Thread: Building a Navigator yawl

Rob, I'll stir the pot a bit re a tabernacle and faster rigging.

You have probably seen Miks work on a cat boat here interesting it may have an application.

As I see a tabernacle in your case may allow you to leave the stick all set up given a gaff rig and relatively short mast and simply lift it when you get to the ramp.

Just a thought..........

Stir away old friend

Absolutely, Mike, that's my attraction to it...but I want to be careful not to just jump into complications that may not be warranted. I've done the drawings for the tabernacle already! The mast will stick over the end of the boat if I do it, but I'll get away with a red flag I think.

I keep putting this decision off, it was only that I wanted to be able to carry on with planking and stuff, and I thought I should at least get the compression post upto seat level, so I still have options for a seat level tabernacle (with partners at deck level), or a deck mounted one , or the designed solution -the simplest one.

Originally Posted by rob540

I'd be interested to know how you find stepping the 4m mast through the deck and into those holes... I can't imagine it would be too hard. Without being too personal, mate, how's your aim?

Yeah, the aim could always improve .
The mast itself is not the issue, its all the rigging that hangs off it.
Like Barret I also used a C-Track and a sliding gooseneck.
The C-Track does add a bit of weight. I guess I can always try a set of jaws later on.

My Jib is hardwired to the masthead. I have a roller furler which does make storing the Jib much easier. I've used 3mm SS wire for the side stays. The stay are attached to the chain plates via turnbuckles.

The Battens in the main sail make it difficult to store the Gunter in the boat with the main sail attached, so I remove a couple battens for storage.

Also the mast does not fit in the boat so I need to tie things up carefully to avoid things been blown off the boat when driving(Maybe I should get a boat cover?).

Ideally what I need to do is figure out a way to store everything neatly so its easy to transport and setup.

I think is a case of "me" being more organised, and coming up with a storage system that works.

I agree with m2c1Iw, check out the tabernacle designed by MIK storer. Looks impressive. Though, he is yet to implement it on a Puddle Duck

Cheers

Originally Posted by rob540

Hi Dale, thanks for your input, and welcome to the forum!
As it happens I did have a good look at Sweet Pea before I started my first boat, but chose the Waller 540 over it and Navigator and several others, trying to find a design that would fit the needs of my whole family.

Navigator wasn't right for me then, but I think it is now...

Enjoyed your photos too Dale, especially the wildflowers.

Thanks,
I'm obviously in boat dreaming mode at the moment, my nearest waters are either Corio Bay, or over in the ocean. I'd love to cruise a small boat down to Apollo Bay in the right conditions. Couple of lovely hidden places to pull ashore and sleep on the way. Choosing the right boat is hard.

I'm interested to see that you have chosen to go to opposite ends of the spectrum so to speak. Will be interesting to see how your build turns out, and just where you get to. At your current rate, I'll expect to see you sailing past Lorne within the next couple of weeks!

The gunwales bent quite well and because I didn't have much time the other day, I've glued the aft end of both. This will allow me to glue both sides of the bow end simultaneously. Because there is a significant rise in the sheer near the transom the main stress in the gunwale turns out to be in the vertical plane, rather than the horizontal sweep outwards and back. To deal with this I used a thin handsaw to cut down the middle of the outside face of the piece, along about 900mm from the transom (as I remember it). This allowed the top and bottom parts of the stringer to slide, one on the other, and take up the curve easily. This cut was wet out and glued as normal, and clamped both directions. A bit more about the gunwales on my blog.


Dale good luck in your dreamings...seems we'd be using the same bits of water, although I'm not sure the boats that I build will provide safe passage on Bass Strait. I do wish there was a better ramp at Lorne though, because the trip to Apollo Bay eats into sailing time on a day trip for me. I used Pt Roadknight once, but at low tide it is 'testing', and at any tide, there seem to be people inhabiting the very water that you need to navigate back to shore on. So really, there are no good all weather ramps between the Geelong area and Apollo Bay.

Mick, thanks for your details. I imagine you'll be designing a crutch to support your spars over the top?

Ripping the stringer is a great tip. Do you have a close up shot of that?

Good to see the sheer in the photo. I imagine that you must have walked a few laps sighting those lovely lines!

Agree with the ramp situation. The only protected place is the river at Barwon Heads, albeit with a bar crossing to contend with. (Oh and bridge works)

G'Day Dale, yep, a bloke can get dizzy dancing around, dodging clamps.

I'll see if i can get a photo of it over the week-end.

The single most important thing to check if dry bending timber in my opinion is not only to have clear timber (no knots) but also look out for grain 'run out', where a wavy grain line has been sliced through in cutting a straight member. So I think that when choosing a plank for the job, first check the grain in a general sense- and I think a slab cut board with the end grain vertical (in this case) will bend around most easily. But then check the grain in a specific way to see if there are any deviations from straight that could become a weakness under bending stress, and on the other hand, any grain concentration (maybe next to where there was a knot which is now on the next adjacent board) that might produce a 'hard spot' in the bend. Even then, a piece may suddenly crack!

...and then go round and round

Gunwales are both fixed, and I've started to harmonise the top edges to the angles of the transom and side decks. The bottom stringer has also been planed to form a flat surface in line with the bottom panel, to form a seat for the first hull panel.
Dale, very perceptively, spotted the small white object in the bilges and suggested that it was obviously the position for the head.

Well I was going to suggest that the real secret of your building speed, was that you could withstand all distractions!

No....Dale...this IS the distraction

Originally Posted by rob540

No....Dale...this IS the distraction

I have just had it pointed out me that your postings are a distraction in their own right, as I shirk my domestic chores!

Seriously though, the documentation of your build(s) provides great incentive to me, and I'm sure many others. The detail and commentary are just so useful for a first time builder. Both this thread, and the more thoughtful blog are a great combination.

I appreciate your comments Dale, hope it continues to engage you.



Despite the arctic conditions, I managed to steal a few minutes to fit the inner stringers which will define the side decks and the combing and the backrests for the cockpit. These will be backed up at the bulkheads by 20 x20 doublers.
I must say, I'm really enjoying this.

Doublers glued to inner stringers on bulkhead tops.

Meanwhile, a little centreboard work and some mucking around with a design for a tabernacle high enough to keep the boom connected in transportation mode. Bulky but practical.



Also messing around with coaming shape possibilities.

Bit of a cold and damp day today. What glue where you using?

That coaming line looks great, quite a lovely sweep up to the mast. I'd never have considered just how important the view from the skipper (builder) position is in boat building!