Woody Runabout Phase 20

Decking now complete apart from rounding  off the deck edges. A light coloured wood to show off the lines to best advantage is being sourced. Sycamore the first choice if I can find some straight grained and clean. The tinted grey acrylic windscreen has been ordered from a local plastics company and will be made to slot into support knees and a scuttle batten laid on the deck. 

The gunnels like many other parts were screwed while the glue set and the screws later removed to be replaced with wooden dowels. Being somewhat obsessive about some of the minor details you might say that this build has been an indulgence. I see it more of an enjoyment and pleasurable pastime.

Connecting up the controls including the steering cable together with electrics will be the next job. The Honda outboard then to be tested by the outboard motor shop as part of their PDI check and my electrics installation double checked. 

Only then shall I shall be ready to launch with the road trailer adjusted to fit the hull.  A couple more roller supports required to take the load from closer to the transom.

As the project comes near completion you may be interested to know that somewhere in the region of 750 hours has been spent. The design has  deviated along the road from the three or four sheets of A4 sketches and a more pleasing deck line emerged more by accident than design. If you asked me for the plans I would have to get one of those laser 3D scanner devices to accurately measure her up. Appearances are a little deceptive from the photos here. There are very few straight lines or flat areas. Wearing glasses, as I do for close up work , the shapes can somehow get distorted too, and I often found myself looking down a piece of straight wood only for it to appear to have a pronounced bend to one side or the other. 

Waiting for some Sycamore white wood to trim the edges

Hardwood cleats not yet screwed down

After varnishing the Mahogany will take on a richer and darker tone

Looking forward to adding the grey tinted windscreen

Grandads Woody Runabout phase 19

Wiring and the few instruments for the dashboard now installed, and the tie down straps for the two batteries are placed between the seats.  Using a voltage sensitive relay the charge is sent to the battery most in need of power input. The start battery should therefore not run flat - With so few instruments and no hi-fi or inverter or navigation lights, having two batteries was probably not strictly necessary.

The decking stage is about to begin, when the final shape of this woody runabout will emerge.  Mahogany veneering of the ply deck will finish off the "woody" look of this classic shaped runabout. The low profile windscreen will then be fitted and cleats of carved Wenga, an African wood with especially hard wearing characteristics, placed along the gunnels.

The transom is capped with an up-cycled old Hickory sail batten. A tough hardwood ideal for the location, where the weight of the engine will bear down on the transom. The actual points of contact are to be cushioned by a layer of shoe leather under stainless steel cladding.

The seat backrests will consists of a hooped backrest attached to the bench seat by a knee on either side. The hoop will be laced.  Each knee is constructed of two parts with their grain running at right angles. The joint is a simple scarf, but skewed 45 degrees. The glued up assembly is clamped while the glue dries and a row of drilled holes is placed and nailed through with bamboo dowels. A  very strong joint results - where my body weight will be leaning back into the seat.

Going to such trouble with detail aspects might seem unnecessary, but gives enormous pleasure.  I shall have spent about 800 hours since January, At that time I was wearing two jumpers and a woolly hat in the chilly unheated garage.  

The following photos show the deck panels roughly prepared with the scarf joints cut. They will be stapled and clamped in place, the difference being the glue. At this stage I am setting aside the Cascamite, preferring to use Epoxy Resin. for greater resilience. A sealing coat will be applied to the underside of the deck  panels and a thickened layer of resin applied to the frames and gunnel.

The 5mm marine ply deck panels have their mating edges scarf jointed together (bevel edged)

Boatbuilding - Like baking a bun or a biscuit Phase 18

Study the recipe, get the ingredients together, mix thoroughly and put in the oven (man cave/garage).
Allow to cool and apply a glaze of sugar, egg and dust over (varnish) with a soft brush.
Such is the chaotic appearance of the boat today I must admit it looks neither like a boat, a bun, or a biscuit.
What you see scattered about are electrical items, disassembled bits and pieces, vital parts of hardware and the Honda outboard not yet filled with engine oil or checked over.
Once the job is done and put together I am scheduled to take the lot to Bridger Marine for them to check out my electrics and do the pre-delivery checks on the engine.
So many cables and wires to route and hide from view.
The woodwork is almost done bar the seat backs and cutting the centre slot in the steering-wheel hub that must engage accurately into the Teleflex steering mechanism. The steering wheel itself has bamboo spokes and steam bent laminated outer ring and is my well tested design. Identical to the other one on the Morgan 4/4. 

Woody Runabout Phase 17

Much work - but little to show for it. With the epidemic now fading and lock-down partially lifted, I replenished the wood stock just in time to allow progress to continue. Beech Bros selected better than I could have done and in double the quantity required for at a good price. 
The seating solution was to "keep it simple stupid", and even so, involves some fiddly work yet to be completed. The dashboard has now been fitted for perimeter  shape, soon to be completed with the cut-outs for instruments, including GPS, clock, voltmeter, USB /  Power socket, as well as the wheel steering fitting.
Delivery of the outboard is promised this week as well as a couple more instruments, so the fun can start with wiring, aided by ample on-line guidance.
When will completion take place?  Hopefully in mid to late July.
No record of cash cost is being kept, nor the work hours put in. The  very rough guesstimate to date, (including outboard) is £5,500, and 600 hours respectively.  Such a bespoke craft, commissioned at a boatyard, might cost in the region of £25,000 I guess. However I can guarantee that you will not find another like this any time soon.

Decking is not being done until the interior, wiring and control lines are fitted.

Dashboard with cutouts not yet made.

Seating loosely placed until after varnishing has been completed. Oval back rests are to be attached and will have latticework support.

Cleats are carved from Wenge, a hard wearing African hardwood and the dashboard mock up usedfull for establishing exactly how best to arrange the instruments.