LUTRA Launched!

 

Floating high!

LUTRA - Genus name of river and sea otters of the family Mustelidae.

LUTRA Launched!

You'd think it would be getting easier with experience. Not sure it's gotten any harder, but it takes longer than we think and leaves us elated, but whupped each time.

Building one's own vessel - DIY - is a mixed bag. 

On the one hand, it's a long sequence of tasks presenting varying degrees of challenge. Learning curves, supply chain foibles and material quirks, domestic and social duties and distractions... even - or especially - weather all conspire to prolong the ordeal.

On the other, we get exactly what we've dreamed and crafted into being, with a tailored fit no production vessel can match, and the care and attention no professional can afford.

A dream, a plan, a few tools, a pile of materials, skills acquired along the way, and stubborn persistence are all that are required.

And time. LUTRA has about 4 months of work in her for the two of us amateurs. Extend to about 6 1/2 months accounting for the copper plate - including stripping it off WAYWARD and some wasted time learning to translate 2D angle to 3D. Extend to 21 months accounting for all those detours I mentioned on the one hand.

We took a bit longer than necessary to launch her. Each boat is different, and when possible, we like to launch her by ourselves using tools we carry and materials that can be found anywhere in our cruising grounds. This time, we were mostly successful on both counts, but kind friends had to be dissuaded from lending their time and heavy machinery. We look kinda Luddite to most, but we have to be able to handle a potential move out there, and on our own. So we grunted and groaned our way to the water in only three days.

There's work left to go.

We'll spend the next month finishing out the interior, building a rocket stove and moving aboard. Then off to find spars a few miles from Tenakee. Then a few more miles to rig her. But it's now on our own time, and afloat.

The archipelago awaits!

First kiss o' the Sea

Tender time
Photo by Beret Barnes

Towed by Friends
Photo by Darcie Ziel

Guest Post: MARY H by Chris George

 

MARY H
All photos supplied by Chris George

Lord, it was day and night and night an day work when in season!

- Some Old Salt

MARY H
  Guest Post by Chris George

In 2022 Massachusetts announced a small business grant for Green Innovation and Climate Resiliency in the commercial seafood sector. I won the grant and built a scow for my shellfish farm. Having read the Triloboat Blog for years, I had formed the idea that a sailing scow could be useful. The book Trade Winds by Christiaan de Beukelaer implanted the idea of using sail, and maybe electric, to power my work on the farm for climate reasons. The idea was born and I received $25,000 to build and work the boat. She is named the MARY H, after my wife, and her mission is to carry and deploy aquaculture gear and pick up oyster and quahog seed and drop off harvests to a hatchery facility about one mile away across part of Cape Cod Bay.

The design already existed in Howard I. Chapelle’s classic American Small Sailing Craft as the Cape Cod Bay Pound-Net Scow. In the old sailing days, these boats mainly fished herring - and fished the species out! They look like the TRILOBOAT StudyPLAN SANDBOX, but evolved slightly curved sheer lines helping with the “roll to the sea, as there often is on the Cape shore” and historically carried a pile driver. I sent to the office of ship plans at the Smithsonian and for $60 they sent me a tube full of diagrams of old scows -including Great Lakes types - along with Chapelle’s lines, taken off in Provincetown in the 1940s. To start I had Dave’s blog, Chapelle’s book and an awesome picture I found on the internet of a model built locally off the same plan, credit Rob Napier. 

The original boat in the plan is 36’ and I determined for the scope of the project, and town mooring regulations, to scale the build to 20’ - though I did wonder if proportions would get weird later on. So off this poster-sized plan I made a table in my notebook with an engineering ruler and scaled all the points of measurement for 20’. I also set about making an 8’ mock up with a couple scrap veneer plywood sheets and a cardboard model. Making the model was fun just tracing the plan onto cardboard and adding a chopstick mast and paper sails; at that size my old G.I. Joes look like a person of 5’4’’ height. 

To build the boat I had written some pay into the funding to hire skilled help. I hired a friend of mine, a retired roofer and now bricolage artist with whom I had already worked on a few building projects. The first thing we did was to locate a tree for the mast and let it cure for about a year. It’s a beautiful mast! We found a very straight white pine of about 24’ in the woods on a neighbor’s property. Stripped it with a machete (held like a spoke shave) and then coated it with wood preservative and hung it in my garage. 

Severely squeezed into my garage, the actual assembly and building went straight down the lines of “Instant Boats.” Dynamite Payson virtually dictated the techniques that I would modify. Cutting out the main pieces from plywood was most of the early work. I referred to the notebook table a lot and because the math was simpler to convert inches in decimal (remember the engineering ruler), I made sure to make an extra column for the conversion back to 1/16th inches for my measurements on plywood, transcribing the height of the sheer above bottom. The one caveat is that this measurement required another column in the table because the Pythagorean theorem had to be applied to account for the flare of the hull as the Chapelle plan just shows a profile view. No lofting though! A Kreg brand T-square was used constantly. I made a useful misstep while building the mockup that helped me realize to account for flare because I paid a printer to just proportionally enlarge the plan and I used it like a template. When assembling the mockup (which I may still employ as a standup paddleboard) using stitch and glue with zip ties, it felt scrunched down. This effect was not noticeable at the tiny size of the model. The actual cross section of MARY H is 5’ across the bottom with a 5’6’’ beam on deck. 

The winter months were spent in the garage with a space heater cutting and edge joining the plywood with epoxy and fiberglass. The gunwales were constructed in this way as well as five transverse bulkheads for holding the structure together like a ladder. Striking the fair curve of the bow and stern were the most ancient and nautical feeling part of the process. It was accomplished by laying the measurements on the plywood with nails and bending a piece of PVC edging around them. The curve was hand cut by eye with a buzz saw through the skill of my roofer friend. 

Building a boat was a lot to ask of my family, three children and one an infant. I did a lot of work after bedtime into the night and tried to involve the children as much as possible. One problem spot occurred while attaching the bottom to the sides for tape and glue. We decided to attach the bottom with the boat upright, bending the kerfed bow and stern up with shims and two-by-fours at both ends. The shape of the boat would be held in place for gluing with bar clamps and screws edgewise above the waterline. The deadflat was easy enough and all joints were bonded with epoxy fillets and fiberglass strips. But the ends had to be done in one fell swoop laboriously levering up the ends of the boat like flaps over the piles of shims while running around to make everything even as sealant set between the seams. We went way over time and things were starting to fail as my wife pulled in with all the kids. Seeing them all it was such a sacrifice not to be able to care for my baby at that time. But I left it in the care of my friend and somehow he finished the bottom single handedly. 

