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DuckSkiff

Duckskiff is a 14 foot skiff I designed for a buddy of mine named Tim that I work

with. Tim is an avid Duck hunter and wanted a fairly lightweight boat but in nice quiet

wood rather than noisy aluminum. He also wanted something a little boatier than a

Johnboat styled craft. What I came up with for him is a 14 ft long 5 ft wide at the shear

(45 inches wide at the bottom) kind of semi-dory hull. I did this to make it an easier anddryer proposition when pulling a large dog over the side and back into the boat. The

additional ultimate stability of the 23 flare to the sides allows a lot of weight to be right

at the sides of the boat while at the same time getting the shear lower to the water. He

wanted to be able to use his 7 hp motor to get around now with the probability of

upgrading to a higher hp later on. As the hull was originally derived from a rowing style

hull I was playing with a few months previously I tweaked both of them so that they were

brother and sister similar and decided to present them to you here. Enjoy

Specifications for motorized version:

LOA: 14 3

Beam: 5 2 (with trim)

Depth at midships: 18Draft at design weight of 860 lbs is 4.5

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Bottom Panel Half

Station X Y X2 Y2

1 0 0 0 22 8/162 61 3/16 0 61 3/16 22 8/16

3 76 8/16 0 76 8/16 22 4/16

4 91 13/16 0 91 13/16 21 1/16

5 107 2/16 0 107 2/16 18 8/16

6 122 7/16 0 122 7/16 14 5/16

7 137 14/16 0 137 14/16 8 4/16

8 145 9/16 0 145 9/16 4 6/16

9 153 5/16 0 153 5/16 0

Side Panel First Chine

Station X Y X2 Y2

1 5 4/16 0 0 19 7/16

2 12 14/16 3/16 12 8/16 19 11/16

3 28 3/16 8/16 27 12/16 20

4 43 8/16 13/16 43 1/16 20 6/16

5 58 12/16 1 2/16 58 6/16 20 11/16

6 66 7/16 1 4/16 66 20 13/16

7 74 1/16 1 7/16 73 11/16 21

8 89 6/16 1 10/16 89 21 3/16

9 104 13/16 1 11/16 104 6/16 21 4/16

10 120 8/16 1 9/16 120 1/16 21 2/16

11 136 11/16 1 2/16 136 4/16 20 11/16

12 153 11/16 7/16 153 4/16 20

13 162 9/16 0 176 14/16 18 12/16

Transom HalfStation X Y

1 0 22 8/16

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Bottom Panel Half

a on

1 0 0 0 152 7 4/16 0 7 4/16 16 10/16

3 23 1/16 0 23 1/16 19 3/16

4 38 6/16 0 38 6/16 21 1/16

5 53 12/16 0 53 12/16 22 2/16

6 69 0 69 22 8/16

7 70 15/16 0 70 15/16 22 8/16

8 84 5/16 0 84 5/16 22 4/16

9 99 10/16 0 99 10/16 20 14/16

10 114 15/16 0 114 15/16 17 13/16

11 130 4/16 0 130 4/16 12 9/16

12 145 11/16 0 145 11/16 4 14/16

13 153 6/16 0 153 6/16 0

Station X Y X2 Y2

1 4 4/16 0 0 14 4/16

2 12 2/16 3/16 11 9/16 15 9/16

3 27 11/16 8/16 27 2/16 17 2/16

4 43 3/16 11/16 42 8/16 18 9/16

5 58 8/16 9 6/16 57 13/16 19 13/16

6 73 13/16 1 6/16 73 2/16 20 14/16

Side Panel First Chine

7 75 12/16 1 7/16 75 21

8 89 2/16 1 14/16 88 6/16 21 12/16

9 104 8/16 2 3/16 103 12/16 22 6/16

10 120 2/16 2 2/16 119 6/16 22 10/16

11 136 5/16 1 10/16 135 9/16 22 7/1612 153 8/16 11/16 152 12/16 21 12/16

13 162 10/16 0 176 10/16 20 2/16

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DuckSkiff14 and DuckSkiff14RBuilding Instructions

(Note: Read the whole thing at least once all the way through prior to starting)

