Cruising houseboat

To Shield or Not to Shield?

2011-10-21T18:43:00.001-07:00

Here are some random shots of BUNKY with the mockup of a windshield. Not sure if I will do it or not, I think the scale is OK, The top edge is just above eye level, if I hook a small bimini to the top edge it would be great for those days when the sun is bearing down. I tried to take shots from various angles. It makes BUNKY into a whole 'nother boat. Had three people stop on the road to tell me they thought she was pretty... and she is!

BUNKY at WOT

2011-10-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

Wide open with almost not wake!!

Identify This Boat

2011-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it is a bit fuzzy, we passed this boat yesterday and I almost turned around to ask him what it was. Definitely looks to be other than a production boat, cuddy top looks like maybe canvas? I have seen this design before but can't put a name to it.

Drilled Six More Holes in BUNKY's Motorwell Cover

2011-09-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Because she was gasping for air I realized that she needed more ventilation. Hopefully the new holes, two 2 inch in the back and four 2 1/2 inch (two on each side) will do the trick. I am opposed to any holes near the front of the cover as they might defeat the purpose of the splash well in the event of getting pooped by a following sea. Actually don't think there is much possibility of that happening. Onward and upward!! Excelsior ;)

BUNKY AT WOT

2011-09-21T18:19:00.001-07:00

At last we finished the 2 hour break in period and were able to give her full throttle (WOT). No idea how fast she went but SWMBO said, "Slow down!" I will try to post pictures of her at speed and take the GPS with us so we get some idea of how fast she goes. Very satisfied so far.

BUNKY's Flagpole/Allaround Nav Light

2011-09-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

I needed a flagpole to be at least three feet or more high to carry my all around light and have it be one meter higher than the red/green nav lights. While at the town dump I found the bottom half of a beach umbrella pole. It was nearly four feet long and made of mahogany. I took of the brass ferrul and it fit right into my flagpole holder with a bit of sanding. Then, since it was too big for my lathe, began to rotate it in my vise as I worked it into a taper with my block plane. Finally got it pretty good and then sanded until all plane marks were gone, tapered the top end to fit an all around that I had taken off another boat, ran a kerf through my table saw for the wires. cut a piece of mahogany for a filler, assembled the lot and now have a pretty classy pole/light combo that is sitting in the shop while a saturated coat of epoxy cures. Should look real pretty with a 20x30 American flag.

I will post a pic when all is together and on BUNKT.

BUNKY Has Trouble Breathing

2011-09-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

We took BUNKY out for her first cruise after the launch and found that we had a problem. She would not run smoothly, kept getting rougher and rougher and then would stall out. Finally figured it out quite by accident. She was chocking on her own exhaust. The vent and three holes on the back of the motorwell cover were not enough. we adopted the two sneaker approach to the problem and she was fine after that. Put a full hour on the motor so we are halfway through the break in period. Yea! If only all problems were that easy to solve. Now to the catalogs to find some more vents for the sides of the cover.

On a lighter note I was abel to see the flow of water through the transom and was pleased to see that it was smooth and without turbulence. i am looking forward to being able to run at WOT to see how she performs with the stock prop. SWMBO, the original Bunky, really likes her. I was hoping we could sell FESTIVUS but she wants to keep both.

BUNKY GETS WET

2011-09-16T08:46:00.001-07:00

BUNKY at the dock with her namesake
Wow, here she is again
Tied off with some temp dock lines, heading for the hardware store as soon as I finish this...
BUNKY's port side, she sure is pretty
Getting ready to leave the town dock to head over to the marina. There was one empty slip at the marina and I will use it til the end of the season... three more weeks, pretty sad but better than nothin'.

BUNKY SEES THE LIGHT AT LAST

2011-09-14T15:01:00.001-07:00

here are a mess of pics of BUNKY finally out of the shop. A bit dicey getting her out as there was very little room to swing after clearing the doorway. Still need to finish the aft around the lower part as there was just no room to do it inside. Yea!!!

BUNKY SEES THE LIGHT AT LAST

2011-09-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

BUNKY Sees The Light

2011-09-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

BUNKY Gets an HIN

2011-09-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

An inspector from the DMV arrived one day last week and brought my registration and a plate indicating the HIN. The state has no requirement as to the location of that plate so I put it just above my electrical panel and will put the full number on the transom as required.
I still have to find a couple of round head brass screws to hold the plate in place, but for now it hangs there by an adhesive backing. There are fewer and fewer excuses for not launching!! BUNKY should splash some day next week.