With the hull still upright I built the centerboard box up out of clear pine boards and more marine plywood, splurging on bronze screws. Now looking boatlike, I got a group of friends together to help flip the hull over onto its transoms for sheathing the bottom. All were promised fresh clams or oysters. I sheathed the entire hull on the outside only with one layer of thick fiberglass cloth bedded in epoxy. Once painted the same crew helped me flip the boat again onto a trailer which I picked up reasonably from the USACOE via the GSA, a good resource. The garage doors were popped off the hinges and the boat was carried out by hand. I had lined the trailer with an old foam mattress that I saved for this purpose so she would have a soft landing onto the rollers. 

Outside in the Spring I built deck stringers out of clear pine strapping and built the mast step of extra fir from the skeg. The boat was filled with 100 empty soda bottles for buoyancy with some sealed plastic water cooler carboys for good measure. The deck was cut from the same ½’’ marine plywood as the rest of the boat and laid as efficiently as I could manage. Between every seam I shot marine sealant or sometimes silicone caulk. A somewhat big mistake was not better sheathing the deck somehow because it leaks during rains. It has to be pumped out after rain and storms now while on the mooring. The hull is tight however so the water inside is “fresh.” One splurge was for EVA foam faux wood decking. Rolls of this stuff were moderately expensive but are a big facet of the historical look, and napably soft. Many people have stopped by the boat and remarked they thought these were actual planks. Rub rails are made of super cheap highly sacrificial lengths of furring strip.

Rigging is piecemeal. I got about 100’ each of tan synthetic rope for the halyards and great thick faux hemp nylon rope for the main sheet, also a historical touch. I made a forestay with hardware store steel wire and shackles. Chafing gear is cut garden hose. The sail was made at a sailmaker in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The proportions are kind of weird as the boom is a real deck sweeper. It will help to reef when I sail the boat more in earnest. At this point she sailed down wind, in the lightest winds three times in the Summer and Fall of 2025. Yet, when I put the sail up, down wind, in the lightest wind, it is still hard to deny we are under sail. And that feels great! I am looking at a potentially life long learning curve so there is plenty of time to perfect it. For electric propulsion she hangs two five horsepower German Torqeedo engines off the stern with some Chinese ePropulsion stick engines for backup.

MARY H now sits on the hard waiting for the 2026 season coming up at the end of March. All the people who helped were essential: a landowner letting us search for the mast, friends and relatives who flipped the boat or shot screws or gave friendly advice, authors - I owe them all a ride or at least some oysters. Spiritually, there have been few journeys as rewarding for me as building this boat. At the Christening, the bottle was smashed by the real Mary H.

Expenses

Dave, here. Chris provided his cost accounting under the grant in response to requests in the comment section. His itemized list can be read HERE. Please click on the spreadsheet image for a more legible pop-up.

The Shed of Damocles

 

Accident waiting to happen

Every avalanche begins with a single snowflake;
 And my hope is to move a snowflake.

- Thomas Frey

The Shed of Damocles

Well. Our latest boat project has been idling for close to five months now... stalled on account of weather. Last year we were able to work through the winter for the most part, however inefficiently. Summer was unusually wet and cool. This winter, early and hard.

Sigh.

We were soooo close to finished when November of 2025 froze our bones in sub-freezing temps. and dumped three feet of snow on us. The fixed mill site (the building behind our tarp shed) had never let go its snow before, and we were content to believe it never would. Ordinarily, we'd go up and shovel it, but the roof is old and thin in places... if we can't see where to step, we could punch through. Even if not, we'd open up a hundred leaks we couldn't fix until clear and dry.

Our light tarp structure  is pitched steeply for the duration by lowering it's street-side posts. It can stand a deal of powder snow... maybe as much as a foot? We don't want to test its extremes, so clear it once or twice a day, avoiding any more than about 6in. More often if it's wet, since waterlogged snow is 10x as heavy.

Since it's not steep enough to shed snow, the procedure is as follows: 

• Throughout this process, shovel away past the outer, lower edge of the tarp to clear a space for snow coming down. If not, it stacks up and blocks it from shedding off the tarp.

1. Make a pass along the lower edge, shouldering upward to shake the bottom 1/4 or so down and off the tarp.
2. Use a smoothed T-pole to prod and shake the underside from the solid eaves down, shaking the top 1/2 down toward the bottom 1/2.
3. Go outside, and drag that lower 1/2 of snow down and off the roof, shaking the last remnants. 

This takes from 20 minutes to about an hour of hard work depending on depth, how dry, damp or wet the snow is, and how much snow is built up along the bottom. Past a certain depth, we have to move it toward either end of the 40ft span, or fling it across the 10ft road. 

Huff. Puff. Ain't as young as we used to be. I won't go into shoveling along town, houses we're watching, our boats and those we're watching or are unattended. But there ya go.

Eventually, there came cycles of thaw and rain and freeze in quick succession. The snow compacted and melted a bit, but formed an icy underbelly.

Finally, it blew a balmy 45degF winds through the open shop, melting the interface between ice and metal roof. The unmelted portion - a foot or so of ice and snow - was happy to ski downhill and onto our shed, wreaking a degree of mayhem; tearing our tarp and breaking a few rafters.

It warmed further, and we fixed out rafters and added the double layers of the blue tarp you see. They're water resistant, but are not as slick as the polyethylene underlayer. A little harder to clear.

But the warmth was transient... temps plummeted and the snow came again, building to back to its previous level, as shown in the lead pic. 

It's raining, again, with cold in the forecast. That upper roof might melt away without dumping, this time... certainly no ice along the bottom layer to sled it down. Who knows what the next cold spell will bring.

Five months lost so far... that's enough to build the boat in ideal conditions, all found.

Wah.

Yet, we grow stronger with every shovelful. We rest between pushes of effort, catching up on chores deferred and reading. It's a time to come together with friends for feast and laughter.

And oh, the winter-time is beautiful! The skies are glorious - furrowed in the laden cloud, or bright with crystal blue, or dancing auroral against the distant stars flung above the peaks. Snow flocks bush and tree and languishes in sensual curve and hollow. Frost feathers and heaves. Fog, frozen to ice mirrors from every branch. Our cheeks our ruddy and our breath smokes on the frigid air. Lovely!

But still... spring-time, anyone?

Live Aboard MacroEconomics: A Case Study

 

WAYWARD earning her keep

As you live your life aboard a vessel, be aware of the sea of life on which it floats and on which it moves forward.

