Model Yachts by the Fleet by Ted Houk – 1951

loge! vachts by We Second Edition, Revised 1981 By Ted Hovk MODEL YACHTS BY THE FLEET CONTENTS PART I ‘ ; CONSTRUCTION OF THE KOS PAGE Oxganization of the Assembly line 26 | istrivution of the Specielized Tasks Boxes for the Kits, Bullding Boards Frames, Transoms, Covering Boards Keels and Stems’ Chines, Inwales, Deck Stringers and Center Planks ” a Se — . The Fins and Sie s,; Rujders, Booms & Fairing Battens Mast Steps, Placks, The Vane Feathers, The Masts Turnbuckles; Rigging, including Stays, Lines, Kick Straps, Serew Eyés, Goose Necks Rudier Post, Shaft & Taller, pepenes Drills, Skeg Shoe Vene Gear Fittings : The Sallis The Iead Keels ‘ ! Deck Pings, Deck Templutes, The Stand _ Burrpers COS? REDISTRIBUTION PART IT 5. ” 6. ar 8. 9, 10. 12. 13, ” ASSEMBLY OF THE YACHTS : Lining up the Frames, Mounting Chines and Inwales Gluing vp Chinos, Invwales, Keels; Fairing un the Frames Shaping the Kottom Planks; Placing the Center Planks Fitting the Bottom Planks; Gluing the Bottom Planks Fitting the Side Planks; Fitting the Covering Boards » Fitting the Fin and Skeg Shaping the Deck Beams; Drilling for Rudder Shaft Fastening the Deck; Placing the Deck Plug Mounting the Pudder Tube Varnishing the Inside of the Yacht Fitting Lead Keel & Shaping the Fin, Skeg & Rudder Varnishing the Outside of the Yacht Vane Spincle: Lintng up the Tiller Assembly of the Vane Gear, The Running Rigging The Nameplate; Masts and Spars The Standing Rigging Bendirg the Sails; 4, ” Rigging the Kick Strap Adjusting the Shects 14, ” 15. 16. ” 1?, n 18, ” ” 19, ” ” 20, 21. ” . eo. 25, 24, PART III SAILING Launching Ceremony 25. : Setting for a Reach; A Beat; A Run Racing Registration * * *K *K ” ” 26. 27, * Additional Copies of this booklet obtainable at $1.00 each, Rates on faHtyo Order from or more copies. Complete set of blueprints $1.50 each’set. Ted Houk, 6019 Slst Ave., N, E,, Seattle 5, Washington, U. &S. A, UMODEL YACHTS BY THE FLZET” BY Ted Houk Itts a lot of fun to build a fleet of 36″ Sharpie Class Model racing yachts in your Y.M.C.A,. Hobby School or Boys! Club, It is even more fun to race them together on your nearby model yacht basin, ‘Tt is mich easier to build model yachts by the dozen, It is fun to organize an assembly line and see how fast you can turn out these beautiful craft, .- The Model yacht Racing Association of America One-Design 36″ Sharpie Class was the result of a designing contest held several years ago by the Association, The’ winner of the designing contest was Walter Many, an-outstanding Naval Architect and Model Yachtsman of many years experience, These little yachts have proven to be very ast and will sail not only across the wind, but to windweru and dead before the wind. They: have been seen to get up and piri, net only before the wind, but to windward too, Racing in tre 35″ class is limited to young people 20 years of age and under, year yachts may be registered in the ]iodel Yacht Racing Association of America, and you can organize official regattas using M,Y.R.A,A, Sailing Rules, In the organization of a class, it is well to get the backing of a Y.N.C.A., Service Club, or Boys! Club. If you wish to engage the services of an expert teacher for your group, write to Ted Houk, 6019 5ist Avenue NeF., Seattle 5, Washington, and you will be sent the name of the Secretary of the nearest model yacht club, who will probably be able to find a teacher for you. Another good source of teachers if the Adult Education Division of your local school system, Members of the class should be chosen on the basis of previous experience in building smaller boats or should register as a father and son team, The accompanying dodger, which was sent out to the boys of the Seattle Central Y¥.M.C.A, brought together a class that built 10 of these Sharpies, It is considered best to start the class jn -the Fall, preferably around October, and to.carry it on for 1) to 16 weeks, with a short vacation at Christmas time, Most of the build- ing will have to be done at home in order to complete the yachts on time. rom 100 to 200 hours of home recreation time will be happily spei.t on each yacht. The class can meet once a week ina workshop, but hacking this, any large room with tables or a school classroom will Oe : This Manual is divided into three sections, (1) The Construction of. the Kitse (2) The assembly of the yachts. (3) Sailing, -l- PART I CONSTRUCTION OF THE KITS (a) The phase of construction of the kits is divided into oe parts; The Organization Period, (b) Cost Re~distribution, – The Construction Period, (c) The ORGANIZATION OF THE ASSEMBLY LINE: he first step in organization of the assembly line is to determine the tools and abilities of the members in the class, This is done by passing around Tool and Ability Finders in the form of questionnaries on which are listed the tools and skills required for making the various parts, Ask if tie class members posses any of the following tools; Hammer, tack hammer, hand saiv, coping saw, hack saw, band saw, jig saw, table saw, screwdrivers large, screwdrivers small, pliers plain, pliers sharp nose, crescent wrench, wire cutters chisels, couges, hand drill, center punch, high speed drills, carpenter’s bit and brace, level, drill press, handitool, hand plane, bluck plane, _jack plane, spokeshave, power planer, gages, power sander, files, rat tail file, tin snips, scissors, soldering iron, blow torch, forge, lathe, foundry, shaper, straight edge, square, tap and die set, C-clamps, vices, tool box, drew:knife, dividers, lathe, Ask about the following skills; Blue print reading, layout, bandsaw- ing, jig sawing, hand sawing, coping sawing, table sawing, sandpapering, planing, nailing, screwdriving, planing, machine sanding, drilling, filing, table sawing, machine glueins, lathe operation, soldering, sheet metal work, hack Sawing, lead casting, machine shop work general, pattern making, woodworking general, painting and varnishing, lead casting, sailmaking, knots and splices, Opposite each skill the class member is asked to indicate by the letters G, Fe P, whether he considers his abilities in this. particular skill good, fair or poor, DISTRIBUTION OF THE SPECIALIZED TASKS: The parts necessary fcr the yacht can be made in groups, If you have only six in the class then each person can make three or four sets or parts, If there are over two dozen persons in the class, then two different fellows can