The door in the side of my boat

The Door in the side of my Boat

Aug 1st 2017

I have been working rather erratically on the boat since this spring. I had great plans that the progress would be much further along by now, but thing get in the way, and I am the only one working on this project, and it is my recreation, so I try not to get stressed about it. Anyways, I mentioned to Dave Zeiger, the designer of the Triloboats, that the installation of the door (in nautical terms I think it would be called a hatch)  had taken longer to design, partially due to a lack of suitable examples on the web to copy. So I decided to post some pictures, despite the unfinished state of things.

The reasons for a door is ease of access since the gunnels (the sides) are 5'4" off the bottom, and this boat is designed to be used either from a trailer like a very funky R.V., or dried out on a beach, and even when floating in the water.

I originally was going to have a U shaped hole in the side, but was worried that it would cost too much strength, so changed to a hatch design. There is a vertical 2x6 topped by another 2x6 in a tee shape that runs the length of the boat. Glued inboard of the horizontal piece is a 2x4 the length of the cockpit to strengthen the opening and provides a nice place to sit on top of the gunnel. There will be door, opening outward, with the hinges on the forward side. The door will be slightly larger than the opening, with scuppers in the lower edge.

The area immediately inside the door is sealed off, other than the self draining well just aft of it, which will hold the aft anchor. The plan is that any water that does get in here will flow harmlessly out.

Dimensions of the opening are 18 inches wide by 44 inches tall, but might increase to 46 or so, so that I can put some nice curves at the top of the opening.

The distance from the door to the windows in the saloon is 11 feet, so there is room to store a retracted lee board with out blocking the door or window.

 


There is 32 inches to the transom, allowing an as yet unbuilt bench seat with leanbacks  to be installed across the transom. A folding floor hatch will cover the door well when sailing so that I don't fall in it on a bad tack.

The doubler plate (Green 3/4 ply piece) is 24 inches, and the door is cut 6 inches into it, so the bottom of the door well is 18 inches above the bottom of the boat, or 6 inches above the design water line.

Here is a view of the seat and leanback forward of the door, this is typical of the other seats around the cockpit. This one has a small propane locker on the forward edge, to hold the 20lb bottle that will feed the camp stove inside. It will have a gravity vent so that any leaking propane will go overboard and not into the main cabin. The other compartment or lazarette has a false bottom, so I can empty it and climb down beside the engine if required to service it. I have not built the seat hatches yet, but in the final picture you can see some pieces of ply that will become the seat and back sitting in place.

Engine Hatch Frame Feb 2017

 So my plan is to put this marine Oldsmobile 350 with Berkly Jet pump into my Triloboat. I don't need a 250Hp motor, but it was a fraction of the price of a 25Hp outboard and draws less water. Besides, if I ever want to pull a log off of a beach like Relic in the old Beach Combers series, this is just the motor I need.

So here is the hatch frame, the large opening is just larger than the engine itself, and the smaller hatch behind is over the pump, which needs to be accessible to push the weed grate (Black handle) or to open the port into the pump itself to remove debris (rope is infamous to be sucked up by a jet pump in my reading)
There is a space aft of that hatch, which will end up under the bench seat. This is where I will put my little generator, a Yamaha 2400 with an aftermarket propane kit (it will run on gasoline or propane now)

Another view of the same stuff, just a different angle. You can also see the opening for my door/stairs out the starboard aft quarter (38" from the stern to be more exact)

Some Paint

 After the last few months where various outside tasks, a trip to Hawaii, and a chance to crew on a friends sailboat during some races on a local lake, I am back at work boat building. I decided to paint some of the areas that were already finished otherwise

The storage area under the front bunk has a bunch of small pieces that will enable the hot air from  the stove area to be circulated around the cabin.

Here is a detail of the shelves on the starboard side  of the bunk. I am gluing in some bits of wood to prevent the cover from collapsing inward when leaned on.

