What we intend to build

We have, amongst the team, been lucky enough to have been given some experience assisting Alec Jordan with the prototype St Ayles Skiff build in his workshop in Leven, Fife. Below is a series of build snaps from that occasion – we will be going through the same build process when we put the first Ullapool Skiff together in a few weeks. These snaps are put up to show how we should be doing it pending logging our own detailed photo record of the  Ullapool build, warts and all.

Click on the thumbnail to get the bigger picture

Alec supervising the CNC router cutting the planking

Alec’s magic machine starting to cut the planking

progress in cutting the planks

The moulds and backbone set up on the building frame

mould with the boat frame clamped in place

Because the available timber was not long enough the Keelson is assembled from two lengths with a scarf joint

Alecs alignment aid cut into the moulds

Starting the bevelling of the Keelson, first rough cut with a power plane

The North Berwick crew giving a hand bevelling the keelson

cleaning up the glued frames with a hot air gun and chisel

Parcel tape covers any part of the building frame where glue might cause inadvertant attachment

Wetting out the garboard with unthickened epoxy

Making sure that what will be the underside of the frame gets a really good coat of epoxy over the limber holes

first garboard glued in position

both garboards glued in place – because this boat will be painted temporary screws are used to hold the planks in place while glue cures

Fairing the frames – needed for the planks to fit snugly, a number of different methods were used – here a power file makes short work of the task

Fairing the frames – needed for the planks to fit snugly, – here a shinto rasp takes a bit longer

Fairing the frames – needed for the planks to fit snugly, – and here coarse sandpaper wrapped round a batten takes even longer

Marking the bevel line on the garboard

marking the bevel line for the tuck on plank two at the stern.

scribing the bevel line on the garboard

the amount of bevel on plank two near the start of the tuck.

measuring the amount of bevel for the tuck on plank two

marking the amount of bevel on the tuck on plank 2

tuck bevel being cut on second plank, the only bevel cut on the bench

checking amount of bevel cut at tuck on stern end of plan 2

initial saw cuts to show limits of frame fairing

using a fairing batten to fair up the frames, bungy cord acting as third hand

second plank glued and clamped

marking off thwart positions on frames, much easier now than when the boat is assembled

thin polyethelene being fitted between frame and mould – we don’t want unplanned adhesion.

cleaning off epoxy squeeze out as we go along – surplus can be used further along when planks are being applied in sections to minimise waste

applying thickened epoxy to the faired stem

Underside view of third plank clamped in place – some supporting struts were needed to prevent droop between moulds

Third plank glued and clamped

Starting to make the gain in the plank end

A gain just about complete

partially beveled land across a scarf joint

clamping an insitu scarf joint in the planking

checking the bevel at the mould station

first stage of producing the rolling bevel along the lands

just the sheerstrake to go

alignment marks to make sure the plank goes where it should in the rush of glueing

Epoxy and microfiber mix – good stiff porridge is about the right consistency

low angle view of the subtle hull form

stems and keelson faired ready for outer stems and keel to be glued in place

thickened epoxy on the stem ready for the outer stem to be glued in place

gluing the outer stem in place

cutting the scarf for the keel joint

Cutting the surplus off the keel

Gluing the keel onto the hull – screwed from the inside with straps holding the ends down

Fairing the keel into the outer stems

Faired keel and outer stems ready for turnover

Turnover day – the completed hull is lifted off the moulds and turned ready for fit out

First good look at the inside

general view of the basic hull

  To reduce downloading pain where readers have slow connections the build story is continued here