

Transom & rudder: transom doubled in thickness ; added knees to strengthen the joint between the transom and the bottom board ; also decided we'd take the tiller over the top of the transom rather than through it due to concern over possible fouling with the outboard (It will involve an interesting laminated shape. The rudder design was altered with that in mind).

Bunkflats : greater framework support underneath to make the floor stiffer

Centreboard : added an aft uphaul and a front roller for the pulley uphaul (pulley attached to a larger and stronger mast step).

Side deck : added 9mm doublers underneath between each frame, including over the transom.

Foredeck : added a 9mm doubler at the 'bunkflat' end (for any belaying pins we might want to have).

So far we have enjoyed nearly every minute of the build project and we have a boat we can be proud of. We sincerely hope that the launch date will not be too far off, certainly by early spring 2009. See you there. It will be the River Severn at Upton upon Severn.

We are looking forward to trying out the yawl rig (it will be a first for both of us) and getting to know the boat in a variety of weather conditions. We'll probably do the first sailing trials on Lake Bala in North Wales before taking it out into coastal waters. See you there too!

Finally, a thankyou to John Welsford for a well thought out and lovely looking boat. We are going to enjoy it.

Paul & Anne, Alan & Sheila

plans on auto cad

2008-11-28T13:24:00.011Z

Right at the outset of building we came across a few errors on the plans which caused us to wonder what was correct and what wasn't. We checked and double checked as we went along but perhaps it was our inexperience in boat building that was part of the problem or else our ability to read plans or a bit of both.

However, we needed to be re-assured without running to the JWforum every 5 minutes or endlessly e mailing John. There were other little things too. For example - when measuring distances say, between frames - was it the aft face, the forward face or the mid point ? Did the frame dimensions allow for bevels or were they the finished maximum size? Perhaps it didn't matter - a 'Backyard Boat Builder' ought to just get on with it.

Our real difficulties were the the centreboard fitting the centreboard case, the position of the yawl mast step and the exact position of the 'notch' in the stem girder. The last straw was when we had to cut off about 100mm off the centreboard to make it fit the already completed case.

Fortunately my brother in law Jeff took the plans away and put much of it on autocad for our personal benefit. He spent hours and hours doing it but what a difference! We could see the exact dimensions of every part and felt very reassured. It would have been good to have started with his drawings.

final painting and naming the boat

2008-11-27T23:28:00.012Z

Oct - Nov 2008 : Some of September and most of October was down time as far I was concerned. I had to "languish" in France for 6 weeks doing a couple of house sits in the Vosges and Bordeaux. Truly, its a hard life.

Whilst I had been away, Paul & Anne had done all the painting of the underneath and we were ready then for the final turn-over. It was the same easy turning over process as before, but now the boat rested on its skeg on thick foam Qtherm insulation pads at floor level.

Prior to final painting and turnover we added two additional 'bilge runners' to protect the bottom board near its junction with the lowest strake. These teak strips (1200mm long x 20mm wide x 25mm deep) were 'topped' with a 12mm half round brass strip. Time will tell if they prove any good or whether they cause too much drag. We had found them indispensible on our previous Shearwaters.

Finally we sikaflexed and screwed on a 3mm stainless steel band to the skeg from the stem u-bolt to the transom.

Now began the last 'painting' phase - we were ready to coat all the oak trim with Deks Olje D1 and D2. After that it would be adding all the fittings.

Some time previously we had come to a final conclusion over the name of the boat. My old boat had been called "The Idler" (possible a reference to my indolence) and Paul & Anne's boat had been called "Fiddler". Anne came up with the simple suggestion of amalgamating the two and so "Idle Fiddler" is the name it will be baptised with. Paul's sister Sarah is carving the name on a piece of oak.

the skeg keel and the preparation of the the undersides

2008-11-27T23:05:00.005Z

Aug - Sep 2008 : the repeat process of filling and endless sanding saw us through the rest of July and early most of August. We then added an oak skeg which, aft of the cb case, had to be laminated to achieve the required dimensions ie about from about 30mm at the cb case to 150mm deep at the transom. This was screwed (from the sole) and epoxied in with a significant strengthening epoxy fillet.

