Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Report #2-7A . . . .

[Charles Brennan]

Since I already know what a hopeless slob I am with epoxy mixtures,    I taped off all the future fillet joints to minimize the amount of mess and the subsequent grinding/sanding/smoothing of all the epoxy fillets.
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Then after I get the fillets (mostly!) shaped, I can peel up the tape and I'm good to go! 
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Since the weather is highy un-cooperative this time of year between the heat and the rain, I frequently have to resort to random projects that aren't subject to epoxy kicking off prematurely, (heat) or staying sticky for several days, then "blushing" (rain).
Today's make-work project was routing the excess edges of the deck, even with the gunnels.
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Let's hear it for flush trim router bits! 
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Came out pretty good. 
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Wasn't happy with that gap to the right of the corner and took a pic with the camera, to see how it looked from the inside.

And was immediately sorry, I did so. 
When I first started this project, I intended to put it all out there, warts and all.
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I just didn't expect so many warts!! 
Easy enough fix; just didn't expect to have to fix it, with as much glue as I had slathered onto everything, when I was fastening down the deck.

Routed everywhere the router could reach, until I got stopped. 
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Fortunately, a Shinto rasp makes pretty short work of it.
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SAWDUST!! 
Always, my surest measure of progress! 
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Still hot as Billy Blue Blazes,  so I cut rub rail strips from some mahogany, that I got for 15 bucks! 
This is for the replaceable rub rails, which I desperately need, since I've SEEN how I dock!!    
Catch how far out of the deck curve the rub rails are.  A recurring problem in SCAMP builds, is to have those rails tortured too far and getting subsequent cracking, splitting, total destruction, etc.
IMHO, I think they make the rub rails a little too thick and try to make the bends all at once, instead of doing a little bit at a time.
It's tough because the rails curve up, as well as around, the hull form.
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I realize this is wayyyy out of the build sequence and is normally considered a finishing step, but I had my reasons.
Once the coamings are installed, I won't have any good way to position and clamp the rub rails.
Also, to make things more replaceable, I am using 10-24 X 2" S-S machine screws and need to make sure I have the screw holes drilled properly, into the gunnels
So pre-drilling pre-fabricated rub rails, NOW, is my best solution.
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As I clamped the rails I also installed the 10-24 screws and put on the nuts, but did not tighten them all the way down.
Every 10 or 15 minutes or so, I would increase the pressure on the screws and the nuts.
Since I didn't have nearly enough clamps for this process, I relied on the tightened-down screws to help hold the rails in alignment.
After all the screws are removed, I'll go back and over-drill the holes, for filling in with epoxy.

At the extreme ends, it took a LOT of clamping to force the rub rail into position.
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If I lived in New England or Seattle, I'd probably have to steam the rails into shape (and many SCAMP builders do just that) but in swampy north central Florida, you just leave them in the rain and the sun, for a coupla days.
I think of it as: Tropical Semi-Steaming!! 

This is a much simpler tiller pilot (TP-10) than the one I had on Urchin (TP-32) which could interface to the GPS-72 and whatnot.
As it turned out, I rarely used the fancy interfacing and couldn't justify the extra cost, on so simple (and small!) a boat.
In some quarters,  it is still viewed simply as the World's Most Expensive Tiller Tamer but I don't care; I enjoy watching it hold a wayyy better course, than I can!! 
Last year, when I installed a backing block for the tiller pilot mount, I was doing little more than guessing.
And I just (barely!) made it clear of the coaming.  I actuated the ram to the half-way point and used a rub rail temporarily, to find the  future tiller centered position.
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This determined how far in or out on the edge of the deck, the tiller pilot mount had to be drilled.
This will give me the maximum tiller excursion, in both directions.
It has to be on this side, since the other side is going to have trolling motor wiring running down the length of the hull and even twisted, it might still fake out the magnetic compass on the tiller pilot, unless the wiring is kept on opposite sides of the boat.
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Also drilled for a re-boarding strap pad eye and a stern cleat.  Notice the stern cleat is behind the coaming, something purposely done by the designer, John Welsford, to keep the main sheet traveler from hanging up on it, all the time.
Just another example of subtle design features that are not always immediately obvious, until you understand more, or think about them a bit.

