Last Class

Well we had our last class and chance as a group to work on the Marissa. We continued to work on cleaning up the fiberglass work done over the past weeks and started to build in deck supports and consider the next step. We have learned much about building a boat, learned, and improved skills of boat building. We all thank Joe Clay for his excellent help and guidance during the past weeks. "Joe we know its wood and we can fix it and make it right." Thanks.....

Details

We are spending our time on filleting and working on details of fitting parts of the boat. This is all important work but it all moves slowly. There is not to report about our progress. See some excellent photos on the left.

The Boat Was Turned Over

The inside of the boat now sees daylight

Yes to day was the day we had finished our tasks on the outside of the hull and we needed to turn the boat over to begin work on the inside of the hull. The boat was turn over slowly and with caution. Once it was resting on the blocks we started work in the inside strengthening the forward bulkhead and the transom. We filleted the inside of the hull and applied fiberglass and epoxy to the chine.

Sheathing

Today we sheathed the hull using fiberglass and epoxy. "Sheathing is the term used to describe a ‘heavy duty’ form of coating and is the process of bonding a woven glass fiber fabric onto the wood surface, using a thermoset laminating resin." Read more at the link The photos at the left document the work done today. We are grateful to Russ from Russell Yachts in Morehead City for sharing his time and expertise with us today. We hope to turn over the boat next week. Michael was able to construct supports for holding up the boat when it is turned over.

Fairing Part Two

This Monday many hands were necessary to start and complete the fairing process. We were smoothing out some of the high spots on the hull and sides. Some low spots required filling. There is an interesting explanation of this process at this location. The photos on the left show the action

Attaching the Final Side and a Visit to Lightning Yachts.

Monday was a very interesting day. We completed the attachment of the sides and started fairing the bottom and sides of the boat. Joe's friends from Europe visited the class, and the Marrisa contiues to get exposure around the world. In the afternoon, we traveled to Lightning Yachts in Beaufort. We met Bill Schwabe and his crew of boat builders. Bill Schwabe is designer and builder of the sport fishing boats. "Lightning combines the trational cold-moulding process with the most state-of-the art materials it can find." As Bill says, "The extensive use of lightweight composites allows our boat to reach competitive speeds with less horsepower...the results are lower operating costs." Follow this link to Lightning Yachts.

Our thanks to Lightning Yachts and Bill Schwabe for the opportunity to visit their operation and to learn about building excellent sport fishing boats.

Attaching The Sides

Last Monday was the simlar to the previous week except it was the sides rather than the bottom. Fairing followed by dry fitting followed by epoxy to attach the sides. The photos at the left show the work in progress.

Attaching The Bottom

Before the bottom could be attached, it was necessary to fair the frame, bulkhead, and the battens that give the bottom its shape. Once we had that completed, we dry fitted the bottom with clamps and screws this required several attempts to get he bottom just right.

It was than time to epoxy the bottom in place. Several small containers of the mixture were made up so the process could move quickly and smoothly. We started at the bow and attached the bottom as we moved aft. We did the starboard side followed by the port.

When all that was in place, we attached the Chine piece.

Now it really looks like a boat!

FAIRING

Monday was a day of fairing in preparation for attaching the bottom and sides of the boat. The slideshow at the left will give you a sense of the activity. We also attached the two inwale that will define the sheer of the boat. The CNC was used to cut out the frames and bulkheads however, a fair amount of handwork is required to fair the shape of the boat. It was necessary to enlarge some of the notches to support and bend the inwale. Two pieces of Douglas fir were used to allow for bending and strength. Our last task was to cleanup all the shavings and dust from the fairing operation and than epoxy the two pieces tougher and install the inwale in place. We used many clamps p to hold the two pieces in place and to help in bending with out breakage. Next week we will be install the bottom and sides however you can clearly see the Marissa taking shape.

Attaching the transom

With the knowledge gained last week, we were able to make progress with all of the battens and have than securely in place. The transom was installed. The boat has really begun to take shape and we are looking forward to attaching the bottom and sides next week. See photos on the left.