We epoxied the bottom board and the lower two strakes using 150g cloth as recommended by JW.

the turn over

2008-11-27T22:10:00.007Z

Aug-Sep 2008 : we had long wondered how we were going to turn the boat over. Space was a little limited and the ceiling height was only about 2.2m - not all that more than the boat's beam. Jeff, my brother in law suggested, when on a visit, that we turn it over by 'spinning it' on its long axis. Like all good ideas, they have the advantage of simplicity.

I had a chain hoist and an engine mount from a previous kit car building project. Both were pressed into service and with a few mods, it became child's play. Using a rope strop on the rudder pintles and another on the stem u-bolt we lifted the boat clear of the building frame, removed that, spun the boat over using opposing ropes fitted through the rowlock mounts and the job was done. All that worrying over nothing. We then lowered the boat upside down onto beams resting on axle stands with 75mm thick pieces of builders thermal insulation board (the type that can stand huge compression weights) to save our precious paint work.

painting the inside and first strake

2008-11-27T21:42:00.004Z

After much deliberation and changing of minds we settled on International Paints with the top strake in Donegal Green, the inside with Toplac 'Ivory' (using 50% matting agent). As a base coat the inside received 2 coats of 'Intertox' wood preservative, followed by 3 coats of grey Yacht Primer, followed by 2 coats of Pre-Kote and then the Toplac coats.

The first strake had a similar treatment except the last primer coat was mixed 50:50 with the green followed by 2 coats of final Toplac colour. All the flat surfaces were done with a brush in one hand and a roller in the other. After every coat the paint work was rubbed down with very fine 'wet and dry'.

The inside of the boat was a pig to do. All those inner surfaces! We taped all the oak trims to prevent stray paint. It worked to a large degree with occasional mishap.

pre-painting final touches

2008-11-27T16:55:00.010Z

Jan -Jul 2008 : a period of feverish activity. We can't believe that it's over well 30 months since we started. Friends keep asking "when is the launch date?" and we've run out of excuses - Ah, you mean lunch date etc

Where has the time gone? It will be over 3 years and there's so much more to do!!

First we put the whole building frame on 8 braked heavy duty castors which made life a lot easier. At least we could push the whole boat to one side of the workshop if we needed the space - and we did. The building log seems to have been silent for some time. I blame Paul and he blames me and Anne blames both of us - and I think she's probably right. Women, I have noticed in my short life, have this tendency to be right.....

Anyway, back to the build. We completed the coaming with an oak trim and slightly modifying its shape to what we regarded as more pleasing on the eye. We added a post to the coaming on the fore deck to give a bit of strength. George, a good friend and tame engineer made a handsome brass cap to finish it off. (George also made us a number of other items such as U bolts and the cb pivot with its nylon bushes - for which we were very grateful)

We finished off the outboard well by enclosing it with a top with a cut-out to fit the plan outline of the yamaha. A test fitting proved the need for an angle grinder session (on the well, not the outboard) and soon order was restored. An oak laminated stem was made and fitted ; we would marry it up with an oak skeg keel later once the boat was turned over.

Another friend had given us some teak decking which was just enough to floor out the sole, (so much for english timber). We stood back to admire many times. There was probably more tea drinking and standing back to admire than work at times!

There was a final session of filleting and sanding and we were almost ready to start painting! I cannot believe it, we're almost there. I forgot that we still had to make the spars, oars, tiller, trailer, sort out the rigging etc. Oh, and the classic - we will have to knock a hole the end of the workshop to get the boat out! Yes, we did know this when we began.

filleting, sanding and more sanding & then decking

2008-11-27T16:26:00.004Z

Jul - Oct 2007 : before fitting the decks we thought it advisable to finsih off as much of the sanding as possible because as soon as the decking went on it would be very difficult to get at anything. Similarly any epoxy fillets had to be done and then smoothed and sanded down. Hours and hours were spent scraping and sanding, scraping and sanding. Its about the only bit of boat building I loathe!

Trying to find the best and most efficient use of expensive ply to complete the decking was a lot more difficult than we at first thought. There is a surprising amount of curve and twist in the fore deck and we thought that if we did it in two pieces with the join along the king plank we'd never get it to take up a pleasing shape. Equally it had to be joined to the side deck without 'kinking'.

