hamilton

Hi John - thanks! I think that this skiff design was generated first to supply exactly that - as a tender for larger sail boats. I'm also gifting this to my father, who turned 80 this year, as a nod to the tender we used to drag behind our sail boat when I was a teen and 20-something - though the design of that one was very different. hamilton

A very quick update on the OC Skiff - thwarts finished and installed. Not much to say about this - in the first photo you can see the sculling pad I installed based on an image of the OC Skiff I saw online which bears this feature, and in the second photo you can sort of see where I've thinned out the edges of the thwarts to lighten their look - a small feature, but I wanted to try to add this detail.... Enjoy! hamilton

Thanks Jon! I remember your remarkable Bluenose build from back then! It will be nice to return to my much more modest one in the near future! hamilton

Thanks Mark! It's been quite satisfying making something small and contained - next up will be a return to the 1:64 scale Bluenose I started some years ago...feel like the momentum and desire are there now - if only I can keep my workdays contained enough to eke out some modelling time in the evenings! Bye for now hamilton

Hello again Another progress report on the OC Skiff, which is now very near completion. I've decided not to rig her after all, though I think she would look quite attractive in this mode - I may build a second version rigged at some point, but I realised that there were too many unknowns to proceed with this adaptation at present. So she will remain a rowing skiff. This leaves a very short list of jobs left before completion. The first step was to add the frames inboard. These were cut from 1/16" square mahogany thinned down slightly to match the dimensions given on the plans. I first marked out the station lines and inserted frames corresponding to the stations (first photo below). The plans call for two frames spaced evenly between each station - easy enough - with one extra frame at bow and stern. A very straightforward job. Next was to install the stringers. These also were fabricated from 1/16" square stock (walnut this time, since that was what was available to me), slightly thinned, once again to match the dimensions given. They are situated 6 3/4" down from the sheer (full size obviously!) so I marked this distance on a tick strip and marked the frames all along, correcting with the rough cut stringer clamped in place to ensure a smooth run. Once these were installed (which was a bit ore finicky than I had expected, I cut out the thwarts. I modified the stern thwart slightly from the plans, where it is drawn as a simple plank. I used drawings of a skiff in a book of small boat designs I had to come up with what you see here, modified slightly to fit the model. I also cut a small triangular "breast hook" (not sure that term applies to this piece) for the bow of the skiff - also a modification from the plans and installed partly to draw attention away from a bit of messiness in my construction at the bow, though I'm not sure it works for this purpose.... My next task is to do some finishing experiments with to arrive at a decent look for the thwarts. Once I come up with something that I think looks good, I'll finish and install the thwarts and then move on to the inboard sheer rails, oarlock pads & oarlocks and a couple of other little things - oars most obviously and perhaps some other little oddments to stow inside.... Enjoy! hamilton

Back in the shop again today - tail end of my summer vacation so trying to make the most of it! This morning, I installed the outboard rails - a sheer strake cut from 1/8 x 1/16 half-round mahogany and what I'm calling a "vanity strake" below that - 1/8" x .5mm pre-painted lime, which was included as outboard bulwark planking on the Corel Greuhound kit which I built up some years ago as HMS Blandford. I think the accent looks nice, though for a full sized skiff, this added feature would be pretty impractical - hence "vanity strake". After lunch I'm planning on starting to add frames inboard from 1/16 x 1/16 mahogany - so hopefully another update by the end of the day...really wanted to get this model finished before heading back to work, but it doesn't look like that's to be.....oh well - I'll be able to scratch out some time here and there before things get really busy at the office in September.... Bye for now and enjoy! hamilton

Thanks John - it certainly feels good to bring this little model together. Maybe back to something bigger once the summer's over.... hamilton

Hello all It's been a very busy and productive day in the workshop. I followed through on the .5mm inboard planking, including the inboard transom, added and finished the rubbing strakes on the bottom, and fashioned and installed the outer stem. I gave the inboard planking a decent sanding, but will do a bit more and finish them with some wipe-on poly - the photos below show them unfinished. The rubbing strakes were pretty straightforward - I made them from 1/8 x 3/32" lime, angling off the stern and bow ends as per the plans. The stem tapers in the sided dimension from 1 5/8" to 1" (full) from the head to the heel and also has a slight taper in the molded dimension. To achieve this on a relatively small strip, I glued the piece to a larger scrap of 1/4" ply (leftover from the molds) and sanded the taper in on the drum sander. It was easy to loosen the piece afterwards, clean it up and fit it to the hull. There is a flat section along the front 3/4" wide (full), which I filed in more or less....I kept misplacing my glasses all day - not sure what's happening, but I'm not quite ready to get a strap for them to hang around my neck, so for now I'll have to depend on my short-term memory improving....anyways, I think she's shaping up - I'll finish the out rails (1/8 x 1/16" half round mahogany) and start on adding the frames (1/16"x 1/16" mahogany) tomorrow - then it will just be the stringers, thwarts and in-rails to complete before the basic model is complete - unless I go for a rig....still undecided..... Enjoy! hamilton