Introduction: Usingtheseinstructions,alongwiththeaccompanyingsketches,drawings,illustrations,photosandtables,youshouldbeabletobuildeitherversionofDuckSkiff14withrelativeease

overthecourseof2-6weekends.Theoriginalinstructionswerewrittenforjustthemotorized

versionbuthavebeenaddedto,amendedtoandrevisedintheappropriateareaswherethe

informationorbuildinginstructionsdifferfortherowingversion.PleasetakethetimetoreadALL

oftheinformationasbetterthan90%appliestobothformsoftheboatandinbothmethodsof

construction.Thephotosarenotofthisparticularboatbutareusedtoillustratewhatacertain

methodoroutcomeshouldlooklike.DonotbethrownoffbyaVeebottomoradifferently

shapedhullbutuseitasavisualizationofonepossiblewayofdoingsomething.ThePhotosare

alsonotallminebutarecourtesyofmymanyonlinefriendsinthevariousforumsandgroups

thatIinhabit

Bill of Materials and Construction SequenceBill of Materials:

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getawaywithshorterstuffifyoudontmindjoints.Alljointsshouldbeintheaftsectionsofthe

boat.Thebetterthequalityofthewoodtheeasiertofinishandthelongerlasting.

6:Stempiece:28longpieceof2x3or2x4firorhardwood

7:Abagof1004plasticwiretiesorarollofcopperwirefortheStitchandGlueversion

8:Epoxytheminimumamountofepoxyneededisabout1quart,fortaping,gluingandfillingon

aboatbuiltwithChineLogs.Stitchandgluewillrequireanotherquart,aswillglassingthe

bottom.Ifyouwishtototallysealtheboat(notabadideaatall)youwillprobablyneedallofthe

aboveandanadditionalquartsoabout1gallonofepoxy.Idontrecommendpolyesterresinas

itisnotusefulasaglue,isntreallywaterproofintheamountsyouwoulduseanddoesntstick

towoodnearlyaswellasepoxydoes.TosavesomeonepoxyyoucanuseagluelikePL

Premiumpolyurethanegluewhengluingpartstogether,butittendstofoamupsoitdoesnt

worksowellasasealer.

7:FillerfortheepoxyIlikewoodflourmixedwithCabosil(fumedsilicawearadustmask)2lbs

ofwoodflourandlbofCabosilwilldothetrickforStitchandGlue,halfthatforChineLog.

8:Fiberglass:Tape=10yardsforChineLog,25yardsforStitchandGlueCloth=50widthx5

yards4-6ozclothifyouplanonglassingitthebottom.

9:Mixers,mixingcontainers,tonguedepressorsorshapedapplicators(forfillets)latexorplastic

gloves,dustmasks,sandpaper,3/4"Stainlessscrews(ifleavingthemin)ordrywallscrews(if

removing)Clamps(cheapplasticonesarefine,orcutsome4-6schedule40PVCpipeinto1

slicesandsplitoneedgeforareallycheapclamp),primerandpaint.Deckandporchpaintor

anygoodexteriorheavydutypaintisfinealongwithagoodprimer,Paintersplasticorplastic

sheetforcoveringwindows(better).

10 T l Th b l i i I ld b i h i i l d

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Step One Laying out the panels:Option One: Stitch and Glue Construction for both versions:

Wellstartwiththebottompanel.Youwillneedonefullsheet(96)andonepiececuttoa

lengthof591/2ofyourchosenthicknessPly.

Buttthetwopiecesofplytogetherlengthwisewiththeshorterpieceonyourleftandthe

factoryedgestogether.Runalinedownthecenterofthepanelsforthefulllength.ThisistheCenterlineoftheboat.Measureout22oneithersideoftheCenterlineanddrawparallel

linesthesearetheoutsideedgesofthefinishedpanel.Theleftedgeoftheplywoodisthe

transomend.Marktheselinesontheothersideofthesheets.Measurealongthecenterlinea

distanceof613/16(71fortherowingversion)andmarkthispoint.Markpointsalongthe

outsideedgesatthesamedistanceandconnectthedotswithaline.ThisisyourMaxBeam

Station(orangehighlightintheoffsetstable).(Fortherowingversionskiptothenext

paragraph).FromthereforwardthesidescurveinandwillusetheX2andY2offsetstoplotthe

curvesofthebowonbothsidesofthecenterline.TheX2dimensionismeasuredfromtheleft

edgeoftheplywoodandtheY2dimensionwillbethedistancefromthecenterlinetotheupper

andlowerpoints.MeasurethedistanceX2alongthecenterlineandputthesquarethere.

