GIS Build in New Jersey, USA
It’s my turn to begin building a Goat Island Skiff!
I’ve started by making my own sail which is detailed in another thread (which is not yet complete as I write this). But warm weather is coming, so I better get started with the boat part of the sailboat. I recently ordered and received a bunch of System Three Epoxy (from Duckworks Boat Builders Supply). So it’s time for me to get some wood and start the butchery!
I will tackle making the mast and spars first. My motive is to have the spars done ass soon as possible, check how much they flex, and finish the sail’s head and foot to match. The plans call for Oregon and that’s readily available in the US northeast, although I’m not sure yet how easy it will be to find tight clear stock in the lengths required.
I plan to rip the mast staves from 2x4 stock, getting the wide staves from one board and the narrow staves from another. The remnant from the narrow stave board should also provide material for other parts, inwale spacers maybe? It’s not the WRC spec’d for the spacers, and the widest dimension is less than 45mm, but I’ve seen enough variation from other members to feel comfortable doing that. Below is a layout of the cuts I plan to make.
(MIK: I’ve omitted the dimensions from my drawings to protect your proprietary information. If you think this still reveals too much I will pull them immediately)
http://homepage.mac.com/davlafont/GIS/lumber-mast.jpg
My first question of the thread: should I try to squeeze the spars out of a 2x4 board? The 1 ½” finished dimension is less than the diameter of the spars by about 2-3mm. Is that enough of a difference to affect the flex of the spars? Didn’t someone recently report having shaped his spars a tad thin with bad effect?
I’m inclined rip two halves of a spar and laminate them with alternating grain to fight warping (does that work?). With that in mind, I could/should cut the long edge of the half-spar(s) from the long side of the board and keep the plan’s dimensions to the millimeter.
http://homepage.mac.com/davlafont/GIS/lumber-spars.jpg
Callsign222 recently posted a caution about ripping boards and getting weird twist. Is there any precaution to avoid that? Is it a matter of grain orientation? Or is a former tree gonna do what it’s gonna do?
All thoughts are welcome.