make half the number of the same thing each, The following individual parts will have to be made; Kit boxes, building voards, frames, transoms, covering boards, keels, stems, chines, inwales, deck stringers, center planks, fins, skegs, rudders, booms, fairing battens, mast steps, planks, decks, deck plugs, vare feathers, masts, turnbuckles, sails, rigging including stays, lines, Kick straps, screw eyes and‘goose necks, rudder posts. and SmECS; tillers, eapered drills, Bkeg shoes, van gean scien + and ene ‘To find the personnel capable of building these different darte; tools. and skills required for each job are matched with the Tool and Ability Finders, On a transparent paper the same size zs the questionnaire paper, write the word “Frames” at the top. Place this down over one of the Tool and Ability Finders and make circular marks around the names of the tools and skills required for making frames, To make the frames, one should have access to either a bandsaw or’ jig’ saw and a planer or sander, abilities at operating these tools. He ‘should have good Now fit the transparent template over the questionnaires turned in by the incividual members and you will find – Sevéral who will-have placed marks opposite the qualifications which you have circled on your template,’ Mark the names of these people on your template and proceed to make other templates for the masts, building boards, turnbuckles, fins, skegs, etc. Now prepare a chart on which the names of the various parts are on the left side and the names of the members of the class across the top, This chart should be ruled off both horizontally and vertically. Place a mark “x” to indicate each of the things each man is capable of maling, You will find that two or three members of the class have the tools and abilities for doing everything. These men should not bé over-burdened. But rather, select the tasks for the less skillful members of the class first, and Save the more difficult tasks such as making the vane gears, rudder posts and shafts, sawing the frames, keels, building boards, chines and imvales for the more skillful members, The members may now be assigned their tasks, They should all be told that the entire success of. the project will depend upon each person for the prompt and accurate completion of his essential parts of the kits, None of the assembly of yachts should start until ALL of the kits have been completed and tne cost re-distribution met, CONSTRUCTION OF THE KITS: The members of the class will proceed to construct the various parts of their kits using either the power equipment in the workshop you have chosen and/or their own home workshops, The details of the construction of each of the essential parts will follow. Complete working templates of all the parts will be found on the accompanying blue prints contained in the plan which accompanies this manual. Make one extra piece of every part for a pattern and you will be able to conduct classes in building this yacht over and over again, Such wooden patterns can be made of plywood and are of great value in manual training classes, where they can be used year after year, (1) BOXES FOR THE KITS: The Boxes for the kits can be made out of corrugated cardboard which can be obtained at any grocery store, They can be held together with heavy gummed paper, These boxes should have inside dimensions of three feet eight inches length, ten inches height and twelve inches breadth, The lid can be hinged and fastened with buttons, It can be used later on for carry- ang the incompleted yacht to and from the classes and for carrying the completed yacht to and from regattas. _ (2) BUILDIG BOARDS: The building boards are made of 3/4″ plywood which is sclected ror being absolutely straight ond unverped. The vieces are saved out on a bandsaw exactly according to the accompanying p-tterns,. Sav lines on the patterns, finished board, to the centers of the Leave half of the thiclmess of the lines on the This operntion requires someone sicilled in the operation of a bandsaw or jigsaw, Unless a very wide bandsaw is available, the notches amidships will have to be sewed with a jigsaw or by hand, (3) FRAZES, TRANSOM, COVERING BOARDS: The frames can be made from the selected sides of apple boxes. Preferable would be three=ply with a wide center ply of soft wood and two very thin outer plies of harder wood. knots. The mtorinl choson should be 2t le:st 1/4″ thick, free fran If it is cver 1/4″ thick dt em be run throu-h | pl ner cre miler until it 4s exnctly 1/4″ in thickness, The grain of the wood, or that of the central thick core, should run from side to side of the fremes.. a The patterns for the frames are first cut out roughly with scissors, These can be fastcned to the wood all around with scotch tape, The saw cuts should be made to the cénters of the lines, leaving half of each line on the finished frames a jig saw may be used, [In sawing out the hollows in the frames, This operation can be done just as well with a bandsaw by cutting in at the side, sawing all around the inside cut and coming out the same place again with the bandsaw blade. The saw cut can be closed by gluing in a thin strip of wood using Weldwood Glue, The inside cuts of the frames can be smoothed up by sandpapering by hand, Or a small cylindrical sander mounted on the end of a shaft can be used, Do not try to smooth up the outside cuts, as this will be done by the individual builders in fairing up their yachts later on, For each yacht two apple box boards approximately 3″ wide, 1/4″ thick and the length of an apple box are provided, Make one edge of each board Straight, Label this edge “straight edge. From a piece of Alaska Cedar — for same, From apiece of Alaska Cedar that is 7/16″ square cut one piece 1/8” thick, cut one transom covering board,for each yacht. 3;inches long for each yacht. See pattern Label it in pencil “stem covering board”, (4) KEELS AND STEMS: The keels are made from 1/” by 1″ spruce or cedar about 37 plus inches long. These should be sawed with great accuracy on the table saw, The — tolerance of error should be placed at 1/6″ so that several of the picces can be stacked up, measured and found to be reasonably accurate, Very © accurately placed grooves 3/8″ wide arc routed in the keels to take the fins and skegs, Their position should be checked against the original blucprint and their length should conform to the length of the fin and skeg patterns. Care should be taken that they are exactly centered and not too long. The stem is made from a piece of pine 3/4″ thick and cut exactly to -. the shape of the pattern on the blueprint.