New Boat Build Project - (Totally Rebuilding An Older Boat)

[jamesmusslewhite]

If you use Google Maps then (9°55'35.2"N 125°39'36.9"E) will put you in the middle of my rice patties. :wave:

[Jake]

If you use Google Maps then (9°55'35.2"N 125°39'36.9"E) will put you in the middle of my rice patties. :wave:

Roger that Gunny!  Lat/Long coordinates you provided worked real well.  Thank you! 

[jamesmusslewhite]

There are a few features and detail we added to this boat that some may find interesting and may want to incorporate in their own boat designs. I mentioned eariler on the thread that I wanted storage compartments added to the aft and forward of the boat to store, life preservers, rope, fire extinguishers, first-aid kit, tools and spare parts, etc..The way I designed the boat I wanted a plywood top deck so it would help deflect water from being splashed into the boat during rough water or while turning the bow into waves. This top deck also makes it easier to embark and disembark from the boat but it also has a natural dead space under the deck top of the aft and forward which makes a great place to add the wanted storage compartments. These compartments will certainly help minimize the cluttering as well as keep items out of sight and can be designed to padlock enough to help keep honest people honest.

 

Aft storage area

 

Forward storage area

 

If one looks closely at the pained surface if the deck top you will see a rough speckle surface. This is because the surface if left painted smooth is extremely slippery and one can seriously injure themselves stepping on a wet glass like surface. What we did is quite simple, when we applied the second to last base color layer it was an extra thick application of paint. We then threw handfuls of washed course large-grained sand over the freshly pained layer. Once the epoxy enamel pain had properly set and dried we simply brushed away the excess sand which had not adhered to the painted surface, then applied a thin layer of the blue pigment epoxy enamel pain and later applied the clear epoxy top coat. This left the surface with a rough coarse surface that will not be slippery if one is wearing flip-flops are barefoot when wet. This was done to all top surfaces were one might be stepping during the normal usage of the boat.

 

Aft deck top surface

 

Forward deck top surface

   

 

Though a nice painted smooth surface looks appealing, the roughened surface will make the boat far safer. I will take safety over looks anytime, as I have seen some nasty spills over the years when people slip on a surface which is a slick as ice; and as my big fat butt will be getting both on and off the boat I certainly do not want to be injured or embarrasses just so my decks look all smooth and shiny. I will take ugly anytime over falling off my own boat, taking a header into the boat or being in one of those embarrassing YouTube videos.

[jamesmusslewhite]

Well yesterday was a nasty day as it rained all day but it was still dry enough under the tarps and the boat is now sitting up right where I could finally pain the name of the boat on both sides of the forward upper bow I when on the internet to fine a font I liked and then I hand drew the letters on some thick bond paper which I cutout to make my letter stencils. Then I simply held the paper stencils in place with one hand while I traced the edge of each letter with a blue 'Sharpy' marker. This was both quick and simple to do. Now all that needed to be done is paint within the lines and then paint the highlights around the edges of the letter to give a 3-D effect. The letters were painted in the same blue paint used throughout the boat and the highlights were painted white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy enough to read, and finally after all this time the 'Arthur 1' will be taken this Monday morning by carabao sleigh down to the river where the outriggeres will be finely lashed to the boat using #120 nylon and the buoyant wings lashed to the three outriggers. But first there are some things that must be done before Monaday.

[jamesmusslewhite]

So today we get propeller assembly epoxied into the keel/hull board and connect to the motor, and the motor bolted into place on the hull board. We also temporally but in the rudder assembly to measure where the hole will be boar into the piece of bamboo which is what the driver will use to manipulate the positioning of the rudder to steer the boat. Then we will remover the rudder assembly to be carried down to the water's edge where we will assemble the rudder assembly before setting the boat into the water. The the outriggers and buoyant wings will also be lashed together with #120 nylon once we get the boat pulled to the water's edge using a carabao and sleigh.

 

 

 

 

 

The propeller assembly is measured and epoxied in place and the shaft connected to the motor which has been bolted to the mounts.

Motor is mounted and bolted down and the propeller shaft has been pushed through the pipe. Earlier we placed the 3 wooden washers used in the pipe and epoxied them in place (one at each end and one in the middle) and the propeller shaft simply is slid into the pipe and bolted to the motor after the pipe has been epoxied to the keel/hull board. The three wooden washers serve as a bearing as well as a water seal.

 

 

The 8.5HP Briggs & Stratton gas motor will be used until I can upgrade it to a 20HP diesel engine sometime after the Spring and proper bearing will then be used. The propeller assembly will have to be replaced and a larger propeller and larger rudder added. We are also building the bamboo floorboards which will be added once we have the boat in the water. The floorboards will make the floor space wider and also keep feet and supplies up out of any water that could collect due to rains or sea spray, plus it will soften glare from the sunlight off the with interior surface of the boat. The bamboo floorboards will be made in a series of removable panels which can be quickly removed or replace in the boat depending on the need of the boat at the time.

 

The streamline of the bow should allow her to cut through the waves nicely, and the smooth epoxy finish should have little drag as she knifes her way through the water and waves. I am just curious of what her top speed will be once the 20HP diesel engine and a 3-bladed propeller is added?  

 

Well for better or worse with luck she will be in the water and running withing the next couple of days. I hope members have enjoyed the thread so far.

