On Mill Creek

Starboard Deck Panel

2009-03-29T16:14:00.004-05:00

Installation of the deck continued today with the starboard side deck panel. As with the larger deck panels, this one was coated with unthickened epoxy on its under side (although it conceivably have been done later, as there is access to it after installation, in contrast to the deck over the bow and stern compartments. The sheerclamp and carlins mating surfaces were then coated with mustard thickened epoxy. The deck panel was then positioned in place, and ring nails driven every 3 inches along the planed sheerclamp. Along the carlin, clamps were placed to hold the panel tight at that joint. As the nails reached the stern, I cut the panel with a sharp utility knife, using the overlapped panel as a position guide. Several passes of the knife were required to cut through the thickness of the deck. Once cut, the overlapped segment is removed and the deck will then lay flat, producing a tight butt joint. Underneath this deck butt joint, a reinforcing butt plate is epoxied in place with cabo-sil thickened mustard epoxy. I used an arrangement of pipe clamps and bar clamps to hold the plate tightly in place. The epoxy was then allowed to cure overnight. Total time 35.00.

Restoration

2008-09-15T14:37:00.002-05:00

A number of people have been kind enough to ask about progress on the Mill Creek 16.5. I'm touched by the concern, and inspired to resume the project. Nothing serious has kept from the project; when I missed the deadline of having it ready for the WoodenBoat Show '08 in June, the project was then relegated to secondary priority. A number of other household projects have taken up my time since then. But I will make a concerted effort to return to the build, and finish up what has been an enjoyable project so far. So look for updates to resume soon. And thanks so much for your interest!

JCH at CLC saves the day with his CNC

2008-06-11T13:49:00.003-05:00

D'oh!
The first big goof in building the Mill Creek 16.5 became apparent yesterday as I test fit the side deck panels. After having tested them prior to permanently installing the bow deck, I now found that my haphazard placement of the bow deck left a gap between it and the aft deck panel that was too large to be spanned by the precut center/side panel. The precut parts are cut with excess material to allow trimming to an exact fit, but I used up all that buffer by moving the bow deck panel too far forward. The error left about a quarter inch gap that needed to be spanned. Since I plan to give the deck a bright, or varnished finish, filling the gap with an additional scrap of wood or even peanutbutter epoxy would have been unacceptably unsightly. I had first resolved to order another sheet of okoume plywood and cut replacement parts myself, making them just a bit longer. However, the fine folks at Chesapeake Light Craft helpfully offered to cut a custom panel with the needed extra length. This will be much cheaper than purchasing and shipping an entire sheet of plywood! Thanks CLC!

Foredeck

2008-06-10T04:48:00.004-05:00

Deck installation continued with the foredeck. This process was the same as previously described with the aft deck, except that the foredeck is significantly larger. It also must be worked into a sharper curve than the aft deck; the radius of the deck is 24" at the deck beam, compared to 30" in the aft section. To hold the deck in place, I applied a rachet strap at the location of the deck beam. I also used several spring clamps to hold it along the border of the cockpit at the carlins. Nailing along the sheerclamps every 3", and alternating sides every 4 nails or so eventually worked the deck into place. I found that my original positioning was a bit off, and the port side near the bow almost didn't cover the sheerclamp- put it came out flush, and will merely eliminate the need for much trimming in that area. Total hours 34.00.

Aft deck

2008-06-08T19:45:00.007-05:00

After a bit of a struggle, I finally overcame my procrastination and planed the sheerclamps, prior to deck installation. I'm not sure why I had avoided this for so long, but on the hottest day of the season so far, I used my inadequate, cheap block plane and worked the clamps into the proper angle. Two templates are provided in the kit- the angle of the sheerclamp aft of the forward hanging knee should meet a 30" radius curve. At the bow, the angle changes to a 24" radius curve. I found that little planing was needed in the forward area, but the 30" area took a good bit of planing to meet the proper contour. I won't say my planing was skillfully done, but the final result should be reasonably acceptable.