Almost Ready for the Lake

2011-09-04T13:04:00.001-07:00

Here is the remaining problem in rigging the motor. Because it does not have tilt trim I have been told that I cannot hook up the harness that would carry tilt trim, oil level and temp to the multi function tachometer. However the off white connector in the very front of the motor, jut above the lower cowl looks like it would mate with the harness and it presently connects to the oil level light between the two rubber knockouts in the lower cowl. What to do, what to do. Have received several good suggestions, just need to choose the right one.
I gave up and bought a brass plated piano hinge for the cuddy door. I will eventually replace it with an all brass one but it will do for now. I really want to pull BUNKY out of the shop and needed to have that door in place.
The leading edge needed to be planed off for a good fit and so I have given it a coat of epoxy to seal it and will paint tomorrow.
Need to add oil to the brand new F25 and maybe put the battery in place. Nav lights wired except for the all around light.
The shifter in place, functions nicely, access door is ready to go on, jut have to hang it in place.

I am anxious to see how she trims and might do a launch and retrieve some day next week just to see where the waterline should be and to make sure she will be self bailing.

Some Pics of The Motorwell

2011-08-21T07:51:00.001-07:00

Top of motorwell
Top of motor: 25hp Yamaha 4 stroke mounted on 15 inch transom, cav plate 1/2 inch below bottom

Tight fit, just enough room for full swing left and right and will clear tipping up (great sigh of relief). Next time I would buy the motor first if I were doing this type of motor well.
Motor just clears, good shot of the splashwell kit.

BUNKY FLIES THRU THE AIR

2011-08-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Aft lifted clear of cradle, sheet rock pail insurance (not much but better than nothing)
Up she goes Not really flying of course, she was suspended fore and aft by come0-a-longs and cargo strap while the temporary cradle was demolished and pulled out from under her.
cradle being pulled clear
Trailer almost in
We had to build a ramp for the jack wheel so that the trailer would be level with the shop floor as it went in.

BUNKY Nears Completion

2011-08-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of BUNKY as I muddle along. Waiting for a brass piano hinge so I can finish cabin door. Paint job is getting shop warn, I really need to get her on the trailer and out the door. If you click on each picture you will get a full screen shot with more detail.

Progress On BUNKY

2011-08-15T10:32:00.001-07:00

Bench seat, center lifts out for access to motor, looking for gas lifts for motorwell cover. Storage compartments are well ventilated.
hatches installed with four fasteners each and 5200. Holds like iron, so far.
All controls are inboard of frame C and take only 5 1/2 inches out of cabin. Cutouts are for panel (bottom) and ignition (top). Cutout on right of helm is for shifter.
Trunk cabin with hatches in place with modified hinges, portholes are next.

Some Progress On My Nina, BUNKY

2011-08-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Brass hatch adjuster installed on cabin hatch
Half of the bifold cabin door mounted, nice wheel from Hamilton Marine installed
Sorry, somehow got two of there
Splashwell kit for steering in a narrow motorwell

Pics From The Lake Champlain Maritime Festival

2011-08-15T10:15:00.001-07:00

Nicely restored 1927 cruiser
One of many charter sailboats docked in Burlington.
Douglas Brooks, boat builder, with a Rushton dingy that he saved from a local barn. He will take off the lines and build a replica of the original and then donate it to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
The new Coast Guard Station in the background.
This old beauty looks like it should have been in a Batman movie.

More From Lake Champlain Maritime Festival

2011-08-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Above: Friend's boat, 24' displacement cruiser, diesel powered. Builders, Geoff Kerr and Liam English. Double planked white cedar on sawn oak frames.

BUNKY Gets Fixed Ports

2011-06-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

Naturally I have the order of the pictures reversed from what I had intended so you are seeing the trim ring first. These brass/bronze? rings were part of salvage from an old sailboat. Not sure what they were used for but now they will become fixed ports on each side of BUNKY's cuddy. This one above is held temporarily in place to show how the finished product will look. The cuddy sides are of 1/4 inch ply, there will be a trim ring inside and out and a piece of 1/4 inch plexi will be held captive between the two. Clearances are tight and leave little room for error so I had to curb my natural tendencies and actually take some time and thought into the process. The following pictures will show the progression.
Here are the rings in pairs with additional holes being bored so that there will be eight fasteners rather than four for each unit.
This show the location of the port on the starboard side, a little beyond the gaping hole is the jig I used for the router to follow for cutting the hole.
The finished hole with eight holes bored at the edge for the fasteners. They will be #8 flat head brass with cap nuts on the inside. Close tolerances required as the width of the trim ring is 9/16 inches. Fortunately BUNKY will not be used offshore so there is no concern for the strength of the ports and the actual diameter of the plexi will be 6 3/4 inches.