- Drill two holes in a fore and aft dircction large cnough to take two very narrow 13″ round head screws placed about 5/8 ” from each end of the stem. Add a 3/l” thin round hcad screw for fastening the keel to the stem, ‘ ; envelope marked “Stem”, Seal the four parts in an ; (5) CHINES, INVAL £5, DECK STRINGERS AND CENTER PLANKS: The chines and inwales are made of spruce cut 1/8″ by 5/8″ by 37 plus inches long, not, The’1/8″ thickness is critical, but the length and width are Because of the problem of bending the chines and inwalcs into shape, they arc each made from two thicknesses of 1/8″ material, rather than one thickness of 1/” material, yacht. Eight of these pieces will be needed for each Thcy can be sawed on a table saw and finished with a planer, or they may be cut with a table or band saw from 1/8″ material. Supply 36 thin 5/8″ round head screws for each yacht sealed in an envelope markcd “screws for Chincs and Inwales”, Deck Stringers, one for cach yacht, are made exactly. 1/k” by 3/h”, about 37 plus inches long. | ss Centcr planks of Alaska cedar or, pine are made 1/80 thick, 3/8″ wide and about 30 inches long. The width and thickness are critical and should be made to a 1/6″” tolerance, sa . (6) THE FINS ixv SKEGS: Thc fins and skegs arc made from 3/16″ vertical grain, Western red cedar, 2 ply. In one ply the grain runs horizontal, in the other vertical, The Pieces can be stacked up in piles an inch thick and sawed out carefully on the band saw. The critical dimcnsions are the longths. A less skillful bandsawer can do this jobs The completcd halves are glued togethcr using a comparatively thin Weldwood glue applicc with a paint brush, The gluing of the halves can be done in stacks with wax puper between cach seperate rin or skeg, to keep them from stickinz to cach other. The gluc is applied to both surfaces to be joined and is allowed to becom: slightly tacky before placing them together, It will require four or five clamps for the fins, and threc clamps for the skegs. The top and bottom of the pilcs to be glued are protected with strips of wood under the e¢lamps, (7) RUDDERS: The rudders are sawed from 3/8″ yerticol grained Western red ccdar by somconc capable of using a coping saw, Exact shape is not critical and they may be sawed within a tolerance of 1/16″, boys, This is a job for one of the The individual class members can taper their rudders later, (8) BOOMS AND FAIRING BATTENS: The booms are made of 1/)” spruce or pine and arc sawcd according to the accompanying patterns, They can be sanded by the individual builders later on, Tolerance is 1/16″ Fairing Battens, one for vach yacht ere made of 1/4″x1/4″x3! wood, Lable “Pairing Batten”, In iddition supply cach kit with a straight picce of old hack saw blade or corset stay for a more flexible fairing batten, about 11″ longe. (9) MAST STEPS: The mast steps are made by one of the boys, They are cut from hardwood, prefcrably maple or oak, They arc made ” long, 3/8″ widc, 3/8″ high end tapered to 1/8″ width at the top. 1/16″ holes are drilled straight down 3/16″ into the top of the mast step, exactly centcred at intervals of 1/4″ throughout the length of the mast step. Sco accompanying drawing, (10) PLANKS: The bottom planks, sidc planks and decks are made of 1/8″ vertical grain Western red cedar to the size of the accompanying patterns on the blucprints, These can be sawed on a bandsaw, jig saw or may be sliccd with a sharp jacknife, Thoy do not have ‘to be cut exactly to the pattcrn but the cut should bo @ outside of the lincs shown on the pattcrn, as these parts will be trimmed down by the builders later on, The sharp cnds of the planks should be wrapped with masking tape or adhesive tape until uscd in order to prevent damage, (11) THE VANS FEATHERS: The van fcathers arc madc from 1/8″ hard, balsa, or cut out with a knifc by one of thc boys, to the individual builders, These may be sawod out The final sanding can bo lcft Sce diagram, page 9. -_ (12) THE MASTS; The Masts are made in square scction for the kits, sprucc, They arc made of sclected for its straight grain and crc 57 inches long. Thcy are: made straight on the after side 1/2 ” thick at the basco, 5/8″ thick at f= . 7 ° the middle and 1/2″ thick at the top, tapering gradually at both cnds, First plane one surface until it is absolutcly flat and straight. Mark 2 permanent center line on this surface with a hard pencil, Mark the widths of the mast at the bottom, middle and top, Teke a springy board that can be bent to conform to all three marks, . get someone to help you hold it in place and mark one side of the mast on the wood, duplicating the operation on the opposite side, Saw carefully to these marks, Smooth the sawed edges a bit with a jack plane, Now lay out the diameters on the sides of the mast, again springing a board through the three marks, Mark lines that represent the foreside of the mast. Saw this out again smoothing it with a plane. You now have a mast that is square in scction, 57″ long with a line dowm the aft ccentcrline, flat on the back side and curved on the sides and fronte It is ready for the kit, (13) TURNBUCKLES: : The turnbuckles are made from old fashioned box swivels that are used in fishing, These were originally made in Japan and could probably be found in a Japanese fishing supply store or < gcricral sporting goods storc, You should get a fairly large size, the box portion of which is 5/8" to 1" in length, Thc wire is removed from onc cnd, A picce of brass rod is selected which is slightly smaller than the width of the gap in the open portion of the box swivel, length of the box swivel This is threaded for a distance equal to the A drill somewhat smaller than the brass rod is used to enlarge the hole in the very cnd of the box swivel} threaded to match the threads on the brass rod, This hole is The smooth portion of the rod near the threads is flattencd with a hammer so that it widens out to about 13 times its normal width, portion, the mast. A hole is drilled through this flattencd The rod is cut off so that it leaves the hole for fastcning to The rod is screwed into the hole and the turnbuckle is completo, One turnbuckle is required for cach yacht, marked "Turnbuckle"!, so it won't get lost. needed for the Jib Boon, It should