— Ian Gardner (as remembered)

Whatever floats your boat!

-- Sailorspeak

Live Aboard MacroEconomics: A Case Study

LUTRA, the boat we're currently building, offers an as-of-today set of numbers to puzzle over.

Numbers, of course, are slippery li'l devils. What counts in or out? Round up or down? Will the future hold the course? Nonetheless, it's worth a look! Here, I'll take a bird's eye look at up-front dollar costs of our live-aboard vessel relative to rent. 

So LUTRA. Our labor is 'free' (ha!). Time is probably about 6 months of steady, optimal workdays... spread across a year and a quarter in our actual context. Let's say 3000 person-hours (2 persons x 8 hours/day x 180 days, rounded up). The time investment itself hurts less than time lost cruising at large!

When all the dust settles, we arrive at two figures for her out-of-pocket cost. For building site, construction and materials of the hull and furnishings, around $5K is pretty close. Mind you, this is still semi-remote, so costs are high. That's the easy part.

Where it gets complicated is in evaluating outfit, gear and copper we're carrying forward from WAYWARD (and earlier boats!). 

WAYWARD's copper plate was originally a whopping $10K in 2014 dollars. We figure that it paid for itself in about 5 years, saving a rugged alternative finish (e.g., fiberglass/resin), anti-fouling paint, haul-outs and associated costs, repairs, on-board insurance, etc.. After 10 years aboard WW, we used half of it and her chine angles for LUTRA.  Each half is worth around $4K as #2 scrap in 2025 dollars defraying the original outlay.

Similar calculations go for anchors, chain and rode, a pile of fasteners, piano hinges, coms, nav lights and other gear.

So... um.... I'm going to say $1K for these components. Neither replacement value nor market value, but a nod toward what might have been an expensive heap if it hadn't already paid for itself. 

That brings LUTRA's up-front dollar cost to ~$6K.

We're building in our home port of Tenakee, Alaska. Currently, property is well out of our reach. Rents are running around $1K/month for a studio-ish space, utilities included. IF you can find one open. There are only a handful and chronically occupied.  In a larger town, such as Juneau or Sitka, low-end rents average $2K - $2.5K/month, utilities NOT generally included. Tight there, too, but there're generally more openings coming and going.

So let's start with our local $1K/month. That's $12K per year. LUTRA's build is paid off in 6 months at large, a little more when tied to the dock. If we live-aboard for 10 years, we clear 'savings' - in dollars not spent - of more than $100K in village rent, ~$200K in town rent!

Cash money, unfortunately, doesn't grow on trees. 

Tenakee labor is compensated at $18 - $25/hour. It's not exactly 40 hour work weeks, so can also stretch wider over time. But let's say 200 person-hours ($5K x 1 person-hour/$25) to earn the $5K cash outlay for LUTRA. Let's add to that our 3K person-hours for construction and round up for a conservative 3.5K person-hours.

Still, it's easy to see that 10 years of rent would require at least 4K person-hours at present rates.

So... well, well!... looks like we save time, too, even when calculating the bare rental alternative to living aboard. An even better dollar deal if we had bought a vessel, rather than DIY.

That being said, while DIY construction plays a role in all this there are middle grounds.

Buying a modest fixer-upper and DIY from there will (most likely) drop your time investment considerably, and quite possibly your layout costs, so give that a good look.

But the big money is in living aboard! Sail away from the dock if you can.

***

In reality, all of this is vastly more complicated. We don't begin to examine, here, the costs of gainful employment (commutes, clothing, peer outings, etc. inherent in the alternative). We haven't calculated equity and resale value vs. zero for rentals. We don't know how to count our time entangled in town while building. We haven't considered costs of maintenance and repair. We don't know how to evaluate what we learn while building, and how that pro-rates over the years. We don't know if we'll get that 10 years ahead, much less the 20 or so we have fair reason to hope for.

We keep in mind that, at the end of ten years, we still own our vessel  / home ; it's just another rent-due month for the alternative.

I started this post musing in print. I'm pleased to see that the numbers appear to crunch in our favor in both money (I was pretty sure) and time (surprise!). My sense is that, given a simple, low-overhead lifestyle, living aboard and sailing remote, the numbers tilt even further in our favor.

So don't let a little thing like money stop ya!

LUTRA Update: Building Blues and Bloom

 

A Work in Progress

Rome wasn't built in a day.

-- Old saying

LUTRA Update: Building Blues and Bloom

There are two things I yammer on about:

1. Small is beautiful.  - E.F. Schumacher
2. Curves and angles add to building time and effort.  - Me

Yeesh. I should listen to myself.

We're just rounding the one year mark on what we'd estimated to be a four month project. Six months if the stars mis-aligned.

A winter build - now approaching another? -  interrupted work with deep-freezing spells and general hypothermia, leaving us staring stupidly at simple tasks. Weather - exceptionally cool/cold and wet stretched from that winter, through spring to latish July, bringing mildew in its train. A series of guests (whom we thoroughly enjoyed) brought a warm spell that ended promptly with their last departure. Back to hypothermia. Our short-handed community has needs with few to step up. Our own life has chores that can't be indefinitely deferred.

It adds up to a blues riff.

But one step in front of the other. The structure is complete and we're building and tacking on gear (hatches, tabernacles, bow rollers, cleats, rails, rudder/tiller, etc.). In a week or two - barring further issues - we'll start the simple interior, then windows, then launch. we're hoping for 2025.

So we persist. We dream of returning to life at large among the islands.

We bloom.

*****

It's a challenge taking photos from point blank!

Rowing Cockpit from Forward
Longitudinal Seat/Lockers between Self-Bailing Decks
Main Tabernacle at Main Bulkhead

Rowing Cockpit from aft

Longitudinal seat lockers to Leanbank/Fo'c'stle Hatch

Fore and Main Tabernacles visible

Tulle + TBIII + Paint: A Promising Sheathing Combo

 

Save that Veil...
It's Tulle!

Because, in your dreams, every detail matters.

- Wedding Veil Ad Copy

Tulle + TBIII + Paint: A Promising Sheathing Combo

In our endless search for cheaper solutions to common problems, we seem to be closing in on a minimum. Specifically, in regards to a plywood sheathing system.

Previous posts - More Than One Way to Sheath a Boat and Deck Sheathing: Alternatives to Fiberglass and Plastic Resins - explored alternatives we've tried. Our state-of-the-art is woven acrylic fabric (sometimes sold as 'Dynel') providing a matrix for TiteBond III water-based (but 'proof') glue.

Problem is, formerly cheap acrylic went from about $5 to $25 per yard (yikes!) over the last ten years.