Cockpit Almost ready for paint

2011-05-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Nice view of good size open cockpit. Eight feet long including bench seat
Hatch hardware on cabin roof, access port for shifter
Openings in bulkhead for wheel and tach
Doors propped up on block waiting for solid brass hardware

Helm for BUNKY

2011-03-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Closeup of acorn nut and washer made from the base of an antique bathroom faucet that I pulled out of my waste brass bucket. Never throw anything away!

I will double up the 3/8 ply used for the seat base. If I don't use the tractor seat I will just put in a round padded seat, no backrest. Very comfortable sitting or standing at this current arrangement. Shifter is just at the right height for either and there is good clearance between handle and wheel. I am waiting for my switch before I decide where to put it.

Working On The Helm Station On BUNKY

2011-03-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Rough layout of helm. There will need to be a panel to hide control cables under shifter
Pedestal turned from piece of fir 4x4
Tractor seat? Not sure. Holds yer butt pretty securely but not sure about it

A Splashwell Kit Installation

2011-02-25T15:34:00.000-08:00

(This is not my boat) This pic shows the kit at the left. The telescoping end of the steering cable is threaded through the support tube and is attached directly to the motor with a clevis kit. The connection of the motor end of the steering cable is threaded onto the end of the kit (out of sight starboard of the splashwell) The length of the support tube is adjustable so that it can be centered with the motor dead ahead and the wheel centered as well. this was a first for me and not sure how I would like it but now that I have dry fit it I am pleased. Not too expensive either and you save the cost of the connecting rod.

Still have snow here in the north country

2011-02-17T10:20:00.001-08:00

In the next post you will see the hardware, nearly finished polishing. Next step will be to drill/fill/redrill the holes for the hardware.
Here is the nearly empty woodshed, left side empty and right side has only about half a cord. Snow at right side is about 6 feet high, but today it is +40F. Sun is shining! Time to finish Nina and get her in the water (after the ice goes out!)

Tumblehome Nina Gets Hardware

2011-02-17T10:11:00.001-08:00

Bronze cowl vent on top of motor well cover
Motor well hardware set up for easy removal (sheetrock screws will be replaced with appropriate fasteners.
Brass hatch adjuster
Another view of the cowl vent
Cowl vent with his little friends, the cleats and chain pipe. All need a bit more polishing and small dings still harbor corrosion, maybe a job for a dremel tool?

Mockup of Windshield Pictures and description

2010-11-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Made from 1/4" luan and held together with masking tape. I think I would make the frame elements just a bit wider, they are only about 1 1/2" wide. Two layers of 3/8 " Meranti ply and 1/4" plexi windows. I also want to mount my all around light on top of the unit but it will need to be shielded on the bottom to keep the light out of the helmsman's eyes. Saw a similar design on a Maine built 19 footer.

More Pics of Mockup

2010-11-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

The measurement to the top of the cabin is 45", to top of windshield 67"
The windshield has a 3" camber, same as the cabin top

Measuring along the rake of the windshield 27" uniform across width
Tried to get the line of the coaming to flow into the side screens on a nice sweeping curve

Unfortunately impossible to get a true perspective of the scale I drew a scaled picture of Nina and scaled the windshield and cabin using my actual dimensions and it looks right (to me). I can stand at the helm and look under the top edge of the frame and see all the way to the horizon so am happy with that.

Some Views of Nina in Primer

2010-08-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

Nina in primer, (S3 high build, two part). View above of fake stem, buffalo rails and pennant holder. a souvenir of the 2010 Mystic Boat Show.
view of port side looking forward. I like the gray of the primer against the white hull and may choose that as the color for the topsides. I may paint a sheer strake in the same red as the hull bottom.
Standing at the helm looking forward.
At the helm looking aft. The topsides are now finished other than final painting. All that is left is the interior of the cockpit, seating etc. Rear bench seat is roughed it but that's it.
Motorwell cover ready for final paint.