Aha! Thanks B.E. - much appreciated! hamilton

These arrows don't appear for me when I maximise the gallery images....so I can't navigate them - not sure why this is....I wonder if Terry is experiencing this same issue? hamilton

Yes - I think it will look much nicer with some clean looking planking inboard - thanks for dropping bye John! hamilton

Hello again: Back from our vacation now and returned to the heat and smoke of the Pacific Northwest...mostly been doing laundry today, but had a bit of time to puzzle out some things on the OC Skiff and do some minor work. Before going away I did finish outboard - white above the waterline and a dark grey below. My main quandary at this point was the inboard finishing. I wanted to go for a natural wood finish inboard, but the filler I used to seal up some of the broader seams between planks meant that a natural finish would look a bit uneven and weird. I thought for a minute about painting, but I really didn't like that idea, so I decided to add some very thin (.5mm) planking inboard. I had quite a bit of usable material left over from my build of the Fair Rosamund so am using that - it's thin enough that it won't make the topside planking look too weighty and is a decent enough tone that a few coats of wipe-on poly should bring out a good natural finish. The final image below shows the first strake of inboard planking set on the starboard side and clamped in to port. Enjoy - hope you're all doing well out there. hamilton

Hello all Quick update (without photos, I'm afraid). I spent a bit of time filling the small and not so small errors in the topside planking and sanding the hull quite a lot inside and out in preparation for finishing. I'm still undecided on the interior, whether to paint it white (to hide my mistakes) or use a stain for a wood finish (as would suit the actual skiff). I used a bit of acrylic wood filler inboard and these places will really stand out in a harsh way with a wood stain...but I could subject the inboard areas to more rigorous sanding and maybe reduce the offensiveness.... The outboard finish is more straightforward. I applied three coats of primer to the outboard planking, transom and bottom and then masked off the waterline. Below the waterline I've put two coats of neutral grey, and the upper hull will be white. I found some nice half round mahogany about 1/8" wide and 1/16" think that will serve as the outside rail, and left natural. I will then put a very thin (1/64") strip of pre-painted walnut leftover from way back in my Blandford days - this will provide a nice accent with the wood against the white hull. In any case, this last work is not yet complete, but we're leaving on vacation tomorrow morning until Aug 12 - so nothing happening here till then...kind of don't want to take a break, which is a good sign...feeling that same eagerness to move forward that is familiar from prior to my accident, so I'm quite happy about that....when I return, I'll finish painting outboard, do some staining tests and make a final decision about inboard finish, then add the rubbing strakes to the bottom and start on the frames inboard.... Sorry no photo update this time! But more will follow when we're back. Bye for now - stay cool if you're in a hot zone like we are! hamilton

Wow - the time, trouble and revision was definitely worth it - for these result and I imagine for all the other frames you'll have to assemble! Looking forward to watching this one come together - I saw another one of these from an MSW member and can't recall who, unfortunately (sorry to you if you're reading this!) and it builds into a really nice model. Have fun! hamilton

Thanks all for this feedback! Ron - these pictures are very clarifying in terms of the lug rig set-up - especially for the downhaul. Spyglass - that link is also extremely useful - I guess I didn't dig deeply enough during my own searches!! Thanks again all for the info! hamilton

Is this the post that will push this log onto page 2? I'm always curious....(edit - it wasn't!) In any case I've now finished the bottom planking, done some preliminary cleaning up of the hull and taken her off the molds. The next step will be to fashion three rubbing strakes for the hull bottom and then finish the interior and exterior. Initially I wanted to leave the interior natural, but I'm skeptical about whether I can get a nice wood finish with the materials I'm using. So I'll likely finish both inboard and outboard but keep a natural finish for the frames, stringers, rails, thwarts and forward covering board. This will also help hide some of the defects in the hull - you'll see (if you haven't already) that there is a bit of filling to do here and there.... The last bit of work I did today was to add some shape to the transom and file out a sculling slot along the centreline. It's occurred to me that if I'm going to add a rig to this skiff I'll need to add a stern post and rudder....but this can wait a bit until after the previously described steps are complete.... in any case, enjoy the pics and bye for now hamilton

