A while back, a City parks administrator decided to limit the length of boats allowed in my sailing club’s storage yard to 6m (about 19.5’). So, I rethought my EZ Proa concept.

I still like the slab side hull shape with one chine above the waterline. I still like 3 hull sections bolted together like a Wa’apa. I still like the plywood deck between plank akas, with plate hinges to halve the beam when stored. And I still like the schooner rig using Laser spars and sails (especially since I can borrow them for free).

But I discovered more ways to make it EZ.

I like the simple but elegant kick-up rudders on Gary Dierking’s blog:
http://outriggersailingcanoes.blogspot.ca/2012/02/new-rudder.html.
I’m hoping that a beefy pair of these will mean I won’t need any other foils.

I won’t build a hard cabin. I’ll try it first as an open boat with a deep cockpit (self-draining), and then look at canvas biminis or enclosures.

I’m debating a PVC pipe ama, especially if I can get a length of 8"ID schedule 40 pipe for free. Or, there’s the Wa’apa plywood akas. PVC might be too heavy when folding the akas for storage.

I’m also debating which plywood to use for the hull: 3/8” MDO or SurePly. I soaked a piece of SurePly for a month, and even though the plywood sunk to the bottom of the container, the glue held firm. But I’ve only seen it in half sheets locally. MDO is more durable, has a paint ready finish, and is available locally in full sheets, but costs more. Construction method will be plywood on frames and stringers, using SS screws and Titebond III as glue and sealant. I don’t want to use epoxy because of my family’s chemical sensitivities. I think this is the quickest way for me.

If all goes well, I hope to start building soon. I wonder if I can finish the main hull in under 100 hours?

Well, I’ve started building. I cut 5 frames out of plywood. Next I’ll complete these frames with lumber around the edges.
I’m keeping a log of time spent on actual building, and material costs.
Maybe in a few weeks, I’ll have something worthy of a photo to post.
I’m excited, even by these baby steps.

Maybe in a few weeks, I’ll have something worthy of a photo to post.

Every little step is worthy of a photo! We all like photos and videos.
Congratulations on starting a new boat! Its always a special feeling seeing the boat take shape.

Johannes.

Johannes is right. Every step, specially in the beginning is worth a picture. Please show us what you do. Thanks.
I think 6 meters is a good size. It takes not too long to build, it is possible to spend weekends and she is not dangerous in stronger winds. That is already a boat, not a dinghi.

Alexander

ok, ok - here’s a teaser.

These will be the bulkheads at either end of the 2m cockpit. Big enough to stretch out and sleep. The floor will rest on the middle horizontal board. The water line will hopefully be about half way between the cockpit floor and bottom. The wide boards are to support the bolts that attach the cockpit to the two end of the hull.

So, I need to build another set of identical panels, but slightly wider, since one set will be beveled in, and the other set beveled out, as the hull is curving. I forgot about the beveling, and cut horizontal boards that are too short for the cockpit bulkheads. They will work fine for the mating bulkheads though. So nothing is glued yet…

There are three more half bulkheads that go between these two (spaced every 50cm). I’m hoping to build sealed bilge compartments with hatches for storage under the cockpit floor.

Time spent building: 6 hours

I now have 3 frames assembled and 2 others ready for assembly. Time: 13 hours.

I’m rethinking the hatches in the cockpit floor. The floor is 15 to 20cm above the waterline, and the freeboard is 75 to 80cm. So it should be quite dry. The hatches have to be strong enough for a person to stand on.

I was thinking of building sealed hatches that would stay dry even if the cockpit was awash. But that would mean building frames for each hatch into the cockpit floor, and into the lids. And I’d have to use more plywood, since the cutouts from the hatch holes are too small to use for lids. Not EZ. And not flat, so how do you sit or sleep on it?

Now I’m thinking of building flush hatches like in a kayak deck. All I need is to add stringers under the floor to act as flanges around the edges of each hatch. The cutout from the hole becomes the hatch lid (with maybe another layer of plywood glued to the back). Much more EZ. Something like this:
http://ptwatercraft.com/blog/?p=120

I really want to use the space under the cockpit floor for storage, even if it’s not totally water tight. I can live with dry bags and plastic totes.
Suggestions?

