Workshop session 3 - 4th November 2017

Pictures and text provided by Paul.

Photos and information provided by Paul.

On November 4th nine of our members met again at Bill Turner's wonderful workshop to continue the building of the fishing boat Scarbh and the Pilot 40.  By now the frames have been cut and trimmed to lock properly into the keel.  Steve spent some time explaining in detail how to be careful with this step so you can save plenty of work down the road trying to straighten things out.
We talked about planking and the methods to be used including adding blocks to the bow and stern thus adding strength while easing the planking job.
The frames will now be attached to the building board and then planking can start.
If you have not been to one of the sessions it's not too late to start.  The Pilot 40 is underway but there is still lots to learn about the hull completion and the building of the superstructure.  We have not begun the Scarbh yet although it should start next time.
Watch your e-mail for the schedule.

5th Workshop session, 9th March 2018

Information and pictures by Paul.

Modelling workshop, 22nd April 2017

Information provided by Paul

Progress is going well with the hull planking all in place.  Just a little filling and sanding and then we will be on to the installation of the deck.  Steve managed to puncture his palm with a No. 11 blade on a utility knife.  Can't be too careful!

Information provided by Paul.

4th Workshop session, 10th February 2018.

Workshop session 2, 20th May 2017

We had nine builders attend session 2 of the building of the fishing boat Scarbh and the Pilot 40.  Steve gave a wonderful talk about how to read the drawings and from them cut out the templates for the frames of the boats.  He spoke about the tricks he had learned over the years and the pitfalls we could all avoid.  We talked about materials and next steps.  In June we will start cutting wood and placing frames on building boards.  That's when the real fun starts!

Scratch-building workshops - step-by-step and hands-on.

These are presented in date order; the latest one is at the bottom.

          On April 22 ten members responded to the invitation sent by the Executive to attend a planning session for the next series of club workshops. Steve spoke about how many topics had been covered in previous workshops such as soldering, styrene work, and electrical work and he suggested our next step might be to build a boat together as a group at Bill’s workshop. There was much enthusiastic discussion about this idea and, by the end of the meeting it had been decided to build two boats – the Motor Yacht Scarbh and the pleasure craft Pilot 40. Both boats will be built from scratch using the plank & frame method over a building board and will be completed essentially according to the plans which Steve and Doug provided.
          For those members who wish to build a model at home at the same time, extra copies of the plans are being made available. In addition, there will be more plan sets of other suitable models available for review at our next General Membership meeting, for participants who might want to strike out on a different build, but at the pace of our workshop build.
          Workshop meetings will be monthly and reports will be made and discussions will be had at our regular club meetings. Summaries of our progress will be posted on this web site.
          All members are welcome to attend any or all of the workshop sessions and can contribute to the building or observe – your choice. There will be a project fee for those members who expect to be regular participants, and wish to participate in the project draws. Once the boats are finished the draws will be held to see who gets to take a boat home. Each time you attend a session you will have your name entered in the draw so the more often you attend, the bigger your chances of winning.

The main topic for this workshop was fibreglassing the hull. Some final words were spoken regarding aligning the propeller shaft tubes, and ensuring the slot for them was correct.

Final filling, sanding and application of a coat of epoxy had been completed. Steve talked about using Z-Poxy finishing resin and measuring and mixing. A light fibreglass cloth, approx 1/2 oz, was applied and epoxied, firstly over the parallel section of the hull, with some trimming over the bow area. A separate piece was applied to the transom.

​The pictures show the sequence.

Building workshop - 20th April 2019

Work continued at Bill T's workshop as six builders braved the winter weather to participate in the construction of our Pilot 40.  Steve M has been a great teacher and has been wonderful at bringing materials and tools (although Bill has most of the tools that were ever made!).  Steve provides an explanation of what must be done, gives a demonstration, and then invites participants to have a try.
At this session we fine tuned the hull with sandpaper to ensure the planks would install in a smooth manner.  Extra stringers were added and then the planking started using 1/8 x 1/2 balsa.  There were some tricky parts near the bow but they will work out fine.
Next session is tentatively scheduled for March 3.