In the end, this is exactly what we decided to do with the side deck being joined just above frame #3. Despite a lot of care we did get a slight kink at the side deck joint - nothing that a bit of filler wouldn't sort out, though.

oak rubbing strips

2008-11-27T15:58:00.006Z

We've always liked the idea of using traditional english wood in boat building (notwitshstanding that the ply, silver bali, purple heart and douglas fir were from foreign climes!) so when we came to decide how to 'decorate' the boat the natural choice for us was oak.

For the rubbing strips on the top strake we used a 45mm wide x 19mm thick top strip and a 45mm x 12mm lower strip.

Again, because of the twist, tumble home and every other sort of tension, it was necessary to steam the oak for some time to get it pliable enough to clamp and screw in position - leaving it for a few days to acquire 'memory' before epoxying on. We did this before the decking went on because we felt it would be easier to plane it down to the 'meet' the deck.

We also used oak as seat edging, on top of the cb case, mast step, coaming edging, rudder pintle pads, stem and anywhere else it would show!

Planking finished

2008-11-27T14:52:00.009Z

Jan - Apr 2007 : Work progressed slowly but we eventually finished all the planking and we allowed ourselves a little celebration. Not exactly Veuve Clicquot, but near enough! It was really a lovely looking boat. Even more exciting was the removal of all the bracing and releasing the boat frome the building frame.

Next was all the 20x20mm doublers on the frames to support the deck and coaming. After that, we fitted the bunk flats and seat tops having ensured that all the internal surfaces were well coated with epoxy, A heat gun works wonders. Also fitted the bunk flat drainage system.

Paul made the rudder after we decided that we would have the tiller go over the transom rather than through it. We couldn't quite see how, with the Yamaha outboard, the tiller wouldn't foul the top of it.

We had a long debate as to how we were going to ballast the boat, whether it was to be lead (bagged lead shot or similar or cast 'ingots') or water or cement and in particular where it should be located. Ultimately we decided to put it as near the centrboard as possible between Frames#4and #5. Later we cast twelve 5kg lead blocks each 80x45x120mm which were individually bolted down to a removable heavy duty carrying frame, with 6 blocks on either side of the cb case. Both 'sets' were to be accessible through the seat hatches. Old piping was our major source of lead.

More planking

2008-11-24T16:25:00.003Z

Sep - Dec 2006 : As we progressed in our build we altered our approach slightly. Subsequent full size plank patterns (2.4m long) were cut to approximate width, then lightly clamped onto the stringer above with an overlap on the stringer/plank below and then marked on the inside using the lower face of the lower stringer as the guide. The next plank pattern was 'overlapped' with the first and the process repeated for the whole strake.

Overlaps were scribed on each adjacent ply pattern, labelled, and then cut after removal. This enabled us to make strapped butt joints to get one continuous pattern. Even so, we found it was too difficult to handle such a long pattern and halved it at a point which gave us the best use of ply (we needed 3 lengths of ply per strake ie 2 scarf joints).

In the end we scarfed two lengths of ply 'on the bench' using 'balcotan' and the final one 'in situ' using epoxy.

At the bow there was quite a lot of work to do to ensure that each plank 'landed' smoothly on the stem and mated properly with the plank below.

Bevelling & garboard planking!!!

2008-11-24T15:23:00.001Z

Sep - Dec 2006 & beyond: The build log notes a 4 month break in serious work from May through to August. We were too busy with weddings, gardens and holidays to get stuck in. There was the odd desultory sanding and thinking about all those bevels on the stringers and frames.

In early September we started work on the bevels on the chine and 1st stringers. Initially it was true "wood work" with planes and good intent but after much cursing (stubbed fingers and grovelling in awkward positions) it became patently clear that it was going to be nigh on impossible so we threw caution to the winds and got out the ANGLE GRINDER. This tool should be in every arsenal and can be secretly used to great effect provided you are VERY careful!! Naturally, we finished off with fine wood workers' tools and were able to stand back and admire in true craftsman like fashion.

