albeit mine should have an asymmetric spinnaker in front.
Cutting out the plywood - 6mm okoume for planks…the rest varies from 4mm to 12mm.
note the puzzle joints. i am hoping the overlay of planks will be mitigate any risk of structural imperfections. plus i reinforced the most vulnerable joins with fiberglass.
I flow-coated (three layers of wet on wet epoxy) everything as much as i could before beginning the build. A lot easier to do this ahead of time flat and off the jig.
For this build I went with US Composites “Thin Epoxy” and their Aerosil-Cabosil and Fairing fillers. They are cheaper than West System without all the marketing. Their pump system is far superior. I will say West System is a mine of information on techniques and best procedures.
Bending the planks over the mdf jig. centerboard box already fitted into jig. it might have been easier had i not flow-coated the first two planks…anyway it got done with a lot of clamps and the occasional temp screw.
I’ve seen several competitive sailing dingy designs with that feature. My impression is that it cuts down drag (both wind and water), removes weight, and makes the whole boat “self bailing” if water does get in.
The boat is still stationary in my garage. So are the joints.
Purists seem to not like puzzle joints in the boat building community. Aesthetically I love the look of them. They are weird. I feel there are a lot experiments to be done fitting different style joints, woods and materials.
I did puzzle joints with some gnarly old growth pine on a bed headboard and Titebond II, the joints were very close but a little off - the little line of yellow really glue irritates me.
I would do it again with clear epoxy. The glue line would be invisible and it would be structurally more sound and forgiving of any errors.
For a sign where you probably want the wood unpainted I would recommend West System 207 (which doesn’t yellow), wet the joint first (with epoxy) then 5 - 10 mins later apply a mixture of epoxy and filler (wood or colodial) into joints and clamp. Really make sure the joint is clamped down flat across it’s whole width (harder than it sounds). Use packing tape to prevent epoxy sticking to anything.
While it is a pain in the ass to use – epoxy is a lot better in situations where there is a bit of wiggle. The ideal epoxy joint is held together more loosely than a wood joint. The joint cannot be starved of epoxy.
If this will be outside, put a UV topcoat on the epoxy. I like exterior OSMO and Epifanes spar varnish. They are pleasant to work with by comparison.
Perfect amount of info. Thanks. I’m planning on doing a sign that is much longer than my table, 3x+ish. Think doing it in several large pieces joining them. Love the boat.