be scaled in an envelope A second, uncltered swivel is Jor = eee (14) RIGGING, INCLUDING STAYS LINES, KICK-STRAPS, SCREW EYES, GOOSE=NECK: The person who assembles tho rigging should get enough ,O1L4 diameter Stainless stcel wire, of the type that is used for fish leaders, each yacht with two stays each 4O inches long, to supply He can purchase one Mitchell twister for use in attaching the steys, Enough strong cuttyhunk should be bought so there will be approximately 27 fect for cach fish line yacht, This is measured, rolled up and placed in an envelope labeled "Lincs", Each yacht should have one kKick-strap-spring which can be made from the Spring of a discarded Silex Coffeemaker. any second hand store, These can be found in quantity at Each yacht will require a dozen 1/)" outsidg diameter and four 3/16" outsidc diameter scrow eyes, seven 1/\" Wo,./1 or NOe O round hcad brass screws, one brass cotter key about 1" long, that will fit inside the quarter inch brass screw cyes and cight cylindrical bowserse. These bowsers can be bought at a hobby store or made froma . cylindrical plastic umbrella handle or commercial tube plastic 3/8 to 5/8" in diameter. Saw off sections about a scant 1/i" long. Drill two holcs abaut 1/4" apert in one side and one hole oppositc the two. Thesc holes should go from the outside rim into the center and should be just large cnough to admit the cuttyhunk line which you have chosen, Before meking all of the bowsers, tcst one of them to see if it has holding qualitics, Run a piece of line into one of the two adjacent holcs and out through the other one, Tic the line somewhat snugly between two points, Thread another picce of the linc through the single hole on thc opposite side, into thc center | of the bowser, Tic a knot so it will not pull out. Now test the holding quality of the bowser..by pulling on the linc in the same gencral direction . as the tight line, If it will resist a reasonably strong pull, thc bowser is made properly and you can procced to make the remaining of them, = ‘ . “° Bews-r A fairly satisfactory alternate type of bowser can be made from a piece of toothbrush handle about 3/)’-long with three holes drilled in it. The holes are in a line with each other and drilled through the flat side of the toothbrush handle, One of the holes is 1/8" from one end, The other two are 1/\" apart, starting 1/8" from one end. strap, one for each yacht, 1/4" wide by 23" long. The gooseneck is made from a thin piece of flat sheet brass This is folded over U-shaped so that it just fits the end of the main boom, There are two holes drilled on each side about 5/8" apart starting 1/8": from'the’end, It will be fastened to the sides of the boom with the quarter inch round head screws, The holes are staggered so that the opposite screvs will not touch each other, See accompanying drawing.. Seal the straps, one cotter key, four screws and two 1/4" screw eyes in an envelope labeled "goose neck", Seal the other things in an envelope labcled "Rigging Screws, Screw eyes, Bowsers", (15) RUDDER POST, SHAFT AKD TILLER, TAPERSD DRILLS, SKUG SHOE: _— The sails should be stored flat because the adhesive tape has a tendency to wrinklc, al . eo (18) LEAD KEELS: The lead keels are cast in molds, two halves for each yacht. Perhaps you can borrow a mold used by some previous class. To makc your own molds, first make a wooden pattcrn to thc cxact dimensions of the lead keel on the blucprint. These are used to make the molds for pouring the lead keels, The wooden molds are best made from pattern pine, They arc mirror images of each other, Start with one flat cdge on which the section lincs and the contour of the profile of the kcol is marked. The wood is then cut to contour on the bandsaw, Hollow templates are now made of thin wood or cardboard to the exact shape of the sections of the ke¢l as shown on the blucprint, The keel is carved until thcse templates fit at cach scction of the keel, The patterns arc then made smooth with finc sandpaper lcaving the edges sharp. One easy but more costly way of getting ‘the keels is to take the. patterns to a foundry and have them cast, If somcone in the class knows hov’ to make a sand molc, Satisfactory, pouring job done in a smell foundry. cast, this is quite The same pattern can be made for all of thc molds and the aS in a school proj.ct, Where a great many kccls arc to be it is bust to have molds made of aluminum, -10= . For a comparatively small number of kecls, say a dozen to 20 or morc, a mold made of cight pound plastcr of paris, 1/2 cup sugar and a double handful of asbestos will serve quitc satisfactorily, Mix the dry materials. first adding cnough watcr so it will mold casily, but not flow. The molds ~——”> are made in tin pans, open face, Thcy can be heated unacr an oven broiler before using, Use about eight pounds of lead for cach kecl, The final casting should weigh a little less than 63 pounds,- The lead is melted in an old iron frying pan and the dross is skimmed off with a picce of shcet metal, Continuc to heat the lead for another threc or four minutes all melted, . after it is Place a number of thicknesses of newspaper on the floor in front of the stove, Place the molds on top of the paper so they arc © > absolutely level, Now using a hot’ pan holder, cotton work gloves and a Strong pair of pliers, grasp the handle of the frying pan in the left hand and the brim with the pliers, BE CAREFUL] DO NOT SPILL the lead, as it burns, Pour the lead into the mould, slowly and steadily but not so slowly that it solidifics in the pouring process, [t may bubble and boil some, but keep risht on pouring slowly .and eventually the bubbling will cease, Continuc ‘the pouring until the lcad is just up barely above the level of| the margins of the mould, The lead will shrink somowhat in the centcr — and may require a bit more continucd slow pouring to bring the lead kecl up to fullsize, Aftcr it has hardened sufficicntly and coolcd a bit it can be shaken out of the mold, | = abi . The cleaning up of the lvad and the levéling off of its inner surface can be left to the individual builders, although if machincry is available for the latter operation, it will save thom a great deal of tim. It has been suggested that a heavy belt sandcr would be a good machinc for: smoothing off the inner faces of the lead, which should be cut’down just to the marks whcre the lead is scen to slightly overhang the mold, | ; It is best