Then before dehydration set in, I installed the aft deck section. The precut part was first coated on one side with unthickened epoxy. This side then was turned to face the interior of the aft air chamber. The endpour, sheerclamps, and bulkhead surface were then coated with mustard thickened epoxy, and the deck was clamped in place. I also applied a ratchet strap to temporarily hold the deck to the proper contour. Next, bronze ring nails were driven through the deck into the sheerclamp with the aid of a gauge that allowed them to be positioned squarely in the center of the sheerclamp. I spaced the nails along the sheerclamp every three inches, driving a couple on each side, alternating sides all the way to the stern. Once the nails were all driven, I wiped up some mustard epoxy drips, and went inside for a cool drink. I now know why boat builders tend to set up shop in Maine! Total hours 32.75

End pours

2008-05-17T05:31:00.003-05:00

I decided to do the optional step of end pours. This is simply pouring a fairly large amount of thickened epoxy into the very tip of the bow and stern hull. On some smaller kayaks, end pours are accomplished by hoisting the hull vertically on end and pouring the epoxy into the hull, then letting gravity keep it in the tip. However, in a hull the size of a Mill Creek 16.5, it is easier to use the dam method. I cut some corrugated cardboard to a shape that would fit snugly in the end of the bow and stern. I covered the cardboard with clear plastic packing tape, and also used the tape to seal the edges against the hull wall. At this point I could pour epoxy that had been thickened with wood flour --but was still pourable--into the chamber created by the dam. I ended up doing a pour at both ends in two stages, to reduce the amount of heat generated by the curing epoxy. It was an unusually cool evening, and yet the heat of the chemical reaction could be felt through the wood and fiberglass of the hull wall. These end pours will add weight to the hull, but also will add strength and impact resistance. Total Hours 30.75.

Interior epoxy

2008-05-14T08:34:00.004-05:00

Last night was spent doing some prep work for the upcoming deck installation this weekend. That is a definite planned event, since it is one of the few times I will have a helper available...and I anticipate that an extra pair of hands will be useful while installing the deck. So in anticipation of that, I did some work that should have been done earlier, at least as called for in the construction manual. This included some sanding of fillets and rough fiberglass tape edges, as well as rounding off the edges of the hanging knees. After that, I could begin epoxy coating the interior. To be honest, I am not putting a lot of effort into nice finishes in the bow and stern compartment, as these won't be seen much after the deck is installed. However, I am trying to keep the cockpit space as neat as I can, even though it will be painted. So the first of several coats of epoxy was rolled on and allowed to cure. This must be completed by this upcoming weekend so as to be ready for the deck. My original schedule to also construct seats and hatch covers will be deferred, but I hope to also do some of that this week. Total hours 29.75.

Brackets and Cleats

2008-05-10T16:56:00.005-05:00

Over the past couple of days, I have been adding coats of epoxy to the hull exterior to fill the weave of the glass cloth. Between the last two, I sanded the surface with 100-grit paper to knock the peaks off the texture that was printing through the epoxy. With a nice, smooth surface produced, I then flipped the hull. The next step was to install some fittings, including seat cleats and brackets for the foot brace rails. The forward set of brackets are normally through-bolted, with a bolt head visible on the hull exterior. Instead, I used some special fittings with a bolt and perforated plate which were glassed onto the hull interior. The position for the forward foot brace rails was measured and marked. The substitute bolts require the plastic rails be drilled out slightly to enlarge the existing mounting holes. These bolt brackets were then glassed on the surface of the hull with a combination of silica thickened epoxy and unthickened epoxy to wet the glass tape that had been cut in 3" x 3" squares with a hole cut in the center. Once the glass was wetted, I taped the bolt to hold it in place. The instructions call for rolling the hull on its side and allowing gravity to hold the mount in place until the epoxy cures. This would have been easier and neater.

The aft pair of foot braces will be screwed into riser blocks so as to clear the hanging knee in that location. These blocks were simply epoxied into position and held in place with tape while the epoxy cured.

