Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Report #2-8 . . . .

[Charles Brennan]

August has been giving me problems.    Every time I go to start mixing epoxy, it rains and scares me off; or else, it's too hot.    
It was especially nerve wracking, while dealing with my least favorite chore: Filleting.
Really hate filleting, for several reasons:
1) I'm not really good at it. 
2) It's very environmentally picky; you have to have ideal conditions  for the stuff to lay down properly and set up properly.
3) It's extremely time sensitive; the clock is running out while you're still trying to put it in the sandwich bag applicator.   
You can feel the heat inside the bag heating up and getting ready to kick off, before you even get to the boat and that always stresses me out. 
4) Cutting out the corner of the sandwich bag is always either too much or not enough.
5) It manages to squeeze out a bead that goes nearly everywhere, but where you wanted to apply it, much like trying to use a urinal, when you're drunk! 
6) Every filleting tool radius is the wrong one for what you are trying to do and always leaves a "swoosh" (kind of a fillip in the bead) every time you change direction. 

I finally got rid of all the filleting tools and simply relied on the MK I thumb and forefinger, for my two fillet radii.
Honestly, it wasn't that much sloppier. 
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Taping everything to have at least SOME boundaries helped a lot.

Wasn't half bad, after the tape was taken up.
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I was recently reminded, it doesn't have to be gorgeous, it just has to be a fillet.
When I stepped aboard to remove the filleting tape, I was shocked at how much stiffer the hull felt.   
This is turning into a very stout little boat, People!   

I'll put a fat thumb, up against the best filleting tool made!! 
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A ton of sanding, and sanding, and sanding, and I'm Golden. 
Ah, well.  If Michelangelo could chip, grind, and sand on a hunk of marble, long enough to make it look like the Pieta, guess I can sand on those fillets, until they resemble something you'd see on a Real boat.

What do you do when it's just too hot for applying epoxy? 
You do what you can; including working on the cabin sides cleats, the centerboard cap components, and sanding off all the excess goo,    from gluing on the dead lights.
ANYTHING!!    To keep from sanding fillets!! 
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Fewer and fewer parts all the time, folks!   

Did a quick test fit on the boat and was immediately sorry, I did so. 
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DOHHH!!!     Guess I shouldn't have used the flush trim router next to the carlins, inside the cuddy cabin!!
You need them trimmed flush in the cockpit, to attach the coamings later on, but not in the cuddy.
The cabin sides are SUPPOSED to sit on the deck.
Ah, well.  Filleting hides a multitude of sins. 

Next comes the cabin cleats, which are tougher to do, than they might look like.
The cabin sides curve up at the top, from aft to forward and they curve in, from aft to forward.

A lot of builders spend a ton of time, planing the cabin cleats by hand and making huge amounts of shavings:
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And SOME builders, clamp on flexible battens, get out the ole protractor, measure the angle (40º) and cut the thing right, the first time!!   
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They weren't kidding about the front to back curve. 
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Or the inward curve:
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Clamped, for illustrative purposes, to show how much of a curve.
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If it wasn't already too late, I think I'd sneak over to John Welsford's shop, make my way to his drafting table and STEAL!!    All his French curves, and then replace them with rafter squares!
Just tryin' to build a boat here, guy!  GEEZE!! 

DOHHHHH!!!    (Part 2)
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Initially, I had been very proud of how well I had beveled the bottoms of the cabin side doublers.
Too bad I glued the front cabin side doublers, on the wrong side of the cabin sides.   
What was it, someone said about: "Filleting hides a multitude of sins"? 
Good Thing. 

At least, I remembered to put an ⅛-inch round over, on the bottom side of the cabin side roof cleat.  That would be a bear to do, after it was glued to a cabin side.
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Doesn't show all that well, on this pic.

Might have shown up better on this pic, if I had kept it in focus!!     
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Coating the cabin sides, cabin side cleats and centerboard trunk cap with the first coat of epoxy, when the weather (almost!)  co-operated.
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Almost forgot to cut in the forward cabin side limber hole, that allows water to drain off the fore deck.
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Filled in some gaps on the mast step block with some left-over thickened epoxy.
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Also filled in some gaps in the port light mounting holes, to make them flush.
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And a third coat of epoxy on everything.
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Glued the centerboard trunk cap on, after using the three screws for alignment.
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After the cap assembly was securely clamped, I pulled the screws and inserted bamboo skewers dipped in glue.
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Waiting for better weather, it was time to re-visit the hand rails. I had over-drilled the cabin top doublers and filled them with epoxy, so now it was time to drill the final holes.
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They look like this.  Why not use thickened epoxy? 
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So I can do this: 
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By sighting through the clear epoxy, I can easily center the handrail holes for clamping, then drilling. 