Windshield Cchoices For Nina

2010-08-31T06:33:00.000-07:00

Mockup of side view of lobster boat type windshield, maybe a good choice for New England?
Sportfisherman windshield mockup. Maybe a good choice for the Gulf? I really like how the lines blend from the coaming. SWMBO likes this one best. I like the Lobstah one. the lobster windshield would have a hard top, okume ply for light weight, the sportfisher would have a bimini attached to the top edge.

This next section is on building the cabin top hatch

2010-08-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to build my own cabin top hatch for Tumblehome Nina. I could have save hours of work by buying one but enjoyed the process of designing and building my own. The hatch consists of coamings that are about an inch proud of the cabin top made from 3/8ths Meranti plywood. They are shaped to follow the camber of the cabin top. Crowning the top edge of the coamings is a horizontal layer of 1/4 inch ply by 3/4 inch wide and fit to be flush with the inside of the coamings. The hatch top is fit to sit snugly on top of this layer of 1/4 inch ply. Later a strip of weather stripping will be applied to the inside of the hatch cover to fit directly above the 1/4 inch ply. This will elevate the hatch sides up off the cabin top to provide a drip edge. I am satisfied that anything short of a direct hit by a fire hose will not cause a leak.

There is a recess inside the hatch for a screen panel.

Building The Hatch Cover

2010-08-29T08:40:00.001-07:00

First I placed a garbage bag over the coamings for the hatch to keep the new hatch from bonding to the cabin top or coamings. The sides for the hatch were then placed over the coamings having first been scribed to fit the shape of the hull and glued together at the corners. The sides were just the same height as the top of the coamings.
The first layer of 1/4 inch was glued to the top of the hatch frame and tacked where needed with bronze ring nails to be removed when all set up. After all was set up the router was used to trim flush and a second layer of 1/4 inch was added for strength and trimmed with a round over bit and covered with 6 oz glass.
The hatch with the first layer only waiting to be trimmed off. Fits nicely to the camber of the cabin top.
A possible choice for hinges for the hatch. Probably will use something different though. Very difficult to find hinges for hatches on small boats apparently. Lots of choices for larger hatches but this one is only a little more than an inch and one quarter high.
A long view of the hatch waiting for me to get back to work and put the camera away!!

Pictures in the next post show the finished hatch.

My cuddy hatch, fake stem and buffalo rails

2010-08-14T13:36:00.001-07:00

Here is my cuddy hatch, no hardware yet. Top has 2 layers of 1/4 inch okume because I know someone will sit on it.
Buffalo rails with built in bow chocks. Rails are made up of three layers of 1/4 inch ply.
Fake stem made of the same 2x fir that I used for my skeg. Great old growth material that was salvaged from an old building. The chocks in the rails just got an extra coat of epoxy to make sure they will be tough enough for the job. No deck hardware installed yet. 6 oz. glass on all flat surfaces including motorwell cover, weave filled and sanded and ready for primer.

Old Boat Show in Burlington Harbor

2010-08-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

Some beautiful old boats on display on a pretty day. A couple of Lymans, a Sleeper and a workboat launch, some nice mahogany types from the 50s, a great old Elco 34 footer from 1930 and a motorized launch from 1905 with a hand cranked one lunger. The pictures I took were mainly of building items that interested me. Here are a few detailing hatch construction
you can click on any one of these to blow up for some more detail. The one below has a deadlite.

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

2010-07-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Bill Hazelett, a local business man, has donated a new building at the museum to house part of the museum/s extensive collection of boats. The new building was necessary because there was no building large or tall enough to house Hazelett/s iceboat, Storm King, a 100 year old of immense proportions. Check out the museum's website for more information

Lift hatches as designed by Fred Bingham

2010-07-19T09:43:00.001-07:00

Here is a page from Bingham's excellent book on wooden boat joinery. The hatch design I chose was A as the simplest of the designs and one that I felt would be adequate for the conditions that Nina would face. At this point I have installed the coamings that are the immovable part of the hatch along with an innovative addition of a lip designed to turn back water before it could overwhelm the fixed coaming. (see additional postings) When the epoxy has set up I will sand, trim, round over and saturate exposed wood. The next step will be to build the lift hatch itself which will consist of 3/8 inch sides and 1/4 inch ply top. The final steps will be glass and hardware.