So we hunted around. Synthetic fabrics of every stripe were durn expensive, and we were reduced to collecting second-hand sheets (not a bad option, but take a lot of piecework).

And there was Tulle (bridal veil material)! We found some made of polyester that covered the horizontal decks of our new boat with plenty to double it on high-wear areas. All for about $1 per yard (less in quantity) through Amazon. TiteBond III is still cheap as paint.

Tulle wets down well, and the drying TBIII first layer has little problem pulling it flat (but help it along creases by spreading flat). It conforms well to tight-radius exterior and interior edges. With two coats of TBIII and topcoat of paint, the result is a moderately textured surface over a thick, reinforced film of hard-set glue protected from UV by paint.

So Tulle looks good as an inexpensive alternative to other synthetic fabrics. Time will tell... the gold standard is about 15 years.

Watch this space!

Our Application Procedure:

1. Prep surface (smooth and tack-free)
2. Pre-cut Tulle to fit
3. Wet down Tulle with water (soaks the wood under)
4. Immediately brush TiteBond III (ample, but don't sweat it)
5. Let dry (will draw down Tulle for initial bond)
6. Lightly sand sharp points, edges or ridges, if any and tack
7. Apply second coat of TBIII (ample, but brush out to preserve weave)
8. Let dry
9. Prime while still 'green' (within 24hrs)
10. Topcoat

One cool aspect is that, with judicious selection of products and a warm, breezy day, starting with a prepared deck we can (theoretically) manage five coats (2xTB, 1x primer, and 2x topcoat) in one long summer day. And much of that is kicking back and watching it dry.

Cheap AND efficient!

Metronomics: Understanding Roll

Note the weight positions... higher = slower ; lower = faster

Now roll on, Buddy?
Why ya roll so slow?
I gotta roll slow
With my weight so low.

-- Adapting a Folk Song

Metronomics: Understanding Roll

Being an Old Fart, I had the privilege of growing up with mechanical metronomes. Mechanisms - as opposed to algorhythms - that set and keep the beat.

Metronomes keep the beat, adjusting their tempo by sliding a weight higher or lower along a bar. 

Higher Weight = Longer / Slower

Lower Weight = Shorter / Faster.

Puts me in mind of the dreaded short and snappy roll that fatigues and throws crew around if not overboard. Longer, slower roll periods are desirable. Up to a point. Beyond that point, they can become self-reinforcing and enter 'death roll' dynamics. We're with Goldilocks... we're looking for a sweet spot that's juuuuuust right.

Being a sailor, I can't help but see roll dynamics in the metronome.

Bar = Mast
Weight = Rig's Center of Gravity (CG)
Axis = Hull's Center of Buoyancy (CB)
Counter-Weight = Ballast CG

Tempo = Roll Period

The connection is easy to spot. We can adjust roll period (by raising and lowering the Rig's CG while all other points remain constant.

A baseline is established by weight distribution along the mast, most likely at construction time. Hollow masts offer lots of options for messing with distribution via placing of  internal weights. Choice of hardware (e.g., masthead fittings, blocks, spreaders, etc.) for weight placement all count. Designers aim for one-size-fits-most.

Junk Rig is interesting... as the sail is raised, more weight goes aloft. Typically the yard is heaviest at the top, while battens average out(?) along the mast. The total effect is that more sail slows roll.

This suggests the possibility of elective roll period manipulation via weight that can be raised and lowered to adjust for conditions. The challenge would be a 'doohicky' which would observe these Thou Shalt Nots...

• Not be difficult to deploy
• Not interfere with the rig
• Not swing wildly
• Not be difficult to dowse
• Not be difficult to stow

While giving a seriously positive return cost/benefit ratio-wise.

Clearly, the need for roll control will all have a lot to do with the roll dynamics of the hull in question. Low form stability (/easily driven) hulls will benefit more; Form stable (/it's complicated) hulls will benefit less.

How do you roll?

Simple Sampan

 

Sampan Bow
Arrow points to the forward end of the straight chine
a.k.a aft end of the bow curve

Simple Sampan met a Boatman,
    With a seaward stare;
Says Simple Sampan to the Boatman,
    “Let me take you there.”

- Olde Mother Sloops

Simple Sampan

Sampan bows have several benefits over western, pointy bows.

They add positive buoyancy at the bow, reducing pitching and helping to ride up and over waves (rather than plow through them). More interior volume is added for forward storage. Forward deck space is widened for better footing and anchor handling. Wide flare at the bow helps toss waves to the side, rather than over the top. The wide forefoot is more stable on a steep beach. It's much easier to roll a cross-log under to protect the bottom on a rough beach.

We LIKE 'em!

With two sampan bows under our belts, I'd like to share some thoughts on dumbing the process down to manageable. This approach uses western design techniques, but leaves the bow to a traditional, 'follow-the-materials' attitude.

In designing your own approach, consider models from paper or cardstock. Fast and cheap compared to plywood!

NOTE: I've simplified since the first draft!

Simplifying approaches

1. Use constant flare
2. Begin with parallel sides, straight along sheer and chine
3. Use a simple, fair bow curve at the forward end (approaching a circle)
4. Build to forward end of the straight chine with bow extending past
5. Roll bottom upward to plank the bow

Okay, let's unpack that... I'm going to boldface some common boat terms you may have to look up to keep it short...

Decide the amount of flare. The simplest case is a constant amount of flare, which produces constant bevels along the chine. We find slope to be the easiest to work with, often 3in of lean-out per vertical foot. A changing amount of flare produces twist, which introduces rolling bevels and generally complicates things.

Parallel, Straight Sides - When laid flat, these are like wide planks. When bent over flared stations that converge toward bow or stern, they develop parallel curvature... 'sheer' along the sheer and 'rocker' along the chine. The more flare and the more the ends are brought inboard, the greater the curvature.

Phil Bolger (TEAL, among others) and Tom MacNaughton (SILVER GULL series) and others have designed handsome, capable vessels with this approach to side planking.

Fair Bow Curve - This curve provides the sampan shape. A curve closer to a circle provides a more blunt entry, while a curve closer to half a parabola makes an easier entry. This is laid out directly on the side planking.

Build from mid-section to fwd end of straight chine - This portion of construction is very easy. Constant bevels and simple, fair curves. Under these assumptions, side heights are all the same. The whole thing pretty much shapes itself! 

Meanwhile, the curved bow ends are sticking out there in space. Depending on your building philosophy, the bottom can be planked to this point with the proviso that you will need to continue bottom planking forward, rolling it up and over the curved, Sampan ends. 

