It all starts with a plan



The Plans



Plans arrive and the proccess begins. The plans include 3 sizes ( 7'.5', 7' 8', 7'10") and 3 versions (rowing, sailing, or a small outboard). I will build the 7'5" sailing/rowing version. Using Sipo mahogany and Cypress for all solid wood parts and the strakes will be 6mm (1/4") Hydrotek maranti plywood.

In order to avoid damaging the origanal plans I like to trace them onto drafting paper before doing the actual transfer to the 1/2" MDF.



Pattern Trassing



Time consuming but very worth while as I will be reffering to theses plans alot and in my slightly crowded woodshop--paper plans can get destroyed fast.

Next order of business is to create the strong back. A perfectly square and very ridged table with 2 main Railes or bearers as they are called, that run exactly parallel to each other. This table is anchored to the floor so as to maintain this alighnment during the hull building proccess.



Strongback built



The strongback with a piece of 1/2" MDF on top, acts as a perfect work surface for transfering the full size patterns to more MDF to create the station molds.



Transom glued up



In between tracing and transfering the patterns to the mdf, I mill and glue up the 3/4" Sipo Mahogany for the transom. I aslso take this time to mill around 15 pieces of 3/16" thick X 2.5" X 38" strips of the same wood for creating the laminated inner and outer stems.