Making progress on Lift Hatch

2010-07-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

3/8 x 3/4 inch lip added to the top of the hatch coaming.

The lip protrudes 3/8 inch beyond the coaming and will turn back (I hope) any water that surges against the coaming. The hatch is, with the exception of the lip, as designed by Fred Bingham in his excelltent book on boat building joinery. (See above)

Working on both ends of Nina

2010-07-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Coaming for cabin top hatch dry fit in place. Since this picture it has been epoxied in place. There will be a lip of 3/4" wide x 1/4 in ply added to the top of the coaming fitted flush to the inside of the opening. This will aid in deflecting any water from the opening. The hatch cover will fit over all and contain weather stripping that will (should) fit tightly onto the ply lip. Hinged aft and secured forward with a clamp.
Checking the look of a cast bronze vent for the motor well cover. The vent plus three 2 inch holes drilled in the back of the cover should provide adequate ventilation plus oxygen for the motor, especially at idle.

Hatch Ideas from the Web

2010-07-15T09:43:00.001-07:00

These suggestions are great but I am going to go in a different direction for my cabintop hatch. I plan to rely more on weather stripping that bulk to seal the hatch. May work, may not, but I, having been married three time, am always the optimist. I believe I can build a low profile, weather tight hatch from materials at hand.

Cabintop hatch routed out

2010-07-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Standing on the potty cover I can easily reach forward to access cleats and anchor
Opening for the hatch. Coamings will be 3/8 inch plywood that will be one inch proud of the cabin top. The forward cabin bulkhead rises only 10 inches up from the foredeck. This allows me to lean forward easily and is why it is built low. The downside is a restriction of headroom in the forward part of the cabin but is a reasonable tradeoff as I consider the cabin shelter in nasty weather and otherwise the low cabin does not impact the value of the cabin as a sleeper. The hatch also allows male users of the potty to stand in the footwell and remain vertical if they desire.

The bottom edge of the coamings will be 3/4 inch up from the hatch framing to make a pocket for a screen insert.

Possible Port lites for Nina

2010-07-14T17:32:00.001-07:00

Three salvaged Wilcox Crittenden bronze portlites with a 1/2 inch spigot. Heavily coated with many layers of paint, but no biggie, 4 inch for the cabin front and one 6 inch on each side of the cabin. Cool.

Newest Addition

2010-07-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

1974 Boston Whaler Squall Sailing Dinghy
All in very decent shape, other than a little dirt and 300 pounds of water trapped between the hull and liner. How to get it out? Took 6 or us to get it in my pickup

Cabin Roof Glassed

2010-07-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Standing in cockpit looking over cabin

Drain for anchor locker visible on hull, glassing foredeck next....

Foredeck Trimmed and Ready for Glass

2010-07-07T06:29:00.000-07:00

Bow cleats will be cut into what Harry Bryan refers to as buffalo rails (not shown but ready to install after glassing. Buffalo rails are "taller" than toe rails and will terminate in a false stem (not shown or made yet.)

Hardware set roughly in place, anchor on new bronze chocks, new bronze (souvenir of Mystic) pennant holder and salvaged bronze chain pipe and bow cleat.
I should be able to access all from a hatch cut into the top front of the cuddy roof.

Foredeck clamped in place

2010-07-06T07:22:00.001-07:00

With the help of most of my clamps and a few drywall screws the foredeck is secured. Took the clamps off this morning and trimmed the edges with the roundover bit.

Scupper Photos

2010-07-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Looking through the cutout in the false transom. The 2" scupper goes through the transom and is at the level of the sole. Looking above the transom you cane see frame E and the outline of a cutout which is attached to the motor hood. When the hood is raised this cutout gives easy access to the cables and motor. Out of sight is the splash well floor which spans the space between frame F and the true transom.
This photo shows frame F (you can just see the cutout that is part of the motor hood) with a seat base on each side and in the distance you can see the 2" cutout for the scupper in the true transom. The finished product will have a full bench seat, the center part removable (as in the picture). When the seat is in place it will only extend down 3" from the top surface. This extension is to give the center part of the seat necessary stiffness. Perhaps there will be a battery on the starboard side and a portable 6 gallon gas tank to port. Both will be pretty much out of sight tucked under the side seats.