Not really ready for this part yet, but it never hurts to try things in a preliminary manner, to make sure no surprises pop up at the last minute.
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For example: DEFINITELY going to have to screw down along the center line, before strapping down the edges.
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DOHHHH!!!    (Part 3)
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There is SUPPOSED to be an over-hang on the rear edge of the cabin top.  Why is my top, flush? 

Lines up OK at the front, so what gives? 
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After looking at tons of other SCAMP builds to make sure I wasn't missing something, and checking the measurements against the plans,  . . . . . Yup. 
It was too short.  Seems like that might be one of those differences between MK II kits, versus the original kit that I obtained.
Ah, well.    I see a road trip to Tarpon Springs in my future, for a sheet of 6 mm Okoume plywood.

Still too hot to even touch the epoxy, so I found another keep-busy project that was SUPPOSED  to be further down the building sequence.
(I don't know why I even bother    to define Project Management Queues on this boat;  just habit, I guess.)
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These poplar boards convert the cockpit into a sleeping platform, when over-nighting more than one person.

They will stow in this compartment, helping keep the weight down low.
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Considering stapling some webbing on the underside, 2 or 3 boards at a time; based on an idea I saw, on one of Doug SC's Scamp pics. 
This will make getting out the boards to set up, much quicker.

And with the lid closed, you'll never see them.
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After I got them all cut, I went crazy with the ⅛-inch round over bit on the router. (Hey!    It was still set up for the cabin side cleats!) 
I rounded every edge, then drilled holes (so that I can pick up the boards, easily) with a Forstner bit and edge-rounded all the holes, too.
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All they need now is three coats of epoxy, two coats of primer, and three coats of paint.
Oh! Did I mention all the SANDING?!?!? 
See? SIMPLE!! 

Another make-work project in all the heat, was using my same sight-through-the-epoxy trick to align the dead light frames, so that all the holes are sitting in epoxy and not in wood.
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By clamping the port light to the cabin side and drilling though both, I know the holes will align properly during assembly. 

And the second one.  On the inside of the outer ring, is a mark labeled T (for top) so I know where to insert the mounting screws.
Ya know: Just in case, maybe the holes AREN'T all exactly 60º apart. 
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First coat of epoxy on the inside of the cabin sides and the underside of the centerboard trunk cap.
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That small piece of wood is a centerboard trunk cap doubler.
Tempus is fugiting all over the place,    on me and all this heat is frustrating me. 
I tripped over another on-line deal for aluminum oars, for only about 20 or 30 bucks more than just the wood was going to cost me, to say nothing of the epoxy, varnish, and man/hours.
I'd gladly trade off some money, for less building time.
I'm not really a Boat Builder, so much as a Stranded Sailor trying MIGHTILY, to get back on the water! 
Anything that speeds me to that end, I'm happy for! 

Charles Brennan

[Krusen]

Brennan, I will add a vote for connecting the cabin boards in pairs.  Helps keep them aligned for accurate fitting.  Be sure to use stainless staples. they are hard to find, but essential.  Make surer that the fabric, doubled, does not make the boards a tight fit  in the locker...  Do yu have a grab surface for removing the first ones?  An extra inch of fabric of the hinge, extending from the end could provide this feature, as the fabric edges should be up to keep them from being in any moisture that enters the locker.

Before buying more wood to extend the cabin top, consider a strip twice as wide as needed, glued on at the edge.  This will give the extension desired, plus any water driven aft on the cabin top will tend to be stopped, and run to the sides when it reaches the added strip.

Brennan, you have worn me out with all this sanding, routing, and epoxying.  If I did not have a card game tonight, I would take a nap.  Young whippersnapper, showing off how much endurance you have!

Krusen,  at anchor

[Riley Smith]

Ain't it the truth Norman! I'm just proud he's moving around in this heat! I can't do it and haven't been in the shop in over a month. Yeah CB, I don't like August one little bit. Was 94F here today and humidity in the stratosphere. I hear it thundering somewhere, so maybe we'll get a shower to cool off. Just surviving on the MS Gulf Coast here. You go guy! It's looking good.

[Doug SC]

I too am impressed.

I'll have to take some photos of the ancient 9' oars I reworked, removed many layers of paint, epoxied, and varnished then added the leathers for my wayfarer.

Also, of the set of two-piece 9' aluminum oars that came with the Scamp. I was so pleased with those for the labor they saved that I still smile when I pull them out to row. Not as pretty but oh so easy.

[Captain Kidd]

You're gonna have to start calling that scamp a tank instead of a boat! And the details are innumerable. You're going to have a fantastic boat!

[Chris Muthig]

Not really serious here, but may get the creative juices flowing even more...  Instead of the slats in the floor you could always do a rolltop design.  If you use sunbrella as the backing maybe for a bit of durability, and thinner slats, it could unroll from the cubby.  Don't know how that would work in practice, though.

[Charles Brennan]

Kruse'n,

Be sure to use stainless staples. they are hard to find, but essential.