Bending

From Student Photos

Most of our time on Monday was spent on detail work and attaching the forward bulkhead and frame #1 to the stem. This slide show will highlight our activities. The work moved forward slowly as we problem solved attaching the battens. At the end of the day we had successfully attached the bulkhead and frame #1 and were able to give additional shape to the boat by bending battens in place

Winner of Design Challenge

Designer Graham Byrnes designer of Marissa was just announced as winner of the Wooden Boat category. More to follow after Graham speaks in about 15 minutes. Part of Graham's slides used during the talk can be found here. Of interest was the number of entries which were 73 total from 16 countries and 19 states. This is truly great recognition of Graham's ability and talent. Thanks to Professional Boatbuilder Magazine and Wooden Boat Magazine for helping move the industry towards efficiency and sustainability. It is the industry and consumer, both present and future, who will benefit directly.

Setting the Keel

Monday we focused on installing the keel and leveling the frames in preparation for receiving the bottom. The keel needed more sanding and beveling to fit frames 1, 2, 3. The transom was fitted with the keel, and excess keel was marked and cut flush to the transom. We set the keel in place one last time prior to applying epoxy adhesive and attaching the keel. Then the process of leveling the boat began, port to starboard and fore to aft. The forward part of the stem was then marked for cutting.

While that was in process, the CNC router was cutting the garboard and chines that would be scarfed. After scarfing, these pieces will be attached to the bottom of the frames and bulkheads.
So the boat continues to take shape, and we are making progress and learning new skills that are required for building a boat of any size.

On your left are photos of today’s activities.

We had a visit from Croatian High school, instructor Bobby Staab and two contruction classes to see some of the opportunities at Carteret Community College. Possibly some of those students will find the program interesting and want to enroll next year.

By the end of the day the following was accomplished: the keel was attached; a part of the deck frame was laminated; several parts were scarfed; filleting was completed on the stringers; and we made dust for future glueing use.

Starting to Attach Parts

Starting to Attach Parts


Monday was a good day. We were able to get the stringers connected to two frames and a bulkhead. Marissa is beginning to look like a boat. The stringers, frames and bulkhead were glued together using epoxy. We assembled the parts a number of times to be ensure everything was aligned properly before epoxy application.

The slideshow highlights how all that was accomplished.

Another highlight of the day was shaping the keel by saw, plane and sander.

Assembling Parts

Joe Clay reviews the work of Chris and Ed while Foundation Board Chairman Glen Macfadden observes the work in progress. We worked on assembling some of the parts that were cut out on the CNC. The frames and bulkheads needed the addition of doublers to add strength to the sides. Also the stringers that were scarfed needed to be glued at the scarf joints. The adhesive of choice was epoxy, a thermoset adhesive which is resistant to water and not affected by heat. Epoxy is a mixture of hardener and resin. It must be thoroughly mixed, and since it cures rapidly it must be applied quickly. Watch the slide show below for the action.

We started work on the keel and planks for the sides of the boat. Also we began to work on two other boats that need deck or hull repair.

Growing intrest in Marine CNC

There is an increase in the use of CNC equipment to obtain precision cutting of wood for boat building. Two recent magazine articles one in Wooden Boat and the other in Proboat   (page 24-25) have highlighted the work done by large CNC equipment to build interiors and station molds for boat builders. The idea of contracting for the use of a CNC machine is more attractive than purchasing the equipment. Designers and others find the idea of contracting attractive to produce full size kits for the amateur boat builders and model kits for hobbyist

Lofting

Several students who are building Marissa are also taking Marine Blueprints and Lofting taught by Loren Hale. Today that class was introduced to lofting using a plywood board, pencil, eraser, metal measuring tape, trammels, straightedge, and small finishing nails. There is a video below without audio and a slideshow on the left..

Today we were able to develop a profile view, the stem shape, and transom location on a profile view.

Week Two

We had a good day on Monday learning how the CNC (computer numerical control)  reads instructions and drives the machine tool.  Ours is a router using ShopBot control software  to cutout the various pieces for the Marissa. We also began the process of building the boat.

