Dillon Laker 14/16.5 Wooden Tunnel Hull Build/Mod Project

[archbuilder]

Very cool! I have really enjoyed watching you build! op2:

 

[gomopar440]

I've been trying to make the most of the unseasonably warm weather we've been getting for the last few weeks. Temps have been dropping noticeably over the last few days, and by Wednesday we should be back to typical high temps in the 30's and 40's. I've been trying to save my kerosene and propane for the coming cooler temps. So it looks like our extended Indian summer is just about over here. I'm thankful for all those warmer days we did get though, as they let me make a lot more progress than I would have thought possible up until now.

BTW: I've been keeping an ongoing build log on MS Word my PC and keeping tabs on all the money and time I've spent on this project so far. I can post it in this thread after I'm done with the build if anyone wants to check it out. Except for the money part, I'm putting all the same info in this build thread already, so it'll probably seem a bit redundant. I started out with the plans purchase back on the 3rd of July, and up until today I've put a little under $500 in materials and related supplies into it. That figure doesn't count stuff I got for free from CL, or the value of the stuff I already owned and used to trade for stuff like the motor. If I counted the value of stuff I traded, in addition to what I put out in cash, I have right at $1400 total for everything up to this point.

I've also logged a total of 69 hours of detailed build time so far. With this being my first ever boat build, I have no idea if my progress is where it should be for the amount of time I've invested. I don't feel like I've wasted much time on the learning curve though, mostly due to all I've learned from the other build threads here on iBoats.

FWIW: Trading for stuff is what has allowed me to get what I need to make this project feasible. I wouldn't have gotten this project near as far as it is now if I had to buy everything. It looks like I'm putting an average of about $125 a month ($500/4 months) so far, which is pretty much my upper limit for discretionary funds. Unplanned stuff, like having to fix the Jeep window motor, cuts into the boat budget though. The tight money situation may cause the project to slow down every now again until I can build the piggy bank back up. I'm just making the best of it and chipping away at the project as best as I can, so I can try to meet my goal of putting it in the water next summer. Can't let you guys get bored with this project now can I?

 

[gm280]

Well gomopar440. I thin most of us tarted out keeping records of money and maybe even time. But after a while, we all let it go because it was sad to see those numbers stacking up. If I added up all the time alone for my little tri-hull boat project, I would be building a $50,000 dollar plus $600 dollar purchased boat. So time is ut. But the little extras also add up. And I honestly easily could have bought a really nice new boat for the money expended thus far. But there is some type self satisfaction to rebuilding a boat. You will understand as you get further into your project I'm sure. JMHO

 

[gomopar440]

I've done enough other projects in the past that I understand that concept completely, and I'm OK with that. I like building things more than actually using them a lot of the time. I'm mostly keeping the build log to help me keep track of what I've done, more than how much I spend. The money part of it falls under the "good info to know" category IMHO. The trade part of the log is probably somewhat unimportant to others. It's highly unlikely that anyone else will have the exact stuff I have to trade, in the same condition, and they're also unlikely to find the exact deals with sellers that are will to take the same stuff in trade for it. Just way too many variables going on there. It's really more of a ball park figure just to give an approximate idea of what to expect if anyone else wants to tackle a Laker build.

If the forum ever goes down for a while, which I hope it doesn't (knock on wood). I can still write down my daily progress in my build log in MS Word, and then go back and fill in the blanks in this thread when the forum comes back up. I've had that exact scenario happen to me on my sand rail project not too long ago. It took about 2-3 weeks to get that forum back up. I had made a lot of progress on the rail during that time and would have forgotten a lot of the fine details without another place to write them down.

I'm curious to see how cheaply (in the monetary sense) I can get this boat built for. This is really only of concern to me, which is one reason why I asked if there was any interest to see the build log after I'm finished with it. It should give anyone that sees it a better general idea of both the time and money needed to build a Laker. I couldn't find any of that info (dollars and hours) anywhere on the internet when I looked around before starting this project. The info I did find online from other builders was usually just a few (2-3) pics, with a few sentences, usually limited to just the wood work part of building. The most info I found in one place was on the Dillon Racing website where Bob Dillon posted his construction notes for the original Laker. The notes seemed a bit jumbled to me though as he makes a lot of references to other boats he previously built to show how to make various parts of the Laker. My build thread is only about this modified Laker I'm building, so all the info I put in here is directly applicable to it.

 

[gomopar440]

Can anyone guess what I did today?