Roll the bottom upward - To make the curve with plywood planking you will likely have to use kerfs.

If not using tape and glue construction, we find 'nailers' to be an easy method. Basically, these are planks along the curve to which the bottom can be mechanically fastened (nails or screws).

Ply Nailers installed and trimmed to bow curves...
Planks are a better choice, if available

Planking up the bow...
Note kerfs visible across upper bow

Nailers after bow is closed

As you can see, you have to get creative with clamping. There are a zillion ways to go. Most of them work, eventually. Try to find what works best for you!

NOTE: The black schmooey is DAP Polyurethane. Very strong bond, highly elastomeric, workable and about 1/4 the price of some of the name brands.

Complexifications

The previous assumptions are the simplest among flared side designs. But each builder and vessel is individual... you get to decide what pays off in your long-run. Your design and/or construction abilities will loom large at the beginning. A long-term benefit may well reward extending those abilities at the outset. Simplest is always fastest, but that's not the only question. Weigh it up!

Both chine and sheer curvature can be enhanced or diminished by curving one, the other or both (not necessarily parallel). Lofting will take up more of your time.

We cut our sides down from a single run of full width plywood, so strictly parallel sides are arbitrary. We chose to add a little extra sheer for vanity's sake (okay... it also gives a little more freeboard, forward, but that's pretty minimal). 

Note the riser above parallel over the forward end... that's a simple way to get extra freeboard, storage and foremast bury. In MUSTELID, we built it up from the sheer; in LUTRA, we're simply cutting above the (nearly) parallel cockpit line.

As mentioned twist complicates matters, but may pay in the long run. Generally, it helps increase sheer and rocker, and narrows the forefoot (for an easier entry). There's a bit of extra twist available for 'free' along the bow curve... consider making sure that it fairs in along sheer and chine with no hard spots in their longitudinal curves.

Bulkheads don't have to go anywhere in particular, but it's handy to have one at the point of maximum beam (not necessarily mid-ships) and one at the forward end of the straight, parallel chine, both definitive points. Intermediate bulkheads need to be adjusted for their position on the curvy sheer and chine. Many vessels can be designed and built around their bulkheads, with no temporary stations at all.

Simple's a great place to start, but you're not obliged to limit yourself!

*****

Box Barges are as simple and easy as a boat gets. I'd put parallel sided, flared vessels at the next rung of difficulty; still in easy reach. Giving up parallel takes another rung, but we're not dizzy, yet.

A Sampan Bow complements all three, and comes down right handsome in flared hulls!

Related Post: Roll Your Own

LUTRA: One More @%! Boat

 

LUTRA
30ft x 5.75/4ft x 1ft
...a Sampanic Shorpie?

LUTRA -- Genus name of otters, order carnivora, family mustelidae.

Sampanic -- Having a bow resembling a sampan.

Shorpei -- Sharpie / Dory / Shorey (as distinct from any one of those?).

Meso-Cruiser -- Bigger than a micro-cruiser, smaller than a full-sized cruiser?

LUTRA: One More @%! Boat

Well, here we go again.

A quick recap of our so-called 'retirement plan'... WAYWARD, our home of the last decade is capable and comfortable, but requires a deal of physical input to sail and maintain. As we age, we expect that it would become our less mobile live-aboard. To stay mobile for longer, we added MUSTELID to the mix as an easily handled camper-cruising forager.

MUSTELID's sea trials showed us that she is more than a fair weather sailor, and quite comfortable for longer term life aboard. We feel that we could, in a pinch, make her our sole live-aboard, though in spartan fashion. By nature, however, we lean more to hedonism than asceticism.

Got us thinkin'; always a dangerous activity.

Easy handling is optimal in the smaller vessel, but maintenance on the two vessels is more than WAYWARD's alone (duh). M's lack of insulation and light build puts her at the wrong end of the comfort spectrum... for about six months of the Alaskan, rainforested year, it's cool to cold living. Stowage is minimal (only enough for about four months if depending on food stores). Tools are limited to band-aid level repairs (not reconstruction). No copper plate.

Hmm.

We decided that an enlarged version of MUSTELID would meet our needs in one package. Easy handling, less maintenance, comfortable (and better organized) living aboard with enough displacement to carry longer term gear and outfit. When we're out cruising, with all eggs in one basket we won't worry about the boat left behind.

LUTRA vs MUSTELID

LUTRA is designed on the same general plan, but 6ft longer than M and twice as deep (1ft vs 6in for nearly 2x displacement). We've raised the cockpit sheer by a foot to allow self-bailing decks, wider footing and more storage in the T-locker. The resulting, higher (and widened bow) yields more lift over seas... this might be necessary to counter the increased momentum of a heavier boat.

• 9ft rowing cockpit (vs 8ft) relaxes our spacing.
• 3ft aft locker (vs 2ft) adds 'deep' stowage area and extends the aft deck.
• 12ft cabin (vs 8ft) 
• Adds room for a small 'chest of drawers' each (more efficient storage).
• Allows bedding to be moved forward, clearing a space for cook and fire while one of us slugs abed (we call the doubled bedding 'Cloud-Nine'  😴 ).
• Double displacement floats thicker walls and double windows (improved insulation), copper plate, extra stores and gear, and a thermal-mass rocket stove (design in the works).

A longer, deeper hull, heavy bottom and copper plate will increase form stability and add considerable ballast stability for an even stiffer boat. This allows a more powerful rig, though we'll keep it snug against the sudden williwaws to which our area is prone. Dimensions shown are about the max we might be comfortable with. Reefing is (supposed to be) a snap and sheets are very easy to release, so we'll see.

In particular, we're trying another possibly hare-brained idea:

 The mid-sail is drawn quadrilateral, spread by a sprit and boom inspired by Holopuni Quick Rig. First reef is to brail the sprit vertical (leaving a Leg O' Mutton, triangular sail standing) and rotate the mast one turn to wrap sprit and bunt. From that point, reefing is all roll-furling around the mast as .we've been doing. With luck, this will retain the easy handling of the simpler, LOM (Leg O' Mutton) sails from M.

This increases sail area and drive while moving the CE aft a ways. This will decrease lee helm from the forward sails and hopefully enhance windward performance. With luck, we'll get away with hanging the off-centerboards (which double as filler planks for a cockpit platform) from the forward end of the cabin in the blindspot at the chest-of-drawers.

We've widened the sampan bow which will allow us to use a foremast case. We'll be able to drop it without lifting it clear of the partners (a spooky operation when wind and water 'get up'!). It will be self-bailing and drain clear of the water.