Here is a shot of the paint (actually stain) that I am using. I am using an exterior stain so hopefully it will deal with any moisture without any problems.
As a side note, my painting skills are more of "Fence Painter" then they are of "Glossy High Dollar Boat Painter", as I am using a brush, and seem to consistently err on the side of more paint then less. Also, I am painting over rough building plywood, that I have done very minimal sanding to. As long as there are no slivers and the wood is sealed, it meets my requirements.
One day I may go back and refinish those areas that are visible, after I get the boat sailing and have a chance to laze around and critique the job, but I suspect that will be a few years off yet.

Mast Vertical Checking Question?

I have not been working on the boat project for over a month now, the last I had done was to power plane the trees down to size. One mast was ready for sanding, and the other was 75% done when my power plane melted it's little drive belt. I have since replaced the plane, an extended story in itself.

The plane is a discontinued model, and the belt I needed is also discontinued. However, because the product is not repairable due to this, they said I could replace it with a similar model, just bring it in with a receipt. It took me a while to locate the receipt, then drive to a store with stock, but they did a straight across the board exchange, with another identical old stock plane.

Other projects and a trip interrupted further work, and I went out to look at the masts today, and I found a lot of vertical checking. The question I have is how much checking is too much? Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding makes it sound like the checks are no big deal, but he was also talking about a mast that had been oiled. I also ask, if this mast is considered OK, do I just go ahead, finish sanding and paint it? Or would it be considered too weak, and I am better off to start over with a fresh tree?

Feedback from anyone with mast making experience is welcome, as this is the first tree I have attempted to make into a mast.

Note the spiral checking, really obvious on the one mast, I believe this is why the lumber guys left it for the firewood guys, hard to make a straight board from it. I think it is Tamarack, but am not 100% sure.
   
The tamarack or hackmatack has been an excellent timber much used for ships. It is practically indestructible under water and stands very well even where exposed. It is used to be the colonial substitute for the ‘compass timber’ of English oak used in the ships of the Royal Navy, it’s roots furnishing the natural knees and other curved pieces so precious to the early shipbuilders. Unfortunately the tamarack as a commercial timber is no more, for some years ago an insect pest swept the country and destroyed all the trees of any size. Their gaunt skeletons, bare, grey and dry as tinder, may still be seen standing in northern bogs and muskegs, a tribute to the species durability. Fortunately new growth is rapidly coming on. (Lower, A. 1938)

Organic Carbon Fibre Masts, August 2016

Here is an update for August, 2016. I picked up my 

trees, and have done the rough work of converting them to "Organic Carbon Fibre" Masts. Of course, this is only going by what my high school biology teacher told me trees were made of, with a few years in between to make the memories a little fuzzy. Anyways, it is much easier to let Mother Nature do the layup of the carbon fibre than doing it myself.
Also had to build some heavy duty saw horses for this step.  

 I have the best pole completely power planed as the main mast, and the second best pole about 70% done, before the belt in my planer melted. I have just exchanged it on warranty, as the planer and replacement belt are discontinued, but one local store had some of the old stock still.
Next is to take the belt sander to  the poles, cut to length, and put on a coat of paint.
There is a third pole in case I find major flaws in the first two.

 I also bought two 50 gallon water tanks, here is a picture of the starboard tank in position, and at the bottom of the picture is a corner of a 4" deep 37x37" tray that will form my shower pan. The pan will get a sump pump and an elevated grating to stand on while showering.

Not shown is a 32 gallon tank that will be installed for grey water, when in a location that does not allow discharge.







I purchased the various fittings to fill and vent, as well as a 8" clean out with rubber seal for each tank. Once I have the tanks and bulkheads all figured out, I will cut and install the fittings

July long weekend update, windows and masts

Here is my update for the July long weekend, 2016

 I made an armrest for the forward end of the settee, out of a cutoff from the bow curve stringers. There is a removable pole with nice curves at the top and bottom, with a spot to hold up the armrest. I have to go and get some barrel bolts similar to the other side to hold it in position.