We made a pattern for the garboard plank (and all subsequent planks) from some thin 4mm ply before transferring the shape to already scarfed 9mm ply. We built in a 'safety margin' in terms of width on the basis that you can easily remove it but you can't add it! It was just as well we did because 4mm ply and 9mm ply do NOT take up the same shape when bent and twisted - and the garboard plank has an incredible amount of twist at the bow end. We were immensely gratified to find that the plank patterns could be used on both port and starboard sides with only minor adjustments.

Transom, Frame 6a & steaming & fitting the stringers

2008-11-24T14:08:00.000Z

April 2006 : After fitting frames #1 -#6 and the chine stringer and experimenting with the outboard well, we were ready to fit the transom and frame #6a into position. As both had been modified in terms of thickness we had to 'adjust'the position of #6a so that the internal dimensions of the well were sufficient for us to get the yamaha outboard in!

We also decided that we would reinforce the joint between the bottom board and the transom by putting in a couple of 24mmm thick ply 'knees'.

All the doublers completed for the stringer/frames joints. Paul rigged up a simple router jig and completed the 'boring' job in no time - well, a few days. What would we do without machinery?

Before steaming the stringers we used a thin batten of the same width as the stringer to fit through the notches to ensure a good fit and line but, more importantly, to give us an indication of the amount of fore and aft bevelling required in each frame notch.

We also decided that before fitting the stringers it would be a good idea to cross-brace as much of the frame work and stem as we could to try and reduce the possisbility of 'twist' as pressure was applied. This made access to the 'inside' of the boat quite difficult and we often cursed the bracing but I'm convinced it was well worth it. 9mm thick ply frames look very spindly on their own, even if they are best quality marine "Robbins Elite"!

Paul made a simple jig that enabled us to pull the steamed stringers into the frames, before drilling and screwing and, as usual, leaving them for a couple of days to acquire the correct shape before removal, epoxying and re-screwing. It all worked like clockwork.

I see from the build log that Anne also did a lot of work, so when I say 'we' - that is all inclusive! I also note that one day she brought down a fantastic BBQ (yes, even in April - we're Brits you see) with home made sausages, chicken and bean salad all washed down with a good Alsace Pinot Gris. That was followed by a fruit salad in rum punch warmed on the BBQ in foil. Sheila produced home made vanilla ice cream and meringues and "voila", a feast. This boat building lark is easy. More wine?

Chine stringers, steaming bending and frame fixing

2008-11-23T18:29:00.000Z

April 2006 : a lot of work completed during the latter week of March and the whole of April. We decided to fit the chine stringer before fitting the frames as we felt it would be much easier than doing it at a later stage. It was obvious that we would have to steam all the stringers in order to get them to fit and to try and reduce the stresses on the frames. This would be especially true of the chine stringer which was all 'edge set'. A Heath Robinson affair of copper kettle and hose pipe did the trick in the first instance but we became more sophisticated and effective later on by using a cheap commercial electric wall paper stripper and an insulated steam box made with ply offcuts. This allowed us to steam full length scarfed stringers before fixing on to the frames.

Anyway, I digress. The chine stringers were steamed and then clamped in place (24 clamps per stringer) for a couple of days to take up the shape before finally epoxying and screwing in place.

Fitted the centreboard case into position using Sikaflex, then screwed and epoxied the stem girder and frames #3 , #4 and #5. It is starting to take shape or do we have active imaginations?

Two days later, glued and screwed in frames #1 and #2. Experimented with dry fitting of frame #6a (now 21mm thick) and seat fronts. All looks good.

Fixed all the doublers on the stem girder and decided also that we would have additional bunk flat supports to make them less 'bendy', so altered the frames and plans accordingly.

Started thinking about outboards - make, size, fuel type etc. Critical, as we needed to start building the outboard well and it had to fit! Eventually chose the Yamaha 4hp 4 stroke - the largest we could fit in a mock up of the well.

More centreboard & building frame

2008-11-23T17:51:00.000Z

Jan - Mar 2006 : dry fitted the centreboard case. Finalised detail to the pivot arrangement. Carried out experiments with lifting the cb using various pulley systems and aft point uphauls. Case eventually finished and capped in oak.

As a result, decided to modify the cb lifting arrangements and fit an aft uphaul through the cb case top and provide a front roller for a pulley uphaul with the block attached to a larger strengthened mast block.

Sourced quite a few fitiings and other things at a local Boat Jumble in Malvern.

