(We'll be adding two or three builders a week so be patient--yours will get posted soon)
Warren Stevens parts completed
Warren Stevens DB trunk parts
Geez Robert, you are making this look too easy--Bram
Roberts deck
Roberts hull--Robet just bought the plans a short time ago
With the discovery of water on Mars
Notes from our builders
(to go with the pictures above)
We've loaded only a few of your pictures and will post more of your comments and pictures as time permits.
I received a nice article from Greg on milling strips that you'll find interesting.
"All these little bits take a long time to build, but what's amazing is you take a bunch of long strips and wind up with this, and gain the knowledge necessary to work with epoxy & glass (and the mistakes to avoid). It's cool to look forward to actually building the boat - this is just the appetiser." Warren Stevens
"Fugu - USA 050", is under construction at the time of this reply I am waiting for the final filler on the deck to cure so I can sand and glass the deck…..I milled my own strips for the hull but ran out and ordered from Ravenwood for the deck…..With the boat taking up all of my workspace, and time running short, I decided to purchase strips for the first time. It is a joy to not have to go through the process but I do save a very large amount of money.
I am excited to be able to sail a skiff. I used to have a 505 and I currently own and race an Olson 30, "Wasabi", on Great Salt Lake. Last year I even won a few races while single-handing "Wasabi". Though less forgiving than the Olson, I expect the skiff to be easier to set, douse, and jibe the kite.
If I get on the water by the end of may, I may want to come up to Seattle to have her measured and sail with another skiff. I am the only one in Utah."
Robert Harper
Don't even consider this project without buying this $99 Delta tool (Delta, send the commission check to Bram Dally @) This belt/disc sander can make an impatient hack like me look like a master strip builder. In addition to cleaning up all the parts and preparing them for glass, this thing is used to cut/grind the angles on all of the strips. You can cut and change the angle, shorten, and put a bit of a back bevel on the strips (makes them fit real tight) and none of these operations take more than a couple of seconds. The initial angle is hacked out with a pocket knife or band saw and then sanded to the line.
simply put the epoxy on the strips and clamp them to the jig
It looks like this after it is sanded and wrapped in graphite tape