The shape is so I have a little table to hold my coffee while lounging on the settee

 Right now I have a piece of wood propping it up in the right position, there will be a hinge so it can be folded up out of the way. I will figure out a way to tie it in the upright position, so it doesn't fall and bang me in the head one day,

next photo is the shelves inside the settee leanback, and (not shown) one of the access holes was cut in the seatback.

 As I mentioned in a previous post, getting appropriate wood for a mast in the prairies is a challenge. I could have gotten a cutting permit, roped in a buddy, drove a few hours west, spent the day cutting down a suitable tree, and hauling it back. Instead, the guy just down the road from me brings in big truckloads of wood, which he cuts up and sells by the bag to people going to the nearby lakes. I had him separate 3 likely looking ones from the pile, and I bought them and brought them home this weekend. One other bonus, he is close enough that I drove my tractor over, so we could use the hydraulic front end loader to do the heavy lifting. I bought 3 in case there is a flaw in one of them that only reveals itself once the bark is off and the wood is dried. The least desirable one will become firewood. 

 I will have to make up some new sawhorses to do the de-barking on, Peter Hooper from his Trilobuild face book page recommended  higher than normal ones. I hope that my trees are suitable to turn into masts, as per Dave Zieger's blog post http://triloboats.blogspot.ca/2012/03/masts-as-if-they-grew-on-trees.html

The other bit of progress is the windows. Here is the set by the dinette, each window is just under 18" square. The order of assembly will be, from the outside in, exterior trim, an 18x72" piece of Plexiglas, bedding compound, the 1/2" exterior skin, then a window frame ( which is visible in the photo of the shelves above) cut from a 1/2 thick plywood, glued to the inside of the exterior skin to strengthen the ribs. Inside of this is a second piece of Plexiglas and a final 1/2 frame , screwed together so that the Plexiglas can be replaced when scratched up. I am using the term "Plexiglas" here generically, as I will actually be using whatever brand that my local lumberyard carries. I left the cedar around the window exposed, and will coat it with a clear finish, maybe Prizim as recommended by Dave, if the cost to get it here is reasonable.
 Don't pay any attention to the mess visible through the window, once I launch that will no longer be in sight.

More table details, June 5 2016

Here are some more details on the table top

 Here is the support mounted on the wall

Table installed

Close up of support with table inserted. I wanted the small storage area with fiddles to hold water glasses,,salt and pepper, and other stuff that is handy to have at the table. The other point is that it pushes the table a bit out into the aisle, so it looks right on the leg (if flush to the wall, the leg would stick out past the edge of the table)

Saloon puzzle

Here is the completed picture of the saloon with the settee pulled in and the dinette folded down. After I took this picture I rounded some corners. Still to come is the lean back storage, and of course the walls and windows.

And here is a detail of the table leg in the down position, with the added plywood bits

 And here is the same leg in the upright position

Hopefully I have the photo editing figured out, and you can make sense of what I was trying to do here

Stringers and stuff to Feb 15 2016

Stringers, Feb 2016

Previously, I installed 1.5" insulation in the floor, with 2X4 stringers reinforcing the insulation where the bulkheads cross and furniture edges are to be installed. The plywood was cut so that the seams would be hidden under furniture edges. Here is a picture with the insulation dry fit, it was glued in with Gorilla glue  with a layer of 1/2 inch ply on top. The bulkheads were then screwed and glued to the floor, with temporary braces across the top to hold everything square.

This weekends accomplishment was to install stringers made from two 2x6 planks scarfed together for a total length of twenty five feet on one side, and twenty three and change on the other side ( the side door is located at the end of the starboard one).

Starting with a picture of my scarfing jig, which is a 8:1 slope on some scrap plywood, and a piece of plexiglass that replaces the factory base on my router. An ideal plexi base would be a couple of inches wider, as I have to turn the router at an angle so it doesn't slip off the guides.