MeasureupYandmarkapointatthecorrectdistancefromthecenterlineforthatcoordinate.

Dothesamethingontheothersideofthecenterline.Thelastpointatthebowshouldbeonthe

centerlineandalmosttotherightedgeoftheplywood.Hammerinnailsplacedoutsideeach

pointandoffsetbythethicknessofthebatten.Bendthebattenagainsttheinsideofthenails

andclamptoeachnail,thenrunapencillinethroughthepointsalongthebatten.Takeselectedmeasurementsbetweenthepointsoneachsideandadjustthelinessothattheyareequalall

the way to the bow Cut out the bottom panel and set it aside

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bothsides(Hint:drillaverysmallholejustoutsideeachofthetwopoints,thenconnectthe

holesontheotherside).Cuteachpairofpanelsatthesametime,makingexactmirroredcopies

foreachside.Asafinalitem.drawalinefromthebottomcornerofthetransomendatanangleof15fromthetransomedge(or90fromthewaterline)forwardanduptotheshear.Onthe

motorizedversionthiswillbeperpendiculartothebottomedgebutontherowingversionitwill

lookslightlycantedduetotheupwardandinwardcurvatureofthebottomonthefinishedhull.

Youwillusethislinelaterasastartingpointforsomemeasurements.

Using3/4"ply(3/8fortherowingversion),Layoutanddrawthetransomrememberingto

subtractthethicknessofthesidepanelfromeachsideedgeandthebottompanelfromthe

bottomedgeandcutitout.Whencuttingthebottomandtopedges,puta15bevelontheedges(seesketch).FortheMotorizedversionyouwillneedtoknowwhatsizedshaftyourmotor

has.Ifitisashortshaft(15)youwillneedtocutapieceoutofthetopofthetransomtogetitto

thecorrectheight.ForaLongshaftyouwillneedtoaddacenterbumpof31/4"toraiseitto

21.Fortherowingversionyoucanmakethetopofthetransomwithanicecurveabovethe

shearandyoudonthavetobevelit.Forthemotorversiononly:Cutoutasecondpiecethatis

thesameasthetopofthetransomdowntoabouthalfthedepthofthetransomthisisthe

doublerandyouwilltrimittofitlater.TheDoublershouldhavethesamebevelatthetopasthe

transom(seesketch).Whenlayingoutthetransomtheoffsetsareforhalfofthetransom(just

likethebottom)andthetransomlookslikeitissideways(seepicture).Forbothmakeamoldout

of1x4sandplywoodscrapsforthemaxbeamstation(seesketch).

Option Two: Chine Log Construction.

The only difference in the layout of the panels is in the bottom panel You must add an

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apaintertooryoucancutitdownandcoveritwiththebreasthooktohideit.Trimthebottom

endtothecorrectangleandthestempieceisdonefornow.

Step Three: Assembly:Joining the panels for either version or method of construction:

Tobeginassembly,youneedtofirstjointhepiecesofthepanelstogether.Thiscanbe

donewithButtblocksorwithfiberglassbutts(Ifyouwanttoscarfthepanelstogether,youwillhavetoscarfthembeforehandthenlayoutthepanelsandcut).Tomakeabuttblock,takea

pieceofplywoodofthesamethicknessand12timesaswideastheplywoodisthickandlong

enoughtoleavejustenoughroomforafilletandtape(about2)oneachsideofthebottomand

onthebottomedgeofthesidepanels(StitchandGlue).ForChineLogbuildingyoucangoto

within1/2"oftheedgeandbevelit.Onthetopofthesidepanels,leaveenoughroomforyour

insidewale.Toattachthebuttblockapplyepoxytotheedgegrainofthepanelpiecestobe

joineduntilitdoesntsoakinanymore,paintthesurfacestobematedwithepoxyandjointhe

panelpiecesinthecenterofthebuttblockandeitherclamporputinafewscrewstokeep

everythingtogetherwhiletheepoxycures.(youmayuseotherwaterproofgluessuchasPL

Premiumforthesealso)Dothisforeachofyourpanels.Putapieceofplasticdownunderthe

jointtokeepthingscleanandpreventgluingthepanelsdowntosomethingpermanently.You

mayusethepanelsasisuntilyoucometofinishtheoutside.Whenyouaretapingtheseamsor

chinelog,youshouldtapetheoutsideofthejoint.Thisisntstrictlynecessary,butitdoes

preventanypossiblecrackingatthesejointsandisonlyatinybitofextraworkandmaterials.