to drill for the kccl bolts in a drill press. A 2/l” drill is used and it is kept well lubricatcd with turpentine and frequently removed from the lcad so that it can be cluancd. If this is not done, it may get hopelessly stuck in the lcad or break off, The-holes.in the opposite halves’of thc lead kccls mst exactly match. Some type of jig or clamp should be madc to hold the two halves togethcr for marking the inner surface of the: sccond half to be drillcd, and for holding the second half for drilling after the first half has bucn removed, Enlarge the outer | ends of the holes in the lead keol so they will be ample to bury the head – of the bolt and the nut which fastens it in placc. Place the two halves of the matching kcels together and wrap them firmly in heavy paper, twisting the cnds to protect the sharp cdgcs from dbmagc,. ready for the kits, : Thy are now Obtain two 1/4″ brass bolts for cach kccl. The threads should bc such that the heads of the bolts and thc nuts ean be buricd in the lcad and covercd over with solder, Allow for the 3/8″ thickncss of thc fin, Saw off the cnds of the bolts so th-t when the head of each bolt is buricd, the end of thc bolt shall likewise be below the surface of the lead, The heads of the bolts should be grooved for a screvariver, Sel +9 onch cere in onyelepes merked “Keel Balts*, – =lle ~ Sel ae (19) DECK PLUGS: The deck plugs are used for the drain holes, These are for pouring varnish in and out of the yacht for sealing the inside and for draining any water that may inadvertedly get into the yacht. The deck plug is made from a bolt approximately 3/16″ in diameter, 1/2″ long and threaded clear uP to the head, A groove is notched in the top of the bolt so that it ean be unscrewed, using a heavy coin as a screwdriver. The head of the bolt is flattened down with a file until it is about 3/32″ thick, A rubber washer is placed under the head of the bolt, Drill a 1/16″ hole through the center of the deck plug for the purpose of letting air in and out of the yacht, A deck plate of 1/16″ brass sheet, 5/8″ wide and 3/” long is made, A hole slightly less than the diameter. of the bolt is drilled in the deck plate and it i8 threaded by forcing the bolt through it while the deck plate is held rigid and flat, Holes are bored and counter sunk in each corner for small flat head brass screws about 3/8″ in length, Each entire assembly consisting of seven parts is sealed in an envelope marked “Deck Plug Assembly”, (20) DECK TEMPLATES: A deck template is madé for fairing the surface of the deck beams and deck stringer, It is made of a thin piece of plywood or other wood, A center line is first marked. The curve of the deck is taken from the blueprint and laid out on the wood, [%t is cut so it will form a hollow in the wood, the full width of the maximum beam of the yacht, i.c., some 10″, This is checked with the blueprint to see that it is exactly right, wite®) THE. STAND: Four The boys can build the stands, The materials needed for each yacht ares pieces of fir or other cheap wood 1-1/ ” by 3/4″ by 18″, Two pieces of 1/h” plywood 2-1/2″ by 19″, Two 1/” iron bolts with threads that will permit a nut to be placed a scant 1-1/2″ from the head of each bolt, Two washers to match, TWo pieces of web strap (from any Army knapsack) each 1″ wide by 18″ long, Eight uphdlstry tacks, Twelve shingle nails, Dril.1/l”” holes through the centers of the heavy pieces of wood and Place the bolts through them, with washers under the nuts. A l/l” by 30 piece is nailed to the edge of one leg, 3/”. from its end and 1/2″ from ‘the end of the plywood piccé, Use throe shingle nails in each junction making ‘certain that the leg of the stand is absolutely square with the _ braces, Continue the assembly according to the diagram. (next page) Attach the straps to the top of the legs, using one upholstery tack in the end of each leg and one in the side as illustrated, . The strapping. should overlap ‘the ends of the legs-about 2″, Now give the starid a good sand- ” papering and tio coats (of op varnish. Make one ‘stand for.each member of the classe gia +2 hs ae, | | mon 7 it thy x 2hx 19″Plywood The Stand Lt A gentleman always sails his yacht with a — The sharp bows of these yachts can plough through another yacht) and damage it permanently. The bumper is made of a rectangular piece of innér tubing, 1 3/4″ X 6″, fitted around the bow as illustrated, Its top edges are stapled together and an ordinary paper clip – attaches it to the screy eye at the bow of the yacht. The bumper should always be in place while racing, according to National Sailing Rules, but may be removed when the yacht is on display, COST REDISTRIBUTION We now come to the “payoff”, All the boxes for the kits are lined up on a long table and one of each necessary part is placed in the boxes, and the lids closed. Now each person who has purchased materials for the. eonstruction of the individual parts presents his bill to the Class Treas- urer,. The total of all bills is added, The sum is divided by the number of yachts being built, giving the total cost of materials for each yacht, Each member or group building a yacht: pays the Treasurer his share, Out of this total fund all bills are paid, leaving no money in the treasury, Any parts not now finished may be sold and collected fo later on an individual basis, Now (and not until now), each member may take a box containing his kit, as well os a mast and keel, kept separately from the kits, The filling of the kit boxes is the high moment of the course, and is well worth taking movies of, aie: PART II . ASSEMBLY OF THE YACHTS LINING UP THE FRAMES: Place the 3/” Building Board in two vises so the curved edge is upward, Arrange all of the frames and transom in the proper slots in the Building Boards, Jt may.be necessary to relieve the notches in the Building Board with a file, so the frames and transom are properly fitted and lincd up. They can be held in place temporarily by litjle wedges driven between the frames and transomand the notches in the Building Board. Hold each of the 1/” by 3″ apple box boards against the Building. Board and mark the positions of the notches, These are squared off from the straight edge, Nail the boards to the deck portion of the center croup of frames with small ‘brads, so the frames are absolutely square with the Building Board and absolutely in line with one another, By now thc notches for the keel should be at such a level that one edge projects above and the other edge is flush with the building board, Now file the notches in the frames and transom so they are almost flush with the building board, Leave them about 1/6″ high so there will be good pressuré in gluing down the keel, The keel is now drilled and. screwed in place temporarily using 3/\” thin round head screws, Jt is mounted so the after end of the notch for the fin coincides with the forward edre of the notch for frameNo. 