Have a look at Sven Yrvind’s method of making a waterproof hatch, described in his postings from 19th and 22 July: http://www.yrvind.com/present_project/?m=201207

You could make the floor even either by sinking the hatches to make them flush or by putting a grating on top.  The grating is probably faster to build, and should be drier for sleeping on. 

Regards

Robert Biegler

Thanks Robert. That’s the way I was originally thinking, but I think it’s overkill for this boat.
Here’s how I’m thinking now:
http://www.clcboats.com/shoptips/fitting_out/flush_hatches.html

Our most recent watertight hatches look like this: http://www.ptwatercraft.com/ptwatercraft/PT11_Options.html
We will soon be offering kits for two different sizes of hatches similar to the one shown on our website, except they will be rectangular and less expensive.
I have become passionate about watertight openings and these seem to be truly watertight.
I’ll post a link to the new hatches as soon as we have photos.
Russell

Thanks Russell, that’s exactly how I’d like to build my hatches. Light, but tight. What do you use for the gasket material?

Time: 19.5 hours

The frames for under the cockpit are almost finished. I’ve also cut top rails. After I’ve cut out the cockpit floor (with its 4 hatches, then I will join the fames rails and floor to form a cage. Then the plywood panels go on the sides and bottom.

I’m sure stitch and glue is easier than frames and stringers, but it sure is nice to work with wood glue instead of epoxy.

Yesterday was a rare dry day in Vancouver, so early in the morning I bought enough MDO and SurePly for the cockpit part of the main hull. I waited until after work to cut the MDO down to panel size. Now it’s all stored in the basement, waiting to draw details before precise cutting. I plan to use the cockpit floor with its hatch framing as the “strongback substitute”, so I need to be extra careful when drawing and cutting the interface between the floor and frames.

I was surprised to learn that the “real” lumberyards in my area either don’t do cutting, or charge a steep minimum (i.e. $35). I had to go to a real yard to get 3/8” MDO. At 36lbs per sheet, it’s too heavy to use for all hull panels, but I’ll use it for the bottom and bilge panels, as well as the cockpit floor. SurePly weighs about 10lbs per half sheet, and the Home Depot guy cut my panels for free (this time). I’ll have to do butt joints though.

Yesterday was a sunny Saturday, so I enlisted my son to help me cut stringers and grooved boards for hatch frames. Then I cut out the cockpit floor. There is still some trimming to do, but it should fit snugly into the frames.
The hatch holes are 44cm wide, but the covers will overlap the frames underneath by 2cm all around. The frames will be cut like picture frames, so that the slots forms a ring under each hatch cover into which I can install a gasket.

The hatches are about as big as they can be. They provide four “sealed” chambers under the cockpit. I’m thinking they could be used either for storage or as footwells, however then the cockpit cannot be self draining.

These cockpit details are going against the EZ theme, but I think they will make the boat much more versatile in use.

Oh, yeah - time so far: 29 hours

Slow progress - life and very wet weather get in the way. But I enjoy the time I get on this proa project.

I’m getting close to 3D. This is a test fit. I need to trim the boards I cut for hatch frames, but the cockpit floor is OK. After taking the photos I realized that I had swapped two frames and had the middle one in backwards. Oops.

Time: 34 hours

An update - no building until January. Business trip, my wife taking over the house with Christmas decorations (literally - she does event planning/decorating as a hobby), and seasonal obligations and travel are preventing progress.

But I’m still thinking about sheeting arrangements and rudders.

I’m using stock Laser rigging (because I have access to it). Would it be bad if one sheet on each boom (2 masts) goes to the clew block at 2:1 and the other sheet goes to the mid-boom block at 3:1?

I also like the idea of using quarter dagger rudders with asymmetric ogive sections, like the ones used on Toroa. Since my hull is symmetrical and not offering much resistance to leeway, these dagger rudders need to be big and will both stay down when sailing.

Tomorrow we leave for a 2100 km drive to my parents house in Saskatchewan. So I’ll say Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year! to everyone. Thank you for all the ideas and discussion as I slowly work on my (not so) EZ Proa. See you next year!