Wh i fib l b tt th t th ti l th f th j i t Y ill d

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Assembling the hull (both versions) Stitch and glue method:

Tobegintheassemblyofthehull,wefirstneedtodrilltheholesforthestitches.Asthis

hulldoesnthaveanydrasticcurvaturewecanspacethestitchesout.Ontherunaftofthemax

beamstationthestitchescanbe12apart.Inthefrontsection8-10incheswouldbegood.Start

withthesidepanelsbyfacingthemtogetherandliningupalltheedges.Clampthemtogetherso

theydontwanderandthenstartmarkingforyourholes.Leavea3spacefromthetransom

edgebeforeyour1stafthole,andalsoa3spaceatthestemarea.Markyourholesabout

5/16infromtheedge.Drilltheholesusinga1/83/16bit(Hint:useabackingplatetoprevent

splittingandraggedholesasthebitcomesout).

Nextweglueandscrewthestemtothesidepieces.Hereyouneedtopreplanabityou

willneedtodecideifyouwanttohavethestemprotrudeorifyouwantthebreasthooktocover

it.Ifyouwantitcovered,youwillneedtotrimitdowntobelowtheleveloftheshear.Supposing

yourBreasthookthicknessisyouwillneedtocutthestemsothatitis9/16belowthetop

edgeofthesides.ThiswilltakecareofthethicknessoftheBreasthookplus1/16fittingroom

MINUSthe1/4"fortheouterrailcapovertheplywoodedge(explainedlater).Cutthestemso

thatitisparalleltotheshearsothebreasthookwillsitflushandevenwiththeshear.When

mountingthestembesuretodrilltheholesforthescrewstopreventsplittingthestem.Space

yourscrewsevery2orso.Nowitistimetogo3D.Therearetwowaystodothisstartingfrom

thefrontorfromtheback.Thetraditionalmethodstartsatthetransomworkingforwardaround

themoldthenpullingthesidestogethertoattachthestem.Mypreferredmethodstartswithputtingthefronttogetherthenusingthelengthofthepanelasleveragetobendtheply.(italso

allows you to have the stem glue fully cured and strong when you bend) You will need quite a bit

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Whenyougetbacktotheboat,takeagoodlookatitadmireitpatyourselfontheback

thengetbacktowork.Nextissquaringuptheboat,beginningwithlevelingthebottom.After

thatyouneedtoshapethebowareaattheshearasitisprobablynarrowerupfrontthanthedesigncallsforandthebottomismissingsomerocker.Howyouwillfixthisistoputinacouple

ofspreadersmadefrom1x2stripstopushthesidesouttotheshapewewant.Thespreaders

shouldbenailedinwithasmallfinishingnailthroughthehulljusttokeeptheminplaceand

shouldbebelowtheleveloftheinsidewalesothattheycanbeinstalledwiththespreadersstill

inplace.Tapertheendsallthewayaroundsoitfitswellagainsttheinsidecurveoftheside(see

sketch).Youwillremovetheseoncetheinsidewaleison.Thedistancesforwardofthetransom

bottom(thatlineyoudrewatthetransomendofthesidepanelsearlier)andhowwidethe

outsideedgeoftheplyshouldbeatthesepointsareintheoffsettables.Thebestwaytoget

thesepointsmarkedistomeasurethelengthfromthebottom/transomjointandsubtract11/4"

forthemotorizedversionor5/8"fortherowingversion(StitchandGlue)orthethicknessofyour

cleatplusthethicknessofthetransom(ChineLog).Plantthecornerofyoursquareatthe

correctlengthandrightinthecornerofthesideandbottom.Putalevelagainsttheupwardarm

ofthesquare.Pleasedontgettoohunguponthelengthwiselocationofthesepointsasitis

notverycriticalsoavarianceof1/2"fromthetablevalueswontmakemuchofadifferenceso

longasbothsidesareequalinthatvariance.Thewidthcanalsovaryby1/4orso.

