Dillon Laker 14/16.5 Wooden Tunnel Hull Build/Mod Project

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I've always heard motor torque will lift the starboard side of the boat. Having the driver weight on that side helps keep the boat running flat.

 

[gm280]

I've always heard motor torque will lift the starboard side of the boat. Having the driver weight on that side helps keep the boat running flat.

What you are said is true. And that is because looking from the transom end of the boat, the prop turns clockwise and therefore the hull wants to turn counterclockwise. However, with his hull design having a port and starboard outriggers so far out from the center-line of the engine, and him sitting basically on the center-line of the prop shaft, it would take a huge amount of HP to torque up the starboard side. JMHO

 

[gomopar440]

I hadn't thought about the torque factor before. Like GM says though, with how wide these sponsons are I doubt it will be an issue with just a 115hp motor pushing it along.

Today I started off by and gluing and screwing the top deck stringer and the sponson keel to the port sponson. Then I started cutting out the notches in the bulkheads for all the other pieces that attach to them. I have all the bottom sponson batten notches cut out along the entire length of the sponson. I have some of the other notches cut out as well, but I'm going to start out with attaching the lower sponson battens first. I'll continue to cutting the rest of the other notches out as I go.

After that, I brought three of the 16' long 1x4's to the table saw to start cutting them to size. The power switch that had been giving me headaches lately finally decided to stop working completely. I had to take a quick trip to the hardware store to pick up a DPST switch to replace it. It was shaped differently enough from the original switch that I had to make a new mounting plate for it. After that was fixed I was finally able to start ripping some boards. I was able to get four 3/4" x 3/4" sponson battens from the first board. From each of the next two boards I was able to get a 3/4" x 1.5" piece for the chines, a 3/4" x 1.25" piece for the sheer clamp, and a 1/2" x 1/2" stringer for the sides. The 1/2" x 1/2" pieces are a little extra support I'm adding to the outsides of the sponsons that wasn't in the original plans. By now the temps had dropped too much to glue anything so I stopped there for the day.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice weather again with the high around 60*F and clear skies with only light breezes. I wasn't able to get out to town for the memory card for the camera today since I didn't go to the dump to get rid of the red and white boat yet. Hopefully I'll be able to get that done tomorrow morning and I can pick up a memory card after that's taken care of. Once I have it, I'll get caught up on all the pics from the progress over the last couple of days.

 

[gomopar440]

I haven't been able to get anything done on the Laker over the last two days, but I have been doing boat related stuff. Yesterday I stripped the red boat so I could give them to the guy here on iBoats doing the Larson All American rebuild as a Father/Daughter project. I felt better about giving the parts away to someone that could use them, than having all those hard to find parts going to the landfill. Today I hauled the gutted hull to the dump and then watched the giant dozer turn it into fiberglass splinters. I hope no one needed the windshield, because that was all that was left on it when I hauled it off. I'm going to try to use the All American's 18 gallon fuel tank on the Laker since it's surprisingly in really nice shape still. After I dropped the boat off, I headed into town to run some errands. I picked up a new memory card for the camera while I was out there, but it was dark outside before I got back home. I'll get the pics all caught up tomorrow when it's light outside.

 

[gm280]

Bravo for offering the extra parts to others instead of landfill debris. And nice to know new pictures will be coming again. :thumb:

 

[gomopar440]

Ugg. The last two day scramble kicked my rear more than I had realized. My schedule getting upset by the shift in daylight savings didn't help either. I laid down for just a sec after taking my afternoon dose of meds and was out like a light until just a minute ago. I headed out to the tent with the camera and new memory card to at least get pics of where I left the project at since the last round of pics. The fluorescent light was flickering, but stayed on enough for me to get a few pics with the flash on the camera.

***EDIT: Oooh lookie! I got's promoted from Cadet straight to PO Second Class!arty:***

These are the pieces I've ripped from the first three 16' long Radiata Pine 1x4's for the Port sponson. From left to right they are: one 3/4x1.5 (Chine), one 3/4x1.25 (Sheer Clamp), three 3/4x3/4 (Sponson Battens - bottom) and two 1/2x1/2 (Sponson Battens - my mod for the sides). Missing from this pic are the three 3/4x3/4 deck battens that go along the top of the sponsons, and the 1/2x1.5" Deck Stringer that goes on the sponson upper outer corner. Those pieces will not be cut out and installed until the boat bottom is done and the hull is flipped upright. If I did them now I wouldn't have very good access to the inside of the sponsons while I'm still working on putting everything together.