Another departure is eliminating the cabin tumblehome in favor of one-piece sides. This simplifies construction, adds knockdown buoyancy in the BIRDWATCHER style cabin and helps reduce rain on the windows for better visibility.

Other than that, we'll be keeping most of M's features, only adapting as necessary.

The as yet open question is whether we'll be able to row LUTRA at speeds approaching 3kts. On the one hand, her longer waterline length affords about 7kts of Hullspeed (vs M's 6 1/3kts). On the other, we are doubling the underwater cross-sectional area and increasing wetted surface, both of which increase resistance. We'll be thrilled if we gain speed under oars; content to match speed; mildly disappointed to lose a little; chagrined to lose a lot.

Time will tell!

Getting Going

We were all set to build in a beautiful, remote location near Tenakee, but not too near (allowing us to concentrate on the build). Unfortunately, some friends suffered a series of misfortunes and we stepped in. We were glad to help out, but summer and a chunk of fall evaporated with no sure end in sight. We were offered a site in town, so moved back in and got started in late September of 2024.

It's cold and slow going. We're not as resilient as we used to be. Town life is lovely as always, but full of attractions and distractions. But we're chipping away at it.

At present, the hull is complete and we are about to copper the bottom with plate stripped from WW. It's well below freezing, at present, so we're prepping the plate and hoping for a few days of higher 30ºFs/low 40ºFs to render a waxy tape (sealant for the copper) more pliable.

Here's from a few days ago:

Tiny Tools: Toward a Compact Tool Set

 

The right tool for the job?

It's complicated.

Tiny Tools: Toward a Compact Tool Set

Keeping a full set of tools on board to handle any repair / rebuild / maintain job that might arise out there is great insurance.

But we who live in small spaces must be picky-choosy. If we can, we look for the following attributes in our tools:

• Competence - They must be able to get the job done.
  
  
• Versatility - The more jobs they can tackle, the better.
  
  
• Synergy - They should work well with other tools.
  
  
• Economy - Either inexpensive or long-lived (preferably both!).
  
  
• Small Footprint - Small is beautiful! 

Anke and I acquire what looks to be useful. Often (not always) a low purchase price indicates low quality. But we've got a tool in hand, and often find an opportunity to trade up down the road. Much more often, we'll find that a problem we face was well-solved back in the day, and we can find used tools that are no longer in common parlance for dimes on the dollar.

What follows is an annotated list of some of the less well known tools we've found to be both compact and useful. Please excuse signs of salt-water exposure... they're lately having a rough life!

*****

Notes

1. Feather File - Very fine edges and a medium cut.
   
   
2. 4-Way Wood Rasp - Flat and convex faces in rough and medium cut.
   
   
3. Small Level - To be honest, I've never used it on a boat. But for infrastructure?
   
   
4. Drilling Jig - Solid 90deg drilling guide when required (e.g., block pins).
   
   
5. Veritas(TM) Rounding Tool - 3/8 and 1/4in round... on plank and ply edges.
   
   
6. Stitch Awl - For heavy sewing (e.g., leather, sail patches, etc.).
   
   
7. Clamp-Tite(TM) - Forms and locks a tight, light wire clamp similar to a hose clamp but any size (larger tools available). Great for clamping a broken spar or any hose.
   
   
8. Needle Nose Locking Pliers - Very versatile. Great for working copper tubing. These are VISE-GRIPs(R).
   
   
9. Pipe Cutter - We use this to cut copper tubing to 3/4in.
   
   
10. (Ferrous) Nail Finder - Magnetic post points to a hidden ferrous nail. If using non-ferrous fasteners in hidden-frame construction, steel locator nails can be included to help find hidden framing years down the road.
    
    
11. Locking, Adjustable Wrench - Not a 'mini' tool, but unusual. Adjust as normal, then lock down for a secure grip on the nut with no self-adjustments as you work.
    
    
12. Folding Drawknife - Mostly available as antiques.
    
    
13. Low Angle Block Plane - Handles virtually all of our planing. IMHO, low angle planes work as well or better than ordinary angles (with the possible exception of a scrub plane).
    
    
14. Schrade(TM) Carving Folder - A useful carving set for fiddly work in a small package.
    
    
15. Multi-tools - These handle most of our odd-job maintenance work.
    
    
16. Gerber(TM) Utility Knife - For sharp cutting and light prying.
    
    
17. Smith's(TM) Blade Sharpener - V notch and Serration. Complements our Sharpal(TM) Diamond 'Stone' System (not shown).
    
    
18. Ratcheting, Adjustable Angle Bit Driver - These are a great combination. They tend to be not as well made as they deserve, but are cheap and seem to last. We like shorties like this one (Husky(TM)).
    
    
19. Low Clearance, Right angle Bit Driver - For tight spaces (about 1in). This one also accepts an in-line bit at handle's end (convenient!).
    
    
20. Bit Driving, Ratcheting Push 'Drill' (aka 'Yankee') - Saves a lot of wrist work, and with the hex-bit drills shown, can double as a light duty drill. Check that it accepts hex bits... the true Yankees had a superior but no longer standard split shanks system.
    
    
21. Hack-, Jig- and Sawzall Blade Handle - This particular model accepts all three with a quick and secure release. More are coming available, so shop around. Beware... some of the name brands have been disappointing.
    
    
22. Hand Auger/Dowel Maker - 'Shawn of the Wild' improved a Scotch-Eye Auger by lengthening the ring, setting its I.D. to the O.D. of the auger bit and creating a pocket mortise-and-tenon machine! Brilliant!!! Many are following in his footsteps but beware, not all are clear on the concept (especially as found in sets).
    
    
23. Utility Hatchet - These vary in quality, but if well made are handy li'l guys. They can be modified to suit your tastes (e.g., shape and cross-hatch the hammer head or change the cutting bevel of the hatchet head).

We have a universal socket (one of those with lots of pins which fit around any nut). Though not as robust as a solid socket, it can handle a surprising amount of torque. Plenty to make it useful for most of our needs.

Better yet, we have a Metwrinch(R) Set. Instead of dual Imperial and Metric sets, with 'teeth' bearing on nut corners, these have 'cams' bearing on nut flats. The play provided before bearing hard allows one tool size to securely grip near neighbors from either system. AND, since it's not bearing on the corners, there is little to no tendency to strip. In fact, they work until the flats themselves are rounded away.

Folders

• Fastcap(TM) 1in Chisel - These guys offer a range of standardized, folding tools, singly or in kits. They include chisels, saw, rasp, putty and linoleum knives, scratch awl, etc.. Very well designed and made.
  