Onbothversionsyouwillwanttochecktheheightsofthebottomatthebowand

transombothendsshouldbeabout41/2"(Rowingversion)withthecenterrestingonthefloor

orworksurface.Onthemotorizedversionyoushouldhave6atthebowandthetransomend

shouldbeflatonthefloorandthereshouldbenohumpsorbumpsintheflatrunfromthemold

aft.BlocktheRowboatatthisheightsoitwontrockonyou(themotorversionshouldstayput

butyoucanblockitifyouwant).Whatyouwanttodonextismeasurefromtheverytipofthe

bowalongeachsidetoapointthatis3or4feet along the curve.Markthispointandthenmeasurefromatopcornerofthetransomtothemarkonthe oppositesidepanelandwriteitdown Do the same on the other side and bang bump and twist the hull until the measurements

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3/8depthatthecenter.Rundownonewholeside,thenmixupasmallbatchofregular

epoxyandtakeadisposablebrushandwetthesurfaceofthefillet,smoothingitasyougo.

Dontpushtoohardasyoudontwanttodeformthefillet.Wetthesideandbottomasyousmooththefillettoawidthslightlymorethanyourfiberglasstape.Takealengthoftapeandlay

itintothefilletbeingcarefultokeepitrelativelycentered.Carefullysmoothitintothefilletand

ontothepanels.Theglasswillsoakupsomeoftheepoxysoallyouwillhavetodoiswetout

thewhitespotsifany.Dotheothersidejoint.AtthetransomandStemendsoverlapthetapein

thecorners,makingsuretofilletuphighenoughonthetransomendsothereisfilletunderthe

tapeoverlaparea.Justalittlebitisneededatthestem,justenoughsotherearenoairpockets

underthetape.YoudonothavetotapetheStemallthewayup,butyoucanifyouwanttoits

uptoyou.Youshouldsealthejointsbetweenthestemandtheplywoodwithalittleputty

though.Youwillwanttofilletandtapethetransomtosideandtransomtobottomjointssodo

thesenextwhilethingsarestillsticky.Nowyoucanletthewholethingcureovernight(follow

thedirectionsofyourepoxyastothetemperatureneededtocure).Ifyouarearealsticklerfor

perfectjointsyoucanfilletthejointsthensandthemtoyoursatisfaction,glassthensandto

yoursatisfactionyougetthepicture.Afterthejointshavecuredovernightitistimetosand

them,featheringtheedgesofthetapeintothewood.Ifyouhaveweaveshowing,youcan

carefullywashofftheblush(waxycoating)oftheepoxywithwaterandagreenplasticscrubbypad,dryitoffthenfilltheweave.Youcanuseplainepoxyinnumerouslightcoatsre-applying

whilethesurfaceisstilltackytoavoidhavingtocleanofftheblusheachtime.Youcanalsouse

epoxyfilledslightlywithCabosilorMicroballoonstofilltheweaveinoneshot.Onceyouhave

theweaveoftheclothfilledandcured,sandabittosmooth.Whenyoupullthemold,sandthe

epoxy/glassendstogiveitabitoftoothandfillandtapethegapusingthesamemethodas

above.Glueandclamporscrewthetransomdoubleron,makingsuretocoatalltheedgeswith

epoxy,lettingitsoakin.