This pic shows all the notches that get cut out of each bulkhead (except the tip). So far this first one right behind the tip (Port bulkhead #1) is the only one that has ALL of them cut out yet. The little 45* sections next to the notches along the right side (bottom) in this pic are the limber holes. They are there to give any water that might get inside the sponson a path to reach the drains at the stern.


I have all of the notches for the Sponson Battens cut out on all the bulkhead bottoms, except the tip which is set up differently, as well as all the angled limber notches cut out all the way back to the transom bulkhead. I have the full path cleared so the three Sponson Battens can be glued in, when I can get out to the tent next, which hopefully will be tomorrow.


These are the pieces that I have left over from ripping the first three 16'ers of Radiata Pine for the Port side. The top two are the Chine and Sheer Clamp and right below that is one more extra 3/4x3/4. The next three pieces down are 16' long 1/8" thick scraps, one 3/4" wide piece and two 1/2" wide pieces. I'm not sure what I'll do with those long and thin 16'x1/8" pieces yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with something. At the bottom of the pic is the three as of yet untouched 1"x4"x16' sticks of Raidata Pine. The way they're stacked in the pic makes it look like there's only two, but there actually is three there. And like most dimensional lumber, even though they're called 1"x4"'s, they are actually only 3/4"x3.5". It's a SCAM I tell ya!:facepalm::lol:


Lastly, here's a pic of the fuel tank from the Laker All American that I saved. There's just a little dust and dirt that stuck to the fuel that dribbled onto the outside when I cut the hoses a while ago, and almost not rust on it. It's in remarkably good shape for a boat part that is most likely older than I am.

 

[gm280]

Very interesting layout. And that "Radiata Pine" has some similar looks to white oaks with the streaks in the grain. I see that type pine grows in the California coastal area and Mexico. Just never seen that type wood before.

The woodwork looks good and the fuel tank does as well. Do you have any plans to repaint it or leave it like it is? It is coming along nicely and I am watching. Thanks for posting the pictures. That way we get to see what you are dealing with. :thumb:

 

[gomopar440]

I started on the Laker right after getting back from voting today. Now I'm taking a quick break from the boat to get a quick bite to eat. Mmmm, Spaghetti O's with meatballs. Bachelor chow at it's finest. LOL

I had never heard of Radiata Pine before I found it here locally either. It seems to have all the properties of good boat building wood, so I'm giving it a go. It costs more than the cheap Fir and regular pine stuff, but it's still way less than Spruce. It's also much easier to find around here as well at the local lumber place vs Spruce. I'd have to order Spruce in, since it's not kept in stock locally, and then get charged for shipping on top of the already higher price. It all adds up fast.

I'm taking plenty of pics as I go today, but they won't be uploaded until after I stop for the day. I've been making good progress so far today. I cut out all the rest of those notches in the bulkheads with the multi tool. The chine was temporarily clamped in place so I could see how far back I needed to split it. I split the 1.5" wide side from the tip to bulkhead #2 to allow it to make the tighter bend up front. The pics probably will show what I'm talking about better than I can type it.

And I'm done eating now, so I'm heading back out to the tent to see how much I can get accomplished for today.

 

[gomopar440]

Looking back to my last post, I started out by removing all the remaining screws in the port sponson. The sponson still didn't want to let go of the table though since the glue I used last time had wept through some of the open empty screw holes. There were enough of them that got glued to hold it to the table top. :facepalm: I carefully pried the sponson up and freed it from the glue's grip. The Titebond III left me with a bunch of these little mementos to remember it by. I used the belt sander to remove all evidence of my little glue mistake, so now nobody will know it ever happened.


Then I laid it back on the table and started removing all the notches that were left in the rest of the bulkheads with the multi-tool. I should probably mention that this port sponson is already considerable stiffer with just the upper deck stringer and the sponson keel glued permanently in place. It's only going to get better from here as I add more pieces to it.


After the tingling stopped in my hands from working with the multi-tool I started fitting the Chine. I used a bunch of clamps to prop it up so I could take a few measurements. With it clamped I was able to find how far back I would need to split it in order to get it to follow the tighter curve up front. Steaming it to make the bend easier would be another option, but I'm following the method used by the boat's designer. This pic shows where the chine wants to keep on going straight when it gets to bulkhead #2.