I beveled the Sponson Keel, Chine and Sheer Clamp today, along with a few other high spots here and there. Easy enough to say, but just a wee bit harder to do. My arms are more than a little sore from slinging that wood plane back and forth along the length of the sponson. I unscrewed the sponson from the table first so I could flip it around to where it was easier to work on it. However unscrewing it also let the sponson walk around on the table top as I worked on it, so it was quite a handful to say the least. It's pretty close to perfect now, but I'm still going to run a long T shaped sanding block over it before I skin it to look for any high spots I may have missed.



I'll pick up the ply for the skin and some more Radata Pine for the rest of the beams next payday. I'm going to start on the Stbd. sponson next and try to get it to the same point the Port side sponson is at now.

 

[gomopar440]

I've been slacking off on the Laker build lately, but not by choice. We had lots of stuff to do to get ready for the cold front moving in (supposed to get down to 13*F tonight). At least most of the snow that was forecast ending staying south of us. We just got a few flurries here that didn't amount to anything.

And as you may have guessed, I'm posting again since I DID finally get out to the tent and made some progress. I unscrewed the Stbd sponson from the table so I could move it around easier to reach all the edges of the bulkheads. Then I used the multi-tool to cut out all the notches from six of the bulkheads, going from back to front.


All I have left to do with the multi-tool is to finish removing the notches on the sponson tip and bulkhead #1. That'll have be done later since I was starting to loose feeling in my toes, even with the heater going. The high today was around 33*F, but at least there wasn't much wind blowing through the tent. I REALLY need to try getting that insulation taped up to the inside of the tent walls soon. If I don't, I'm not going to be able to get near as much done on the boat as I want to over the winter.

 

[gsxrdan]

Shes got great curves man!

 

[gm280]

Progress, even frozen progress, is always great. I have to admit, I don't know how you can stand it in such frigid temps. I would loose interest once I got that cold. But your progress looks great.

 

[kcassells]

Gomo,
Whats the temps in the shelter with the heat source you're using in these temps? I've done some good glassing in those temps with tarps for cover and propane heater. Maybe get some dark tarps and add lights in the space. Heat lamps help out too!

KC

 

[gomopar440]

I don't have a thermometer out in the tent so I have no idea. Honestly I'm not sure I would want to know as it might effect my motivation. :faint2: Regular shop lights aren't much help as the fluorescent ones won't light up when it gets too cold out. The LED shop lights will, but they don't put out hardly any heat. It would take a LOT of incandescent bulbs to heat a space that size. The extra light would be nice, but the power bill to keep them on would suck.

If I can get the little round upright or the rectangular kero heaters working to where I trust them I can keep the heat a bit more constant. The torpedo is great for getting the temp in the tent up FAST. But since it doesn't have a thermostat switch on it, it just keeps on going full blast until it gets too hot in the tent and I have to turn it off. It stays warm in there for a while but eventually the temps drop again and I have turn it on again. I repeated that on/off cycle about half a dozen times yesterday while I was working out there. My feet were always the last to feel the heat and the first to feel the cold. Right now I need to get some more K1 kerosene before I can try the other heaters. All the kero I have is currently in the tank on the torpedo heater.

Today's high is supposed to be 34*F so I'm skipping today. Tomorrow should be in the 40's, so I'll head out there to work on it again then. The other two bulkheads shouldn't take too long to notch out, so I'll try to mess with putting the fiberglass insulation up in the tent afterwards. And here I was thinking that I wasn't going to have to get all itchy working on a wooden boat.:lol:

 

[gm280]

gomopar440, exactly how do you know if the glue is cured or just frozen on the parts?

 

[Patfromny]

Halogen work lights put off some serious heat. you can get them pretty cheap at the box stores.

 

[gomopar440]

gm280 I'm not sure about how to test the glue joints other than to use the best glue I can (Titebond III mostly) and then give the parts a wiggle test after they've had enough time to cure fully. I forgot to mention on my last post that when I unscrewed the STBD sponson from the table I found a 3-4" section of bulkhead #5 where the cleat didn't stick to the sponson side. I may have forgotten to tighten the screw that was holding that area, but I can't rule out the possibility that it was related to the cold temps in the tent. I'm going to pry that section apart the bad section of BH#5 and then flood the area with more TB3 glue before screwing it back down to the table. I'll do that first thing, right after I get the shop warmed up, next time I head out to the tent. That way I can keep the heat on it for as long as possible while I'm out there working on making and installing the cleats for the STBD Sponson Battens, Chine and Sheer Clamp. I think I may still have a little kero left over in the round upright heater. I'll try using that along with the torpedo heater if I do. If not, I know I have about half a bottle of propane left for the bottle top dual burner heater. I'm not ready to raise the white flag on this project just yet.:smow:

Patfromny Thanks for the reminder about the halogen lights. I don't have any of those right now, but I'll look around to see what I can find locally. It'll have to wait until payday before I can pick any up though. The lack of light was another reason I had to call it quits the last time I was out working in the tent. It was getting dark outside and the overhead fluorescent light was casting a shadow on the side of the bulkhead marked with the lines I needed to follow. Having a portable light I could move around to shine on wherever I'm working would definitely help. The heat put out by those halogen lights would be a welcomed bonus.