5. Line up the keel and frames so ee are absolutely in the center line of the yacht, liount the ston temporarily in the exact center, on the front of the Building Board, drilling first, using the long scrows, fitting it just under the forward end of the wood kccl, Fasten the front end of the wood keel temporcrily to the stem with the 3/” round head wood screw, drilling beforchand. MOUNTING THE CHINES AND INTALES: Now cut notches in the stem for the chines and inwales and fair up the notches, The notchcs in the stem should be cut in the positions where the inwales and chines naturally fall when they are extended forward, These notches are made deep cnough so the outer sur¥aces of the chines and inwales meet each other at the center line of the stem. Remember that the chines and imwoles are made in two thickness each of 1/8″ material. These notches can be cut with a small handsaw, knifc and chisel. The notches for the chines and inwales as found in the fremes should now be faired up with a file, The inweles and chincs should fit casily all along without having to force them down in any particular place to make them fit the frames, The outer surfaces of the chines and inwales should just about match the edges of the frames, that is the edges ncarest thc middle frame, (see illustration, next page), Fairing the Chine, imwvale notches, schematic The chines and invwales are temporarily screwed to the frames using 5/8″ round head screws, These should be drilled beforehand slightly smaller than the diameter of the screws. The forward and after frames and transom should be squared up with tne pbuilding board as the chines» and inwales arc temporarily ‘fastencd, Start fastening the chines and inwales on the middle frames first and work twoard the ends. GLUING UP THE CHINES,.INVALES AD KEELS; Back out the screws in the chines, inwalcs, kcel and stem until these parts can bé removed from the frames with the screws lcft partially in place. Slip a piece of waxed paper between the framcs, stem, transon, keel and the building board so there is no possibility of glue sceping through and causing the yacht to stick to the building board, Mix and apply a thick weldwood glue to the transom, frames and stems and the wood y % a keel where it will join these parts. Then the gluc has become somewhat tacky, press the kcel into place and screw it down firmly. Now, one piece at a time, gluc and firmly screw down the parts of the inwalcs end chines to cach other and to the stem, frames and transom, placing glue on both surfaces of all parts to be joined. Use casco Gluc between the two layers. of the chines and inwales. Yeldwood ssts up so hard that it will be almost impossible to drill holes down through this portion later on. if it is used. – FAIRING UP THE FRAMES: After the glue has been allowed 12 hours to dry, remove all of the screws from the chines, inwalces, stem and wood kcel. Replace all screws with round toothpicks dipped in gluc, except on front of stem. Let dry. Using drawknife, plane and No, 2 sandpaper mounted full length on a board one foot long, 3″ wide and 1/8″ thick, sand off the protruding corners of the frames and the stem until they are all fair with the chines, inweles and backbone, There will be some cxtra material to trim off the protruding portions of the chines, cspcecially up forward, and considcrable material to trim off from the stem in order to fair it with the chines and inwalcs, The fairness of the intervening portions of the bottom of the boat between the keel and the chines and the sides of thc frames can be checked with the fairing batten. bBo not try to fair up all of the parts in one area at once, but work gradually over the entire yacht, sanding off about the Same amount everywhere as you progress with the fairing up process, Lay the fairing battcn along thc frames cverywhere and sec that there are no hollow spots. The frames can also be checked for fairness athwartships by using the flexible piece of a hacksaw blade or corset stay, Flat spots should not be allowed to appear in the frames in this fairing up process. | “150 7% SHAPING THE BOTTOM PLANKS: — : The bottom planks are placed in a bath tub of hot water for 30 minutcs, Placc wood spacers 3/8″ wide in the grooves for the fins and skegs so the frames will not collapse when wrapping for shaping thc bottom planks. Cut an inner tube spiral fashion into rubber strap 1″ wide and 30 fcocet longs While the center planks are wet and hot, place them on the yacht and wrap around and around with the rubber strap. Avoid wrapping the portions of the bottom planks:between the frames, Otherwise you will have flat spots in these areas, but wrap only near thc portions that are touching cither a frame,-the keel or a chine, Leave the rubber in place for 2) hours while the pottom planks dry. Vhen it is removed the planks will retain their curved shapc, ” PLACING THE CENTER PLANKS: Temporarily drill and nail the center planks to the wood Kecl with brads, leaving open spaces just the right length for the fin end skeg, Drill for round toothpicks at intervals of cbout two inches through the centers of the center planks, making sure that they arc absolutely in the center line of the wood kcel, Jt is important that the planks be absolutcly lined up with the fin and skeg so the bottom planks will fit niccly against them. Place a few of the round toothpicks lightly in position, temporarily remove the brads and replace them with round toothpicks, jJow remove and apply thick Vcldwood gluc to the kcecl and the centcr planks where they join. Fasten the planks down with round toothpicks that have been first dipped in Weldwood’gluc. excess ‘gluc, As soon as the planks are in position wipe off ALL the : i * FITTING THE BOTTOM PLANKS: Now the edges of the bottom planks arc shaped to fit snugly to the center plank, to the Hold the bottom plank tight egainst thc frames and slide it edge of the center plank. Mark the placcs that touch the ccntcr plank and plane