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Hello all,

I am spending the winter in the impossible newbie quest. Now that I have my rowing punt for Derby Pond and other little puddles we fish, I want a boat that rows a bit better, can sail, Car Top, and just to be completely ridiculous I should be able to sleep on it.

Two designs that have done all that are Bolger's Cartopper which I have valiantly tried to make some models of, my skills are improving and Michalak's excellent pram, the Piccup Squared. Both have been used as camp cruisers on raid events.

A dory would be nice, Gavin Atkin's drew one up instant boat style from three sheets and I made a model of that. Looks to be the best rower. Would be the hardest to sail and a bear to tack. Also not very stable for fishing.

Then I started reading "Build the New Instant Boats and came across the June Bug. Light enough to cartop, a 14' flatiron, flattie, or sharpie skiff as you will. Enough capacity, fair rowing ability, enough room to rack out under a boom tent, stable enough to fish, fair sailer.

So I had to make a model. Did this one without plans or an Architect's scale rule ( Don't kill me Alan, I have ordered one). I used the drawings from the book and a calculator to "loft" to an approximate 1/8 scale.

Here are some pics.....
















I really like this boat. As you can see in the first pic, my poor cartopper model has a band from Canada Named after it......

So maybe the next model is a do over on the CarTopper hull.

I can't recommend model making strongly enough. I was hesitant because my first attempt at a model of the simple Big Tortoise was hideous. My hulls are still pretty jacked up, but I can see improvement with each one. Model Building is an enjoyable hobby in and of itself. It's also a great way to go through a building key and see how the full size boat goes together and give you a heads up of where the build is liable to get hairy.

Hi Doug,



Why I oughtta!!!

Seriously... My first boat was built without plans. It came out fine. I've built from books and magazines and no one has drowned. It's just that it's so much easier to build with plans, models and an architect's rule. I just grabbed a book ("Wooden Boats to Build and Use" by John Gardner) off the "boat shelf" and randomly opened it up to the "Marblehead Gunning Dory, 'Republican'" and there are the molds... Yeah, I could scale it up, make the temp frames, keep an eye on the baseline, and stitch and glue it together. Anyone can... It's just that it's so much easier to buy the plans, make a model first, and have that architect's rule always at the ready.

I built my first boat around 1980... the Teal... I made every mistake that could possibly be made. By the time I was done, the Moaning Chair had to be replaced. All because I didn't listen to Dynamite in the first place... Plans, architect's rule, model - That's the only way to go.

As for your models... Wow! They're getting much better with each new one. And you're right... Model making is a fantastic hobby in and of itself.

Say... Have you looked at the Skimmer? Granted, it won't sail... But man, it looks like a blast!

Alan

Hey Alan,

I have looked at the skimmer. I am so incompetent with engines that rowing and sailing always occupy my fantasies. Even going out with extremely competent folks ( say, the Cape May - Lewes Ferry Crew) I still get worried about being on a boat that does not have sails/oars/yuloh as a back up propulsion.

So I guess I would be okay with the skimmer as long as I stashed some oars on it. The ponds where I hang out are all no wake zones, but it would be fun to have one for the Delaware River.

Back to this modeling madness... Dynamite suggests the 1/8 scale in IBBWDP . his explanation included ease of "lofting" by simply cutting up photocopies of the plans. I have read that the 1/8 scale is easy to use working from a table of offsets. Any pointers as to where to look for more info on that subject?

At this point it has become clear to me that I enjoy model making and hope to get good enough to produce models that folks would want on a mantle someday. I have John Gardner's book and that looks like fertile ground for model making from tables of offsets on classic shapes.

Then we have the Down East Dories, one or two thereof have me lusting in my heart

Hi Doug,

I assume you have Dynamite's model books. John Gardner's "Wooden Boats to Build and Use" has a chapter on scale half models. Then there's the RC/historical crowd:

http://www.naturecoast.com/hobby/books.htm#WHALE

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?kn=boat+model&sts=t&x=0&y=0

Hope this helps,

Alan

I probably should get Dynamite's model books. Does he cover working from tables of offsets?

She's Painted!! As Alan pointed out in another thread, models are also a great test bed for paint schemes.









I think this is as far as I am going with this model, working on another piece for duckworks on model making....

Hi Doug,

Here's another model boat book... http://www.amazon.com/Model-Boat-Building-Made-Simple/dp/0887403883/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Not sure about offset tables... The current issue of Wooden Boat (#210) has a piece on lofting and offset tables though.

As for painting a model... The wife and I like to paint and then step way back... We just want to see how the colors interact.

