New Queensland PDRacer Build

[duncang]

G'day Folks,

Today I commenced cutting of my PDRacer. I'd originally planned to build a kayak, however after sailing one of these things up at BitingMidge's last week (thanks Steve!), I was hooked. So the racer is pretty much a practice run on boat-building before I start on the kayak.

First of all, I picked up some Gaboon ply from Boatcraft Pacific - They warned me about the potentially poor quality so after selecting a couple of nice looking sheets I thought it would be a good test run to see how they went in the racer before committing to using it for the kayak. As it turned out, the sheets I got were ok. The quality and consistency (colour, surface, defects etc) does very considerably however. The surface veneers were quite sound, and very few if any small voids in the core. I also had a closer look at the 'Pacific Maple' at Boatcraft - it is 0.5kg heaver than the Gaboon for 4mm sheets, so for the whole kayak, about 1-1.5kg heavier if using this ply (3 sheets).

Anyway, on to the photos...

1) Laying out the panels. This pic shows the fairing batton I used on the sheer curve.

2) This is what happened to my finger jointed pine batton when attempting to clamp it to the chine curve :no:. I'd actually spent some time sifting through the pile to find a length which was not kinked. Two lessons here - 1. finger jointed pine is RUBBISH! 2. I could probably have used a more flexible batton. For the shorter side boyancy tanks, I ended up using my meter long steel rule on its edge which worked ok, if a light touch was used.

3) One completed side panel! Thanks to my friend Richard who helped hold the panels while i was cutting :)

4) 3D! sorta...

5) One PDRacer.. Ikea style :2tsup:

I was really surprised how well my Japanese saw worked for cutting out the panels.. Very fast and a good finish.

One question (for Mik?).. What is the best way to plane the concave edge of the side panels? do you use a spokeshave?

Cheers,
Duncan

[Boatmik]

Howdy Duncan!

To the questions.

To plane the concave edge just extend the blade of the plane out further. If you are using a block plane or a something like a #4 it should work OK - but with a longer bed plane it might be a bit tricky. The other way is to leave the excess on there but glue on the sheer clamp and the chine log - then trim off the excess after.

The places to avoid the fingerjointed timber are any pieces that are only glued to the ply on one face or have high curvature.

So the transverse bottom stiffeners, Transom top stiffener, the transverse lateral support at the top of the centrecase and the carlins. For curvature the chinelogs should be continuous timber too.

Everything other part of the hull can be finger jointed.

Michael

[duncang]

Thanks for the tip on the planing Mik.

By all means move this thread to the Storer forum - I should have put it there orgininally! :)

D.

[Boatmik]

This is the video of Duncan having a sail around Mooloolaba on the OZ PDR.

The crew experience level was fairly minimal (I hope that is fair Duncan?) but they wandered around in quite a puffy breeze for most of an hour without getting into strife - or at least more strife than they wanted to be in!

Duncan Sailing

The blue sail is cheap polytarp - but it has been used for around a year before it was retired. We brought it back into action to get Steve's orange PDR on the water. It has probably had as much use as many boats would get in a couple of years.

Was $20 in materials. We do recommend now that people use the better quality polytarp - it does more than double the price but it will more than double the longevity of the sail.

Best wishes
Michael.

[bitingmidge]

Duncan!

You have a serious affliction! Good for you!

As far as planing the concave bits goes, it helps to keep the plane at a fairly extreme angle as well, say 45°. That effectively shortens the length of the sole in contact with the edge, and also lowers the angle of the blade in contact with the piece.

Keeping the blade really sharp will help too, and don't be too aggressive with the depth of blade. When Mik said "extend a little bit", I'd emphasise the "little".

Cheers, and great stuff!

P
:D

[duncang]

The crew experience level was fairly minimal (I hope that is fair Duncan?)


Absolutely fair Mik.. I'm completely green here. Aiden was doing most of the experimenting and got the hang of it quicker than me, but it didn't take long to get a feel for it.

I finished off planing the concave bits last night. It took a few goes at getting the plane set at the right depth (is that the right term??) but once set it was fairly straighforward.