Finally, simple 3/4" x 3/4" pieces of lumber were epoxied into place on the hull floor to serve as seat cleats, or guide rails for the seat assemblies. Care must be taken to use the correct pieces of wood: for each seat there are four pieces of lumber- three are longer than the fourth. Two of the long pieces are used as the seat guides, while the third is used as a structural part of the lower seat. The fourth, shorter piece is used as a structural part of the seat back. The guides were measured and aligned, then epoxied into place with silica thickened epoxy and weighted until cured. Total hours 28.25.

Fill the weave

2008-05-06T08:12:00.005-05:00

Another coat of epoxy was rolled on the hull exterior in order to "fill the weave". This is merely the procedure to build up a layer of epoxy just sufficient to cover the texture of the fiberglass cloth and produce a smooth surface for later varnish or paint. The coat last night was very thin; I can see already another will be required.

Also, I have worked out a rough timeline to finish the Mill Creek 16.5 construction. The goal is to have major construction finished by the end of this month. That will allow about two weeks for finishing, varnishing and painting. So by the middle of June, we should be ready for water. The ultimate goal is to paddle around the harbor in Mystic CT during The WoodenBoat Show 2008. Total hours 24.50.

Hull Glass

2008-05-04T08:10:00.006-05:00

After some prep work, including filling stitch holes and chine gaps with thickened epoxy, and a final overall sanding of the hull, the fiberglass could now be applied. A large bundle of 6 oz fiberglass cloth is supplied for this purpose. It is unfolded and draped over the hull, and the excess trimmed off to where only a small overhang remains beyond the edge of the sheerclamp. The loose weave of the cloth allows it to be arranged without wrinkles fairly easily. Then, in a technique detailed here, batches of unthickened epoxy were mixed and poured onto the flat surface of the hull. Using a rubber spatula, the epoxy is gently spread so as to wet down the cloth. The idea is to get the cloth just wet enough that it turns from white to clear, but so that some of the cloth texture remains after the epoxy is cured. This allows the cloth to adhere to the wood of the hull, providing strength, durability, and waterproof-ness. Adding excess epoxy also adds weight, and runs the risk of "floating" the cloth out of close contact with the wood, reducing strength. It is a slow and painstaking task, but after a couple of hours, the hull was glass coated. Then, after a couple hours, when the epoxy was semi-cured, I trimmed the excess cloth from the bow, stern, and sheerline. Additional cloth tape will be applied to the bow and stern, and additional thin layers of epoxy will fill the weave of the cloth, leaving a smooth surface. Total hours 23.45.

Program note

2008-05-02T12:48:00.002-05:00

No post today as minor sanding and prep work continues on the hull. The plan is for a glassing of the entire hull exterior tomorrow. Further, a plan is in place to complete major construction of the Mill Creek 16.5 by the end of this month (more on that later). That will leave about two weeks for finishing/painting/varnishing. And then, the tentative plan is to take the boat to The Wooden Boat Show in Mystic CT, June 27-29. High Hopes!

N.B.: Some of you may be curious as to where to find the Passagemaker Dinghy Forum for builders and fans of this CLC design. The forum has recently been moved to a new home, and can be found here. Interested in learning more about this nifty little sailing dinghy? Check out CLC's Passagemaker page, and my first blog.

Hull glass prep

2008-04-29T19:47:00.003-05:00

No video for this post, as the task at hand consisted mostly of sanding. And the only thing more dreary than sanding is watching a couple of minute of video of someone sanding. Anyway, with stitches removed, the hull now can be prepped for application of a layer of fiberglass. Before that step, however, the hull must be smooth with no sharp edges. Fiberglass has a limited capacity to bend around sharp corners, so the chines must include a radius, and all the other dings, snags and seams of the hull must be smoothed. I had to use a chisel to lop off a few protruding copper wire stitches that weren't flush. That worked fairly well, except for a few additional gouges I put in the wood with the chisel. Then came out the "Darth Sander" costume, and sanding began. The chines also were rounded off with the trusty Black and Decker quarter sheet orbital sander and some 100-grit sandpaper. After careful work, the result is a nicely smooth and well-radiused multi-chine hull. Before glassing, though, gaps in the chine seams and stitch holes will have to be filled with thickened epoxy, and the hull sanded again. But that's the topic for next post! Total hours 19.50.