  
• 'Butterfly' Dozuki / Ryoba Saw - Folded handle protects blade (and us!). This one is about 6in folded.
  
  
• JOIC(TM) Folding Drill - This one is antique only, but what a tool! Handle folds 90deg and screw end-cap holds bits. Chuck and gear rotate 90+deg. At about 9in, it can fold way down and function as an angle drill to 90deg. Both options lock down securely. We saw many of them on Ebay.
  
  
• SvenSaw(TM) - Simple, solid set-up and stows in-line. These have been around for 60 years, now. My only quibble is the teeth are pulse hardened, so can't be kerfed... we're looking for untempered replacements for all our bowsaws.

*****

These aren't our whole toolset, but they do 90% of the work. The rest are fairly standard heavy lifters.

On WAYWARD, we have a large toolbox in deeper storage and a small one at hand. Many of these small tools go into the little one, and handle our day-to-day needs quite handily. It's not until we're really building something major that we dig out the big 'un.

For the future, a smaller vessel will require fewer tools and favor a yet smaller footprint. The quest for the ever-more-compact erector set goes on!

TIP: If we standardize our fasteners (and other such accessories), we can much reduce the necessary tools. For example, limiting ourselves to #10,  1/4in, 3/8in, 1/2in and 3/4in screws and bolts with, say, square drive or hex cap/nuts, both our inventory and tools can focus in.

Plywood Construction for Less

 

Popeye Character by E.C. Segar

A vessel should be built as cheaply as possible. 
But no cheaper.

-- Adapted from Albert Einstein

Plywood Construction for Less

If we choose to build in plywood, before long you'll hear the statement: You'll be building with marine plywood and epoxy, of course. Both are fine materials and considered to be state-of-the-art.

But... here's where I find myself after three decades of boatbuilding for full-tie living aboard / cruising in the Pacific NorthWest (rainforest).

Marine Ply vs ACX

Marine plywood (MP) is AA (meaning both sides are nearly flawless), should be free of voids, have plies of equal thickness and relative more plies for any given thickness. It's a available in a number of species, each of which have a suite of virtues. The result is a stronger panel for its thickness when compared to plywoods of lower standard along any of these vectors.

The curious thing is that MP has mostly enabled boats to be built which are adequately strong, but lighter - using thinner marine plywood than if using lesser plywoods. Lighter means easier to drive toward a vessel's hull speed for a 'faster' boat. Except when using extreme methods the weight savings are slight for most cruisers.

In other words, the high price tag for marine ply buys 'speed' within a very narrow range (let's say from 0 to 4 - 8 knots). This is important for racers, but not nearly as much for the rest of us. 

ACX (one near flawless side, one OK side and eXterior glues) of decent species (fir, various pines, spruce and cedars) should last about as well as all but the most specialized MPs).

From ACX, we can build a strong, potentially long-lived vessel for far less cash outlay.

If we can personally pick through piles of ACX and have located a vendor with generally decent stacks, we can:

• Check for voids. Use a wire to assess edge gap depths... shallow knots are easy to fill, deep voids may be injected with glue.
  
  
• Check for an odd number of plies. Even numbers double interior veneers... in case of outer veneer failure, these are transverse and weak. Most 1/2in house sheathing plywood is 4 ply.
  
  
• Check for even ply thickness. Reject outer veneers which have been over-sanded.
  
  
• Check for general damage and irregularities. Reject as needed. If you know how much of a sheet you'll be using, damage can be allowed in offcut areas.

|
NOTE: When going through stacks, consider being scrupulous about re-stacking. You'll not only be welcome back, but you'll get a lot more help from appreciative, unpissed-off staff.

Epoxy vs PolyUrethane

Epoxy Resin is amazing stuff. Water-proof and solvent resistant once cured. Small molecules penetrate well and make the most of micro-surface areas. Various additives alter its properties for a wide range of uses. Its application is well understood and documented... although winging it is not recommended, with a little research and discipline, even beginners can get good results.

But it's expensive, toxic (mainly skin contact while wet), generates a small mountain of waste, requires special, hazmat disposal. 

While plastic (bendy), epoxy is not elastomeric (stretchy). 

Here's the rub: while most modern construction adhesives exceed wood fiber strength by a large margin, that wood fiber strength is the limiting factor. Merely plastic adhesives can point- and edge-load wood fiber until it gives, loading the next fiber in line. Elastomeric adhesives spread the load over a (small) region, allowing wood fibers to act together for much elevated failure thresholds.

We do continue to use epoxy in small amounts, mostly for minor repair. But it's down to a trickle.

PolyUrethane (PU) and Liquid PolyUrethane (LPU) are moisture activated, waterproof and solvent resistant when cured. 

LPU expands as foam to fill gaps. This is handy so long as we recall that expanded foam is considerably weaker than the unexpanded, non-elastomeric glue film. LPUs have a quick turn-over time that can be freaky, but helps move the project along.

PU is gap filling but does not expand but is highly elastomeric. Not all are created equal, however, so check the specifications of your candidates! Before cure, it can be thinned with mineral spirits, turpentine and various oils. This makes it more compatible than epoxy with oil / pine tar finishes (we've found that it has considerable adhesion over oiled wood, especially when thinned a bit... fasteners are primary in these cases, however, on a schedule to take the full, expected load). PUs tend to have long working times (varies with brand, temperature and humidity)... this is a mixed blessing, depending on the task.

Encapsulation vs Breathable

Encapsulation means sealing the hull completely with a waterproof, usually composite barrier (fabric, resin, primer, paint). Great system. But waterproof isn't proof against hard knocks. Dings let water in, and it can't easily get out. A season of haul-out for thorough drying is advised, with solid springtime maintenance on its heels. For full-time liveaboards in a wet environment, it's a long-shot.

The old, reliable method is oil and pine tar. It wipes on in the minutes of dry between days of rain and can be done piecemeal. It's water resistant from the moment of application. It breathes and moves with the wood.

It's not only cheap, but can be made DIY.

Conclusions

Here's our current thinking for less expensive construction. We've tried most of this on one scale or another, and find ourselves returning and doubling down.

• Select ACX plywood - Fir if available. If laminating, A sides out.
  
  
• LPU Glue for lamination - LPU has good adhesion in close contact and foams up with less of adhesion to fill voids, but even this lesser bond is considerable. We don't use LPU for small area jobs, however, as it has frequently failed in these cases (non-elastomeric). Consider its use for some bulkhead framing (which can be wider area), backed up by fasteners.
  
