Boat Building Photos- "Sea Cell"

[LarryJacobson]

Gale,

I was afraid someone would recognize that its been so long since I last posted. Boat building has largely been a winter activity for us. In summer we spend as much time as we can photographing antique boat shows and sailing.

Hopefully, the next time I post we will have her upright with some progress made inside the hull.

By the way, Gale, 11,414 posts- Holy Molie!

Thanks

 

[Baywing]

Congrats on your progress. I feel like a wannabee, I've been working on a model boat (from scratch) for the last 2 years and haven't completed the hull yet. Sounds like the same things going on, only a winter project (spring, summer and fall are for whale watching) so maybe an excuse for the slow progress. Looks like you will be done before me, I hope you'll be posting photos of the christening.

 

[LarryJacobson]

Baywing,

Thanks for your comments.

I suspect that you will finish before me. I've been told by other builders that the hull represents only 25% of the Boat!

I'd also like to see photos of your model- didn't see them on your site.

Best regards,

Larry

 

[cajun angel]

Oh the joys of boat building! How well I remember sanding the 40 something foot mast! I helped build a 45 ft ferro cement ketch SHADOW. It took 5 1/2 yrs to get her to launch date. Your boat is quite beautiful and I look forward to seeing more photos as she progresses. Hope you are keeping all these photos in a good place! Oh, talk about antique boats! I'd have to scan them, but I have quite a collection that I photographed while in Florida. I have a sea-captian friend that showed them all to me. Great shots, great job!:biggrin:

 

[LarryJacobson]

Dianne,

Fortunately, 24' is much more manageable than a 45 footer. On the topic of antique boats, we are leaving for Mount Dora FL tomorrow for their Antique and Classic Boat Festival. Since this is one of the largest shows in the country we expect to photograph quite a few boats. I'll post some of our favorites when we return. Thanks.

 

[PixelPete]

Larry, alot of work but what a beauty!!

 

[Baywing]

Baywing,

Thanks for your comments.

I suspect that you will finish before me. I've been told by other builders that the hull represents only 25% of the Boat!

I'd also like to see photos of your model- didn't see them on your site.

Best regards,

Larry

Not much to shoot, yet. A block of basswood isn't very interesting!! When the hull is a little farther along, maybe I'll post a shot or two. The shape is there, I'm just tweaking the little nits. Props and shafts are next, fabrication is almost done, same for the rudders. Once the keel goes on, I have to finish the stand, then the pulpit, rails.....if you're correct, I guess I have more than 75% to go, I'm still not past primer.

 

[LarryJacobson]

Pete,

Thanks for your encouraging comments.

Baywing,

I look forward to seeing how she is shaping up when you're ready to posts photos.

Thanks

 

[stephen.s1]

Very nice!

What kind of motor? Battery? Charging system?

Thanks, it's good to be in a boatshop again

 

[Ken-L]

That's quite a project! Thanks for the photos!

 

[LarryJacobson]

Stephen,

I haven't yet made any choices regarding the motor and battery capacity. I've been following the Electric Boat forum and related sites for several years hoping that there will be some breakthroughs in efficiency, charge capacities, etc. I guess the advantage of doing this project slowly is that the technology and interest in electric propulsion should be expanding over the next few years.


Also, thanks to Ken-L for your comments.

 

[txbonds]

Wow. Looks great Larry. Can't wait to see your progress over time. Any pictures of that Green finish coat, or has that been applied yet?

 

[patrickh]

That is a sterling tribute to what is clearly a monumental task. The boat looks a dream, and I must salute your skills and your persistence. And you have an understanding wife as well .....

 

[LarryJacobson]

Greg and Patrick,

Thanks for your kind words.

I want to assure you that skill has a lot less to do with the process than some persistence and an understanding wife who is an enthusiastic partner in the bulding process.

Fortunately, not unlike Nikon Cafe, there are several boat building forums which have provided me with much valuable advice and encouragement over the past four years. Its impossible for me to imagine what I would have done without the the availability of forums and people willing to share their experience and opinions.

 

[Reggie]

Larry,
Very interesting. Looks like you are doing a beautiful job. How did you remove the bulkheads? Did you cut them off so that they later became the ribs? If so, how did you do that?
I flew up to North Carolina last week to see the progress on a friends yacht that is being built by the same cold molding process by Spencer Yachts in Wanchese, N.C. His is a 60 ft sport fisherman with the traditional Carolina bow flare. Beautiful boat.

 

[LarryJacobson]

Reggie,

Good question. If you go to the first page of the this thread you will see the strongback with the mold stations. Each station was made of chipboard and solely used to support the strips as they formed the shape of the hull. Some builders who are better planners than me will use some of the molds as their permanent bulkheads. I suppose there's a way to also use them so help form the frames (ribs). I created the frames in a very, very slow way, I steamed 1/4" oak shaped them to the hull. Epoxied and screwed them to the hull. Allowed the epoxy to nearly set, removed the screws, overlaid another layer of oak, repeated the process until I had 1" thick frames. This is a very slow way to do it, but it produces very strong frames.

Since I chose to use the molds as a temporary form, I covered each of them with strips of packaging tape. This prevented the molds from sticking to the epoxied cedar strips when it came time to remove them.

I saved all the molds and they will serve as patterns for some of the bulkheads and floors.

The pros work much more quickly and efficiently than I do, but its great that there are builders who continue to work wood.

 

[greyflash]

Just stopped back to see your latest on this thread. You are really coming along nicely and what a great job you are doing. Makes the canoe I built look like a bathtub toy. Excellent thread, keep them coming.

 

[LarryJacobson]

Gordon,

In reality "Sea Cell" is just a big canoe.

Thanks

 

[seafoxfla]

Awesome work, beautiful vessel, I wish I had the will to do something like that, but then again not having ADD would help.:smile: