For a very long time, I’ve dreamed of building a boat. Most of the dream was about a cruising vessel, a live-aboard. Alas, as with much of life, dreams get deferred. Yet, I have learned a few lessons because…

“The real cycle you’re working on is a cycle called ‘yourself’.”
 

“The study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature study of the art of rationality itself. Working on a motorcycle, working well, caring, is to become part of a process, to achieve an inner peace of mind. The motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon.”

— from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I worked for salary and benefits rather than building the boat. The lessons that are now bearing out in this project are the value of pilot programs that scale into full services and standard work. I have also learned the importance of successive iterations when writing we call it drafting. So, I picked a set of plans for a smaller project with which to begin. Selecting a boat or boat plans is about optimizing variables to suit the work or play one desires. I picked Spira International’s, Outerbanks Dory. It is a nineteen foot, flat bottomed dory designed to launch through the surf. It comes with options for aft or forward motor well. The flat bottom will pound heavily in rough conditions, or with high horsepower. Conversely, an outboard as small as 25hp will drive this hull, hence providing better fuel efficiency. I mean to use it along the Maine Island Trail and the larger lakes in Maine.

I am working on this project with my wife. We have lived separately for the last several years. I went to college in Alaska and have dreamed of returning for years. In 2016 I took a position with Bristol Bay Campus in Dillingham, Alaska fascinating, rewarding, and a head-clearing time. However, in the end, we decided that relocating and working out the ends of our careers in Alaska was not our best option. As I mentioned, work had given me skills that I am practicing in this project. Where we have lived apart, it is time to learn to communicate and cohabitate again. Another ability I have come to depend on in the workplace is teamwork. Many brains often make for better outcomes the hard part is to get those brains working together. So, I would like to modify the language above. We decided on this set of plans. And we are working on it together.

Goals for the Weekend

• Build the Strongback
• loft the frames.

We started the project on the Solstice weekend. Belgrade, ME., Saturday 6.22.19 — Morning session  10 – 11:15: It was our first time doing scarfs. We watched Mark Vickers make easy work of it in one of his boat building videos.

Like Mark, we used the circular saw for the first cuts and burned that old tool up right away. We used the handsaw to finish the cuts. We experimented with both belt sander and power planer. This is the first time we are using a power planer.  That tool is HEAVEN SENT! We have seen a number of videos of boatbuilding projects and seen a number of tools used — Mark prefers the angle grinder, and we will try that out, too. For us, the belt sander and the planer are top picks already. Gorilla glued and clamped the scarfs and now we are letting the glue cure for 24 hours.

Patty found it more comfortable when cutting the scarfs not to have the boards clamped together – to do one at a time.  Other lessons included staying ¼ inch from the line and cleaning it all up with the other tools. The grain on the boards she was working with was a bit wonky (yea, that’s the reason those cuts were not very good ;-)). Often in our personal relationships, we do not practice the skills, courtesy, and leadership we display in the workplace. We had ample material so that if we messed up, we could still salvage the build. I decided to let things just run their course rather than do the man ‘splaining or teaching something. Patty needed learning, but not teaching. The wood and time were not more valuable than the relationship and practical learning.

Afternoon session 12:45 – 2:00: Began lofting the frames and realized how huge this boat is! Used different color markers for each frame and measured several out on one piece of plywood to use as a pattern. Measured, measured, erased, measured, and measured again before drawing.  When we put the frames together, it will be another opportunity to measure and check back. Guys building boats, if your wife sews quilts or is really good at math, I suggest that you include her in the build. It will save your butt. Again, reaching back to my thoughts on teamwork I bit my tongue on the scarf, in part, because I knew I would get the angles and the math screwed up and I wanted the extra brainpower to prevent that. We are still working to have the vocabulary to help each other learn, but, I learned that cutting templates prevents errors in cutting wood. I needed learning but not teaching. I was ready to put my feet up for a while by 2:00 pm, likely Patty could have worked 8 more hours.

Sunday 6.23.19: Patty called a “time out.” She is a hospital administrator and so some of her metaphors arise from that workplace experience. Apparently, it is a practice in surgery rooms for a “time out” before the procedure. Everyone checks in on the details, no fault no foul, right procedure, right patient. So, we talked about the decision to go with the 19-foot boat, rather than something smaller. I actually appreciated being called out to explain the choice and to address her misgivings.

Morning session 8:30 – 11: 15: Building the Strongback– We followed the instructions for the most part (use the recipe first then get creative). Height of the legs – 40 ½ inches, cut out of salvaged 4x4s the feet were salvaged deck boards from our old deck. I would rather stand on a step stool then hunch over, so ya.

The harder work was all the measured angles and cuts. Really had to pay attention to the plans and made templates of the angles for the transom and stem from paper first – that gave us a better way to visualize and be sure we had the right angle going the right direction. Rather than cutting wood wrong, we cut paper wrong.   Having the dialog, and double checking each other is preventing a lot of errors – geometry knowledge is not vital, but it’s useful to understand how angles work. So far Jeff’s plans are great, but, you really need to interrogate them. In this age of Google, and skimming content, other skills are needed for projects like this and it is a challenge to slow down, read, and think.

Because the circular saw broke, we ended up using a handsaw on the angle cuts today.  Relied heavily on geometry (and quilt making) skills 😊. And muscle, there is a place for you guys in this but remember to be respectful. Guys, this is a chance to let your partner shine, to flatter, and appreciate.

We sandwiched two 2x6s around the legs rather than just one as one video we saw suggested.  We figured it adds to the stability of the frame and we can use the sandwich capabilities to help with height adjustments for the frame placement because this boat has a rocker and will require varied measurements. The hull weighs 1400 pounds, so nothing to… take lightly.

Afternoon session plan 11:45 – 1:15: Finish the lofting, position, and level the strongback in the shelter and move the woodpile to a convenient location. Put some 2x4s between the angled ends of the strongback and then completed the lofting.  Using different colored markers for each frame – makes it easy to tell which is which.  We have five measured out on one side of the plywood and four measured out on the other with the color referenced next to the plans for each frame. We centered the strongback under the canopy and leveled it – ironically, THAT required almost no work.  Then we stacked the wood on the feet – which both stabilizes it and keeps it right handy.