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startputtingtheboattogether.Hereyouneedtopreplanabit(SeeStitchandgluemethodfor

detailsonthestem)Startatthefront(bow)andglueandscrewthesidepanelstotheStem

pieceagain,drillingfirst.Lineupthepanelssotheyextendjustatadpasttheforwardedgeofthestemandmatetogethernicelyalongtheiredges.Youwillneedsufficientspacefortheside

panelstoVeeoutwardswhileyoudothis.OncethesidepanelsareattachedtotheStemyou

canattachthetransomtoonesideofthepanelandbendtheothersidetomeetit.Youmay

needsomeoneelsetohelpyouoryoucanslingaropearoundtheothersidepanelandkindof

walktowarditandreelitinatthesametime.Thelengthofthepanelswillgiveyoulotsof

leverage.Whenyougetthemtogether,tieaquickknottokeepthingsalmosttogether,thenglue

andscrewthissidetothetransom.Whengluing,makesureyougetsqueezeoutalltheway

around,thisensuresagoodsealagainstwater.Oncethegluehascuredyouwillsandorcutoff

theexcessoffanyways.Takeyourmoldandnailitinwithafewfinishingnailsatthecorrect

spot.Flipthehullover,supportitoffthefloorabitandlaythebottompanelontothechinelogs,

liningupthetransomcornerswiththebottomedgeoftheplywood.Ifthesideandbottomedges

dontmatchasyougoforward,musclethesidepanelsabittofit.Thereshouldbeabitof

excessatthebowthatwillneedtobetrimmedofflater.Glueandscrewthebottomtothechine

logagainpre-drillingtheholes.Ifyouleftthescrewsinthelogearlier,trytohitinthemiddle

betweenthemwiththebottomscrews.Oncethisiscompleted,youcanflipthehulloverandsquareitupusingthesamemethodasdescribedaboveintheStitchandGluesection.Ifyou

gotyourcutsaccurateandeverythinglineduprightitshouldbeprettydarnsquarefromthe

gitgo.

Bracing pieces:

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(preferred)orcleatedin.Youmustmakesurethatyousealalledgesandthatallthejointsare

waterproofedifusingplywoodfortheknees.Youdontwantwatergettingintotheinnerplys.

Theopenspacesattheendsofthestringersleaveroomforwatertoruntothedrainhole.Ifyouplantoboxintheareabehindtheseatyoudonotneedthekneesastheboxsectionsprovide

plentyofsupport(Motorversiononly).

TheBreasthook:Asstatedbefore,thisisatriangularpiecethatfillsinthebowareaand

providesstrength,supportandvisuallyandphysicallytiesthetwosidesoftheboattogetherat

thebow.Itisusuallysomewhatarrowshaped,withadecorativecurvecutintotheopenedge.Thewaytomakethisistotakeyourchosenstock(solidwoodorplywood,thickormore)and

layitonthetopofthehullinthebow,buttedrightupagainstthestemifitsticksup.Tracethe

outlineoftheopeningonthebottombyfollowingthehullpanels.Cutoutthepanelthencarefully

bevelituntilitfitsinsnugly.BeforeinstallingtheBreasthookcaulkthejointsbetweentheStem

andtheplywoodpanelsifyouhaventalreadyfilletedthem.ToinstalltheBreasthookgluea

coupleofcleatsonthehullforittositonorthenglueittothehullandcleats.Makethecleats

shortsoyoucanrunthewaleupunderthebreasthookforamoreprofessionallook.Ifyoustill

havetheexcessstemstickinguphere,youcancarveituporshapeitanywayyouwant.Drilla

1/2holethroughittotiearopetoandawayyougo.IfyouputtheBreasthookontopofthe

stem,andthereisabitofagapbetweenthestemandthebreasthook,goaheadandglueupa

thinwedgeandtapitintothegaptojointhetopofthestemandthebottomofthebreasthook.

Walesorgunnelsorrubstripsorwhateveryouwishtocallthemserveanumberof

purposes.Theystrengthenandstiffentheshearoftheboat,actasspacerstohelpkeepthehullpanelsfromcontactingthings,theyarestrongpointstoattachcleatstoortoboltotherthings.

Wales s all consist of an inner and o ter strip or a g nnel (G n Wale or G n Rail) (inner) and

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thetoptocovertheedgegrainoftheplywood.Theinsiderailshouldberaisedtomatchthe

outsiderail(Seedetailsketches).Theinsiderailshouldbeinstalledafterthebreasthookand

kneesareinplacesothatyoucanblendthingstogethernicely.Youcanbutttheinsidewaleagainstthebreasthookornotchittorununderthewaleforabit.Youalreadydecidedearlier

whethertobutttotheaftkneesorgooverthem.Theoutsidewalecanbeinstallednoworafter

finishingtheoutsideoftheboatandjustpriortopaintingtheexterior.

