question about building sailboat hull ...

Is plywood as heavy as steel? If you cover it with fiberglass?

For the backbone ... can you use wood that is put together rather than a
solid beam?




"Wayne.B" <waynebatrecdotboats.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:0vo5r1tauprc04888sh03u77cq2q820rt4@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 18:51:08 GMT, "Thomas Wentworth"
> <tomcatm.RemoveThis@verizon.net> wrote:
>>
>>Two things ... when building a hull, do you first need a backbone,,,
>>keel,,, or whatever??
>
> Not necessarily since there are many different ways of building a
> boat, but building a backbone and frame/mold is certainly a time
> honored method.
>
>>
>>Another ,,, if you use plywood, can you glass over the ply and the ply
>>becomes a core?
>
> You can but you end up with a relatively heavy boat by modern
> standards.
>>
>>
>
 >> Stay informed about: question about building sailboat hull ... 

"Thomas Wentworth" (tomcatm@verizon.net) writes:
> I was looking at a site that showed a home builder's sailboat. He had some
> plans, set up a frame on the ground and made a cross piece frame ..
>
> He used plywood to sheath the boat. Epoxy on the plywood.
>
> Two things ... when building a hull, do you first need a backbone,,,
> keel,,, or whatever??

Called a "strongback" it gives stability to the work. most boats need
something. even some stitch and glue boats need something to hold the shape.

>
> Another ,,, if you use plywood, can you glass over the ply and the ply
> becomes a core?
>

Caled "encapsulation" there should optiminally be three layers of
resin-soaked fibre to keep water out of the wood on a boat kept in the
water.
 >> Stay informed about: question about building sailboat hull ... 

Thomas Wentworth wrote:
> I was looking at a site that showed a home builder's sailboat. He had some
> plans, set up a frame on the ground and made a cross piece frame ..
>
> He used plywood to sheath the boat. Epoxy on the plywood.
>
> Two things ... when building a hull, do you first need a backbone,,,
> keel,,, or whatever??
>
> Another ,,, if you use plywood, can you glass over the ply and the ply
> becomes a core?
>
>
>
Bolger's "Instant Boats" (books and plans available from H.H. Payson, )
offer an easy construction method that does not require lofting (Look
into this if you plan to build a traditional boat -- means drawing the
plans full scale so that you can find the mistakes in the measurements
given in the published plans and so that you can make patterns for
actually building. Many first time builders get so discouraged in the
lofting phase that they never get to the actual building phase.) or a
strongback (the cross-piece frame).

BTW, traditionally, what you are calling a frame is usually called
"molds" (or "moulds"). In traditional terminology, frames are a
permanent part of the boat.
 >> Stay informed about: question about building sailboat hull ...