Back half of the port rub rail, screwed down.
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Going to need help getting the forward three screws installed at a later date.
(By someone smaller and far more limber!) 
For now, I was content just to get the rails clamped and the holes pre-drilled.
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After drilling holes for all the deck hardware. . . . . .
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I went back and over-drilled them all to fill in with thickened epoxy, at a later date.
This is in keeping with my intent that no fastener goes through wood, only through epoxy.
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This boat may someday get rot in it somewhere,    but it will have to really WORK at it!!     
L-R: Rod Holder, Stern Cleat, Re-boarding Strap.

With a Heat Index of 114º, it was time to stay in the garage with the fan on, and not even ATTEMPT to fool with long-chain polymeric resins!! 
So I hacked up some scrap aluminum, sawed and sanded and filed and drilled and stamped out, this guy! 
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The HIN # for SCAMP Irish Pennant, hull #3.
This is the plate that will be installed somewhere on the boat, in secret, according to the Coast Guard instructions
Although, how many secret places you can actually have on a 12-foot boat, does not reassure me. 
That HIN number will also be stamped on the upper right side of the transom.

I needed a yard for the balanced lug rig and wanted one made out of aluminum, since the mast and boom are also aluminum.
A 12 foot length of 1.25" (1¼")  O.D. with a .035" wall making for an I.D. of 1.18", was hideously expensive    but two 6 foot lengths were quite reasonable; I just needed to splice them together.
The next tube size down, was 1.125" also with a .035" wall which gave me a .055" gap, between the two tubes.
I was going to coat the inner splice tube with thickened epoxy anyway, so I just needed a temporary spacer of about .05" or so.
Like, say, the top of a pop-rivet.
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It snugs in, quite nicely.
I'll slather on the glue and stick it together, then drill from the outer tube, through the inner tube and pop-rivet the whole thing together and call it good.
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If I get too much heat to deal with in the coming days, I'll be playing with the sail, inside in the air conditioning and probably taking up the entire living room and dining room floor. 
Don't quite know how to classify all this: not exactly forward progress, so much as it is lateral progress; stuff that will have to be done eventually, so why not now?!? 
But at least I'm still doing SOMETHING!! 

Charles Brennan

[Frank B.]

All progress, forward, lateral, or recovery, is good progress.  I'm confused about the HIN plate.  What does that mean?    HIN for another boat? On my build I couldn't get an HIN until final inspection by the MDWFP and that was a stick on, that could be supplemented by a hidden plate.

[Doug SC]

Frank I believe all the boat kits come with HIN numbers these days. I know the Kayak I built did. However, my pre-HIN 1970 Wayfarer was required to have a state issued one when I brought it out of Florida. the DNR  had to check to make sure it wasn't a stolen boat.

Charles you are doing the smart thing about avoiding the possibility of wood rot. I know that from personal experience. My Scamp has a boarding ladder on the transom, but I will run boarding straps to the side cleats on the boat too. The original builder left many of the fillets unfinished on my boat. Sloppy work and I don't think he paid close attention to making sure all the wood was covered in epoxy either as the rot I have had to deal with would indicate. He named the boat Piglet if that is any indication about how he felt about the build. I have several alternatives for a name change but haven't decided on one yet. I feel differently about the boat and have put blood, sweat, and some creative swearing into addressing the issues it came to me with. I am the third person to own it. Rusty did a number of repairs before it came to me for which I am thankful. He has built several boats and knew what he was about. Although I still tease him about selling me a leaky boat. They are meant to be float not flood!

I had her out sailing in some off and on-again windy conditions yesterday after some rigging changes. I took measurements off of the boat plans of the point on the spare where the Halyard attaches. It was too far back on my boat. I did this from the corners of the sail rather than the spare itself as I figured there was a good chance that could vary depending just where the sail actually was attached to the spare. I did the same thing with the boom and marked where it should cross the mast. The boom was close, but the spare was off by about a foot. It seemed to sail maybe a bit better. Hard to tell in the shifty winds but the sail shape seemed better. I have read up on rigging the balanced lug sail. If you have any knowledge of a source for the Scamp, I would love to know it.

https://www.storerboatplans.com/tuning/lug-rig-setup/everything-lug-rig-and-lug-sail/

https://www.opengoose.com/tuning-and-setup/rigging-video-for-lug-rigs-oz-goose-sailboat/

[Charles Brennan]

Frank, The HIN (Hull Identification Number) is used to identify the boat.
https://driveaboatusa.com/blog/boat-hull-identification-numbers-hin/

The SCAMP was commissioned by Josh Colvin and designed by John Welsford, for SCA magazine, which owns the design rights for licensing. As the owner, they can issue a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin which will include the HIN.  For example,  the SCAMPS made by Gig Harbor Boat Works, also have HIN numbers issued by SCA.
And they DO keep track.
Check my own number, for example.  Following the numbering convention required by the Coast Guard, my hull was #3, created in September of 2012, and delivered in 2013.
As happenstance would have it, the additional plywood I purchased to finish it had a date code showing it was made in 2014, so this is a really OLD, Brand-New Boat!!   

