Author: Bob Donaldson

Now that the topside planks are in place, I can begin working on the guards. The first step is to make a stand for the new table saw. I was able to reuse the base of the old saw. Next, I get to move outside because it was in the high 60’s today. I was… Continue reading Guards

Now that the Dynel is on the bottom planks and chine planks, I can get started adding the topside planks. First I need to estimate where the bevel should be for the topside plank. To do that I made a gauge to mark where the bevel line should be on the chine plank. Using this… Continue reading Topside Planks

3/5/21 – Last night I received my 4 yards of Dynel from Jamestown Distributors. It just took a few days for the reorder. The 4 yards cover the length completely with just a few inches of the chines exposed on the sides and that part will be beveled for the topside plank. I mixed up… Continue reading Dynel

3/2/21 – While waiting for the Dynel to be delivered, I decided to start work on the rudder and daggerboard. The first step is to draw the grid from the plans onto the rudder. Then draw in the extent of the taper. I then planed and sanded the rudder into a foil shape. Tomorrow I… Continue reading Rudder & Daggerboard

Disclaimer: This is not meant to be an instructional blog on how to build this boat. Off-Center Harbor’s videos will do that. This blog is simply meant to document my experience trying to build the boat without waiting for the videos. In case you didn’t notice, this is my first boat-building experience. I have made… Continue reading Daggerboard Slot

Test fitting the first bottom plank. 2/6/21 – Waiting for the next video from Offcenter Harbor. 2/9/21 – Decided to move ahead without waiting for the videos. A couple of other builders have moved on as well, so I will have some company. Starting on drilling the holes in the bottom planks today. 2/9/21 1:00… Continue reading Planking

The boat is made using what is called Plywood Lap-Strake construction. This means that the hull is made up of plywood panels that overlap each other. There are a total of 6 planks. Two bottom planks, two side planks, and 2 top planks. The planks need to be nearly 12 feet long, but the plywood… Continue reading Gluing up the planks

The keel is made from 2 pieces of 3/4″ Meranti plywood that are scarfed together to form a solid backbone for the boat. The keel is attached with Mahogany blocks to provide a solid structural connection between the keel and the bow and stern. These blocks are temporarily fit with screws only, but the keel… Continue reading Shaping the keel

The majority of the boat will be held together by a variety of West Marine Epoxy mixtures with fiberglass reinforcement, but metal fasteners will also be required to hold pieces in place until the epoxy is cured and also to provide additional structural support. The designer recommends Silicon Bronze Wood Screws as they will never… Continue reading Fastenings

While waiting on the epoxy to dry, I thought I would catalog the variety of sunrises we get here in God’s Country.

Everything that is not plywood has to be sourced locally and tropical hardwoods in the sizes needed are not easily found in local lumberyards. Fortunately, my son-in-law is a carpenter and knew of a specialty lumber yard only 1 hour away, Maryland Select Hardwoods. They stock a wide variety of exotic wood and were easy… Continue reading Sourcing the hardwood

The boat is built around a mold that is upside down. The mold is made from 1/2″ OSB and precision cut with a computer-controlled router. The hardback has to be completely level and square for each station to fit in the right slot. After the mold is built, the Bow and Transom are installed as… Continue reading Building the Mold

In October 2020 I ordered the plans for Oonagh from OffCenterHarbor.com. Oonagh is a 12′ x 5′ pram with a gaff rig. Hylan & Brown boatbuilders offer a kit with all the plywood parts pre-cut. Several structural parts need to be made from tropical hardwoods and I sourced some African Mahogany from Maryland-Select Hardwoods in… Continue reading Getting ready