Thanks Alan and Spyglass! Very helpful descriptions/photos. I'll see what I can do once the time comes to consider a sail arrangement. Thanks again! hamilton

Hi there: I'm wondering if anyone has any resources on how to set up a lug rig for a small vessel - this is in relation to a current small build I've got going of a 14' rowing skiff. I saw an image of it adapted for sail with a lug rig, but as hard as I've tried to examine images of this rig, I haven't been able to find many details on the set-up...any assistance or resources on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance hamilton

Thanks John - if the full sized build is as straightforward as the scale one, then it may indeed be a future prospect... hamilton

The topsides of the OC Skiff are now planked - three strakes plus garboard port and starboard - not difficult, though I had to reposition (and re-glue) a couple of the planks a couple of times. And of course you'll see that hull looks a bit scarred up from misplace or slipped clamps and other little knicks and dings sustained in the work process. A bit of filler and a lot of sanding and shaving will soon follow to neaten this up. And the exterior hull will be painted, so much of these marks, gaps, etc. will eventually blend in. I've now started laying out the bottom planking. Working with leftover materials from previous build has meant that I'm using planks of a consistent thickness (3/32") but of varying widths (3/16-1/4"). I could have taken a bit more time to achieve consistency here, but I figured that this will not be too noticeable when the model is displayed. We're heading out of town this coming weekend for our annual cabin getaway, but I'm hoping to be close to finished this model by the time we head out - unless, of course, I decide to add a rig. I saw some images of this boat carrying a lug rig, but I've not been abler to find any images of how this rig works, whether I would need to add shrouds or stays, or how some of the running rigging (specifically the downhaul) would be set up....Any resources any of you might have on such a rig would be very helpful and much appreciated! In the meantime, enjoy the photos. hamilton

Hi Ron - can you teach me how to be as careful and precise as you are? As with your Oneida log I really appreciate the explanations and descriptions you provide of your process. I always learn a lot reading through your logs. Very impressive work here hamilton

Thanks Mark - it feels good to be back! hamilton

And here she is with the first side plank fit, bristling like a porcupine......another plank tomorrow and (if I can get an hour) the last one on Saturday. Then on to doing some refining work on the garboard and planking the bottom. I'll add some rubbing strakes in line with the ribbands on the building molds and then she'll be ready to be flipped over and attention paid inboard - this will no doubt be the fastest model I have ever made! Though I may see if I can whip up a sailing rig for her despite lack of plans, details or any particular knowledge of how this might work practically on a boat such as this! Enjoy! hamilton

Yeah Ron it was very hard to tolerate for a while, but I thought that if I could work out how to do it once I could do it again with this minor impediment. And now for a small update on the OC Skiff. I've fit the garboard strakes now and am ready to move on to the remainder of the side planking after a bit more prep work is complete. I've already milled and tapered all the side planking (3/64" lime cut to 5" and tapered to 4" in a straight taper) but a few things need to be done to prep. The first strake above the garboard needs a slight chamfer along the back edge to make a tight joint with the garboard plank. Also - and this is contrary to all planking I've done on other models, the planks are wider at the stem than at the transom - the taper running back from fore to aft. It took me a while to figure this out as my instinct was to imagine that planks usually taper towards the bows. In any case, like the garboard, the planks will be installed over-long and trimmed/sanded down to fit. In the end, the fitting of the garboard strake was very touchy, mostly because it is only fastened at the stem and transom. On one side I inserted brass nails to hold the plank in place (as you'll see in some of the photos - but this process soon appeared unnecessary, and I reverted to clamping the planks to the molds to hold the position. I'll have to retain these clamps until the side planking is complete - removing them probably as I proceed through the bottom planking. This is to prevent the "drift" of the planking in the vertical dimension - though maybe this isn't necessary? Couldn't hurt I suppose... Anyways, here are some photos of the garboard plank attached - side planking will proceed (slowly) over the coming days - probably going to do one strake each side every day - but since there are only three strakes it's not much bother! Enjoy! hamilton

Thanks for the comments and votes of confidence Ron and John. Ron - yes the injury was a real bummer, but I've learned to adapt around it. The hardest thing is that I have not, until quite recently, been able to play the guitar - but in the last year I've knuckled down and brought myself close to where my abilities were prior to the accident - this is actually one of those achievements that has re-oriented me to modelling, as well. John - yes, the whole series is well worth the watching - it's a very good practical guide to the various stages of construction and it is amazing to see these kids hard at work fitting planks, planing, and caulking the hull! I only wish I had grown up in an environment like that. hamilton