Thanks,
Duncan

[Boatmik]

The final test is always - if something works in a straightforward way it is probably an OK method.

MIK

[duncang]

Well, I can't believe it is so long since I worked on the PDR, but on the weekend I finally got around to laminating the chine logs as per the plans. All went well - I found the process a bit messy to begin with, but once I got the hang of managing the epoxy it was ok.

I have some time off over christmas, and so am planning to spend a few days getting the PDR to 3D.

[bitingmidge]

Maybe ready for the first anniversary visit then?

P
:D:D

[Boatmik]

Great to see that some more blows are being struck! Life can get busy can't it!

You should invite yourself over to Midges for another sail!

hehe

MIK

[duncang]

Last weekend I started on the stern transom framing. I used the 'one-hit-coating-and-gluing' method here, however this was a mistake for the first timer, as it ended up quite messy :doh:
It all worked out well in the end however, and today I installed the tiller block to complete the framing on that panel.

Today I also pre-coated the bow transom and cockpit bulkhead, ready for framing.

[Boatmik]

Howdy Duncan,

The one hit method works best when it is a big piece of ply that is being coated and attached to framing on the main body of the boat. It is a bit tricky if you need to put framing on the piece itself at the same time.

Sounds like you are working it out well anyhow.

Best wishes
Michael

[duncang]

Hi Folks,

Over the last few days I've completed the framing required to get the boat to 3D - here's some pics of the intermediate steps and the boat screwed together in the shed :)

1) 3D!
2) Cockpit Bulkhead
3) Chine log


Cheers,
Dunc

[Boatmik]

Wow Duncan ... the plywood looks really nice.

Also the precoating and masking has worked well.

To save labour you can sand parts that will be varnished or painted later.

Best wishes
Michael

[duncang]

Thanks Michael. Yes, the pre-coating has worked out well - as you say, the next step is to final sand the relevant bits before gluing this together and getting the bottom on. Getting there slowly but surely :)

[duncang]

Well, I reached my goal of getting the boat to 3D with the bottom on by the end of the hoildays - Just!

Here's a couple of pics of the final steps which were completed this weekend.

I've started work on the centrecase and frame #2, ready for installation once I flip the hull over.

First pic shows the mast step being fitted. Second pic (rather uninterestingly!) shows the bottom glued on :)

[Boatmik]

Rather uninterestingly!!!!

Not true ... but true! Looks great. You can register the boat now at www.pdracer.com

[duncang]

Hi Folks,

Well, once again its been a little while since I've made any progress on the PDR. I have finally completed the gluing of centrecase and frames. Currently undergoing preparation (sanding etc) to be glued in place in the hull.

Dunc.

[m2c1Iw]

:2tsup: was wondering how you were going with it, it is annoying so many things get in the way of boat building :rolleyes:

[Boatmik]

How is your stack of wood going Mike? :)

[m2c1Iw]

How is your stack of wood going Mike? :)

Getting bigger not smaller at the minute, stitched up the Eureka yesterday must post a pic or two :2tsup:

[Daddles]

Getting bigger not smaller at the minute, stitched up the Eureka yesterday must post a pic or two :2tsup:

Oh no, you're not going to finish it before Midge are you? :oo:

Richard

[Daddles]

Well, I reached my goal of getting the boat to 3D with the bottom on by the end of the hoildays - Just!

Here's a couple of pics of the final steps which were completed this weekend.

I've started work on the centrecase and frame #2, ready for installation once I flip the hull over.

First pic shows the mast step being fitted. Second pic (rather uninterestingly!) shows the bottom glued on :)

The part where all those bits become a boat is magic isn't it :2tsup:

Richard

[Boatmik]

Oh no, you're not going to finish it before Midge are you? :oo:

Richard

Midge is delivering narrowboats in Europe for the next few months. He might not see that Richard.

Maybe I will point it out!

MIK

[m2c1Iw]

Midge is delivering narrowboats in Europe for the next few months. He might not see that Richard.

Maybe I will point it out!

MIK

What is a narrow boat, do you mean he is recking havoc on some canal on a barge.