And this slit, from the front tip, back to where it passes over bulkhead #2, is how I'm going to get it to make that curve.


As you can see, one half of the split section is just 3/4"x3/4" and is rather easy to make it conform to the curve.


The other half will be bent at the same time so they will both end up something like this. I will be adding a small cleat or two to help keep them aligned with each other. The slit will also be glued back together down it's entire length to make it act like one piece again. This method works well on race boats in racing conditions, so I'm sure it will be strong enough for my recreational use.


After my late lunch, I made cleats for all the Sponson Battens. They were individually cut to size and then glued and clamped in place.


The sun went down and it started getting too cold to glue anymore without a heater running, so I'm done for the day.

 

[gomopar440]

It's 66* and sunny out, so I'm heading out to go work on the boat. For some reason I've got a little spring in my step today. I haven't felt like this for, oh I'd have to say, about 8 years or so.

 

[gm280]

It's 66* and sunny out, so I'm heading out to go work on the boat. For some reason I've got a little spring in my step today. I haven't felt like this for, oh I'd have to say, about 8 years or so.

I sincerely know what you mean about that spring in your step. I caught it as well. Odd isn't it?

I have to say your boat project reminds me of my R/C days when I built so many planes. Except yours are so much larger then what I was building. But the construction looks the same.

 

[gomopar440]

You'd have thought I was a share holder of Guillows stock when I was a kid with how many of those kits I built growing up. The R/C planes I built later on was a big jump up from those first small models. This seems like a natural progression of that upsizing trend, albeit with quite a big leap up in scale. After this boat is done I have some plans for a couple of different ultralight aircraft. One plane is wood and fabric (Mini Max) much like classic R/C airplane building, and another one that is built with aluminum and rivets (Hummel Ultra Cruiser). Haven't decided yet which one I will go with yet though.

Today I removed the clamps I placed yesterday so I could trim the tips of the sponson battens to fit the sponson tip. I glued and clamped the sponson battens in place as well as putting a screw into the tip to hold them in place. When I took this pic I noticed the battens were trying to pull the tip up off of the table, so I put a screw in to keep it flat against the table. The rear half of the battens were all pretty much straight and didn't give me any similar issues at that end.


Then I cut some cleats to support the Chine and Sheer Clamp at the bulkheads. Those were placed on the bulkheads so as to give the most support to those two bigger pieces, and then glued and clamped to the bulkheads. The 1/2"x1/2" side batten is just sitting in it's notches to help me eyeball the curves to align the cleats on that side.


I was scrambling to get the last three cleats glued and clamped in place since the sun just went down and the temps were dropping fast.

EDIT: BTW, I should probably put out a disclaimer about this project. I'm deviating from the recommended building procedures here somewhat. The suggested method is to build the sponsons and the center section together all at the same time as a complete unit. That method relies on a lot of extra bracing to hold everything true while building, until there are enough pieces assembled to hold the shape on it's own. My method breaks it down into sub assemblies that are built separately and then joined together afterwards. Having a completely flat and level 4'x16' table is what makes my method possible. By doing it the way I am, the need for most of the bracing is greatly reduced. Like needing one screw to hold the tip of the sponson down, vs needing 2x4's and cleats and pieces of ply to try to keep everything square. I'm sure the other way works just as well as my method in the end, but I'm just more comfortable and familiar with building it the way I am.

 

[gsxrdan]

Loving this build!

 

[gomopar440]

Thanks gsxr. I'm having fun with it so far as well.

With the first of the sponson battens now installed, it finally has some lines on it that are helping to visualize the shape.

 

[gm280]

gomopar440, have you thought about just covering them with fiberglass and resin and skip the wood covering altogether? Again, I am thinking back to my R/C building days. Once the fiberglass was hardened and cured, it would be really solid and strong and a lot lighter as well. Just an idea. :noidea:

 

[gomopar440]

I hadn't really thought about trying that at all honestly. The plywood skin on this boat acts as an integrally stressed member once it's applied. True the fabric or fiberglass could pretty much do the same job, if the boat were just used for display that is. I've seen enough stuff floating around in the water (San Fran. bay had the WORST water I've ever seen ) to feel the need to have a hard shell skin that the plywood provides. If this boat was going to be a super lightweight folding boat type that I just rowed for propulsion, then I'd consider it. But it's definitely not going to be like that at all. This empty hull is likely to end up weighing in at quite a bit less than 500lbs and will have a 115HP motor pushing it along (IE: A very FAST little bugger). Fabric just doesn't have the built in safety factor that a plywood skin does for me to feel comfortable with it under those circumstances. Plywood can still get punctured if I hit something in the water at high speed, but it should still hold up way better than fabric and dope or a thin layer of FG in the same situation. I would think I would have a much better chance of making it back to shore with a plywood skin under those circumstances. Good point to think about though. Like I hinted at above, it would be a feasible alternative to plywood on a boat that fit those parameters (light and slow).