Stitch removal

2008-04-28T19:59:00.006-05:00

The hull could now be flipped over, and the copper wire stitches removed. The approximately 250 stitches that had been painstakingly drilled and twisted have now served their purpose, and were clipped off flush with the hull exterior. The portion of the stitch embedded in the epoxy fillet will remain, but the exterior portion was clipped off. I found it easiest to untwist the tighter stitches a few turns, in order to provide room to slip the small wire cutter under the loop. A word to the safe: wear eye protection! Some of the wire fragments can fly in dangerous directions. With the stitches removed, the hull is now ready for sanding and filling prior to fiberglassing. Total hours 18.50.

Carlins

2008-04-27T14:59:00.009-05:00

With the deckbeam in place, I next installed the carlins. These are small, flexible pieces of lumber that will form the framework that supports the inner edge of the deck, along the periphery of the cockpit. In contrast to some reports of other builders, I had no problem bending the carlins along the fair curve described by the hanging knees and deck beam. Chalk it up to the humidity of spring in the deep south, I suppose. After a bit of trimming and bevelling at the bow end of the carlins, I tested for a tight fit in the notch formed by the blocks on the deck beam. Once everything was ready, I mixed a small amount of mustard epoxy and coated the mating surfaces, the returned the carlins to position and clamped in place. At the bow, I clamped a piece of scrap to wedge the two carlin ends snugly against the deck beam notch. Total hours 17.50.

Deckbeam

2008-04-26T14:08:00.004-05:00

Installation of some structure to support the deck came next. The position of the deckbeam was measured relative to the forward bulkhead. The pair of arched, precut plywood pieces had been previously epoxied together, forming a strong beam unit. Holding the piece in place, the ends were marked and cut, then bevelled and planed until they fit snugly in place between the sheer clamp in the correct position. Pilot holes were drilled and countersunk for #8, 1-1/2" bronze screws to hold the beam in place. Next, the centerline was measured by dividing the beam by two. This matched well with the centerline position given by a string stretched from bow to stern on the hull. From the plans, the position of the wood blocks were marked on the deck beam, and these were also drilled and screwed into place. Once everything fit satisfactorily, it was all disassembled. Some mustard epoxy was mixed with silica, and the parts were coated at the joint faces. The beam and then the blocks were screwed back into place. I had intended to install the carlins as well, but decided to let the deck beam parts cure before that. Besides, I only have two bar clamps, and will need two more to do the carlins... Total hours 17.00.

Bulkhead fillet

2007-10-29T20:33:00.000-05:00

With the hull seams filleted and taped, I next turned to the bulkheads and hanging knees. These were filleted with peanut butter thickened epoxy, with the bulkheads being filleted on both sides. This will give great strength to the hull, and will also form watertight compartments in the bow and stern. To apply the fillets as neatly as possible, I used a gallon zip lock bag with a small hole snipped in one corner (after it had been reinforced with clear packing tape) as a sort of piping bag such that a pastry chef might use to decorate a cake. This allowed me to lay down a controlled bead of epoxy at each joint, which was then smoothed into rough shape with the rounded edge of a large tongue depressor. After allowing the epoxy to partially set up, I returned and gave it a final smoothing with a gloved finger wetted in alcohol. This gives nice smooth fillets that will require less sanding later on. Total hours: 16.00.

Bow fillet and tape

2007-10-10T21:03:00.000-05:00

After a brief hiatus for a trip out of town, building of the Mill Creek 16.5 resumed. Today's job was the fillet and taping of the bow compartment. With a now familiar procedure, the joints were filleted with peanut butter thickened epoxy, followed by a fiberglass tape overlay. This was then wetted down with the layer of unthickened epoxy. Doing a neat, smooth job was difficult, especially in the very tip of the bow, for one such as me with less than dainty hands. But tight quarters notwithstanding, the joints were sealed and glued, thus completing the preliminary gluing of the hull. Total hours 15.25.