For background:
Howard Rice bought hulls #2 & #3, intending to build #2 exactly to the plans, so he could learn enough to know how he wanted to modify it, for hull #3.  As it turned out he started right in on hull #2, which eventually became Southern Cross that he took down to Tierra Del Fuego and got within 60 miles of Cape Horn.
Hull kit #3 lay around in his garage for a number of years before he made the hull available to SEAS (Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan) at the Sheboygan Yacht Club in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where they were going to modify it for teaching handicapped sailors. (Much like the Shake-A-Leg program in Miami, Florida.) The program ultimately failed and the hull languished for a number of years at SYC, until a member of the Sheboygan Yacht Club brought it home to finish, who also decided to abandon the project and then put the hull up for sale, in November of 2023.

Which is when I acquired it.
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So I wrote to Josh Colvin, explained where and how I came onto the hull (turned out, he was already familiar with my story from Face Book) and he issued me the Manufacturer's Certificate Of Origin, which includes the HIN #.
I will need that certificate, when I get the boat titled and registered.

Since 1984, there must also be a duplicate HIN placed in an unexposed part of the boat, either in the interior or beneath a part of the boat's hardware.  That is the plate I  showed in the post.

Hope this clarifies,
Charles Brennan

[Charles Brennan]

Doug, The two links you posted, are frequently cited on SCAMP forums.

Here are two more:
https://www.storerboatplans.com/tuning/lug-rig-setup/everything-lug-rig-and-lug-sail/

https://forum.smallcraftadvisor.com/message-board2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=520&fbclid=IwY2xjawH0zStleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHe832Q_3Nb-TM_xmMjSuDZkfDHntSygClYrdwdA-B_ZQCt_mXdwbLymEvw_aem_uWYk7c8aA1fE-VAXm8uxvA

And a discussion of the virtues of the balanced lug rig:
https://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/the-virtues-of-a-lug-rig-in-small-boats-with-boat-designers-clint-chase-ross-lillistone-and-john-welsford/?source=MEM&utm_source=aweber_campaign&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=desc&utm_campaign=aWeber

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Frank B.]

Got it.  I know what it is for, the confusion was about the pre-issue.  My build, although from a specific designer and oft built did not come with an HIN before the fact. 

Ironically, on the build forum there were many folks from other states complaining and worrying about being able to get it.  Said you need to keep all your receipts of material purchases, have the plan with coast guard approved weight and motor capacity available, pictures of your build as it progressed.  Fortunately, I had those.  However, when I called the MDWFP and made application, they said the ranger was in the hospital with kidney stone surgery and would be delayed.  I offered to drive the boat to their office, but they said no worries, just carry your application with you and you can use the boat.  About four weeks later the rangers, (two) showed up in full "Combat" gear, armed and with bullet proof vests on. I come out with all my stuff ready to start arguing my case for an HIN.  They walked around the boat for a minute or two, said very nice boat build, and started filling out the HIN sticker.  I asked about all the stuff I brought out, no they didn't want to see any of that. They handed me the sticker and asked me to put it on, wanted to make sure I did it while they watched, were afraid they might get it crooked and mess up my build.  Told me that their primary purpose for boat inspections on HIN applications was to find stolen boats.  Said they've never had a home built that turned out to be stolen. Then it was have a nice day, enjoy your boat, and they were on their way.  Whole thing took about ten minutes.

[Timm R Oday25]

Charles ,I have the same autopilot TP-10 for our Oday 25 . Fairly straightforward learning curve .
The two biggest takeaways were setting up the amount of correction and amperage use . The better the sails were set the less often the unit wanted to self correct . I think the amperage use is a little high. I don't have anything to compare it to . Going on 15 plus years ,it has proven to be reliable and robust .

[Travis Chapman]

I thought I spied with my little eye not only exceptional use of HF clamps, but the recently-on-sale steel stamp set. Glad to know mine has a future ahead of it if I do  the same ever!! Always well done Charles; thank you for the sharing the voyage with us all