Welcome to my Builders Blog – a step-by-step diary of my attempt to build a small wooden boat from scratch. I have no prior boat-building experience and yet, once it is complete, I will put it to the ultimate sailing test – a voyage around the globe.
Stage 1: Making Frames
It’s February 2022 and the build has begun. I admit, it was a little concerning that I am to try to make a boat that is to take me around the world out of the wood in my trailer – it looks very small!
Stage 2: Stringers & Jig
Now it’s starting to take shape, it’s time for the stringers and jig stage.
Stage 3: Hull Boarding
After further tweaks and dry fits I screwed and glued the strings in place. I gave all the hull boards a coat of epoxy on their inner side before I started and all the stringers the same. I started with the topsides, then the hull bottom and finally filled in the middle section. I decided to use slightly thickened epoxy to bond the bottom hull boards together. The middle chines are a not easy!
Stage 5: Rolling the Hull
The next stage was to turn the boat over so I could start fitting out the inside. The total weight of the hull at this stage of the build was about half a tonne. I had a few concerns about the process…
Stage 7: The Rudder
The rudder started as three pieces of marine ply laminated together to make a single 40mm piece.
Stage 4: Glassing & Fairing
Once I’d finished the boarding I thought the process of putting on fibreglass would be a quick job. It wasn’t! In all honesty I found this phase quite difficult and couldn’t wait for it to be over.
Stage 6: Internal fit-out and crash box
This stage involved a few different steps: the cockpit, the forepeak and crash box, the main cabin, and the skeg.
Coming Soon
The next stage of my journey is Stage 6 – Internal Fitout and Crash Box. Follow along for the latest updates on the build.
Adam Waugh
Morpeth, Northumberland UK
ClearBlueSea 