Yup, got a tool box drawer full, in both 304 and 316 stainless and ¼", ⅜", and ½" lengths.  Got those when I used to live down in south Florida's Boat-building Paradise and had access to any one of three sources, within 5 miles of my house.  All I ever used, back when I was still stapling carpet onto bunks.

Make surer that the fabric, doubled, does not make the boards a tight fit  in the locker.

Yup. Factored in.

Before buying more wood to extend the cabin top, consider a strip twice as wide as needed, glued on at the edge.

Wow! Like a lot of your suggestions, that really gave me pause for much thought.

One of the final modifications on SCAMP cabin roofs is the addition of a "finger rail", something to grab onto if a wave hits, or whatnot.
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So it would have been EASY!  Just tack a wider strip on top, so it extends, then put a doubler underneath the extended strip, then continue building up strips on top, until the finger rail reaches the desired height.
Then Reality reared it's ugly head, again. 

That was going to be a LOT of epoxy, laminating, gluing and fitting together, fussy little pieces.
And the final rub: I don't have plywood in the right dimensions or lengths, for where I need them.  At this point in the build, I'm down to scrap pieces. For example, a finger rail is going to require 4 or 5  6mm strips an inch deep and 48" long.  Geeze!! This boat build's got me thinking in Imperial AND Metric units at the SAME time!    But you get what I mean.  I am also going to need a 6mm x 6" X 48" transom cap doubler, which was missing when I acquired the kit.
And of course, I can find no one who will sell me a ¼-sheet or a ½-sheet of 6mm Okoume plywood, when it looked like I was only going to need 4 feet by maybe 2 feet to finish up.
So, I was always going to have to buy a full sheet of Okoume plywood.
I'm just going to end up with far LESS surplus plywood, than I originally figured! 

And that's what I did today:
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But if I DID have sufficient material on hand, that would have been a Killer Idea! 
Thanks.

Chris, your suggestion:

Instead of the slats in the floor you could always do a rolltop design.  If you use sunbrella as the backing maybe for a bit of durability, and thinner slats, it could unroll from the cubby. 

To those who may not know:
My Son, Chris, and his sister, have always been full of GREAT IDEAS that make a TON more work for me    on everything I've ever done, all the while they were growing up! Fortunately, (for me!)  the slats are not on the floor, but on the bench seats (it's been a while, since Chris was at the house to see the progress) and not possible to implement.
Whew!      Kid got me going for a minute, imagining a roll top style, slat track back at the lazarette, spooling onto the bench seats, with a slot in the locker in front of the lazarette, to feed slats into, for storage! 

EXCEPT, I WANT TO FINISH THIS THING WHILE I'M STILL ALIVE, TO ENJOY IT!!!
Chris, your Ole Dad, isn't getting any younger!! 
The Sunbrella idea for fabric strips is a good idea, however and I have some on hand.
So even the DUMB ideas, have some merit buried in them, somewhere! 

Doug, I DO want to see photos of those oars when you get a chance.

Riley, Yes I'm still moving in August, but it's kind of like a "Reverse Iguana".  Ya know how Iguanas in south Florida go slower and slower when it gets cold, until they get paralyzed and start falling out of trees? 
That's me: A Reverse Iguana, getting slower and slower, as it gets hotter and hotter. 

As always, though, keep the suggestions coming; it helps more than you know, even if I don't always heed them.
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Riley, Yes I'm still moving in August...
Charles Brennan

Moving!? Did I miss something?

[Charles Brennan]

Dale, LOL 

Was reacting to something Riley said:

I'm just proud he's moving around in this heat!

So I replied: "Riley, yes I'm still moving in August" and PROBABLY SHOULD have said: "Yes, I'm still moving around in August."
But I'm moving around quite slowly, in this heat.

No plans to relocate from north Central Florida.
After living in south Florida, in the same house for 38 years, moving up here was quite stressful and I SWORE!!
"Next time I move, I'm going to be moving to HEAVEN, and I won't have to pack ANYTHING!!"    

Hope this clarifies,
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Dale, LOL 

Was reacting to something Riley said:

I'm just proud he's moving around in this heat!

So I replied: "Riley, yes I'm still moving in August" and PROBABLY SHOULD have said: "Yes, I'm still moving around in August."
But I'm moving around quite slowly, in this heat.

No plans to relocate from north Central Florida.
After living in south Florida, in the same house for 38 years, moving up here was quite stressful and I SWORE!!
"Next time I move, I'm going to be moving to HEAVEN, and I won't have to pack ANYTHING!!"    

Hope this clarifies,
Charles Brennan

Man, that went right over my head! LOL! Must be my age.

I worked outside yesterday in 94 degrees and was zapped by mid-afternoon and that included a lunch break and two trips to the store! Good on you for "still moving in August"!