Your Boat & Motor Pictures

[Todd]

The QT Power Skiff would be an excellent Seagull boat for the first time builder:

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jim/q ... /index.htm

[Hugz]

Yep, that looks simple enough.... I like it!

[outboard]

Hi Todd, when it says 3 sheets of ply, what size is a sheet?

[Todd]

Hi Todd, when it says 3 sheets of ply, what size is a sheet?

He's referring to what in the US is considered to be a standard sheet, 4'x8'. Other sizes are available, but are disproportionately more expensive.
If anyone is actually considering building this or any other similar design as a first time project, I would suggest that rather than pay $25.00 for just the plans, you buy Michalak's (rhymes with metallic) book. For $17.00 US you get a set of very workable plans for the QT skiffs as well as several other of his designs, and much invaluable boatbuilding info for us non-mastercraftsmen. I have my own copy and recommend it.

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/media/books ... /index.htm

[Hugz]

How does one expand the plans from book size to full size.... is that what they mean by lofting?

[phil]

You got it. Often designers want you to do the complete lofting job [drawing it full size from the table of offsets] basically to prove the numbers which they have drafted at a smaller scale. This attitude appears to be a result of them hoping that at least some people will take up boatbuilding as a serious hobby or career.

After a little experience, many will just use the offsets to draw the frames full size instead of going through the whole time consuming and painful experience[which is always necessary on a large boat or ship where the increase in scale from the drawings becomes large indeed]. On small boats, especially those that require removable molding frames, any deviations caused by the original drawing being scaled up can be found as humps and bumps when using the battens [ribbands] that hold the mold frames until planking goes on and can be padded or removed as material from the mold frames and thus corrected at that point.

In my view, if I have to pay for plans they better contain corrected offsets [the numbers table which lets you draw the full size frames], if not full size paper patterns of the frames. They should also be very simple to follow especially for first time builders.

[Rob Ripley]

What about this .... ?
I like the blunt nose - to give greater stability
http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/wpunt/wpunt.htm

[phil]

As you can see many designers of plywood boats keep it simple enough for a first time builder by using drawings in place of the old offset tables, all as it should be.

[chris]

I am building a Michalak fatcat2, a 15' catboat design. His book is great
Sort of a boat building book for dummies.
http://jimsboats.com/
use to have a stevensons design, a pocket cruiser 14' long
It was the boat I had a lot of my seagull adventures with.
http://www.stevproj.com/PocketYachts.html
the boat I am using at the moment is a scruffie design called a shimmy, it is a 12' long lug rigged wooden sailing boat, I paid $2 for the cost of the raffle ticket that won it for me about 18 years ago, I modified the transom to fit the seagull, I have lots of interesting adventures with this boat
http://www.scruffie.com/

[billyboy]

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy27 ... o15-21.jpg
i like the look of this type of boat for a seagull

[Todd]

How does one expand the plans from book size to full size.... is that what they mean by lofting?

Yes, that's lofting, but the preferred method with these simple, slab-sided boats is to take the measurements and reproduce them directly on the sheet of plywood. You then "connect the dots" and cut the piece out, conveniently giving you the pattern for the mirror image piece, if needed, for the other side.
Here's a couple of photo sequences which will give a rough idea of what's involved:

http://www.angelfire.com/ex/ti/FW1.html

http://members.fortunecity.com/smallboa ... skiff.html

[trw999]

Rather than faffing around with a couple of sides of ply, go the whole hog with this beauty:

http://www.aandrwayboatbuilding.co.uk/n ... rsale.html

Since I found that yesterday I have been day-dreaming and hoping that I win the lottery too!

Tim

[dobro]

Hi again,
I'm now a newly weaned but very salty seadog. We had a go at setting up the 102 on our inflatable. We had decided to launch from Auchmithie harbour, basically because of it's seclusion. You know, in case we made complete prats of ourselves. This proved to be the case. On our first attempt the motor proved to be running too deep and would barely go. The transom was quite shallow and a few adjustments were required. However as you can see by the clip we eventually made it out to sea. The motor ran sweetly once it had been set up properly. It was maybe still a hair deep and the trim will be changed next time out but all in all a very satisfying day.
We were however out for fish and this we also achieved when Mick got a haddock and I had a couple of pollock. (It's a well known fact that pollocks always come in two's.)
Next time out we aim to choose a slightly more accessible harbour since no matter how picturesque the shingle beach is it's an absolute sod to hump stuff up and down. We were totally cream-crackered by the time we had loaded up.
Once back home Mick back-flushed the 102 and gave it a wipe with an oily rag while I gutted and filleted the catch.

[Hugz]

Very quiet motor...the 102. Tis sorta contagious! Well done.

[warder54]

Yeah - wish it was that quiet! not too bad really. I'd say it was a successfull trip - The 'gull worked well (after some depth adjustment with hose clips!) and we caught some fish. Next vid will be taken on my Mobile as it records sound too.