these away with a sharp plane, Repeat this process, planing away the places that touch until the bottom plank fits the center plank snugly all thc wy along. Be carcful not to cut away so much material that therc is insufficient to cover the outer edges of the chines, GLUING THE BOTTOM PLANKS: ‘ Before actually gluing the bottom planks in placc, holes shculd be drilled for the round toothpicks at intervals of two inches all along the edges of the bottom planks, Fastcnings do not neéd to be used between the bottom planks and the frames, [In drilling between the bottom planks and the chines be careful to drill et such an angle that the toothpicks will bc completcly imbedded in thc chines and not run off at an angle through the thin tapering edge of the chines, Also bc carcful in the drilling not to gct the holcs so far out that thcy will be removed later on in trimming off the excess wood, The holes should be drilled approximately paralit to the outer surface of the chincs, After fastening a fow round toothpicks into the bottom plank cnough to hold it in place, turn the entire asscmbly over and with a soft pencil mark the lings whcrc the bottom plank contacts the frames, chines and | wood kecl, These marks will be a euide for the application of gluco. Now remove the bottom plank from the frames and apply fairly thick tyeldwood glue to both surfeces of every place where the bottom plank joincs the frames, transoms, stem, chincs and kccl, Use a liberalamount of glue and leave no holidays. As soon as the glue has become, slightly tacky, press the bottom plank. down against eames il ae eal and start -1 nailing with half pieces of the round toothpicks, which have been dipped in glue. Do not pound them in so hard thet you split thomaterial, but firmly enough so thy 1111 hold the bottom plank in place snugly, with glue squeezing out all alonge Stari at the middle and work toward the ends, placing the toothpicks in each alternate hole at first, fimshing by placing them in © the re:maining holes ¢ sepeces Be doubly sure the bottom plank fits down firmly, If therc arc any places whcre it does not fit down firmly, meinforce these with small clamps, protecting the plank with thin strips of wood, Apply the opposite bottom plank in the same way. After the gluc has dricd for 12 hours, the wooden toothpicks can be broken off with a careful back and forth rocking motion so thcy do not split below the surface of thc wood, The remaining portion of the wooden toothpicks is cut off with a chisel or a sharp knife. Thc cxccss wood at the outer edges of the bottom plank is trimmed off, Be careful not to round this edge off, but kcep it absolutely in line with the surface of the chine and the side edges of the frames,. Be carcful not to trim off the forward end of the center plank, FITTING THE SIDE PLANKS: About the only place the side planks have to be fitted is at the forward end where they go partly undcr the center plank, This job can be done with a razor blade or very sharp knifc, It should be donc carcfully so the center plank fits snugly beside end over th. side plank, Be sure there is enough matcrizl above the chine anc below the inwalc, If the width of the side plank is a bit shy, then sacrifice at the inwale rather than at the chinc, becausc the inwalc can always be trimmed if necussary. Again drill for round toothpicks as with the bottom plenk, but stagger the holcs so they will not cut through the toothpicks that have already been placed. Drill so the toothpicks will not be cut off in the trimming process later one Gluc down thc side planks in the same way as the bottom plank, After the glue is dry, break and trim off the toothpicks and carcfully trim off the excess wood as they overhang the bottom planks, he FITTING THE FIN AND SKEG: CT The yacht can now be removed from the Building Board. Take out all holding scrows and tcp lightly upward at both ends of the yacht as it is eased off the board. The slots for the fin and skcg are now rclieved with a file until these members will fit snuzly in their grooves in the frames. Skeg, If necessary, remove a little wood from the ends of tho fin and to makc them fit When the fin is properly fitted and snugly in its Slot, mark the lines of contact between it, and the frames and the kccl, both inside and outside for application of gluc, Apply thick Weldwood to all surfaces to be joined. Slide the fin into position and leave it there, The pressure of the wood will be sufficient for gluing it in placce. A Scrow can be placed through the fram the skcg putts against to give added Strength, The same thing is done with the skeg, The cxcess glue should be carcfully wiped away. SHAPING THE DECK BEANS: After the glue of thc fin and skeg has dried the yacht can be held firmly in an upright position by placing both thc fin and the skcg in a Separate visc, Line up will be forward. Surfacc protecting these parts with smooth soft wooden inserts. the notchcs in the top portions of thc framcs so the deck stringor absolutcly straight, using a straight edge to chcck it, Tapcr the end of the deck stringer so it will butt snugly against the after of thc stem and the inside surfaces of thc inweles, It is then carcfully glucd into placc, fastening it with round toothpicks to cach frame, Onc toothpick is driven through cach of the inwales into the deck stringer at the bow, , — “ee wba = – _ Now, using thc deck beam pattern as a guide and a long straight cdgc, a piece of coarse sandpaper on the 1/8″ by 3″ by 12” sanding board, shapc the surface of the deck beams so they arc absolutely fair, Continually check the hcight of the edge of the deck above the chine on both sides to make surc that it ‘is cqual, Trke plenty of time to do this job as it will mcan a great dcal in the final beautiful appearence of your yacht. DRILLING FOR THE RUDDER SHAFT: | . Uuse a drill about 8″ long and 1/8″ in diametcr ore picce of rod the same length with a pyramidal shaped point, Center-punch a hole just aft of the skcg in the midlinc on the ccntcr plank, Using the skeg as a guide to the drilling, carefully bore through thc center plenk and kecl and through the middle of the deck stringcr, Place the deck temporarily in position and continue the drilling up through it. With a rat-tcil file enlarge the hole until it is just the right size for the 1/4″ rudder tubc, FASTENING THE DECK: alk . The deck is glucd down in the same manner as the side planks, staggoring the position of