Cockpit tape, part II

2007-10-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Today I completed filleting and taping the joints on the port side of the cockpit area. Even after the practice of the starboard side, the identical job tonight went no faster. It is tedious work to get the epoxy fillets in place with reasonable neatness, overlay the tape, and wet it down with epoxy and then smooth wrinkles and remove air bubbles from under the tape. However, the job is done. While others may be able to produce neater fillets, mine should look decent under the painted finish I have in mind for the interior of this copy of the Mill Creek 16.5. Total hours: 14.25.

Cockpit tape, part I

2007-09-30T18:20:00.001-05:00

I tackled the filleting and taping of the cockpit today. Or tried to- things went slower than I had expected, so I ended up just doing the starboard side of the boat. As previously, a fillet of thickened peanut butter epoxy was laid down on the joint between each panel. I then overlayed the fillet with glass tape I had previously cut to length. Each side required three lengths of tape to fit between the hanging knees on the upper joint between the sheer panel and the bilge panel. I cut the lower tape in one piece, and merely cut a notch to accommodate the lower edges of the hanging knees. After getting the tape in place, I wetted it down with unthickened epoxy. This took a surprisingly long time, as I worked to get all the air bubbles and wrinkles out of the tape. Total hours: 13.00.

Fillet and Tape

2007-09-29T16:08:00.000-05:00

The construction of Dragonfly has now progressed to the "glue" portion of "stitch and glue" boatbuilding. First, a final check of the hull's alignment showed that everything was in place. Using a technique called "winding", the hull was checked for twist by placing two straight pieces of wood across the sheerclamps, and then sighting down the centerline. With the two pieces of wood superimposed, the hull showed no twist. The point of the bow and stern were plumb, and all appeared in readiness to permanently joint the parts of the hull with epoxy and fiberglass.

The first step is to apply a fillet of wood flour thickened epoxy to the joints which will provide a smooth radius for the fiberglass tape to come. The epoxy is mixed t0 peanut butter consistency, which makes it reasonably easy to apply with a wood tongue depressor, then smooth with a rubber spatula cut to the appropriate radius. The only difficulties I ran into was the fillet on the joint between the sheer panel and the bilge panel. Near the stern, this joint had almost no angle (or a 180-degree angle), which made a clean fillet more difficult.

With the fillets in place, and before they cured, I overlayed them with strips of 3" wide fiberglass tape. The tape was then wetted down with unthickened epoxy to form an integral, strong joint. At an ambient temperature of 85 degrees, the slow-cure epoxy is setting up fairly quickly, so the boat is done in sections; today I did the stern behind the aft bulkhead. Tomorrow- the bow and center compartments. Total hours: 11.75.

Hanging knees

2007-09-25T21:12:00.000-05:00

Tonight's simple task was to wire in the hanging knees. On the Mill Creek 16.5, there are two pairs of these angle braces, which will later support the carlin and the deck. My first trial fitting was a great disappointment, until I realised the two pair of knees are shaped differently. I'm sure this is mentioned in the instruction book, but I seemed to have glossed over that. Once I fitted the correct knee in each location, they fit beautifully. I used four copper wire stitches for each knee, and made sure each was square to the hull side and to the bottom panel. After some further stitch tightening and truing of the hull, the interior will be ready for epoxy and fiberglas. Total hours: 10.50.

Bow and bulkheads

2007-09-23T18:29:00.001-05:00

Something I have learned early on in boatbuilding is that timelines quickly fall along the wayside. I had hoped to finish today everything needed in order to begin the epoxy-and-fiberglass tape gluing of the hull tomorrow. But after today, that looks like a day or two away.

I first fashioned a spacer to prop the hull at its widest spot to the proper beam of 33". Lacking a single piece of lumber long enough, I clamped two scraps from the sheer clamps together. This telescoping arrangement made it easy to make adjustments until the correct beam measurement was obtained.

