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the oil slick II
Aug 23Just meander down the page to get the updates...
I'm sure you're probably wondering what this page is all about....trust me- I'll catch you off guard with this one!!!
Some of the immediate family
will recall that we Elick's once had a pool in our back yard...and one
summer, I think when Aunt Barbara and Uncle Leo visited with their
families, they brought with them several blow-up yellow rafts. We kids
spent all day getting headaches from blowing these things up and then
spent the rest of the day floating on them in the pool.
It was glorious!!!...until my older brother John gave my raft the name "the oil slick". I was very put-off by the name because it seemed to imply something negative and ugly....John was always doing things like this....
So, unbeknown to John, I switched our rafts (they were both yellow), but to my surprise, I still owned "the oil slick"....even though I had his raft....The oil slick seemed to follow me...
Well,
there is going to be a new "oil slick" or at least a new boat- one I
intend to build in my apartment!!!! You can see the anticipated
finished product above. It's known as an Oxford Single Shell, and it is
sold as a kit composed of precut plywood, epoxy, fiberglass, and a
rigger/seat system. It's known as a "stitch and glue" construction
boat and I intend to take you through the process of making it...step
by step!!!
Yes, I've measured out my apartment, and tonight I moved my furniture to accommodate the build...I've read the boat building instructions and feel that I may just be able to do this. It's going to take a few weeks...
And of course, to get it out of my apartment, I will have to lower it out of my 2nd floor window- ya, a little hair-brained, but I'll worry about this when the time comes...
So stay tuned....
It was glorious!!!...until my older brother John gave my raft the name "the oil slick". I was very put-off by the name because it seemed to imply something negative and ugly....John was always doing things like this....
So, unbeknown to John, I switched our rafts (they were both yellow), but to my surprise, I still owned "the oil slick"....even though I had his raft....The oil slick seemed to follow me...
Well,
there is going to be a new "oil slick" or at least a new boat- one I
intend to build in my apartment!!!! You can see the anticipated
finished product above. It's known as an Oxford Single Shell, and it is
sold as a kit composed of precut plywood, epoxy, fiberglass, and a
rigger/seat system. It's known as a "stitch and glue" construction
boat and I intend to take you through the process of making it...step
by step!!!Yes, I've measured out my apartment, and tonight I moved my furniture to accommodate the build...I've read the boat building instructions and feel that I may just be able to do this. It's going to take a few weeks...
And of course, to get it out of my apartment, I will have to lower it out of my 2nd floor window- ya, a little hair-brained, but I'll worry about this when the time comes...
So stay tuned....
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Aug 26
6 hours drive to and from Annapolis, MD
I drove to Annapolis, MD yesterday to pick up the boat. You can see it in the back of my truck....it's surprising how small it is when packed together in pieces. The three boxes contain: (1) long box: 8 ft long plywood pieces, 8 ft long railings, fiberglass fabric, and wood tools, (2) white box: epoxy, wood flour, and silica dust, brushes and rollers for application and (3) smaller box: rigging and seat/slide...
Last night I watched the DVD on how to build a wooden boat. Boy, this is involved!!!! After watching the video, I measured and remeasured my apartment and decided that I will need more room...It's not that the boat wouldn't fit, but you definitely need more space to assemble it correctly....so no out the window for me!!! Now I'm looking for a new space....I guess I'll have to put my couch/futon back together....we'll see- it may be a great motivational tool to not have a place to sit while this boat is being constructed
As soon as I find a place to work, we'll start the clock on this project....They say it takes anywhere from 70 to 80 hours to put on together....
Aug 266 hours drive to and from Annapolis, MD
I drove to Annapolis, MD yesterday to pick up the boat. You can see it in the back of my truck....it's surprising how small it is when packed together in pieces. The three boxes contain: (1) long box: 8 ft long plywood pieces, 8 ft long railings, fiberglass fabric, and wood tools, (2) white box: epoxy, wood flour, and silica dust, brushes and rollers for application and (3) smaller box: rigging and seat/slide...
Last night I watched the DVD on how to build a wooden boat. Boy, this is involved!!!! After watching the video, I measured and remeasured my apartment and decided that I will need more room...It's not that the boat wouldn't fit, but you definitely need more space to assemble it correctly....so no out the window for me!!! Now I'm looking for a new space....I guess I'll have to put my couch/futon back together....we'll see- it may be a great motivational tool to not have a place to sit while this boat is being constructed
As soon as I find a place to work, we'll start the clock on this project....They say it takes anywhere from 70 to 80 hours to put on together....
