Building Ross Lillistone's Flint

[Lon nan Gruagach]

After many months contemplating free plans for a dinghy I saw a thread here asking if anyone had built Flint by Ross Lillistone.
Link:

Well. I was hooked and duly forked out for the plans. Next spend was for the glass tape and mat and epoxy for stitch and glue plus optional extra all over glass skin for "abrasion resistance". Next will be for the ply. meanwhile, since there are trees to be had here and a bloke with a Wood Mizer to plank them, I set to getting the timber for a multitude of fiddly bits and oars and mast and spars.

Dont hold your breath, this will take some time.....

 

[DownWest]

Quite a lot of chat on this over on the WBF

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Eek! has it really been over a year and a half since I started this....

Well, here we go.
So, some pics and tales and a story of the last year and a bit.

Why the wait, I hear you ask. Well, apart from someone deciding that I wanted to buy a boat instead of building one, doing the deal then telling me about it. A boat that kept me busy and skint....

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

The idea was for a fair weather fun nip about fishing boat, so the Hurley 20 that I bought wasnt quite suitable but they it was an experience for sure.

 

[DownWest]

How did the hot water clamp for the scarf joints go? Or did you wait for warmer weather?
DW

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

How did the hot water clamp for the scarf joints go? Or did you wait for warmer weather?
DW

Warmer weather and a rather large log for clamping.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Top tip: start with the little bits. I dint and it felt like hitting a brick wall when I got to all the braces, reinforcers and brackets.

After a year or so of sailing and fishing round Eigg, along came Barbara and Conor. The 2 storms double teamed me, broke the mooring and bounced my boat off some rocks. Nice way to spend Christmas day, waist deep in lovely warm (not) sea water.

 

[davidej]

I remember scarfing ply like that when I built my A-Class catamaran. I had to make 18ft long sheets.

Much easier than I was expecting and turned out very well for an amateur.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Sewing time:

Note to self... use cable ties next time, wire is difficult to pull in.

Disaster!

This design has one heck of a twist at the bow. Although I trust the plywood, it was still too much for it
If I am lucky there will be a scrap big enough to joint in here, otherwise its back to the bank for another sheet. Next attempt, I plan to pull it in slowly over a few weeks in the hope that the wood will accept the shape.

Buying plywood.
There are no cheap options. I thought I had found one and duly placed an order. What turned up was almost certainly not marine ply even though it has a 1088 stamp on it. Due to the cost and agro of returning stuff from here I had a rethink and decided that I would only need a few sheets of the good stuff for the hull panels and the not so good will do for the thwarts. No prizes for guessing where I got the good stuff from.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Lets try that one again..

Scarfed in a new bit from offcuts, hopefully the join will be far enough away from the high stress bit.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Starting with the transom and working forwards over a few days or so, hopefully giving the bow time to get used to the bend.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Then another disaster.. flat camera battery and I cant find the charger... so theres a bit missing...

Missing bit:
The side walls should be fitted from the front as they will pull the bow up. The designer suggests employ a friend to raise the stern of the walls while tying in at the front. Being a bit impatient and rounding up friends is a bit like herding cats I made it myyy wayyyy. (Sorry Frank). To raise the stern of the side walls, I tied the bottom corner to the top of the transom (neat huh?)

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Been a while,not been idle though just that the loop of host image soemwhere, copy URl, insert image here is a bit long winded at times..
But enough of that, more pics...

Even that many ties struggled to close the gap (didnt quite make it either so theres a 1/4" gap.... make with the thickened epoxy later I guess.

More stitch and gluery.

And some glass taping.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Inside is poxy coated and the tanks given a lick of paint.

Tank tops in place. An option for a single seat rowing boat with balanced gaff (or junk) rig with, I think, my own slight deviation for the front deck. Bent to shape with time, force and a good dose of hot wet towels.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Glassing the bottom :-

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Fitting a gunwale...
Plans show a solid timber one, but I didnt have that so laminated some in place from 6mm 3ply (bleagh). But then gunwales are consumables with my kind of sailing *WEG*

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Looks like another image hosting casualty. I'll try to replace the missing pics.

So, without a load of "Ohh look, another coat of paint" images, let's cut to the chase.

 

[DownWest]

Nice & good effort.
DW

 

[Nomadman]

Are you still enjoying Flint ? I would be very interested to hear about her seaworthiness in chop and swell. I'm thinking about either Flint or Fleet for trips in the Western Isles. Thanks.