[duncang]

It is Christmas time again, which means that its time to do some more work on the boat :o

First pic - Yesterday I picked up the hoop pine for the centreboard and rudder foils and the mast from Lindsay Meyers at Clontarf. They have an excellent range and let me poke through the stacks to find the timber I needed.

I've recently bought a house, but don't yet have a shed - that is coming in the new year, so the second pic is my new workbench which is currently under the house. I knocked it up yesterday from 90x45 structural pine. The top is a recycled benchtop from work. Legs are two planks laminated with polyurethane glue and backed up with wood screws. I added adjustable feet constructed by welding large washers to the heads of a M12 bolt which screws into a long nut/joiner inserted into the table leg. The end result is quite sturdy considering the very simple construction but we'll see how it holds up after a bit of use.

First job on the new bench will be laminating the foils hopefully next week :rolleyes:

Duncan

[woodeneye]

Hi Duncan

Lindsay Meyers is where I got my Hoop from, but as I live in Maitland did not have the privilege of handpicking my stuff. The pine was great though and freight not too bad.

Nice bench. The only mod I would make is to put a diagonal brace across at least two of the sides, ie. the depth and the length (Bracing all sides is even better thought). Once you start planing fixed lumber and putting it under stress you'll see what I mean.:wink:

[duncang]

The only mod I would make is to put a diagonal brace across at least two of the sides, ie. the depth and the length (Bracing all sides is even better thought). Once you start planing fixed lumber and putting it under stress you'll see what I mean.:wink:

Thanks Woodeneye - yes agree with the diagonal bracing - I think it will definitely need it once I start putting some ergs into it. I'm also going to drill 3/4" holes for bench dogs and hold down clamps - hopefully Santa will see this message! :D

Duncan

[duncang]

Today (Ok, I snuck out before family commitments started) I got the rudder and centreboard foil blanks laminated. In the spirit of experimentation, I used Titebond II PVA, knowing that even though this stuff is not technically waterproof, that they would later be glassed and fully sealed with epoxy so they should be just fine.

If it all goes horribly wrong the stuff is food safe, so could turn the blanks into really cool cutting boards :2tsup:

I only had 2 sash clamps available, so to ensure even clamping, I used some RHS steel to spread the load out. It seems to have worked quite well.

Having pulled the first blank from the clamps, I think everything has come out nicely, with a nice flat, untwisted blank, ready for to be thicknessed. On that note, can anyone reccomend someone on Brisbane northside who could do that?

Duncan

[duncang]

Today I glued Frame #2 in place. I found it a little tricky to get "enough" thickened epoxy into the side panel joints without it all being pushed out whilst getting the frame into position. I ended up using a syringe to inject a little more goop into the join to ensure a good bond - is this a usual practice for this sort of joint? In any case, I got a little epoxy squeezed out when I drove in the screws, so I think I got enough glue in there :)

I also scarfed and glued the narrow staves for the mast. Hopefully they come out nice and straight when I unclamp it in a day or two.

Duncan

[Boatmik]

You are making good inroads Duncan!

I ended up sitting inside the boat to do the job and pushing the sides apart A LITTLE with my heels. It still does smear a bit, but do a good cleanup and it will be fine.

Well done!

MIK

[Boatmik]

You are making good inroads Duncan!

I ended up sitting inside the boat to do the job and pushing the sides apart A LITTLE with my heels. It still does smear a bit, but do a good cleanup and it will be fine.

Well done!

MIK

[duncang]

I may have to borrow a rig and some foils, but I think I can get the hull ready to go in the water by the end of January if you are going to be up here. Is it bad-luck to launch a boat on a borrowed rig?

[Boatmik]

Not at all! Do you have someone in mind? I will be up in Queensland about then too. Maybe we can have a BBQ day again.

I am thinking ... THINKING of doing some sort of sailing trip in the PDRacer too. Trying to talk the biting midge into it.

Caloundra down to the south end of Moreton Bay. I should talk Steve into it too. He can sail his Micro as the crash boat.

It is about 100km and there is a tricky stretch but mostly sheltered. Would need tail winds most of the time to keep it down to 2 to three days of lots of sailing.