Foredeck hatch framing

2010-07-02T08:30:00.001-07:00

Opening just roughly 20 x 20 for shop made hatch

Cabin Roof Installed

2010-07-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Cabin roof made from less than one sheet of 1/4 inch Okume
Roof trimmed and rounded for installation of glass

View of Foredeck Framing

2010-06-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Top opening in frame A gives access to anchor locker for ventilation, bottom opening for?? maybe extra rode?

Hardware lined up in order are bow cleat, chain pipe and flag holder for pennant. Most of the hardware is salvaged from a sailboat, hollow bronze, the pennant holder is also bronze, new manufactured by Davey and a souvenir of the 2010 Mystic boat show.

In the foreground of the pic is the top edge of the cabin

Foredeck Construction and Layout

2010-06-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Bronze anchor chocks will be mounted to the side of the foredeck hatch
Inch pine "cleats" around perimeter of cabin for extra glue surface and as a trim line. Will be glassed in with cabin top after rounding off.
Above shows framing from A to cabin front
Center member will be cut at red lines after deck is installed for a 20 x 20 hatch.
This photo shows location of bow cleat, chain pipe and flag holder for pennant (do we have Bateau pennants?)

1917 Herroshoff launch designed for the US Navy during WW

2010-06-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Still runs great and is one of the many boats belonging to the museum at Mystic

If the claw fail....

2010-06-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Dougster, here is an anchor that might work, SWMBO tried to slip it into her bag but.....

Anchoring Systems for Dougster

2010-06-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Home made anchor chocks on a beautiful lobster yacht

Above is a beauty, chain pipe just out of sight, sorry

Mini Tug

2010-06-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Workboat finish, no sanding, looks like rust scale painted over, love it!

Motor well cover, Bench Seat

2010-03-30T11:10:00.001-07:00

The motor well cover, starboard hatch in place (port side backordered). The bench seat needs some vents and openings along the bottom to allow water to reach the transom scupper. The center part of the bench seat will be removable.

Nina gets A Coaming

2010-03-30T11:03:00.001-07:00

The coaming is made up of 3 pieces of 1/4 plywood and follows the line of the sheer. It was make to take the abuse of a swim ladder. The bottom picture shows one of the salvaged cleats, hollow bronze and needing to be stripped of old paint.

Maine Boatbuilder's Show

2010-03-21T10:46:00.001-07:00

The pictures are in no special order. We stayed at the Holiday Inn, 19th floor with a beautiful view of the harbor, woke up to a deep red sunrise, temps got up to 68 very comfortable degrees, met fellow forum member D2 Maine out front of the show and had a great time seeing all the exhibits. SWMBO seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. This is one of the best shows, boats built by real people not factories, and not all looking like giant white plastic ski boots. My only wish is that I had taken more time to compose pictures but to tell the truth it was so crowded I probably would still be there angling for a better shot. You may have to go back through older posts to see them all, there are at least 20 or so. As you know, if you click on a pic it comes up full screen.

The Maine Boatbuilder's Show, Portland

2010-03-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

Temperature, 68 degrees, sunny, great boats, friendly folks, even great food upstairs with a great view of the harbor. ZOGO (above)was a custom designed and built boat with fantastic woodworking and detail. Boats of all kinds from pure wooden boats built with native materials like Pulsifers to carbon fiber/kevlar canoes. By and large the builders themselves were there to answer questions about their designs and happy to chat with folks. Met a lovely lady who had been a Vermonter and now owns a boat yard on Cranberry Island.

Maine Boatbuilder's Show

2010-03-21T10:26:00.001-07:00

All kinds of boats, a nautical flea market, next door is one of Hamilton Marine's outlets with everything on sale, looking through these pics you will see my beautiful wife holding a wheel I bought at the flea market for $2. Never saw one like it before, some kind of composition with a 3/4 taper. If you examine the pics you will see Dick Pulsifer and his Corgi, D2Maine (I wont tell you which pic, he is shy)

more oics

2010-03-21T10:23:00.001-07:00

more pics

2010-03-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

more pics

2010-03-21T10:18:00.001-07:00

more pics

2010-03-21T10:16:00.001-07:00

more pics

2010-03-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Tumble Home Nina

2010-02-25T11:57:00.001-08:00

Nina gets some TLC with side decks dry fit, quarter decks glued in, rear bench seat in progress (center section will be removable) motorwell hatch in progress, some bronze hardware and Bomar Hatches selected for the quarter deck storage spaces.

