Today was our first official day building the boat. I had rounded up most of the supplies: resin, hardner, rollers, brushes, tape, screws, gloves. Casey had built the table and got shop ready to go.
The first step was looking at the plans and going through the big wooden box and sorting out some of the piece. If would be nice if they were numbered. Using the plans we created our own number system on the plans and pieces. The following the manual we arranged the first group of puzzle joint boards, glued the joints and screwed them down to the table to cure. Casey was going to do the second set that afternoon and Monday we plan to fiberglass these sections.
Friday, January 21, 2011
My son and I left Seattle on Tuesday at 12:30, heading for Port Townsend to pick up our PT Skiff kit. We caught the 1:40 Edmonds to Kingston ferry with time to spare and arrived in PT at 3:00.
Russell was there at his shop waiting our arrival and had the boxes ready to go. He showed us what each box had in it, showed us the marks for cutting the fiberglass cloth, and about then Ashlyn arrived up with the plans; and the receipt.
Russell was kind enough to let me borrow his cradle. Being that it was 10 feet long, and the biggest item, it went in first, follow by the long wooden box, the two cardboard boxes, and finally the box of fiberglass and plans.
All loaded. We wrapped the cradle in a tarp as it stuck out the back about a foot.
We were back at the Kingston ferry terminal for the 5:40 ferry and unloaded the kit in Edmonds at Cassey’s shop. Today Casey prepared the work table, Friday we’re planning the first work day
Russell was there at his shop waiting our arrival and had the boxes ready to go. He showed us what each box had in it, showed us the marks for cutting the fiberglass cloth, and about then Ashlyn arrived up with the plans; and the receipt.
Russell was kind enough to let me borrow his cradle. Being that it was 10 feet long, and the biggest item, it went in first, follow by the long wooden box, the two cardboard boxes, and finally the box of fiberglass and plans.
All loaded. We wrapped the cradle in a tarp as it stuck out the back about a foot.
We were back at the Kingston ferry terminal for the 5:40 ferry and unloaded the kit in Edmonds at Cassey’s shop. Today Casey prepared the work table, Friday we’re planning the first work day
The PT Skiff wooden boat
Hello and welcome to my blog/journal about the building of my boat. I have decided to build a 18.5′ wooden boat, a skiff. It comes as a CNC cut marine grade plywood kit, put together using the stitch and glue method. While I have building and wood working experience I have never built, never dreamed of building a boat. I have found a local builder, Kea Kayaks, who has the space and will be building the boat with me; or more likely, I will be building with him.
So why a wooden boat and why a kit. I really had no plans to build a kit boat but from the moment I saw this boat in Northwest Yachting magazine article I knew this was the boat for me. First, it’s wood, the appeal of a wooden boat, compared to a aluminum or fiberglass boat, is striking. . Most of the fiberglass and aluminum boats I have found lacked soul. I just couldn’t get excited about them. Wooden boats are different, a well kept wooden boat has soul. As I searched for my perfect boat I quickly learned that I needed my boat to be more than simply a floating structure. Second, this boat seems to be very smartly designed. So many boats try to be too things at the same time. Boat designed, I feel, have become crazy added onto contraptions. While I first looked at boats up to 32 feet (the Grand Bands 32), this being my first boat, I decided I needed to start simple.
So why the PT Skiff? I won’t repeat what’s been written about this boat but basically I see, in the PT Skiff, a very versatile boat, that I have yet to find in a built boat. It’s a boat that I believe my family and I can enjoy boat camping in. Puget Sound, the San Juans, Desolation Sound, and beyond. It’s also light enough, only 550 pounds with a motor, that my aging 1987 Vanagon Syncro Camper can trailer.
This morning I spoke with Ashlyn at PTwatercraft about the pick up on Tuesday of my new kit. I will be going Tuesday afternoon, from Seattle, with my 9 year old son, to Port Townsend to pick up the 3 boxes
So why a wooden boat and why a kit. I really had no plans to build a kit boat but from the moment I saw this boat in Northwest Yachting magazine article I knew this was the boat for me. First, it’s wood, the appeal of a wooden boat, compared to a aluminum or fiberglass boat, is striking. . Most of the fiberglass and aluminum boats I have found lacked soul. I just couldn’t get excited about them. Wooden boats are different, a well kept wooden boat has soul. As I searched for my perfect boat I quickly learned that I needed my boat to be more than simply a floating structure. Second, this boat seems to be very smartly designed. So many boats try to be too things at the same time. Boat designed, I feel, have become crazy added onto contraptions. While I first looked at boats up to 32 feet (the Grand Bands 32), this being my first boat, I decided I needed to start simple.
So why the PT Skiff? I won’t repeat what’s been written about this boat but basically I see, in the PT Skiff, a very versatile boat, that I have yet to find in a built boat. It’s a boat that I believe my family and I can enjoy boat camping in. Puget Sound, the San Juans, Desolation Sound, and beyond. It’s also light enough, only 550 pounds with a motor, that my aging 1987 Vanagon Syncro Camper can trailer.
This morning I spoke with Ashlyn at PTwatercraft about the pick up on Tuesday of my new kit. I will be going Tuesday afternoon, from Seattle, with my 9 year old son, to Port Townsend to pick up the 3 boxes
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