 

[Patfromny]

Well, they do alright on the light side too. I have a cheapo dual light set on a stand from home cheapo and I love it. the only knock on them is the bulbs blow easily.

 

[gm280]

gomopar440, I merely was making a joke about the glue curing or freezing. You are using the best glue using Titebond III though. Very good pick for gluing boats together.

 

[gomopar440]

GM, I kinda took it like that, half joking that is. It is an actual concern of mine though as to whether or not I have adequate temps to glue stuff together. That's one downside to living up here in the mountains of Montana. I wouldn't trade you for your hot and humid weather though. I had over a decades worth of that hot mess, along with the hurricanes that went with it, while I was stationed on the Gulf Coast (TX, MS & TX again) and Puerto Rico. I'm like you in that I can't function well when it gets too hot outside anymore. Luckily we don't have to worry about the heat anywhere near as much up here. A little local joke we have around here is when you ask someone which weekend summer is going to be on this year.:lol:

I'm heading out to the tent to try to make some progress. The Weather Channel is saying it's 47*F out there right now.

 

[archbuilder]

Gomopar, I have to say I will take the heat.....I can always get in the lake I hate cold!

 

[gm280]

Okay, at my age, I hate both too cold and too hot. I like in between temps the older I get. Sounding like an old person now ain't I? :faint2:

 

[gomopar440]

archbuilder & gm280: I can always dress up in more layers for the cold. Dressing down far enough to where I can deal with the heat can get me arrested.:facepalm::lol:

​I was trying to make the most of the (relatively) warmer temps today, so I was hustling while I was out there today. The torpedo was fired up as soon as I walked into the tent and I also lit one burner on the propane heater as well.

First thing I did was to pry open the place where the glue didn't stick on the cleat for BH#5. I smooshed a bunch of TB3 in there and then used a thin pocket knife to make sure it got all the way into the gap. Then I pulled the screwdriver out and put a screw back into it to clamp it tight to the table.


Since I now had the sponson screwed to the table again with the screw at BH#5, I figured I might as well attach the Sponson Keel at the same time. I went ahead and glued and screwed the STBD Sponson Keel down using the existing screw holes. I should have looked at what I was doing a little more carefully though because I had the top edge of the STBD sponson hanging slightly off the table. Without the table under it, I wasn't able to glue and screw the top Deck Stringer to the sponson side right then. I'll get back to that piece after the glue holding the Sponson Keel in place has cured and I can remove those screws.

After that I broke out the ear plugs (gotta have that PPE!) and fired up the multi-tool to finish the rest of the notches on the first two bulkheads. I also cut out all the limber notches for the Sponson Battens on Bulkheads #1-6. The transom bulkheads don't need those notches since they're at the aft end of the sponsons.


BTW, I was paying attention and learned a few things from building the Port Sponson. I went ahead and reinstalled those temporary braces and cleats to hold the bulkheads 90* perpendicular to the sponson side. Lets just say I may have an slightly interesting time getting a couple of the beams to line up with the face of the bulkheads on the Port sponson.:doh: I can correct it and still make it safe and solid, so it's not a big issue. And no one will ever see it once the skin is on anyway, so it's my little secret.:tape2:


Then I started taking measurements for the other cleats on the bulkheads. I got all the cleats for the bottom halves on all the bulkheads, but I was only able to put on about 3/4's of them before I ran out of clamps. I marked the ones that still need to be mounted with the number of the bulkhead that they go on so I don't get them mixed up. And that's all I got done for today.



As everyone who has followed this thread from the beginning already knows, this is my first boat build, so mistakes are inevitable. I'm not going to try to hide the ones I make and pretend I know everything about what I'm doing here. I'm human (I think...) and I make mistakes. IMHO Intelligence is the ability to learn from those mistakes and then figure out how to make it right. If anyone spots a mistake I made, or am making, in building any part of this boat please let me know. I have a fairly thick skin and can (usually) handle constructive criticism without getting all riled up. I don't have a problem with people that have more experience with these things trying to set me straight. When I make a mistake I'll show it here, right along side the successfully built pieces and parts, so others following this thread can see places that I got it wrong. I'm doing this in hopes that it will help others be able to get those parts right the first time when they're building their own boat.:tea:

 

[archbuilder]

Gomopar, I'm enjoying your build, carry on! I might have to build one of these . ....I have been wanting a wooden boat!