Just dreams at the moment ... but if nobody says anything they never happen!

MIK

[duncang]

Caloundra down to the south end of Moreton Bay. I should talk Steve into it too. He can sail his Micro as the crash boat.

It is about 100km and there is a tricky stretch but mostly sheltered. Would need tail winds most of the time to keep it down to 2 to three days of lots of sailing.

MIK

That is a fair slog. I can see how you could do most of it fairly safely by I suppose, but negotiating the Brisbane river mouth might be a bit hairy :oo:

[Boatmik]

Biting Midge who knows the waters well said the exposed patch before you get to the shelter of the islands is the bit to be careful of. If there was poor visibility the river mouth could be scary.

But I am expecting the weather to be fine and sunny. Maybe about 24 to 27 degrees, reasonable cloud cover and a bikini clad .....

ooops

MIK

[duncang]

I have spent the last two Christmas', and a couple of weekends in between, working on my PDR and other bits for my CLC Kayak. Today I achieved a kind of Zen state where I was at complete peace working away on the boat - slowly shaping the boyancy tank faces so they fitted just so, cutting out the centreboard slot and various bits in between - with the ABC radio on in the background, I couldn't have been more relaxed.

What could possibly be better ?

[Boatmik]

Plans are $20, Nirvana is extra!

MIK

[duncang]

Hi Folks,

I've now more or less completed the fit out in the aft part of the boat, with the buoyancy tanks and side decks now glued up. Tomorrow I'll fit the mast partner which should complete the structural fit out of the boat, ready for paint :U

The photo below shows work to date. A little untidy and the whole thing needs a good wipe down and vacuum, but its definitely a boat! I've also not been very religious with the masking tape, and am now paying the price with little random bits of epoxy showing up in the most random places (I am in awe of AlexN's masking tape skills :2tsup: ). All good lessons before I start on the Kayak.

Looks like my January deadline may come to fruition :o

Duncan

[Boatmik]

Howdy Duncan,

Well I am impressed ... after quite a long time of you being caught up in other things the boat has materialised almost miraculously!

Amazing ... good work and a pat on the back!

MIK

[duncang]

Hi Folks,

Well the foredeck went on today so that's the last major structural component on the hull. Now there is basically a lot of work in finishing details, sanding and paint. :D

Duncan

[Boatmik]

Cool Duncan.

Another big step - nice to finish all that stuff under the bonnet!

MIK

[duncang]

Believe it or not, I am back into it. I have new boat building premises - a new shed in the back yard :2tsup:

I installed some bench dogs in my work bench to hold the foils for shaping and I'm making shavings once again :o

[m2c1Iw]

Hey that's great I've been wondering what had happened to your build. :2tsup:

[Boatmik]

Howdy Duncan,

I didn't get up to Queensland at all this year. Peter and Jo were moving house to make way for a hyperspace bypass.

Nice to hear you are still step, step, stepping!

MIK

[duncang]

Thanks MIK. I did hear that the house of the Biting Midge was in the way of "progress" ... such a shame - it is a wonderful house.

Maybe by the time I've finished my rig, there will be some SOG plans to buy :D Don't worry though.. you probably still have heaps of time to finish them :B

Duncan.

[Boatmik]

Thanks Duncan,

I've been doing some fiddling with them - I might head off in another direction though with a Laser-ish wooden boat. Bit bigger for club sailing - or mucking around - which was one of the things the Laser did very well originally before everyone got too serious about them.

MIK

[duncang]

Bit of progress today - I've started shaping the back side of the rudder foil and have cut the centreboard to shape. I've also glued up my tiller lamination and rudder case framing.

Here's a pic of me planing down my rudder blade. Who needs to pay to go to a gym when you can just shape a few boards by hand :2tsup:

[Boatmik]

It is nice process too.

At the end of going to the gym, you take a shower and almost all evidence that something happened has gone.

But looks at that rudderblade!

MIK

[duncang]

Progress today was to finish shaping the rudder foil. I'm adding caps to either end so that the end grain is not exposed. Not sure if this will result in an actual structural benefit, but I think it will look nicer.