Seating:

Seatingforeithermethodofbuildingcanbedoneinacoupleofways.Thesimplest

methodistoglueandscreworboltcleatstothesidesofthehullandattachplanktypeseattops

tothesecleats.Thehardermethodistocreateseatboxesthataresealedchambers.Thisis

thepreferredmethodalthoughitinvolvesquiteabitmorework.Tobuildtheboxseatsthe

easiestwayistobuildthemoutsideofthehullandsimplyinstallthemwhereyouwant,screwing

themtothebottomstringersandthroughthesides.Filltheseatswithempty2literbottles

securedwithcannedexpandingfoamorcutsheetsofPinkinsulatingfoamforunbeatablycheap

flotation.Toensurethebottlesdontcollapsewhenchilled,sticktheminthefreezerwiththe

capsoffforafewminutesthencapthemtight.Thebottleswillnotcollapseunlesstheyget

colderthantheairinyourfreezer.Youmayonlywishtobuildoneboxseatandleavetherestas

plankseatsuptoyou.(Motorversiononly)Tobuildtheseats,usethesamemeasurementsas

youwouldforthetransomatleastfortheseatsthatwillfitinthestraightaftsection.Whenyou

havethetransomshapedrawn,subtractanamountequaltothedepthofthebottomstringersfromthebottomedgeandtheamountyouwanttheseattoptobebelowthesidesoftheboat

from the top edge taking into account the thickness of the seat top too This will give you a

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plywoodgussetswouldbefine.Thisframeshouldbeattachedtothefloorstringerslikethe

seat(s)andbegluedandscrewedtothesides.Thefrontseatcanbeaplankseat(easiertofitto

thecurvesofthesides),withsome2foamgluedtothebottomsideforflotation.Puttrimpiecesextendingdownwardsfromthebottomoftheseattohideandprotectthefoam,andpaintthe

bottomofthefoam.Thetrimpiecesshouldbesetbackfromtheedgeoftheseatbyabit.For

seattops,youwantthemabout12-15fronttobackwidth,soyouwillprobablyhavetouse

eitherplyorsomeniceedgegluedshelvingpieces.Youwillwanttohaveabout36fromthe

frontofthefrontseattothestemforlegroomandstorageofanchor,ropeandstuff.

Anotheroptionistohaveremotesteering.Theboatisplentywideenoughtohaveeither

acentersteeringconsoleorasteeringconsoletoeitherside.Thissystemmovesalotofweightforwardandbetterbalancestheboatforeandaft,thoughasideconsolwillcausetheboattolist

alittletothatsidewhenyousittherejustlikeanyothersmallboatsetupthisway.Yourremote

controlswilldeterminehowthisneedstobesetup.Aconsoleiseasytomake,justlookaround

forideasonhowyouwanttoshapeit.

Oncethefrontandrearseatsareinplaceyoucanpullthemold,filletandtapethegap

(StitchandGlue)andinstallthecenterseatorframeandcenterconsoleorsideconsole

(RowingVersiononly)Youwillhavetohaveacenterseatforyourrowingpositionand

youcanhaveyouraftseatfurtherbackasyoudonotneedroomtosteeramotor.Boxseatswill

bemoredifficulttomakeasyouwillhavetomeasureeachseparateboxwallandcustomfitthe

topsduetotheconstantcurveofthesidesonthisversion.Asyouarenotsupportingtheweight

ofamotororfuel,youmightchoosetohaveonlythecenterrowingseatasaboxwithflotation

asitiseasiertofitandtheseatsateitherendasplankseatswithfoamunderneath.Youcan

alsohavetheaftseatattachedtothetransom.Inthiscasetheseatshouldbeatleast18deep

fromtransomtoforwardedgeforcomfort.PositiontheRowingseatcenteredontheMaximum

beamstationandyouroarlocksapproximatelythelengthofyourforearmfromelbowtotipof

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SealingJoints:Allcorners,jointsandedgesshouldbesealedpreferablywithepoxyalthough

someconstructionadhesivesdoafairjob.Siliconecaulkwontdothejobnorwilllatexunless

youpaintthecorners/jointsfirstverywell,letitcurethensandtoroughenandcalkpressingthebeadintothejointverywell.Anypealingatallrequiresanimmediatere-caulkbettertobesure

anduseepoxypriortopainting.Infactcoatingtheentireinteriorwithepoxyisanexcellentidea

tohelpyourboatlastalotlongerbutitisntnecessary.

