hopeful

Hey Buck, Thanks for your kind comments. Great to hear from you and thanks for reposting your whale boat build.....love the little hatchet!!!!! We all have learned a lot from you...great tips and techniques. Need to see more from you! Stay in touch! BFN, Hopeful aka David

Hi All, Post #3 of my Sharpie Schooner Build Log Russ: Gee, how did I miss your completed projects list. I went through your Skiff build log and enjoyed it all over again, super stuff. I am hopeful in a years time to see all the former build logs re posted!!! Here we go again with some more steps in the build: First, before doing any work on the deck make sure that step 9 on page 9 of the instructios is completed. The step requires the builder to add two strips of wood to the deck side of the false keel behind bulkhead f-3. The purpose of the wood strip is to force the deck to bend when glued to the tops of the of bulkheads. The curve of the deck enables water to run off the deck and out through the scupers. Now to the deck. Photo 12 The instructions are very clear about how to remove, finish and attach the deck to the vessel. I used a pair of dividers to mark the distance between the deck boards, a flat 12 inch steel rule, and a mechanical pencil to scribe the lines on the deck. Tip.......practice on the reverse side of the deck to get a feel for the task at hand. Do not remove the scribed deck pieces until after all the lines are scribed on the front side of the deck. Photo 13 Shows the finished deck with which was stained with minwax golden oak and protected by two wipe-on/wipe-off coats matt polyurethane. Tip....to protect the deck add the color and the poly finish before gluing it to the deck. That way if you get PVA white glue on the deck it will wipe away with water easily without harming the deck. Photo 14 Shows the deck glued to the bulkheads. Tip......PVA glue takes a bit of time to dry so have some rubber bands available to help hold the deck down. You may also use Yellow PVA Carpenters glue which dry much quicker than the PVA white glue. I use both types of PVA glue. Photo 15 Tip...... protect the deck going forward by applying blue painters low tack tape. it is readily available at big box stores like Home Depot and at harware stores. Read the label and make sure you buy low tack tape........it is clearly marked. The tape should be removed and replaced once a month. Net step is to add the transom. Keep on and BFN. Cheers, Hopeful aka David

Hey Katz, Just rejoined MSW and saw you are reposting your Cutty build log. Thanks, its a treasure trove for us all! Will follow you from here. Best wishes, Hopeful aka David

Hi, (Post #2 of my Sharpie Schooner Build log.) Russ: Thanks for stopping by. It is always good to hear from you and thanks for reposting your ongoing Biloxi Schooner build. I enjoy looking and learning from your builds. Perhaps we will see some of your small boat builds reposted as well. BTW, thanks to you, I have all my photos saved at photobucket. My photos from the site transfer easily to the new MSW site, though I am having problems uploading them to the gallery. Will figure that out along the way. Since this is a repost I will continue to number the posts and each photo. In the event a new builder of the Sharpie Schooner wants to ask questions they can refer to a post number as well as a photo number, e.g., regarding your post #2, photo 7, etc. Familiarise yourself with the instructions and refer to them often.......that goes for the drawings as well. Take your time and be patient with yourself. The adage "haste makes waste" is never more true than when building a boat! Photo 8 Shows the false keel and bulkheads removed from the die-cut part sheets from the kit. Use care when removing the parts and number each part and where they are located on the false keel. Check to make sure the false keel is perfectly straight. If not, you must take action to make it straight. Photo 9 When gluing, I use PVA white glue, the bulkheads to the false keel make certain they are square. Time and patience with this step will reward you later. Photo 10 Shows the false keel is perfectly straight, yeah! Photo 11 The bulkheads are square to the false keel and ready for the next step in the build.........adding the deck Thanks for looking in and happy building. Bye for now, Hopeful aka David "there is wisdom in many voices"

Hi Russ, Its great you have reposted this log. I am learning alot from this build. Cheeers, Hoperful

Hi Mates. (Post #1 of my Sharpie Schooner Build Log) The purspose of this log is to repost my Midwest Sharpie Schooner build log. The project was my first build and the kit is considered an entry level project. The vessel is characterized by having a flat bottom and a skeg rather than a keel. I enjoyed the build immensely for many reasons. I had a lot of help from the forum while building the vessel and any success that I had along the way was in great part due to their kind and patient assistance. Photo 1 - Box art and kit components. The drawings and plans were very good and easy to follow. The price of the kit is approx. $75 USD. Photo 2 - Finished vessel arrived at by following the prepared plans and instructions. Photo is from box art. Along the way I decided to bash the kit by trying to more closely replicate an ocean going Sharpie Schooner of the mid 19th century that sailed the eastern coast of the USA from New England to Florida. Two photos of the type vessel gained from research are posted for reference. Photo 3 Photo 4 At this point I would like to show a few pics of my completed vessel. Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7 I will post, lol, an album of the completed vessel in the Gallery shortly. From here I will post the build log as to how the vessel was constructed including how to make the sails. Thank you for looking in on the build. Cheers, Hopeful aka David "there is wisdom in many voices" Completed: Midwest Sharpie Schooner, kit bash Current: MSW Sultana

Hi Frank Agree with your applause of Jim and his equipment....nothing short of fantastic. I have all his equipment but for the ropewalk....that's next for me. When purchasing the table saw some time ago I ordered blank table top inserts without the hole for a blade. To achieve a zero tolerence which is so important when working with small items, I simply held the blank insert secure while raising the blade of choice slowly through the insert to cut the zero tolerance blade opening. The inserts I bought were aluminum and hard on the blade. I bought extra blades so I can sacriface a blade here and there. Alternatively, you can trace the outline of the supplied saw insert onto a stiff piece of wood and accomplish the same outcome. Bye for now, Hopeful aka David

Hi Doris, I join others in appreciation of your amazing skills! Cheers, Hopeful aka David