Almost finished cutting out panels

For some reason, I don't have enough wood on one panel to cut out the front seat, so that and back seat are all that remains to cut out and plane to the lines. Hope there's enough space on the last panel, otherwise it's off to the timber yard.

Got my new sander from eBay - an AEG unit, cost me $110 inc postage of $17. Already used it on the ends instead of planing across the grain.

Bottom panel marked out and ready to cut

Phew! 'twas hot today, but in between the cricket (West Indies have 51 runs to win, Aussies have one wicket to take tomorrow), I managed to loft the bottom panel. Just a short note about concentration on this type of task: would you believe I nearly started to cut the panel out, along the lines plotted, without taking heed of the big bold print "Cut 20 mm outside the lines!!!!"? When you mark out the nice, sleek lines of this boat, you just want to cut it to get it done!

Another week has passed, and tomorrow is again life saving training for Jack, so perhaps another beach photo tomorrow. In the meantime, almost as sexy, is the marked up bottom panel. Wife is asking "seems a bit narrow - will we all fit in that thing?"

She'll be right, mate!

Have faired the line that I stuffed up and got my sides cut and planed. Will tackle the bottom panel next, but it's 37 degrees today and the cricket is entering what may be its last day. Those West Indians have come to play!

First Moan heard in Perth, Australia

Now I know why BobWes calls it a "moaning chair".

Doing the side panel (first one), my line for the aft, chine line, as it approaches the aft end, takes a dip in then out again. Of course, I planed to the line with surprising skill and accuracy for a complete beginner, blissfully unaware that I'd not marked the line accurately in the first place.


Don't know whether you can see the error in the attached photo, but is this a case of "Start Again", or can it be rectified by more planing, or just make the second side exactly the same, error and all, and fix with lots of epoxy?


Any advice would be appreciated.

JT

Day 3 - Let the lofting begin

With the nimble 14 yo, Jack, and his even more nimble friend, Glenn, and some help from the cat, we marked out the side panel. I used a 3m piece of moulding as a fairing batten. A 5,1m length of Oregon pine seems a bit excessive to me.

Too scared to make the first cut yet, so will get onto that on Wednesday. In the meantime, I will check our markings again and again, walk around it, over it, and check them again. As BobWes advises, do this slowly and surely.

How to not make progress on your GIS...

This was the view from under the umbrella at Port Beach, Perth, this morning, whilst the 14 y.o was learning surf lifesaving.

Days 1-2: The Stem

Behold, the first thing I have ever shaped - The Stem! A piece of Western Red Cedar, that is fatter at the top and thinner at the bottom. This, apparently, goes at the pointy end of the boat. Won't epoxy it yet, as I'm sure it may need fine adjustments in the dry fit process, but it looks pretty damn close to spec to me. Now, just have to put it somewhere safe so I don't use it as a paint stirrer or something ..:-)

Note1: Thanks go to Richard McDonald, who showed me how to hone and set my new Stanley No 4 plane, and actually tried it out on test pieces in the workshop at St Ives, Murdoch WA. They have a bench saw too, so they haven't seen the last of me.

Note: This is the basic procedure I used, following Michael Storer's advice - thanks Mik!

It is basically a piece of wood with a triangular cross section. The Triangle is a bit wider at the top than the bottom.

The drawing in the plan shows the stem drawn from the side - that's the one with the 45mm dimension. The two triangles show the shape at the top and the bottom.

If you have a piece of wood the right dimensions then,

Draw a line down the middle of one of the narrow faces. That will be the front apex of the stem.

On the opposite narrow face draw another centreline. This is the face opposite the apex v- the rear face.
Mark one end with "bottom" so you don't get it confused.

The rear face will finish 36mm wide at the top and 22mm wide at the bottom. Join these measurements with straight lines.

Plane down to the shape.

Background - Why build a Goat Island Skiff?

Why build a GIS, or any boat at all?

My grandfather, Jack Bradshaw (b1900, d1980) built at least two dinghies, one of which sat in our backyard as it rotted away, but they were beautiful, incredibly heavy and sturdy boats. Named the Lesley Mk1 and Mk 2, after my mother Lesley Townsend, I promised myself that I'd one day build a boat too.

Grandad was superintendent of Sunset Home for the Aged, situated on a magnificent part of the Swan River in Perth. After work, he'd get in his boat and go fishing for tailer in the Swan, or troll for pike, or net some prawns - what a life!

Mum's still going strong at 85, but I'd better get a move on if she's to break a bottle of champagne over it at launch day.

So, this GIS will be named Lesley Mk3, and it will be used for day trips on the Swan and Canning Rivers. It will be painted throughout, with white hull and blue trimmings, seats, as are the colours of East Fremantle, my local aussie rules football team.