Sept 13 days- find space
4 hours- clean the barn & ready workshop
I've found my work space...It's a barn located at the end of the Isle of Que, owned by a friend of a friend...It's located about 20 feet above the Susquehanna, so this tropical depression better not cause too much flooding!
I
can't really say that I fell in love with the space as soon as I saw
it...The barn was full of bat and pigeon feces, which I promptly swept
up and blew out....You can see a green board in the background of the
Heinz Pickle photo....and on that board is this little bat...I think
we'll get along alright and heck, I'm desperate and really want to
start this project. 
So,
I finally took the boat out of the box....Here it is....and set up my
work area....But by the time I cleaned the barn and set myself
up, it was already dark and rainy, and I couldn't do anything
more....Though I wanted to glue together the pieces tonight, I
refrained and decided that either tomorrow or more likely Sunday, I 'll
do this- when the weather is better...Tonight I'm just going to curl up with my video "The zen of wooden boat making" and I'll read the instructions.
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Sept 21 hour-align the panels
1 hour- glue the panels
Today I called the factory where I bought my boat kit and asked them if it was OK to begin gluing the structure, even though there was incredible humidity with Ernesto pouring down on us all day. They actually said it was OK; I spent part of the morning making sure the 8 ft long panels were properly aligned so I could begin the process. Here you can see all of the pieces of the hull exterior, in place on a series of tables (right). The cross bars represent where the scarf joints that I glued are located. So what is a scarf joint, you ask?
Below
is a close up view of 2 sets of symmetrical panels (from the port and
starboard sides of the boat). The ends of the panels are cut along a
bevel, which is then glued to another bevel from another panel.
Apparently, this type of glued joint is stronger than the actual
wood... 
To the right you can see how the beveled edges fit together. I mixed the epoxy (resin, hardener, and silica dust), and glued the panels and the stabilizing rails together. I'm really anxious to see how long it takes the epoxy to become firm. Because it is a bit cool- ~58F, it may take more than 24 hours to cure. I have a super fear that it's going to remain gooey or the clamps that I've used to hold down the joints will not hold the wood evenly. I guess we'll all have to wait until tomorrow....Once the epoxy cures, I will sand the excess epoxy (I was sloppy) and glue the rails to the panels that will hold the deck.
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Sept 3
30 mins- ride to & from barn on bicycle
I rode down to the barn this morning to check on my glue job. Because it wasn't quite totally cured, I decided to let it have another day. In gluing the scarf joints, you're supposed to be generous with the glue- and I was generous to the point of being too generous. Where the glue had been applied too thick (on top of the joints), it was still too soft but where it was applied thin (between joints) it was dry. So, tomorrow I shall check on it again and more than likely, I will end up sanding the panels and applying the supporting rails- a job for 2 people....I think it will be a good labor day!
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Sept 47 hours sanding/gluing
I started the Labor Day holiday facing a bit of sanding...The epoxy (looks wet on the panels to the right) had dried over a 48 hour period and needed to be removed from the surface. I used a very coarse sanding block to remove the real thick globs and and then relied on a rotating sander to remove the thin layers over the panels.
So here is the fruit of my labor....you can no longer see the glue. I'm afraid that I may have sanded some of these scarf joints a little to thin- I guess we'll see. Right now, these joints seem very fragile.
Here are all of the panels waiting to be stitched. They include from left to right: the stabilizing rails, the side panels and the bottom panels.
Before the panels can be stitched, the rail needs to be glued to the side panel. This rail will be the main support for connecting the deck and bulk head pieces. I think I screwed this process up just a little bit because the rails were a little warped and were difficult to glue in a straight line along the edge of the panels. Also, I didn't have enough clamps...I could have used 2 or 3 more but I don't think this will greatly affect the boat....
Tomorrow I hope to stitch the boat together with copper wire so that these planks will look like a real boat.
For now, I'm watching the river...You can see it lurking just below the barn....I think it's crested for now and may even be going down...but we're expecting some more rail this week....
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Sept 5
I had several questions for the company this morning so I rang them up and chatted for a while. Seems I did sand some of the scarf joints a little too thin because I went through the upper veneer on at least 2 of them. They said this wasn't going to be too much of a problem- it's more of a cosmetic thing. Not a problem for me- I plan to paint the hull of the boat white, so having a dark area along the joints is not an issue. The other cosmetic element is that there may appear to be a dimple where I sanded the boat too thin....