View Down Thru Motor Well Hatch

2010-02-25T11:49:00.001-08:00

This shows the motor well, splash well, and transom (True transom? false transom? I dont know but it is where the motor will hang) This version of the motor well is influenced by the Ninegret and Handy Billy. Wide enough at the top for the power unit and more narrow at the bottom but still wide enough for the drive leg. The transom has been cut down to 15 inches and the top of the hatch will sit 4 inches proud of the quarter decks and 3 inches higher than the motor cowling.

Quarter Decks To Get Bomar Hatches

2010-02-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

Bomar hatch from Defender ($78) 14 x 22 with an 11 x 19 (roughly) clear opening. Should make entire storage space accessable.

Bronze Hardware Throughout

2010-02-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

Snap apart bronze hinges for the motor well hatch (Defender $49) and bronze cleat, part of a salvage effort from an old sailboat. Fortunately there are enough cleats for the whole boat at very minimal cost. The trick now will be to find the few odds and ends needed to stay all bronze. The cleats will lose their coats of paint when the weather warms up and I can work outside.

Tumblehome Nina Gets a Motorwell Hatch

2010-02-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

Motor well hatch glued up without the top (next step)

Picture shows quarter decks glued on, rear bench seat in progress

William Hand's Shark

2010-02-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of excerpts from an issue of Motor Boating magazine from an early 20th century edition. William Hand's designs were for semi displacement hulls with low power requirements and good sea keeping abilities. I believe his designs were the inspiration for boats like the Ninegret, Harry Bryan's Handy Billy and of course Jacques Merton's Nina. Click on the pictures for an enlarged version and be sure to read the text in the box.

Transom Mounted Scupper

2010-02-08T06:58:00.001-08:00

Here are some pics of the through hull scupper for Nina. Unfortunately the plug is a bit small and I will have to find another alternative. The beauty of this scupper is that there will be no penetrations in the form of screws into the hull, the scupper is screwed to the fitting and is easily replaceable. The catalog is Hamilton Marine and shows both the fitting I used and the replacement scupper.

Jig Made For Drilling Transom

2010-01-31T18:32:00.000-08:00

Yamaha finally sent me the sheet with the mounting hole dimensions for the F25. Made this jig for drilling the holes, three layers of 3/4 inch ply for a depth of three inches. Drilled the holes oversize (3/4 inch), filled with thickened epoxy and will redrill just over correct size for a bit of wiggle room. Worth all the work to protect the transom from rot.

Side decks roughed in

2010-01-22T12:28:00.001-08:00

Side decks held in place with clamps to get an idea of how it will look. Need to do more finish work to the inside of the hull before installing them and the foredeck.

Looking forward from the cockpit

2010-01-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

The berths are dry fitted, porta potti peeks out from under the berth. There will be a panel added to the cover and I need to add an access near the bottom for the operating handle.

Fooling around with ideas for the helm

2010-01-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have two of these tractor seats and my daughter insists they would make great helm and first mate seats. The milk crate indicates where a rearward facing seat might go. The helm seat is at about 26 inches from the floor which gives good visibility over the cabin. The rear facing seat attached to the helm seat will make a great step for getting in and out of the boat. Still trying to decide on the console.

The seat back

2010-01-22T12:15:00.001-08:00

If you could imagine a horizontal line across the seat back 15 inches up from the sole and two vertical lines extending vertically upward from it to the edge of the gunnels you would have the fold down seat back. The hatches over the motor well and side storage along with the fold down seat back allow access to the motor and storage areas. There will be a bench seat across the back with storage under.

the motor well

2010-01-22T12:13:00.001-08:00

this image shows the motor well with port and stbd storage areas. The splash well will go in as soon as I get the bolt patterns from Yamaha. I need that info to determine if I need to cut into the sole to access bolts.

Port side storage area

2010-01-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

Port side, same as Stbd side, nattery box shows tight fit , tools and mess on top of foamed area, plenty of room there for fenders, lines, etc. These areas will be covered and accessed through a top hatch and the fold down seat back.