the toothpick holcs so the drill will not cut off thc tooth- picks in the-size planks, Carefully place. thc holes so thcy will be 3/16″ inside thc surface of the side plank, It is obviously imnossible to mark the position the frames takc against the deck. Howcver, ,onc may place gluc first on the inwales, frames and deck stringer. Then press the deck dow lightly. The gluc on thesc members will make the deck for gluing. Additional gluc is placcd on the underside of the deck, It is then fastcned by driving in the round toothpicks. Be carcful that the rudder hole is properly lined up, | | FITTING THE COVERING BOARDS Trim off the excess. planking at the stern and glue on the Transom Covering Board fitting it in place with round toothpicks nicely spacod about one inch apart around the edges, bow, Send the sides.of the planks near the trimming off the excess of the center plank. Trim off the stcm to a point whcre it is exactly 1/y” wide, with round toothpicks spaced about 3/l” apart, glue on the stem covcring board. After the gluc hes dricd, the transom and stcm covering boards can be faired in with the lines. of the sidc and bottom planks, PLACING THE DECK PLUG — ‘ a hole in the conter linc of the deck slightly smallcr than the Drill deck plug and a scant 1-1/2″ aft of thc bow, Mount the deck plate just ovcr this hole with its greatcst length fore end aft. Sercw it into position ‘very carcfully, Dip the screws in varnish and put varnish in the holcs before placing. Now, using the deck plug as – tap, carefully screw it in place, at the samc time cutting threads in the underlying wood. MOUNTING THC RUDDER TUBE: | The inside of the hole for the rudder tube is saturatcd with varnish, The surface of the rudder tube itself whorever it contacts wood is likcwisc Saturated with varnish, The. rudder tube is pushed into placc. A holc is drilicd in the-after edge of the skeg where the lip on the rudder tube extends down. The flat—-hcad screw for this lip is mounted in place, After the varnish dries,-+the flat head scrcaw head can be faired into the rudder shaft with a ratetail file, 7 -18— Foe + ~ VARNISHING THE-INSIDE OF THE YACHT: © ae – fake a pint fruit jer and place in it onc-half cup each of spar varnish and fresh turpentine, Take a small saucc pan and fill it with water almost up to the level of the height of thc varnish in the jar, Placc the jar in o the £4°ERe *Plug the hole in the deck the pan and place this assembly plug with a toothpick, After the/pan boiled for 10 minutes, placc a small funnel in the drain hole in the bow, placing a toothpick between the funnel and the hole so air can escapc, of the hot mixture. Quickly pour in the entire oupful Quickly place the deck plug in position and slosh the varnish mixture around and around inside of the yacht, turning it this way and that, twisting it, rotating it, and turning it end for end until you are surc that every nook and cranny has been filled with varnish, This varnish is so thin and penctrating that it will fill up cracks that even water cannot get through. You will undoubtedly see varnish appearing on the outer surface of the yacht, but do not let this dismay. you, After thc sloshing ‘operation has gone on for 10 minutes, drain all the varnish out through the holc, Hold the bow of the yacht in onc position, straight downward, Rotate the stern of the yacht and tilt it back and forth so the varnish can run off thc. little shclves formed by the frames end cscape out through the deck hole, After about half an hour, practically all the varnish is oute Replace thc deck plug. Change the position of the yacht cvery 20 minutcs to half. an hour for the next three or four hours so the varnish will not collect in pools, ; FITTING THE LEAD KEEL AND SHAPING THE FIN, .SKEG AND RUDDER: Holes can be filled in the lead kecl by rubbing it with a hammer lubricated with turpentine, The larger holes can be filled with solder and filed flush. If the inner surfaces of the lead have not already been smoothed up, this can be done with a heavy file… File dowm to the edge where the lead -has overrun the mold, Do not under any circumstances round off the inner surfaces of the lead, This can be avoided by holding the file with one hand at its middle, Do not lect the hand move over the edge of the surface on which you are working. This way it is impossible for the file to have a rounding-off type of motions Continue to file until the surface is absolutely flat and in the proper position. Now bolt the two halves Qf the kcel tomporarily in place, after carefully drilling the bolt. holes in the fin. The front and bottom edges of the lead kecl should match the fin The aft end of the fin should overhang, Now is the time for Shaping the wooden portions of the fin, skeg and rudder. This can be done with rolled up pieces of No. 2 sandpaper, ordinarly files, shark tooth files and rasps, The forward edges of the fin and skeg should be rounded off and the after cdges. of the fin and rudder tapered to a width of about 1/16″, Aftcr the rudder has boon shaped, make a little groove on the after cdge of the rudder to take the rucder post. It can be mounted on the rudder post by screwins it dowm to the straps, The lead is faircd up well with the wood and its surface is cleaned up with sandpaper, The dirty black | marks on the wood ncar the lead can be removed with turpentine and a rage VARNISHING THE OUTSIDE OF THE YACHT: The surface of the yacht is carefully sandpapered and faired up, starting with No. 13. and working down to Noe #. Use the 1/8″ by 3″ by 12″ sanding block, holding it to the contours of the yacht. Sandpapcr in long sweeping motions, .both lengthwise and diagonally. Run your hands over the yacht with loving care and note any flats or bumps, Absolutely do not use a rigid sanding board as yacht, this will make hollows in the surface’ of your After all the humps and hollows are gone and she has had a final Sandpapcring with No. 1/2 sandpaper, she is ready for varnishing without the lead, A piece of cotton should be carefully packed in cach cnd of the ~l9= | rudder tube. to avoid varnish gctting inside thc tube and causing the rudder to stick, Aftcr the deck has been varnished with a mixture of half and half hot turpentine and varnish, the yacht can be turncd upside down and hung from the ceiling by a couple of heavy wircs put. through the holes for the keel bolts. The entire fin, bottom anc side planks, skeg and rudder can be varnished,