SmoothingandSanding:Besuretoroundovertheseatedgesverywell,androundanysharp

cornerstooorsureassinyouwillfindthemthehardwaywithsensitivepartsofyouranatomy.

Finishing the outside-Stitch and Glue method:

Tofinishthehull,flipitoverandsandtoroundoveralltheseams.Ifthereareanyholesorgaps,useepoxyputtytofillthemthensandsmooth.Usingtapeorstripsofcloth,tapeallthe

seamsmakingsuretooverlapatthecorners.Letthiscure,fillanyshowingweaveandaftercuringsandsmoothandfeathertheedges.WhenusingA/CExteriororFirmarineplywood,be

carefulaboutsandingthefacesofthewood.Therearelayersofharderandsofterwoodinthe

grainandwhensandingyouwillremovemoreofthesoftthanthehard,makingthesurface

moreuneven.ThisdoesntapplytomostoftheimportedmarineplywoodlikeLuan,Gaboon,

Meranti,Sapeleetc.Youcannowaddalayerofclothontothebottomforabrasionresistanceif

youwish.Iwouldrecommenditifyouplanonusingitinanareawithsharprocksorlotsof

floatingdebris.Thefinalinstallationshouldbebottomrubstripsthataregluedandscrewedthroughthehullintothestringersontheinsideoftheboat(Pre-drillingofcourse).

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seamsandaddalayeroftapeasabove.Roundoverthebottompanel/chinelogseamandI

recommendyoutapethisjointtoo.Thisisnotforstrengthbuttoprotecttheendgrainofthe

plywoodfromgettinganywaterinit.ThejointwheretheChinelogandsidepanelmeetisaverybadareaforrotsoyoumustbesuretosealthisareaverywellwhenpainting.Youcanalso

caulkitorevenbetterputasmallfilletofepoxyinthereensuringitiswellprotected.Youcan

glassthebottomasaboveifyouwish.Installrubstripsasabove.

Painting:

Dependingonhowprettyyouwantyourfinishtobewilldeterminehowmuchworkyou

wanttoputintofinish.Foraworkboatfinishalightsandingtogivetooth,acoupleofcoatsof

primerand2-3coatsofpaintwillsuffice.Foragoldplateryouwillwantseveralbuildcoatsof

primer,sandingbetweeneachcoat,andmanythincoatsofpaintalsosandingbetweencoats.

Colorofcourseisuptoyoubutsomethingstonotedarkpaintinhotsundoesntdoyouor

epoxyanygood.Brightwhitepaintinsidewillglareatyou.Glosspaintshowsthemostflawsflatpainttheleastbutcleanstheworst.Semiglossandsatinarethebestbalanceforhidingand

cleaning.FirplywoodWILLcheck(showcracksinthegrainandpossiblypaint)inthesununless

glassed,regardlessoftheamountofepoxyorpaintonit.YouMUSTputsomethingonthewood

tosealitfromthewater.

Powering:

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NOTE:Theauthorofthisworktakesnoresponsibilityfortheconstructionoforuseofeitherof

theboatspresentedhereashehasnocontroloversaidconstructionoruse.

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List of Pictures and Illustrations:

Duckskiff (motorized version) Linesplan Duckskiff (Rowing version) Linesplan Panel shapes (Motor) Panel shapes (row) Frame Detail Plank Seat Detail Boxed in motor area Stitch, Fillet and Tape detail Non-spaced gunnel detail Spaced gunnel detail Center mold Chine log detail Knee detail Spreader measurement and marking detail Breasthook example

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Fiberglass butt picture two Fillet on inside Smoothed fillet Tape on inside Stitching one Stitching two Knee, Butt block and box seat picture Another knee picture Boxed in Motor area Non spaced gunnel Spaced gunnel (plywood plank edge covered) Spaced gunnel (solid planking edge left exposed) Outside seams dry taped and stapled into place Outside hull with fiberglass Skeg picture

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