Had a few trials and errors glass clothing the cb, mainly due, we suspect, to the waxy nature of the purple heart and or silver-bali stock.

Dry fixed frames over stem girder and to cb case. Things are starting to look interesting!

Building Frame

2008-11-23T17:32:00.000Z

Nov - Dec 2005 : Not a huge amount of work done because of other family commitments and the approach of the Christmas Festivities. However, we decided we neded to finish off the building frame so that we could get the frame stations correctly positioned and start the real building.

Frames - continued & Centreboard Case

2008-11-22T20:53:00.000Z

July - Aug 2005 : continued working on the frames to a point where they were all essentially ready to be fixed in at a later date; cut out all the stringers from larger Douglas Fir stock; finished the stem girder lamination and marked on it. where the planks should land; checked all the frames were correct by diagonal measurements.

Started work on the centreboard.

Cutting out the frames

2008-11-22T20:29:00.000Z

June 2005 : cut out all the frames and the transom . Decided that we needed to beef up the transom and frame #6a so also cut out 12mm pieces so we could laminate them (see photo above of the 24mm thick transom). Also started work on the building frame for the Pathfinder. My old building frame had to go. One of the photos above shows Paul using his dumpy level to ensure accuracy. I'm the one with the metre rule. Of course we also relax from time to time. Above photo shows (from left to right) Anne, Paul & Sheila.

Cutting out the stem girder and bottom board

2008-11-22T19:41:00.001Z

March 2005 : Other duties prevented much more work and anyway it was too damp and cold in the workshop. Had to install a log burner. That's Anne, Paul's wife, celebrating the first fire. What a difference! What with warmth and tea plus flapjack on the hour and every hour from Sheila (my wife), life is sweet. Still exercised about what we will call the boat. Names start to go up on the whiteboard.

The Bank Holiday weekend at the end of March proved very productive. The stem and bottom board were both cut out and shaped. We are on our way.

Marking out the frames and scarfing the bottom board

2008-11-22T19:13:00.001Z

Feb 2005 : First scarf joint on the bottom 12mm board. Went well with a perfect epoxy joint. Delighted to say the least.

Thought the best way of achieving the most effiecient use of ply was to make 1:5 scale drawings of the frames,stem etc then to cut them out and then place the outlines on graph paper representing a 'scaled' sheet of ply. Seemed to work well. From then it was drawing all the frames straight on to ply.

Marked out the bottom board and faired the outline to a sweet shape. Lovely! Found a few discrepancies in the plan when trying to work out the position of the notch in the stem girder for the yawl. Perhaps it was our interpretation? Anyway, it was enough to sow doubts in our mind about accuracy of dimensions and from then on we checked and double checked. Oh for Autocad! (More of that later).

Centre Board

2008-11-22T12:19:00.000Z

4 Jan 2005 is a red letter day. Paul made the first cut in silver-bali stock for the centre board. It wasn't until February that laminating began. We decided to use purple heart stock for the first 5 laminates on the leading edge in view of its weight and density

2008-11-22T12:02:00.000Z

Before the first cut we did a lot of poring over the plans, sourcing materials, altering my workshop and Paul even built a half scale model which was extremely useful in giving us an idea of what went where!

The start of the project

2008-11-22T11:48:00.003Z

This is the story of a boat building project by me (Alan Churchward) and my friend Paul Lewis, not forgetting our very supportive wives - Sheila & Anne respectively. As has been said "Behind every man stands an even better woman".

We had been looking around for some time for a suitable day boat.Eventually we settled on John Welsford's 'Pathfinder' because we liked its size, lines and relatively simple construction http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/

We had each previously built one of Joel White's double ended 'Shearwaters' under the able direction of Julian Burn of 'Sail & Oar' in Totnes, Devon, UK http://www.sailoar.co.uk/ and had really enjoyed indulging in some exciting sailing and long distance rowing. However, we wanted something capable of coastal hopping and there were all those exciting "Raids" beckoning in Scotland, Finland and elsewhere.

So it was that we purchased the plans from Fyne Boats at Windermere in the English Lake District http://www.fyneboatkits.com/ in September 2004 but it wasn't until early February 2005 that we made the first trip to Robbins in Bristol to get their Elite marine ply!