 

 

 

 

Later we will be adding a two-layered canopy to the boat. It will have one layer that will be made of nursery-grade shade cloth which is a porous weave that allows air to easily transfer through it which allows it to block 80% of the intense sunlight which remaining cool under the canopy. There will be a upper vinyl canopy which can be rolled down over the top of the shade cloth layer during rains and then can be quickly rolled back up after the rains have stopped. This will allow the boat to be used even under heavy rain conditions or in the heat of the day with comfort to the passengers on the boat.   

 

With luck we will be able to pull the boat over to the small river outlet tomorrow, weather permitting, The boat will be placed on a sleigh and pulled using a carabao, Should be something worthy of taking photos, as I have never seen a boat being pulled by carabao before, and I will add some photos of what is sure to be quite a spectacle.

Edited November 15, 2015 by jamesmusslewhite

[Kuya John]

James brilliant documented article, well done.

Did you by any chance video the build as well?

All the best for the sea trials....JB

[paulus]

WOW just WOW, James. A true work of art, and nautical engineering. Just curious, but did I miss the narrative on the anchor? Hereabouts the boat anchors are usually fashioned out of 1/4 inch rebar - grappling hook style. No beauty at all, but effective when beaching. Bow to the beach, stern secured with anchor seawards.

What about the paddle(s)? The natives here can fashion paddles out of one piece of board. A work of art. Paddles are good for pushing off, and for maneuvring at sea while fishing. And of course, useful at sea when the B&S gets into a tampo.

Best wishes for your trial run.

[jamesmusslewhite]

James brilliant documented article, well done.

Did you by any chance video the build as well?

All the best for the sea trials....JB

 

I wanted to but our Olympus waterproof video-camera decided to no longer be waterproof a few months back and was destroyed by sea water seeping into the camera, so we used my wife's phone to take most of these photos. She does have a video feature but the memory only allows short clips and the videos that were taken are almost always upside down which means they will have to be run through a software program to splice and invert pieces or whole parts of these videos. S so we opted to just abandon that thought process as just stick to taking photos, lots of photos. We have been posting all the photos taken on my Facebook account in an album file simply entitled 'Boat'. There are far more photos posted in that album than I posted here in this thread, and one can view through the album and see the boat being built and plenty of photos of the boat being taken from almost every angles and every stage of construction. I certainly have no problem if members want to download photos so they can enlarge these images to see all the finer details of interest up close. The Facebook album is public for all to see and share, simply click on one of the photo thumbnail images and the file will open showing the actual enlarged photo in a slideshow format, then simply click the left or right arrows beside each photo to advance or go backwards through the photo list. The photos can then be saved to your computer by simply right-clicking over the photo in the slideshow and using the 'Save As' feature. This will allow you to download the photo in actual size, if you try to save the images from the list of shown photos that appear when you first clicked the URL I provided then all the downloaded photos will be much smaller thumbnailed photos which will blown up will not give you the crisp details as those downloaded from the slideshow feature. https://www.facebook.com/james.musslewhite/media_set?set=a.10205644649935405.1073741844.1228755709&type=3

Edited November 16, 2015 by jamesmusslewhite

[Jake]

Hey Gunny,

 

You're right about your FaceBook.  Great project and thoroughly documented!  How's the seas look like for your first at sea trials?  But I guess you need to haul Arthur I with a carabao?  That final step to the ocean will be awesome.  I hope the carabao doesn't crap all over your new boat.....he, he.

 

Great topic James!

[jamesmusslewhite]

WOW just WOW, James. A true work of art, and nautical engineering. Just curious, but did I miss the narrative on the anchor? Hereabouts the boat anchors are usually fashioned out of 1/4 inch rebar - grappling hook style. No beauty at all, but effective when beaching. Bow to the beach, stern secured with anchor seawards.

What about the paddle(s)? The natives here can fashion paddles out of one piece of board. A work of art. Paddles are good for pushing off, and for maneuvring at sea while fishing. And of course, useful at sea when the B&S gets into a tampo.

Best wishes for your trial run.

I cannot take too much credit on the build of the boat. Yes I purchased and tore down the fist boat to the solid keel/hul board, and a drew out the shape and measurements I wanted as well as a small list of certain features I wanted in the boat design; but it was my brother-in-law that took all this information and quickly when about locating all the needed materials and used his expertise to make it all happen. I am lucky as he is an experienced boat builder who was taught by his father who was also an experienced boat builder. My contribution was merely more inspirational and financial. He is the real brains and expertise behind this boat project and any accolades are his and his alone. Me I am just the bank and the annoying Kano brother-in-law that is constantly asking him endless questions as he is trying to work on the boat…

 

 

As far as your question about the anchor, yes the anchor will be pretty much the same as you described. These types of anchors tend to be rather light weight, making them very easy for one person to throw-in or pull-out of the water, while still being dependable enough at sufficiently clinging to the ocean or river bottom. We have not made the anchor for this boat yet, and will be using an old smaller anchor until we get the new anchor fabricated and properly painted. When we do I will include some photos of that anchor on this thread.

 

Here I have a few photos of the temporary anchor.

 

 

 

Its Filipino jungle engineering at its finest but it will work until I get my new one fabricated.

Edited November 16, 2015 by jamesmusslewhite