Next, I ran a string from bow to stern, and used it to trim the bevels in the sheer clamps that would allow the pointed bow shape. Using a tip from the CLC web site, I ran a screw in the bow to hold things together temporarily. The string gave me a centerline along which to measure the positions for the bow and stern bulkheads. After placing them and making sure they were square to the bottom panel and the hull centerline, I drilled some holes and wired them into place. The stern bulkhead required some creative measuring, as it had a bit of "character", that is, a slight warp. But clamping a short piece of 1 x 4 straightened it out, and it was wired into place.

All this took longer than I expected. A light rain fell, which served only to make things more humid and unpleasant. So today's session was a relatively short one; more hull alignment, stitch tightening, and placement of the hanging knees next time. Since this is all a crucial part of getting a fair hull, there is no need to rush things. Total hours: 9.50.

Sheer panel stitch

2007-09-22T17:57:00.000-05:00

After scribing a line on the lower (opposite sheer clamp) edge of the sheer panel, stitch holes were drilled every 4" along the line. The two panels were stacked back to back to halve the number of drills. I also used my block plane to round the mating edges slightly of the two panels to reduce the tendency of the edges to slip off each other. Then the panels were loosely stitched onto the previously stitched bilge panels. This session went a little easier, since I had an assistant. As the two panels came together at the stern, I fitted in the two bulkheads just to throw the hull into rough shape. Coming next- trimming the sheer clamps at the bow and stern to a bevel, and snugging up the stitched to get the hull into close to final shape. Total hours: 8.00.

Stitching

2007-09-19T14:56:00.000-05:00

After some prep work last night, I began stitching panels onto the bottom of the hull. The first, or bilge panel, is attached by a series of copper wire twist ties inserted through small holes running along the edge of each panel. Last night, I cut coils of copper wire into 4" lengths and folded them around a felt tip marker. Then, a line was scribed along each edge of the bottom panel 3/8" inside the edge. For that, I fashioned a pencil with a paperclip guide. Then along this line, 1/16" holes were drilled every 4" in advance of stitching. Finally, the edge of the panel was rounded slightly by a quick pass with a block plane, following a CLC tip. This will allow less shifting of the panels' corners as they are fastened together.

Stitching would have been best done with a helper, but since I was working solo tonight, I made use of some nylon straps to hold the panel in place while I got enough stitches in it to stabilize it. All the stitches are loose for now. After the sheer panel is attached and the beam properly spaced, then the stitches can be tightened and the fairness of the hull can be adjusted. Total hours: 6.25.

Sheerclamps

2007-09-15T19:47:00.000-05:00

The first order of business today was to create some more clamps that would be used in attaching sheerclamps to the sheerstrake. The length of the boat would require more clamps than I had on hand, even after building a Passagemaker dinghy. To supplement my supply, I used a tip from the CLC page, and made clamps from 4" Schedule 40 PVC pipe. The pipe was cut in 1.5" segments, which were then split to create an inexpensive yet useful clamp. In about an hour, I was able to turn out about 30 additional clamps.

The bottom panel was scarfed together, using the same technique as described yesterday for the side panels. The panel was masked on either side of the joint with clear packing tape, then the scarf joint was coated with silica-thickened epoxy. The two pieces of the panel were joined and the panel aligned before being weighted with 2-1/2 gallons of Eipersbräu minikegs.

Next, the sheerclamps were attached to the sheer panel. Careful consultation of the instruction manual was required to make sure the sheerclamp was attached to the correct edge of each panel. The edge was coated with thickened epoxy, the clamps placed and aligned, then clamped down and epoxy drips were wiped up. This completes the prep work of hull parts; stitching of the hull is the next task. Total hours 3.50.

