Building the Lady C - 1993-1994

Between February, 1993 and April 1994, I built a plywood dory, using the stitch and glue construction technique. It is a single-end dory, modeled after the Oregon coast dories, with a modified hull for V-entry.

It was designed by Tracy O'Brien. It is O'Brien's V20 design.

Scarphing Plywood

The project begins by joining 8-foot sheets of plywood into longer sheets. The sheets are joined by scarphing and gluing, to form sheets up to 23 feet long. I used a John Henry scarphing jig attached to my Makita 4-3/8-inch power planer. This jig is available at a very fair price from:

John Henry Inc., POBox 473, Spanish Fort, Alabama, 36577 (251)626-2288

John Henry Scarphing Jig on Makita Planer

John Henry Scarphing Jig on Makita Planer

Scarphs cut in marine plywood

Marine plywood panels glued with epoxy and clamped

Completed scarph in cheap CDX plywood

Cutting, Coating and Sanding the Panels

The panels are cut to the proper shape. The plans provide a table of offsets for each panel. The offset points in the tables are marked on the panels and a smooth curve is drawn to connect the offset points. I used a long supple batten strip to trace the smooth curves.

Bottom panels cut to shape

After cutting the panels to shape, each panel is coated with fiberglass set in marine epoxy.

In 1994, non-blushing epoxies were not available. Therefore, after curing, the epoxy surfaces of the panels are sanded to assure good bond during future gluing.

Stitching

Temporary stitches are used to stitch the joints together before gluing. I was amazed as I stitched the panels together, according to the directions, and the boat magically took shape.

Bottom V entry

The wires used for stitching are coated with floor wax. Epoxy does not stick to wax and the wires will be easily pulled later. Use the was-coated wires to stitch 'er up! What was yesterday a bunch of flat panels, is today a 3D boat!!!

Chine

Chine and V entry

Turn the boat over and install a few spreaders to get the hull final shape.

And Glue

After stitching, the insides of the joints are glued using thickened epoxy to form a fillet that is covered with fiberglass tape set in epoxy.

Fillet in V entry

Taping chine and transom

Those old blushing epoxies required the extra step of sanding after the joints were completed.

Hull Exterior

After the interior joints are complete, exterior hull stuff can be installed, such as, rub-rail, transom cut-out and sheer deck.

Installing the rubrail

Sheer deck

Bow point

At first I installed a bow eye. See Bow Loop, Transom and Frames for my experiences with bow eyes and bow loops.

Original bow eye in Lacy C

Finishing the Bottom


Turn 'er over again, and install the bottom doubler layer and strip planking.

Strip planing the V entry

Radius and tape the exterior joints.

Heavy duty biaxial fiberglass tape on
transom and chine exterior joints

Heavy duty biaxial fiberglass tape on
keel and chine exterior joints

Install the sole battens then graphite coat the bottom. 

Sole battens

Graphite coating

See my post Put Some Lead in Your Pencil for what I have since learned about adding graphite powder to epoxy.

Final coat of paint on the bottom and flip the boat again.

Interior Work

Fore and aft flotation chambers.

Fuel tanks

Inwhales

Painting and Finish Work

System 3 Primer

System 3 LPU topcoat

Handrails

Original 2stroke Johnson outboards
have been replaced with 4stroke
Hondas

Cuddy, Helm and Outboards

Some photos...

In the fall of 1996, I converted the Lady C from a pilothouse to a cuddy cabin with ample dry storage and protection from the weather. The cuddy cabin was built so that the seat backs could be rearranged to create space for two people to spend the night comfortably.