The other issue I have is with the epoxy....Apparently I was mixing it at an incorrect ratio. OK- this is not my fault! The video says to mix at a ratio of 2:1 resin and hardener; the literature I read advocates a ratio of 1:1. Because the CEO of the company is the person on the video, and since he says "here at our company, we use a 2:1 ratio for gluing our boats", I followed what he said on the video...Well, they told me that they dispense it differently at the factory...no worries here either- Using the wrong ratio just means it takes longer for the glue to cure, it doesn't factor into the strength of the structure.
So, I'll wait another day to take the clamps off, before I begin to stitch the boat together...
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Sept 64 hours- stitching panels
I spent all day in the field measuring and describing rocks, took Little Kitty to the vet, and then worked on my boat for the rest of the evening. Here's the progress I made today... To the right you can see me drilling holes in the panels. These holes allow me to stitch the panels together.
Next, I stitched the panels together using short strands of copper wire....At first, I did this step too tightly, so I spent a good part of the evening re-doing my work so the wire was loose. I may even redo this again tomorrow because I'm still not satisfied with the results....
This
process was very tedious and really worked on my lower back muscles and
finger tips. I've got to say I'm not a fan of this part, but as you can
see below, this step allows the pile of plywood to turn into something
that resembles a boat!
So
here are the bottom panels of the boat, stitched and ready to be
attached the the side panels (left)....The next step was to bevel the
ends of the bow and stern on the side panels and connect them. I did
this in the dark, and when I connected the ends, they had an awkward
match (I'll worry about this tomorrow when it's light out)...I clamped
these ends (see below) and placed the bottom panels on top of the side
panels (separated by 2 sticks so the bottom wouldn't fall through).
I'll stitch these pieces together tomorrow when I have time....and I'll
tighten the wires a little...
So far, everything that I've worried that I've done incorrectly has worked out....
Even though I've made some mistakes, I don't think they are huge problems....at least I hope they don't become problems!!!!
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Sept 77 hours redoing work from yesterday...
This is me after a long day of stitching and restitching my boat! As I mentioned yesterday, I thought I'd redo the stitching I had already done (see below left)...and I did...Tonight you can see I'm at the brew pub enjoying a white horse porter. Ironically, while eating dinner here, I met another boat builder- a guy who's building a sailboat...Where else can you find 2 people building boats but the Selinsgrove Brew Pub!!!....You'll notice from the photo that I haven't changed my clothes since yesterday....I guess you can do this when you're on sabbatical....
I mentioned yesterday that I made some awkward cuts along my bow (upper left) and stern (right)- today I took the boat apart and planed the wood for a better fit....See, no worries....
After undoing nearly everything I did yesterday, I finally have something that resembles a boat!!!!
I tightened all of my stitches and now will take a little break from boat building....It may not be until Sunday when I next have a chance to do anything to my boat....Hopefully, that's when I will attach the bulkheads to the bow and stern and begin the process of filleting and fiberglassing the interior of the boat.....So stay tuned!!!!
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Sept 8
2 hours bulkheads installation and winding check
I
lied about not doing any work for a few days....it's like I'm addicted
to working on this thing!...I put the bulkheads in yesterday....it took
about 2 hours because I had to reshape them to fit my boat...all boats
are unique in their shape and the bulkheads will always need
trimming....These panels (they have a circle cut in their middles) help
form the airtight spaces located under the deck panels of the
boat....The circle in the panel is where a hatch opening will be
placed...I also checked for winding, the twisting of a wooden structure. I suspended the boat above the saw horses using pieces of wood and placed 2 long pieces of wood 4 feet from the stern and 4 feet from the bow. If they line up when you look down the centerline of the boat then your boat is straight...if they are not in alignment, then your boat is twisted, which means a HELL of a lot of work....Mine was good to go- straight as an arrow, so to speak!!!!....it awaits the interior epoxy job, which is slated for tomorrow. I would have done this today, but it's a long process, and I wanted a good stretch of time....
To the left, I've included a picture of the view out of the barn doors from where I work...if I step too close to these doors, I can fall 1 story....This doorway is my way to a welcome breeze of fresh air...trust me, the bats and pigeons are pigs here, and fresh air is a rare commodity....
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Sept 10
6 hours adding fillets and fiberglassing interior of hull
My
back is killing me! I did lots of work this afternoon which included
basically strengthening the interior of the hull. I started this
afternoon, bending the copper wires with a screw driver (right) so that
they wouldn't interfere with the filleting process.Then I mixed several batches of epoxy and wood flour(fillet) which I applied to the seams of the boat. This almost peanut butter looking substance (below) covers the copper wires and fills the gaps between the seams. When this cures, it's super strong and helps to give the boat rigidity.
It doesn't seem like that big of a job, but it took a while to mix the right amount of epoxy and cover the 3 major seams for over 20 feet boat length. I also used this fillet material to seal the bulkheads- make them waterproof.
Next,
I cut strips of fiberglass tape the lengths of all of the
seams and glued them to the fillets. Again, I laid this out for 3
lengths, over 20 boat feet. When applying fiberglass like this, you
have to take your time, taking care not to get air bubbles in the
tape...I did this step twice which insures the boat will be strong!!!! 
Finally, I epoxied the entire hull interior (below). I think this step makes the boat a bit more waterproof and adds strength.My newest worries:
1. I may add too much weight to the boat using too much epoxy.
2. I may not have used enough fillet in the ends (bow and stern) of the boat. It's very narrow at these points and difficult to stick your hand or other tools into these areas...
3. I used so much epoxy that I may run out early and have to buy more....
Tomorrow I should be able to cut the copper wires from the outside of the hull and begin sanding/shaping the outside of the boat. This will allow me to prepare the hull for the fiberglass....later this week....
You can see my buddy, Mr. Bat, in the picture to the left...He's in the lower middle area....
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Sept 11
30 mins. clipping copper wires
I
had a migraine today and didn't get out of bed today until late in the
evening, so I didn't do much on the boat. I did clip some of the copper
wires that now are not necessary due to the glue job I did yesterday.
Part of the wires will stay embedded in the boat. These short prongs
will be sanded down to be smooth with the surface of the boat.
I didn't finish cutting the wires tonight because of the cloud cover and my late arrival. I managed to clip half of the boat before I could no longer see.
Rain and cold are in the forecast for the next 2-3 days....but later this week it's supposed to warm and dry up....I hope to get the boat in shape to fiberglass it later in the week....we'll see! That's a daunting task that requires a specific temperature range.
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Sept 12
1 hour 40 mins clipping wires and sanding
Today
I finished clipping the copper wires from the hull of the boat and
began the process of sanding. You can see here that I had some fillet
seep through a crack in the middle of the boat. I ground this down
using my Dremel tool (below) and used a rotating 5 in. sander to
remove edges along the seams where I connected panels. I have a lot of
sanding yet to go...Right now I am doing the prep work leading up to the next big step- Fiberglassing the hull- I'm thinking I'll do that Saturday...
I'm
beginning to see some of the flaws in my work, but I think I'll be able
to live with them. Some I will be able to fix using more fillet and
sanding. The biggest flaw I can see is that the edge along the edge of
the boat is high in some areas (see first photo)....So, I'm sanding
this down to make a smooth connection. 
There's still a lot to do yet...mostly sanding....below you can see the bow (top) and stern (bottom).
After I'm finished working for the day, I wrap the boat in plastic....you may wonder why...and why the blue tarp over my work area....??????
Here's the reason....Guano...This is the guano that has accumulated on top of the tarp since I set up shop....Sept 1...see there are a lot of bats in this barn!!!
Here's my work area when I leave at night (below)....
On the docket for tomorrow:
more sanding...
adding fillet in problem areas
and more sanding!
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Sept 131 hour- filleting
I added fillets (pronounced fill-its) along (1) all of the gaps of the boat, (2) where I thought the wood was weak, (3) at each hole associated with the copper wire, and (4) in some places along the bow and stern to help shape the boat. What this means is that I will probably have a pretty strong, water proof boat....I used the fillet in excess, so that also means I have a HECK OF A LOT of sanding in front of me....
Tomorrow-
sanding
Friday-
sanding
Saturday- hopefully
fiberglassing the hull
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Sept 14
5.5 hours sanding
It rained today on and off, but it was too much rain for me to work in the field, so I worked on the boat...Sanding! All day long, I sanded- First with 80 Grit and then with 120...I got so into sanding that I nearly sanded right thru the boat....to the right, you can see where I sanded thru the upper veneer of the plywood....no worries!
I wore a mask and used the rotating sander...The boat looked naked
and was smooth as a baby's butt when I was done...so I put a fiberglass cloth on it in order to keep the chill at bay.I was tempted to apply the epoxy to the fiberglass but it was getting late and I was tired...so I may fiberglass the hull tomorrow...or possibly Saturday...For now, the cloth is smoothed out to fit the contour of the boat and hopefully, all of the wrinkles will be gone tomorrow.....
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Sept 15
2.5 hours fiberglassing boat (layer 1)
Today
was the day! I mixed up quite a bit of epoxy and applied it to the
wooden hull...I bought a spatula from an auto store and drizzled the
epoxy on the surface, spreading it with the spatula. It was real easy!
Now, the fiberglass fabric is (hopefully) adhering to the wood.
When I left the barn, it looked quite good! But I noticed some
problem areas where I may have skimped on the glue. I tried to fix them
before I left but time will tell if my efforts were successful. 
This first coat of epoxy is meant to hold the fiberglass mesh to the boat. The next coat (tomorrow?) will fill the gaps within the mesh fabric...
I may or may not need a 3rd or 4th coat...
I made a special tent to keep
bats and pigeons from messing with my work
and to lift the the plastic off the newly glued surface...My problem
areas actually developed when the plastic accidentally rubbed against
the wet epoxy and lifted the fiberglass from the boat edge.....
My biggest concern right now is running out of epoxy (left)...I've wasted quite a bit!!!! I called the company about the amount I've already used, and they seemed concerned that my boat would weigh a ton...I've used a bit on the fillets, but otherwise, I don't think I've been excessive...
Anyhow, besides using the wrong ratio of resin to hardener and mixing too much at times, I think I'm right on track with the boat weight...
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Sept 16
1 hour apply 2nd coat of epoxy to fiberglass
Using
a utility knife, I cut the fiberglass fabric that extended below
the boat edge. You can see this "Skirt" on the left and behind the
boat. You can see it's no longer present on the photo below. As I did
this, I inspected my work from yesterday- not bad, if I do say so,
myself! The problems I worried about yesterday were not issues today.I also used a roller to apply the 2nd coat of epoxy. This was a quick task (in comparison to the original coat)...The epoxy spread on in a thin coat and was full of millions of tiny air bubbles, but as it dried, the bubbles left the glued surface.
Below you can see a close-up of the fabric following the 2nd coat of epoxy...Since you can still see the mesh of the fabric, the surface needs another coat of epoxy- possibly 2 more...It will be ready when you can no longer see the fiberglass fabric. It has to be this thick so I can sand down the surface, making it real smooth, without sanding thru the fiberglass fabric....
For your viewing pleasure....here is a nice picture of my bicycle and the barn doors- closed. You can see the little door I access the barn from on the left side.
Tomorrow....apply the 3rd coat of epoxy...
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Sept 17
30 mins. applied 3rd coat of epoxy
I
didn't spend much time with the boat today. It took only 30 mins. to
apply the 3rd coat of epoxy. Again, I did this with a roller. You
can probably see that the mesh from the fiberglass is a bit more
difficult to see now and the the surface is rough....Guess what
that means? - sanding
Tomorrow I'll determine if I need a 4th coat; I think I will give it one more application and that may allow me to get a nice smooth surface when I sand it.
You
can see from the photo to the left that my supply of epoxy is running
low....I ordered some this weekend, so it should be here sometime this
week...Not all of the epoxy has been used directly on
the boat... a lot has dripped off the sides or
has been sanded off the boat surface....In fact, much of it is
probably in the cup (to the right), which is full of wood flower
and epoxy I sanded off the boat a few days ago!Tomorrow- either give the boat a 4th coat or begin to install the skeg....I'm scared to install the skeg- the skeg is the fin that is located below the stern of the boat....In order to install it, I'll have to cut a new hole in the hull....just when I was beginning to believe my boat was water tight!!!!
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Sept 18
30 mins. applied 4th coat of epoxy and glued deck beam
I
made a fourth and final application of epoxy today. I think the
fiberglass is pretty well covered over now. The mesh is hidden so that
when I sand the hull smooth, I don't go thru the fabric....hopefully....
I also glued the two pieces that make up the deck beam...Tomorrow, I hope to install this beam, and then later this week, I'll be able to place the deck on the boat. This beam is a supporting rail for the deck.
Also, if I have time tomorrow, I hope to begin to put the skeg into place....
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Sept 19
20 mins installed deck beam
1.5 hours cutting hole for skeg socket
This morning when it rained, I took the opportunity to install the deck beam (right). First I had to cut it to fit the space 44 inches from the bow. Then I glued it into place and left for school. Later in the afternoon, when the glue had almost cured, I pre-drilled 2 holes and screwed the beam into place using brass screws.
After installing the deck beam, I worked on making the slot for installing the skeg. Yikes!!!! I hated doing it, but I drilled a few holes using my Dremel tool and then used a hand saw to cut the slot.
This work took a while because I didn't have a jig saw, and I could feel how fragile the hull was, with the increasingly large hole, so I took my time. Above you can see me looking thru the hull. Yes, the slot is a little off center, but I'll fix this tomorrow...It may look sloppy, but the socket fits right in this hole
To the left, you can see how the skeg system should look with the skeg and socket in place...