I also shaped and glued the cockpit coaming piece which was the last timber detail to add to the hull, so now all that's left is sanding and painting (an ordeal in itself going by AlexN's experience! :oo: )

Back to work tomorrow.. boo :no:

[duncang]

Hi Folks,

Well, its nearly christmas time again, which means I've been working on the boat :D

The hull is now painted and in the process of being fitted out. I've also just glued up the mast ladder, so the sides should go on tomorrow.

Getting closer.... attached are a couple of pics of the paint job.

[technogeekery]

Looks very nice - great paint scheme. :2tsup:

[duncang]

So I've now got something that resembles the picture on the front of the plans :D

Mum made me a sail prototyped out of calico but unfortunately the material is a bit stretchy - you can see in the downhaul and snotter photos that I've run out of adjustment and there's still plenty of 'spring' left in the fabric, and the mast is still dead straight. The polytarp sail is cut out awaiting stitching which I'll get onto tomorrow. I think this sail will still kinda work, although will not have much power.

I'm going to have to do some more reading on how to lock off the downhaul - at the moment I've used a couple of half hitches, but I'm having trouble holding the tension in the system before I get the knot locked off - is there a different type of knot I should try? Also keen to see AlexN's blocked downhaul system...

Currently looking at getting wet around the 28th or 29th up at Lake Cootharaba :oo:

[davlafont]

Nice!


...is there a different type of knot I should try?There's probably not enough room for it, but closely related to "Two Half Hitches" is a Taut Line Hitch. Versus two half hitches, it takes only one additional wrap of the first hitch before throwing in the second hitch. It works for longer lines on tents and tarps which are also not nearly as stressed as your downhaul should be. But it might work if you have the space.


...Also keen to see AlexN's blocked downhaul system...From his lug sail? Will it translate? How about a simple turning block on the deck beneath the tack and cam or clam cleat abaft of it? Might not be enough purchase though...

Good luck!

[duncang]

Of course I'd forgotten that AlexN was using a lug rig so has a different downhaul. In any case, I think I've got my system worked out now that I have my tarp sail and some larger cord which is easier to work with. See attached photos.

The next problem I've had is that the poor quality of my tarp ('Best Buy' brand at Supercheap for $18) and cheap eyelets.. the result is evident in the last photo. I added a second eyelet to the clew to compensate (first photo) - I don't expect this sail to last very long, but hopefully long enough to get wet this week :)

I've just re-read this thread on GIS sail materials (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f169/sailcloth-choices-storerboats-homemade-sails-127918/) which reminded me of the new Bunnings sail material, so I might check this out next time I'm there. Can anyone report on how this stuff is holding up for PDR sails?

[duncang]

Things are getting real.. have the hull number on there now.

The other photo is my next project.. a CLC 16 kayak.. about to start gluing up.

[duncang]

By the way, I found this stuff at Bunnings today called 'Polyshade'. It does not look quite the same as the other bunnings 'sailcloth' mentioned here (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f169/sailcloth-choices-storerboats-homemade-sails-127918/) (which they didn't seem to have).

There is a website (http://www.coolaroo.com/products/coolaroo/ProductDetails.asp?ProductRef=217) and product sheet (http://www.coolaroo.com/Collateral/Products/External_File_3/Coolaroo_Polyshade.pdf). It seemed fairly stiff and is about 300gsm in weight so perhaps a bit heavy?

I wonder what type of sail it would make?

[Cliff Rogers]

:2tsup:

[duncang]

The big day was yesterday - we launched the little boat at Currimundi Lake at Caloundra. It was a beaut day, although the winds were a little flukey on the lake.

I'm a complete novice sailor, but with a few tips from PhilW (builder of the Eureka canoe seen in the pics) I was soon underway. I did a couple of capsize drills and the boat came up with ease. My cheap tarp sail held up OK, although I will need to add some extra reinforcement in the corners with some nice new eyelets.

So hows that SOG going MIK??? :p

[AlexN]

Looking really good :2tsup: :wave: :clap:.

