sWEat
New member
Hi guys,
It was suggested that now that I've started actually building rather than talking about building, I should create a build thread. So here goes.
This is where I'll post stuff on my first ever boat, a Welsford navigator sloop. My goal is a reasonably fast cruiser that we can easily trailer to interesting spots, with enough room aboard for overnight trips.
First thing I did was make a model from the plans, to gain some familiarity with them and try out a centerboard mod that I'd like to do, based on http://lukefoster.com/dauntless/
The process I followed was straightforward - draw the bulkheads and spine using straight lines and arcs, then pull them to make 3d sheets, position each part in 3d where it will end up, and then draw arcs between the bulkheads where the stringers will go. Then I sectioned the arcs and made triangles to represent the planking. It's hard work with sketchup, as there is no spline tool and you can't pull a curved surface, but with patience and perseverence you can make a pretty decent model. Here's an early pic showing much of the hidden detail that allows me to model curves from straight lines:
And here's where the model is now:
The navigator has such pretty lines. This shows my proposed centerboard case mods, as well as a slimmed down rowing thwart and missing rear thwart. My plan is to open up the cockpit a little, create a more comfortable place to row from, and also give me somewhere to put a sleeping bag on the floor...
A cutaway shows some of the construction detail:
So yesterday I went and bought some ply, and ordered epoxy and filler. I took the ply home and went to work on the spine:
It's been a really long time since I've done woodwork. I'm loving it.
It was suggested that now that I've started actually building rather than talking about building, I should create a build thread. So here goes.
This is where I'll post stuff on my first ever boat, a Welsford navigator sloop. My goal is a reasonably fast cruiser that we can easily trailer to interesting spots, with enough room aboard for overnight trips.
First thing I did was make a model from the plans, to gain some familiarity with them and try out a centerboard mod that I'd like to do, based on http://lukefoster.com/dauntless/
The process I followed was straightforward - draw the bulkheads and spine using straight lines and arcs, then pull them to make 3d sheets, position each part in 3d where it will end up, and then draw arcs between the bulkheads where the stringers will go. Then I sectioned the arcs and made triangles to represent the planking. It's hard work with sketchup, as there is no spline tool and you can't pull a curved surface, but with patience and perseverence you can make a pretty decent model. Here's an early pic showing much of the hidden detail that allows me to model curves from straight lines:
And here's where the model is now:
The navigator has such pretty lines. This shows my proposed centerboard case mods, as well as a slimmed down rowing thwart and missing rear thwart. My plan is to open up the cockpit a little, create a more comfortable place to row from, and also give me somewhere to put a sleeping bag on the floor...
A cutaway shows some of the construction detail:
So yesterday I went and bought some ply, and ordered epoxy and filler. I took the ply home and went to work on the spine:
It's been a really long time since I've done woodwork. I'm loving it.
