Getting started...

Welcome! My name is Tim Crawford and I'm building my first boat. The boat is a 16' version of the melonseed skiff, originally designed for duck hunting in the 1880's. The melonseed was first documented by historian and boat builder Howard Chapelle in the 1930's. Chapelle plans can be purchased from the Smithsonian for $15. http://americanhistory.si.edu/csr/shipplan.htm  I'm working from plans drawn by Marc Barto and available for purchase at the Wooden Boat Store.  http://www.woodenboatstore.com   Barto offers two sets of plans, a 13 1/2' version based on the original boat, and a larger 16' version. Both plans include full size mold, stem, and transom patterns, eliminating the lofting process. I chose the 16' version as I expect to use the boat for two person overnight camping trips and such.
 

 

The smaller boat uses a sprit rig as pictured above. For the larger boat Barto specifies a stayed gaff rig, with 90 square feet of sail.

 

I picked the melonseed primarily for its size, classic looks, and reputation for sailing capably in stiff winds. My wife Annette and I live on the east slope of the Rockies and will be frequenting high altitude lakes and reservoirs with constantly changing and often unpredictable winds. The sail plan calls for two reefs and I suspect I'll be using them. Another reason I chose the melonseed is she rows well. I'm not into motors and I'm also lazy, so easy to row is an important attribute. Lastly, but not least, she drafts about five inches and should weigh in at less then 350 pounds.
 

Fall 2011

 

Our boat building journey began after a trip to Washington state in the fall of 2011. We spent a few days in the San Juan Islands and then headed south to Port Townsend, home of the annual Wooden Boat Festival. We missed the festival by a week, but many participants were still in town and we enjoyed walking the docks and gawking at the beautiful boats. The possibility of building our own boat was not something we had ever discussed, however, it was soon apparent we were bitten by the boat building bug.

 

When we returned home I began the process of picking a boat. An old friend suggested the melonseed and I liked it immediately. In fact, I had seen a superb example of the 16' melonseed in Port Townsend without realizing it. This was the 'American', an impeccably crafted lapstrake version built by Dave Toner. At the time I had no idea I was looking at a melonseed.

 



 

Spring and Summer 2012

 

With plans in hand I began the process of making room for the project in my garage. I was a professional cabinet maker for a number of years and already owned most of the basic tools required for a project like this. I also had some 8' x 5" square beams, an essential in the cabinet shop, on hand. I used four of these beams to create a very solid strongback. The strongback is not a place to skimp as it provides the foundation for hull construction. It should be very solid and straight. I used metal horses to put the strongback at the right height so to work comfortably while assembling the hull. Comfort = productivity and general well being. I've seen folks working on the floor, but they are young have yet to destroy their knees and backs.

 

The Barto plan set includes full sized plans for the molds. The shapes provided are a half section of the boat. My plan was to create half section templates from 1/4" material and use these templates to fabricate the actual molds, assuring the molds will be symmetrical. I used transfer paper, available at my local art store, to transfer the plan lines to the 1/4" sheet material . The material I used was a combination of plywood and MDF, whatever I had on hand at the time. If you must purchase, MDF is the least expensive. I band sawed the shapes and smoothed the edges, carefully checking my results against the drawing. This is not the place to hurry as the accuracy of the molds will determine how much work will be needed later. For the molds I used 3/4" material, whatever I had in the shop. I cut each mold slightly over sized with my jig saw, then I screwed the half section template to the mold and routed the final shape using a flush trim bit. This boat requires 12 molds placed at 14 5/8" intervals.
 

 

The strongback was carefully leveled before attaching the molds. Mold placement is critical! Check and recheck.

While fabricating the molds, I also worked on the stem, transom, and bottom. The stem for this boat is really two parts, an inner stem and an outer stem. I chose to laminate these pieces using Honduras mahogany. I had some 8/4 mahogany on hand and I love working with mahogany. I created a solid jig to bend against. I don't advocate the approach I've often seen used, multiple blocks set at intervals. This technique too often yields lumpy results. Take the time to make an accurate and solid jig.

 

   

I used marine grade epoxy, thickened appropriately, on the stem parts. There will always be some spring back when the piece is removed from the jig. Compensation for spring back is often built into to the jig, how much is largely a matter of experience.

 

 

I laminated the stem parts in two steps, using wax paper between, so to avoid the more common practice which requires band sawing the pieces apart afterwards. The completed inner stem was trimmed to length and temporarily screwed in place.

 

The transom, like the stem, is Honduras mahogany. I used 5/4 material to finish at 7/8".

 

The plans specify marine plywood for the bottom or keel plate. I opted again for Honduras mahogany instead, laminating 3/8" x 13/16" strips to create the blank. The bottom is over 13' long, so I first had to scarf the pieces together to obtain the required length.

 

 

The bottom was hand planed and scraped to its finished thickness before shaping.
 

 

Bottom shaped and ready to go.

 

The bottom is attached to the stem with a half lap joint.

 

 

Western red cedar is the preferred wood for strip planking small boats. It is very light, rot resistant, and easy to obtain in the Rocky Mountain region. On the negative side, red cedar is brittle, soft and splintery. I don't enjoy working with it. By happy chance I found a local source offering 4/4 Honduras mahogany in 7' and 8' lengths for only $4.99 per board foot. This mahogany was light in color (not an issue) and light in weight (a big plus). At that price I could hardly resist. Honduras mahogany is a pleasure to work with, stable, strong, and it finishes beautifully. One of my favorite woods! The limited length meant I would have two scarfs on most pieces. Lots of extra work but worth it in my opinion. The hull will weigh more, but that really isn't an issue for me. 
 

The process of scarfing and machining 86 - 16' long strips was quite a chore. Most folks use a bead and cove to accommodate the curve of the hull. In my opinion this is way preferable to the rolling bevel approach because it allows for much easier alignment and 30% more glue surface.

 

Machining the bead and cove. 

 

By the end of August I was almost ready to begin applying strips. The last phase of preparation for planking involves fairing the molds. This turned out to be a major chore. The molds are 3/4" thick and must be tapered appropriately based on the location and taper of the adjoining mold. I spent quite a few hours on this and I'm glad I did. This essential step assures smooth results when the planking is applied. Use a batten to check your work and remember time spent here will save time and grief in the long run.

Fall 2012

 

September arrived and it was time for a break. We headed back to Port Townsend for the 2012 Wooden Boat Festival. The festival was a gas and quite inspirational. So many boats, so little time. We returned home with renewed enthusiasm.

 

 

More to come soon....