Btw, the blocks in the lugs'l downhaul system wasn't my idea - I pinched it from m2c1Iw and his famous sexy black pdracer (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f169/oz-pdr-build-adelaide-sexy-black-pdracer-70173/index3.html#post943998), see second photo from the left.

Cheers,
Alex.

[Boatmik]

Super Duncan!

Looks fantastic. Was this video the last time you went for a sail?

PDRacer - Learning to Sail - YouTube

[duncang]

Hi Mik - welcome back!

Yes, that was the last time I'd been sailing - 4 years ago now?

[Boatmik]

Gosh .. was it really that long ago we all spent that afternoon eating, talking and sailing on different boats?

Well done Duncan!

MIK

[duncang]

It was certainly life changing. My friend Aiden (also in the video) met his wife that day :D They came along for the launch and we had a great day on the lake.

We are now wondering what to build next... :U

[Boatmik]

Do some sailing first! :)

[duncang]

Hi All,

I have made a couple of small mods to my OzRacer. #1 was some grab handles to make her easier to move around on the beach. #2 was adding a gunnel on the bow which makes the front edge less sharp, but also looks nice too I think.

The handles are 1" tube tape (available from climbing stores) into which I've inserted some stiffish plastic tubing to give it a nice feel. I've screwed to the deck (into the underlying frame) using 3/4" 10g screws with cup/fabric washers.

Attached are a couple of pics.

[Boatmik]

Nice mods Duncan!

Always nice to see what people do. To uniquify their boats! It's not likely that you will have to because of the dryness of the boat after a capsize... But if there was lots of water in the boat it could mean a lot of load on those straps.

Normally there won't be a prob because the boat is so light. But if it is extra heavy for an unusual reason lift at the gunwales.

Nice work!

Mik

[duncang]

So pretty soon after I started sailing at various places, I realised I needed a better way to move the boat around. And this is the result - pretty much the same as any dinghy beach trolley, but made from some framing pine that I had lying around.

It is just screwed together right now, but I plan on epoxying the joints and the end grain, and giving it a coat of house paint. Then a few bits of carpet or other padding for the hull to rest on.

The wheels are from the Big B ($13 ea) - hopefully they prove big enough for the beach; axles are 1/2" gal bolts with an assortment of nuts and washers to lock them onto a gal L-bracket, which is screwed to the frame with lag screws - I will epoxy that whole assembly as well since it could get some reasonable loads on it.

If anyone needs measurements I'm happy to provide them.

[Boatmik]

Very nice Duncan.

I'm going to steal that for the news section on the PDRacer.info website run by Peter Hyndman.

How did you do the "T" join?

The critical bit!

Michael

[duncang]

Hi Mik,

By all means post to the PDR site.


How did you do the "T" join?

I used 2 x 75mm long batten screws (exterior grade). The timber is 90x35 so the full thread of the screw is into the endgrain of the chassis rail (for want of a better term). I pilot drilled the holes to prevent splitting up the grain. I will also back up this join with thickened epoxy. Hopefully this will be strong enough, but it would also be straight forward to add a ply gusset to transfer the load a bit more along to the 'axle'.

I used the same screws on the mitred join for the handle, but I had to drill quite a deep 'pocket' using a spade bit to get the screws down far enough - I'll post a more detailed photo of this when I get back to my other computer later. Once again, it could probably do with a ply gusset or web to backup the screws (or do the screws backup the gusset? :) )

Duncan

[Boatmik]

That is a very Zen question Duncan!

The classical answer is "Neither, it is the mind that backs up"

Michael

[duncang]

First beach trials of the trolley occurred yesterday - the frame works fine, but I need bigger wheels for the softer sand. I could have guessed this, but I was hoping to get away with the cheaper solid wheels.

I went sailing with some friends of mine who were on windsurfers. The forecast was 10-15kts growing to 20kts overnight. We started at lunchtime and there was not much wind in sight - around 5 kts, so off we went expecting the wind to continually strengthen throughout the afternoon. But it never materialised, instead dropping to almost dead calm after an hour or so. I ended up paddling back in the last 100m and my windsurfer friends had to swim!