And there wasn't any boat work done today. I just got back from a VA Dr's appointment and it's already dark (and cold) out.

 

[gm280]

I hadn't really thought about trying that at all honestly. The plywood skin on this boat acts as an integrally stressed member once it's applied. True the fabric or fiberglass could pretty much do the same job, if the boat were just used for display that is. I've seen enough stuff floating around in the water (San Fran. bay had the WORST water I've ever seen ) to feel the need to have a hard shell skin that the plywood provides. If this boat was going to be a super lightweight folding boat type that I just rowed for propulsion, then I'd consider it. But it's definitely not going to be like that at all. This empty hull is likely to end up weighing in at quite a bit less than 500lbs and will have a 115HP motor pushing it along (IE: A very FAST little bugger). Fabric just doesn't have the built in safety factor that a plywood skin does for me to feel comfortable with it under those circumstances. Plywood can still get punctured if I hit something in the water at high speed, but it should still hold up way better than fabric and dope or a thin layer of FG in the same situation. I would think I would have a much better chance of making it back to shore with a plywood skin under those circumstances. Good point to think about though. Like I hinted at above, it would be a feasible alternative to plywood on a boat that fit those parameters (light and slow).

And there wasn't any boat work done today. I just got back from a VA Dr's appointment and it's already dark (and cold) out.

I wasn't trying to talk you into the fiberglass layout but merely making an observation. If you look at most any fiberglass boat, the hull sides are not built with any wood inside the fiberglass. It is pure fiberglass and amazingly strong. I was talking about do something similar. But it was merely an idea and not anything else.

 

[gomopar440]

It's all good GM, I didn't take your comment as being critical. I took it as another possible solution to reach the goal (a completed boat). I hope my reply didn't sound like you put me on the defensive. It didn't. I was just typing out what I was thinking/reasoning out in my head after seeing your suggestion. I do believe there's no such thing as a stupid question, but that's still no guarantee that I won't come up with a stupid answer every once in a while.

 

[gomopar440]

Didn't get a whole lot of time to work on the boat today. I had to troubleshoot what happened to the passenger front window on the Jeep. I found a broken cable between the motor and the regulator, so I got a new one ordered to fix it.

What I DID get done on the boat today was to get the Chine glued up and clamped. It went pretty quickly since I had everything already prepped for it.

 

[gomopar440]

I was seeing a little evidence of the battens trying to lift the sponson off of the table, but at the top middle area this time though. To fix that before it became a problem I added some screws to the deck stringer to hold it's entire length flat on the table. After that was addressed I picked up where I left off at yesterday. First I glued and clamped the 3/4" x 1.25" Sheer Clamp to the Port sponson. Same as before, I'm making sure to use a large aluminum carpenters square to verify the bulkheads are being kept perpendicular to the face of the sponson inner side as I continue to add these pieces to them.


Next I grabbed some of those little scrap plywood squares I made when cutting the notches from the bulkheads. I'm using them as 1/4" tall spacers to support the bottom of the 1/2" x 1/2" side stringers (my mod, not in the original plans) 1/4" above the Chine and Sheer Clamp cleats. This keeps the outer surface of the stringer level with the outer surfaces of the Chine and the Sheer Clamp. I glued those little squares to the cleats directly under the path of the 1/2" x 1/2" stringer I'm adding. The curved part of the stringer up towards the front was angled a little to much for the squares to work there. For those places I mixed up a thick paste of sawdust and Titebond III to act as a large gap filler. Sort of a poor man's wood boat version of PB I guess you could call it. That paste was used to pack the gaps full near the forward end of the stringer at the first three bulkheads. I started gluing and clamping the little stringer from the front first, and worked my way back towards the stern. The transom bulkhead is only about 1' from the station #6 bulkhead ahead of it, so those two junctions were both glued and clamped at the same time.