In addition, we made battens for use in ensuring that the boat will go together fair.

See slideshow at left.

DESIGN CHALLENGE

Professional BoatBuilder and Wooden Boat magazines are offering a design challenge for new, creatively designed powerboats in any material that are efficient, fun, and could possibly be the only vessel a boating family of modest means might actually afford.

NORTH CAROLINA'S WORKING WATERCRAFT

The current exhibit at the North Carolina Maritime Museum is an excellent history of North Carolina Boatbuilding.


The first of North Carolina's historic watercraft were dugout canoes built by the Indians. Settlers made dugouts but used boatbuilding tools. Woods used for boat building included cypress, white cedar, white oak, and heart pine. Examples are shown here and can be touched.

Dugout canoe: This canoe is a replica of a canoe made from a cypress log on Crusoe Island near Lake Waccamaw, NC.

From sloops to steamships to sharpies: The models represent the sloops of the 1700s, steamships of the mid-1800s, and the sharpies of the late 1800s and early 1900s used in North Carolina's rivers, sounds, and coastal waters for trade and transportation.

Flat-bottom skiff: This boat was rowed or poled in the shallow rivers and sounds of coastal North Carolina in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A skiff is still a popular means of transportation for fishing or short distance travel in the creeks and estuaries. You may touch this full-sized boat.

Spritsail skiff: This full-sized sailing skiff, built in 1910, was restored by the museum in the 1970s. Without paint, it is easier to see the traditional juniper (Atlantic white cedar) planking, oak frames, and other construction details. This boat type is pictured in the museum logo. You can feel the old wood gunwales, stern, and rudder.

Three basic types of North Carolina traditional small boats are flat-bottom, V-bottom, and round-bottom. Models of these hull shapes are mounted here where you can feel the differences.

• The flat bottom is more useful in the shallowest waters.

• The V-bottom or "deadrise" is better than the flat bottom in deeper water where there is more exposure to heavy weather and seas.

• Round bottom hulls are the ultimate in seaworthiness and comfort, but become very expensive to build because they require more time, skill, and specialized materials than the other types.

The spritsail rig for sailing is typical for all three types. The basic rig consists of a mainsail, which is supported by the sprit (pronounced "spreet"), and a foresail or jib. There is no boom to get in the way of a working fisherman and the whole sailing rig stores easily against the mast. A unique feature of the sprit rig in North Carolina is its ability to carry a topsail, independent of the main rig, which can be used when working in light winds, near a tree-lined shore, or while racing.

The shad boat model represents North Carolina's State Boat. Developed in North Carolina, the boat was a sturdy craft designed for practicality and dependability in the state's northern sounds

Rake of the Eye meets Technology

When classes started Monday August 24, 2009 at NC Martec/ Carteret Community College's Boat Manufacturing Program, the Hull and Deck construction class was introduced to "Marissa" a state of the art 18 foot boat designed by B&B Yacht Designs of Vandemere, N.C. Under the direction of Joe Clay, a seasoned and experienced shipwright and boat building, students will be using state of the art equipment and technology to prepare them to meet the future demands of the boat building industry throughout North Carolina.
At the same time The Charlotte Observer columnist Jack Betts was preparing an article entitled "Sound boats" which appeared in the News and Observer on Tuesday August 25 2009. He wrote about North Carolina Downeast, which is part of Carteret County. As Jack Beets writes,” They built them then the way a few still do: without plans, using a few tools and native woods such as juniper and cedar. They built them according to their needs, proceeding from plank to plank with the help of a virtual blueprint in their brains. Local craftsmen had an expression for it: "rack of the eye." We are fortunate to have Early's photographic record of these works of art.

In that class early Monday, there was a young man who recounted how he had worked with his grandfather and father repairing and constructing those boats. He has the opportunity to continue that tradition in a new way, with the current advances in boat design and construction, because of  his willingness to learn and the support of the people of North Carolina through Carteret Community College.