Working on the motor well area

2010-01-22T12:05:00.000-08:00

Stbd side storage area, raised part will be for light storage, foam poured under, the smaller area that goes all the way to the cockpit sole will be for a battery

Welcome to Winter in Vermont

2010-01-08T07:53:00.001-08:00

Poor old truck needs some digging out. The following posts show my most recent progress on building Nina. Slow going, need to start each work session with building a fire in the shop of Wonderdog Boatworks, waiting for all to warm up and then getting on with it. Wish I had done more last summer, fall and, oh well, here we are.

Motor Well

2010-01-08T07:51:00.001-08:00

The modified motor well and storage spaces on either side. There is floatation foam under each storage compartment.

Cabin Roof Framing

2010-01-08T07:49:00.001-08:00

Three shots showing the cabin framing and dry fit berths below

Foredeck framing

2010-01-08T07:46:00.001-08:00

Also in this pic are the bronze cleat and fake stem. The cleat is part of three buckets of bronze fittings that came from an old sailboat, I have several that I will use on TUMBLEHOME NINA.

View of the modified motor well

2010-01-08T07:43:00.001-08:00

By narrowing the opening through the hull I added 2 square feet to the planing surface and a bit more bouancy to the aft end of the boat. This is also done in Bryan's Handy Billy and the Ninegret, lots of extra work, hopefully worth it.

Finally Laid the Sole in Nina's Cockpit

2010-01-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

Anything with a bit of weight was put in the cockpit to hold the ply down until the epoxy could cure., didn't realize how many anchors I had acquired! Can't have too many.

Correction on the new Penn Yan

2009-12-04T09:38:00.001-08:00

The new addition is a 1946 Penn Yan Aristocrat. The decks and sides (above the spray rails) are mahogany. The confusion came from some misinformation early on but has been cleared up with some help from the Penn Yan owners assoc. The hull and decks seem to be in very good restorable condition but will have to wait til spring or summer to get into it.

Making progress on Tumblehome Nina

2009-12-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

The following pictures show the added frames between C and D and between D and E. This allowed me to lay the sole at right angles to the stringers and making it so all edges of the plywood are on frames or cleats. The waste will make the consoles. Frame C becomes the bulkhead separating the cabin from the cockpit. The opening in frame C will be a bit wider and the top of the opening will be cut out. The cabin roof will have a hatch at that opening as is typically done to allow easy entrance into the cabin. Hopefully the following pictures will help in the explanation.

Mystery Answered

2009-10-03T13:27:00.002-07:00

The new boat is not a Swift but is a Penn Yan Aristocrat, 1946 vintage originally finished bright above the spray rail and on the decks. The hardware is chrome plated bronze. Below the spray rail is to be finished ivory.

Mystery Answered

2009-10-03T13:27:00.001-07:00

New Addition to The Fleet

2009-09-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

A 1958 (appox.) Penn0Yan Joins the Wonderdog Fleet

Rub rails installed on Nina

2009-09-16T15:42:00.001-07:00

For Nina Builders

2009-09-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here is another option for the windshield version of Nina, picture is from Soundings Magazine article on the most recent WB show in Mystic CT

Hull Tweaked

2009-09-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

I just had to tweak the hull to bring the diagonal strings together. The solution was simple, pull the point of the bow over to the port side and the strings just touch. Simple enough but not sure how to keep it there til all the structure is in place.

Frames Mostly removed, Hull Stands Alone

2009-09-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

No that the frames are out of the way it is a little easier to see the hull itself. I used my 6" surform and a bench plane to clean up the edges of the sheer where bits of glass and epoxy seemed to want to gather. After these pictures were taken I stretched two lines across the hull from up near the bow (frame B) back to the transom, crossing somewhere in the middle and missing touching each other by less than one eighth inch. Close enough but maybe I'll try to tweak it a bit.

Right side up at last

2009-09-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

FLIPPED AT LAST!

2009-09-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today I was finally able to flip the boat and now she sits in her cradle waiting for the inside work and rubrail. The two comealongs one each affixed to the bow and transom lifted her up so I could remove all of the supports for the frame and strong back and then set her in her cradle.

Flip Delayed

2009-09-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

I gave Nina another coat of paint today after careful scrutiny showed a few spots that looked a little thin. Never be an easier time to paint the bottom, just hate to put the flip off til the paint has a chance to harden up.

Nina With Fresh Paint On Her Bottom

2009-09-04T12:12:00.001-07:00

The new paint seems to be drying as it should, looks a lot better

Great Old "Fisherman" Anchor

2009-09-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

We picked this beauty up at the Salem Mass. boat show in August 09