Completed scarf prior to glue up

I put short pieces of 2X6 on the sides of the bulkheads, to hold the main stringer, and to act as a nailing surface for the inside plywood pieces.

The size and height of the stringer has been chosen so that the joint in the outside plywood layer, the top of the outside reinforcing plywood, the rub/guard rail, the main level of interior furniture and interior plywood all attach to it.

I noticed that Dave Zeiger has added me to his sidebar, thank you Dave! How many other triloboats are under construction out there?

Sailboat update December 2015

December 2015 sailboat project update

So this year I have actually made some progress on building something. It still takes a lot of imagination to see a sailboat, but trust me, it will be.

Much of the work was in preparation, getting the barn ready to work in. I fixed the heater so I would have thermostatic control of the heat

I have picked up stuff to go in the boat, such as a cute little Hobbit wood stove http://salamanderstoves.com/product/small-stove-hobbit/?ap_id=npeterson, which I bought before I discovered the Canadian made Cubic wood stoves.

Yes, that is the composting toilet as well, both set up in the barn.

Here is the motor and jet pump I am going to put in the boat.

The original plan was an outboard in a well, but I had an old Mercedes 240D with a rusted out body and a good 65 Hp diesel in it. I thought I would use it and a marine transmission to a prop. The transmission turned out to be a difficult thing to find on the prairies, so I thought a jet pump would be a good idea, nothing to catch on the bottom. I found someone in Calgary selling a 350 Oldsmobile marine engine and Berkley jet pump, at a very good price, so I bought it. I was going to get the pump modified to match the little diesel, then decided that since the motor and jet pump was all ready to go, I would use it as is. I can always change it later, and have designed the bottom opening so that I could remove motor and pump and replace them with an suitable outboard, if I ever find one at a reasonable price.

I welded a steel frame, to make a level work platform for now, and it will eventually become a flatbed trailer for the boat.

Here is the last 8 feet of the boat hull, upside down, showing the pump during a dry fit

next pictures are flipping it over and getting it ready to attach to the rest of the hull bottom

About to be glued in place

The front stringers, the smeared glue was due to installing the MDO on the stringers by myself, wet 5200 acts as a lubricant I found out.

 The first bulkhead I built, between the salon and bunk (sorry for the blurry picture)
 

The galley to saloon bulkhead, the bottom 8 inches are hidden in this picture

The cockpit to galley bulkhead, leaning against previous bulkheads ( there is a big U shaped cutout for the doorway)

This is the front hold to bunk bulkhead

I have other pictures, but these show a good overview of my current progress. The next stage is adding the false floor, 1.5" Styrofoam and 2x stringers, then 1/2" plywood. I am making this change from Dave's plan because I want to be able to use this while on a trailer, when it is cold out, and want warm feet.

I have run across some similar blogs, one in particular I want to mention http://junkrighouseboat.blogspot.ca/2015/12/why.html

because he is doing a very similar build. In addition to the reasons he states for building a triloboat, I want to add that I will be starting out sailing in central Alberta lakes, which tend towards shallow at the best of times. I also have put in the requirement that it will be useable as a funky RV while it is sitting on the trailer. I will be putting in a hot water shower, with a tankless hot water heater http://www.amazon.ca/Marey-Power-Propane-Tankless-Heater/dp/B00886CZA6, and am converting an old bar fridge to a top opening fridge, with added insulation.

For those looking for mast material, difficult to find on the prairies, I think I have found a solution. Just down the road from me is a fellow who has a home business cutting firewood for the local lake campers, and has his raw logs delivered by a big logging truck. I discussed the requirements I had for a mast, and he is going to separate a couple of suitable logs from his next load. He says that there are typically several each load that will work, he just has to set them aside. This will save a great deal of trouble, as otherwise I was looking at getting a permit, then driving several hours until I found a selection of suitable trees, then hauling the trees back on my trailer. Now I will just have to move them less than a half a mile down a back road.