One thing that does look interesting is Payson's dioramas... If I were to take the time to build a good model, I'd like to take a shot at a decent background like the one on pg 172 of Bolger's "Boats with an Open Mind".

Alan

I really liked the ones on the hood of his car! I have got to get away from the glue gun, it makes a mess and is very hard to paint over said mess....... But it's fast!

I let a friend who does paint by numbers festoon the JuneBug. Not the way I would have gone....

Not a prob... Slap on another coat of paint. Try different color schemes. If you want to, build another model... It will only get better.

Alan

I don't know Alan, now that the GLD is under construction I am thinking ahead to the next plywood butchering. i am thinking Junebug. 150 lbs cold molded out of BC, or around a buck even if I drive to CLC and get the okume.... Hmmmm. Didn't dynamite say Bolger drew the Junebug to replace his GLD???

Hi Doug,

I don't know about Junebug replacing the GLD... Different boats for different purposes...

If you can get CLC Okoume... That's $400 for the ply... AC exterior will probably run $25/sheet ($100 total) and marine will be twice that - $200 total... I don't know... AC works just fine though it takes patching. Marine ply is good stuff... And Okoume is simply gorgeous... (My problem is that I've just touched AARP age, and I know I'm not just building for me anymore. (that and I hate messing with lesser quality stuff.))

I guess for a beautiful boat like the GLD, I'd eventually use Okoume for a legacy boat... But for a work boat like the June Bug, I'd probably just use marine ply... But that's just me...

Alan

Hi Alan,

I was referring to the passage on page 104 of 'Build the New Instant Boats' where Dynamite quotes PCB as saying he wanted JuneBug to replace a 'used up light dory' that wasn't up to the job of handling heavy gear. Since PCB built the prototype GLD around the time you and I were built, circa 1960 the timing seems right as well.

According to the GLD booklet, PCB made the original GLD to use as a tender for one of his sharpies.

I agree that they are very different boats. i have even read reports of JuneBug doing well under moderate outboard power. I still need a few more builds before I can proceed with my plans for world domination. Plus I just have a soft spot for Bolger's 'ugly' boats. To me they are beautiful. Simple, clean, and suitable for what they are intended for.

Wow... Does that speak volumes for me... A bit of history... Because of family issues (dad and big brother gone) as a kid I was forced to fix everything on both the home front and on old rental property. I came to hate fixing "pretty things" especially when simpler, more rugged designs would never have failed in the first place. In my teens, a math teacher turned me on to the Shakers. (If you're interested in building Shaker furniture or in the shaker style, check out "Making Authentic Shaker Furniture With Measured Drawings of Museum Classics" by John G. Shea: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=john+g.+shea&sts=t&tn=%22Making+Authentic+Shaker+Furniture+With+Measured+Drawings+of+Museum+Classics%22&x=54&y=14)

Anywho, that leads to Bolger and Payson... Elegant simplicity... Rumor has it that there are some folks out there that think Bolger designs as ugly "cat boxes". Their loss.

I say that if the June Bug is the beauty you're looking for, have at it... Build a few more boats. (Maybe build a cheap June Bug just to be sure it's what you really want?) And then build out of the finest materials if that's what you want. Why not a Cadillac build for a June Bug? A late friend once said wise words indeed, "Life is not a dress rehearsal."

Alan

Hi Alan,

Not a bad idea. I just found a lumber yard 40 minutes drive that has fir marine ply, and fir A/C exterior..

Haven't decided on the next build yet. Have those cartopper plans and patterns, there is a report of a fellow who sailed in the OBX130 this year who can actually sail upwind in his sweet pea. Then there's some Bolger inspired designs by others.... Decisions, decisions.....

My Great nephew wants a JuneBug for fishing, taking girls out, taking his brothers out, and taking his mom, more or less in that order and I'm thinking it would be a good sail (re) trainer.

Hi Doug,

Just a thought... When we started the Bolger Micro, (I think the plans called for 10 sheets of ply...) buying in bulk was pretty well accepted at the lumberyard. If you've found an outlet that will let you buy at the "more-than-a-sheet-at-a-time" rate, ask... I did, and it not only did we get a discount, but we also got it delivered free. (If I remember right, we were out of their delivery area by 30 miles, but they were cool and were willing to deliver if we could wait until they had to make a "serious" delivery for a new home construction project. In general, I've always had good results dealing with lumberyards when I explained my plight (building a wooden boat) and was willing to put cash on the barrel head. Maybe I've just been lucky.)

I'd say ask... You never know... I'd shoot for marine ply...

Alan