Scarf

2007-09-14T21:04:00.000-05:00

Tonight begins the building process. As with almost all kits from Chesapeake Light Craft, the building process begins with the scarfing of some parts. Scarfing refers to the joining together of small parts to make larger ones. In this case, the side panels of the 16-foot-long boat must be comprised of smaller parts cut from 8-foot-long plywood sheets. The plywood can be joined with epoxy to which silica powder has been added to increase strength. In researching the building of a Mill Creek kayak, I read WoodenBoat magazine #136 (May/June 1997), the first in a two part series focusing on building the Mill Creek. By happy coincidence, the same issue contains an article by Greg Rössel on scarf joints.

I started by wrapping the area adjacent the beveled ends of the panels with clear packing tape, which will protect from epoxy spreading outside the joint. The bevelled ends come in the kit pre-cut, which is very convenient. These are cut at an 8:1 ratio, meaning the bevel surface is 8 times as long as the thickness of the plywood. This falls within the recommended range of the WoodenBoat article which suggests going even to 12:1. To epoxy the ends, I coated each surface with unthickened epoxy, allowing it to soak into the end grain. I then coated each joint with epoxy thickened with silica to mustard consistency. Using a sheet of plastic to separate each panel and prevent them sticking together, I stacked corresponding bilge and sheer panels on each other, and weighted down the joint. To get the correct alignment of the panel, a string was run from one end to the other, and the panels adjusted until the specified distance to the arch of the panel was achieved. The scarfing process was also repeated with the sheerclamps, which will form the attachment point for the joint between the deck and the hull. The epoxy will be allowed to cure overnight, in a shop that is now at about 80 degrees F. (Total hours: 2.00)

All present and accounted for

2007-09-12T19:32:00.001-05:00

Armed with the comprehensive instruction book and component list, I unpacked and went through the kit parts for the Mill Creek 16.5 that will be known as "Dragonfly". All parts are present and accounted for, with the possible exception of the cockpit coaming nose block. This is a small piece that I suspect is within the box of seat parts, and its multitude of seat slats. I didn't unpack all of that, but will leave it for when I am ready for that step. A couple of the side panel scarf edges came uncovered while I unpacked, but the delicate bevelled edges all are intact, ready for the scarfing process.

Delivery

2007-09-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

A large, flat, 81-pound box was delivered today, after a long journey from Maryland. It now resides safely in the garage, while I study the construction book. A careful inventory of parts follows soon, and then construction begins!

Almost here...

2007-09-05T14:01:00.000-05:00

After several rounds of phone tag, I finally managed to speak with someone from the shipping company, and we have an appointment for delivery tomorrow of one piece of freight: weight- 81 lbs.

A little birdie tells me...

2007-08-30T08:55:00.000-05:00

Word on the street is that a shipment of marine plywood parts, epoxy, and other materials is presently on its way from Annapolis, MD to a small "boat shop" in the Heart of Dixie. This will be just another step in a long journey for this boat-to-be. From trees grown in Guinea and other spots on western coastal Africa, marine-grade plywood was milled in France to quality standards set by Lloyd's of London, then shipped to a company on America's east coast. There, the plywood was cut by a huge, new computer-controlled machine to precise specifications. The collection of oddly shaped parts was then packaged up and loaded on a plane which is now on its way to Helena, Alabama, just south of Birmingham. Continue reading to see what happens next!

Mill Creek 16.5 video

2007-08-25T06:44:00.000-05:00

As the delivery date nears, here is a short video showing what my finished product should look like.

Commitment

2007-07-05T15:07:00.001-05:00

At the WoodenBoat Show in Mystic, CT this past weekend, I handed a check to John C. Harris to cover the purchase of a Mill Creek 16.5 kit. The CEO of Chesapeake Light Craft graciously agreed to defer the delivery of the kit until late August. This will give me time to finish clearing out the boatbuilding shop, and attend to some other home improvement projects. By the first week in September, I should be able to turn my full attention to the job of creating my very own copy of the Mill Creek. Until then, the anticipation grows...

Patience, grasshopper

2007-06-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

I've set up this shell of a blog in preparation of boat construction that will begin in early September, 2007. Hope you can stand the suspense until then! See you back here in a few weeks!