  Brands include Gorilla Glue and less expensive AkFix.
  
  
• PU Glue for high-stress bonds - Chines, bulkhead / transom edges, deck-hull-joins can be made with chine-log construction and/or tape-and-glue methods (similar to epoxy, with PU thinned for tape saturation).
  
  Brands include 3M5200 (the gold standard, but expensive) and DAP PU Construction Adhesive (much cheaper and seems indistinguishable in practical performance on wood).
  
  NOTE: One advantage of PU is that it acts as a gasket, even with near-zero adhesion (contact using fasteners, say). Being elastomeric, it is compressible to create a water barrier. In these cases, any adhesion is gravy.
  
  NOTE: We haven't tried it, but think that PU in tape-and-glue should be a good match for copper bottoms with mechanical fasteners. Epoxy and tape doesn't seem like it would be as resistant to water penetration as it wouldn't likely form a happy gasket around fastenings for copper. Could be wrong on this, but it's an expensive experiment.
  
  
• TiteBond III for sheathing - Especially with a fabric matrix, this is relatively inexpensive and easy to apply while producing a durable, waterproof barrier that is easy to maintain and repair. Topcoat with primer and paint.
  
  NOTE: We're about to try concrete slurry with a fabric matrix for deck sheathing. Hoping for low cost, longevity and good footing while avoiding paint topcoat. Will keep you posted with results! Might even work for the hull above and below the waterline (though we won't be trying that).
  
  
• Oil / Pine Tar for sealing - Without a fabric matrix, these (in various Boat Soup proportions and recipes) are inexpensive, can be applied in a wide range of conditions and results in a breathable finish (moisture can come and, importantly, go!).
  
  We're trying a primer coat of tung oil (we've read that it's more resistant to mildew than linseed oil... so far so good) with  10-20% pine tar (can be purchase inexpensively at agricultural supply stores as treatment for animal wounds) and thinned by turpentine as conditions require (We're building in winter. Again.).
  
  The top coat can range from 50-100% pine tar. In the interior, we'll try furniture wax over the primer coat for the interior for a wipe-down finish.
  
  

Last Thoughts

One conjecture from George Beuhler that rolls around my head is the use of asphalt roofing tar for lamination. He noted that it's very adhesive once set (most volatiles evaporated). It would be far less messy between sheets of ply!

We've used it with success for various small jobs around the boat. Once set, it can be painted with latex paint without bleeding. White paint helps keep it cool and solid in (at least our PNW) sunny weather. On decks it can be topcoated with aluminamized trailer paint with a slight stipple for good footing.

A last possibility we toy with is using trunnels (wood 'nails') rather than metal. They're time / labor intensive, but superior in almost every other respect. Maybe in our next youth.

Lots of savings possible if building out-of-the-box!

Learning to Trust Myself

Kyūzō from Seven Samurai
by Akira Kurusawa

I wish someone would give me a whole box of those sharpening guides and gizmos... so I could have the pleasure of dumping them overboard!

-- Dynamite Payson (as remembered)

Learning to Trust Myself

I'm one of those guys who spends an inordinate amount of time trying to find the easy way forward. Sometimes, this effort pays handsomely. Other times, I waste my effort in attempting to fix what ain't broke.

At present, we're building a boat in at least semi-traditional style. That is to say, it's plywood, but fastened  and bedded -- rather than glued -- together. Mostly. The critical joinery must be carefully and correctly shaped without reliance on modern, gap-filling adhesives. This calls on skills which are rusty at best and at worst heretofore unacquired.

Two cases in point...

Rolling Bevels

Rolling bevels are a cut along an edge where the bevel is not constant, but rather rolls along a gradient between known angles. This kind of loosey-goosey process is terrifying to my ordered mind, and I have successfully eliminated them from TriloBoat construction.

We once were drafted into a professional effort to roll a bevel along a long, thick, expensive plank. One pro ran the plank through a bandsaw while another called out angles marked at intervals along the plank. The angle of cut was changed by angling the plate with a protractor/handle arrangement. Our job was to shift the handle "slowly" and "smoothly", transitioning between the angles being called out.

I mean, c'mon! I can call out numbers as they slide by me with one eye covered. But to make the correct transition? THAT is a pro job foisted upon us amateurs.

But now, we're faced with rolling bevels in our own build, on our own petard.

Back to first principles: We basically have two, parallel faces. A fair curve along one edge is known from the plans. We know the edge angle at several points along that curve and also that they are increasing -- slowly and smoothly -- at known points along its length. Hmm. So if we figure out (by a simple lofting) the offset each angle makes across the thickness of the piece and plot those points on their stations, we can draw a second fair curve on the second face. Plane the edge to meet the two curves and voila! The perfect curve, de-terrified.

Ply Scarfs

For various (probably trivial) reasons, we chose to scarf the ply sides together rather than use our usual butt-straps. Conditions dictated 8in scarfs for 3/4in plywood.

Now there are an endless number of jigs possible for this, but they take time, materials and brainpower likely exceeding the job itself (in our one-off case).

First we tried the method we used on SLACKTIDE... step each sheet back 8in, fix a 2x4 runner to our circular saw to bridge the 'steps' and, with the salient depth set to 3/4in, have at.

Having at means scoring along at about 1/8in intervals, knocking that thin wall out with the blade and, using intact steps to support the 2x4 and saw, side-sweeping the flat with the tangent of the blade.

This works, but is strenuous going. I took it in stride 16 years ago, but am huffing and a-puffing, now! Worse, unlike in SLACKTIDE, our present ply finished rough with this method.

Oh well, score the steps less frequently and use the planer to the depth they indicated. But, hmm... that turned out rough, too. What's more, I did 99% of the job with the planer by eye, then carefully removed the last smidgeon guided by the scoring.

Conclusion? Try it by eye as the sole means. Result? Better results in half the time with only a quarter the effort.

In short, I'd have save myself a lot of time and trouble, wear and tear if I'd trusted myself from the beginning. Sure, there's a learning curve, but no worse than more involved methods.

NOTE: We use LPU (Liquid PolyUrethane), a modern, gap-filling adhesive, for ply scarfs, so the matching planes don't have to be utterly perfect... just good enough.

*****

We d0 need to be clear on the principles and constraints involved. I'm not talking Blind-Man's Bluff, here. There is a certain amount of letting go and winging it, but that lies in our increasing control of our bodies first, and of our tools as extensions. 

We have the luxury to inform ourselves from past masters and present. We have the luxury to practice on scrap. We can Assess, Address and Appraise.

So... ready, set, practice, go and get 'er did!