Thread: Finishing a Yellowtail

-I only discovered this forum tonight and there's another Yellowtail.I have a clinker one approaching completion:everything is now painted or sealed for varnish apart from the gunwhales,deck and just-installed coaming.I'm waiting on a price from Classic Marine for bronzeware and will be looking for some decent oregon for the rig shortly.I plan to use it as a runabout with a small outboard until the sailing stuff is ready.Will try to post some pics soon.
Dave.

I haven't got any of the bronze fittings yet either. I was planning on getting in touch with Mike at Wooden Boat Fittings in a little while and sourcing some local stuff from Briggs Marine (its cheaper via a dealer such as WBF).

My next purchases will be some mahogany marine ply and some oregon for the framing.

Originally Posted by Dave Brewer

-I only discovered this forum tonight and there's another Yellowtail..

Yer not lookin' too deeply. There's another two on the forum

Richard

(do a search ... and look at my avatar)

Time for an update.

We got stuck in to doing the centreboard slot...



Didn't like what we found, so,



Here's why.



I didn't like the ply sandwich - and there was a void in the piece of Oregon we cut out for the centreboard slot, and also, the builder hadn't drilled the shaft hole - he'd left timber out - so that was that. His work on the hull and the deck is quite nice, but the keel, less so.

We've lofted the new keel and glued up the centreboard blank today. I'll be framing her with some Spotted Gum. I managed to pick up some 3mm x 44mm strips the other day. We'll leave that till we get her new keel on and set her up on her waterline.

The steel for the trailer will be here on Monday - and I've bought yet another Blaxland Pup - the cheapie that was on fleabay the other day - which I'll either get going or use for spares.



That's the second boat that I've taken a chainsaw to. We took the lazarette deck and transom out of my 1937 50' cruiser a few years back. It took 17 days to get that all back together...

Well it's a skillful bloke who uses a chainsaw for minor alterations Is it the pic or does the skeg have twist guess that's why it's getting the chop.

Nice looking Yellowtail good luck with it.

Mike

Yep there was a bit of twist in it too. It didn't have a lot recommending we keep it. Most of the rest is great. I don't like his interior glassing effort - hes got some voids along the keelson - so I'll have the wonderful job of re-doing that too.

Since we are discussing chainsaw surgery...

Here was the effort on the cruiser



and the repair in progress...

Are you by any chance from Texas?

I was actually looking for the photo of the new wood we put inside the transom - the support for the prop struts. We had some fairly large bits of Spotted Gum which we laminated into a block about 8' and 10" x 10" at a guess - my cousin then rough shaped it with the chainsaw - to within 1/8" in all dimensions - and Bazza finished it with the normal shipwright tools. There was another shipwright there who just scratched his head and watched. A day or more job was done in an hour.

When we cut the transom out - every single worker at the boat yard stopped and came over and watched.

It isn't about what tool you use - its about how you use it.

As for taking the keel off - it was gone within the hour. Only about a foot of handsawing in the whole job - cutting the last inch or two down then chiselling the blocks off...

Couldn't figure out how to do this job with a chainsaw.....

a nice bit of ooze as we started clamping down the centreboard halves. Six bits of 6 x 1 Oregon, thicknessed to 18mm, edge glued yesterday and laminated today with the boards offset a couple of inches ...



Bazza checking things over ....

I did some roughing out of the centreboard, but Bazza came over and I'm more than happy to watch him with a centreboard - he's a dual world champion in 18'ers - including once in a timber boat that he built.





The trailer is well under way - this one will be doing dual, possibly triple duties - the Yellowtail and a Markham Whaler (which normally lives on a marina) - so the bunks and winch post will be movable to facilitate handling either boat.



The timber is in for the new keel (I'm using Mountain Ash) - and the framing (I'm using 3mm thick Spotted Gum, which I will laminate)

We fitted the new keel yesterday - no plywood or glue voids in this one.... and its dead straight and in the centre... just a bit of glassing and fairing to do - and add the doublers around the centeboard case (tomorrow)



We spun her upright today - in a bit of a hostile environment for a boat, but hey, doesn't the electric crane help?



Then dropped her (gently) on the trailer she will share with my Markham Whaler... to double check we had everything right.



The different set up between boats involves 10 bolts. Swap in bunks instead of the Whaler's guide rails (4 bolts - and a different set of bunks that just drop in and have a locking bolt) - move the winch post (4 more bolts and a drop in locator) and move the spare wheel from up front to behind the left hand wheel (2) - to get the drawbar weight right.

Here's the Whaler having a go a bit earlier today...



and the bare trailer set up with Whaler guide rails.



We've got one change to make - the initial feed in point for the Yellowtail - I want to make it less of a potential damage point, which I guess is understandable eh? There's still other bits to go on, but there's the basic idea. I know it looks like overkill - but there's a '54 VW Beetle / Subaru turbo hybrid project around here too - and another axle, with brakes under that trailer is going to be quite an easy upgrade..... and makes it a nice track car trailer too....

On buying my first house I had the builder leave out the air conditioner so I could use my sledgehammer on the wall. What fun it was to hack holes in the wall of a house after years of having to get permission to put up a picture hook. Seeing as how it my house though, I measured that sucker seven ways to Sunday. I find I also resent hanging pictures on my walls

Using a chainsaw on a boat as pretty as this would take a lot more guts though, don't know that I could do it.

Bet it was fun though

No more chainsawing for this one...

The doublers for the centreboard are on and I've ordered some brass strip for the bottom of the keel. I'll glass the new keel next week, after I get the trailer off to the galvanizers on Monday. Glass, fair, repaint - then fit the engine and interior. Hopefully sailing in January - or more likely motoring - with sails to be got after the hols.

I've picked up some more bits off fleabay too - including a folding prop although it will need to be cut down if I use it - its 13" and the norm for a Pup is 11 x 11. The plan would be to use the folder if I'm mainly sailing or towing her behind my cruiser - and the three blader if mainly putting...