Yesterday I installed the keelson. I glued it into a notch in the transom and forward bulkhead and then butted it up into the stem. I screwed it to the temporary center frame to ensure that it glued at the correct arch.

The picture on the left shows the scarf joint in the keelson and, although difficult to detect in the photo, the curve of the keelson forward.





These three photos show the rabbet joint of the transom and keelson. As can be seen in the first photo. The bottom of the keelson is not flush with the bottom of the transom. The bottom panels will rest on the bottom of the transom. This will leave a gap between the keelson and bottom panels that I will have to fill with epoxy. It is hard to tell from the photo below, but I did not make this mistake in the stem rabbet. The screws are temporary and will be removed and the holes filled with epoxy.






























This photo shows the rabbet at the forward bulkhead.














Here is the stem.

















In this photo you can see the temporary battens screwed near the chines. This help bring the sides into a fair curve. The piece on the left of the photo is made up of a few different pieces because this is where I had the unfair spot. you can see the glue line of the scarf joint there. I'm afraid that all I accomplished screwing those scraps of wood there was to put more holes in the boat which will later have to be filled with epoxy.

One thing I learned building the first boat - which you can see on the right side of this photo - is that no matter what, I will end up having holes to fill later so there no need to worry about screw holes now. Using screws instead of clamps can be a real time saver.

You can also see the tape measure I have nailed to the stem. I have to continually check the boat for twists because it is not yet rigid enough. It still tends to shift when I'm working on it. Having the tape measure nailed into place allows me to quickly check the measurements from the stem to each corner of the stern and make any adjustments needed before epoxy dries.

I have been using left over wood flour from my first boat project to thicken the epoxy when gluing joints but I am almost out of it. I have ordered cab-o-sil, epoxy, and fiber glass from B&B Yacht Designs, but it has not gotten here yet. This restricts my options a bit as far as what I can do next.

I am going to try to shape the keelson and cut the bottom panels to shape today.

More small bits

Thursday I scarfed the plank for the keelson and notched the transom and forward bulkhead to receive it. I will have to dry fit it and make some adjustments before gluing it up.

I also fastened battens to the hull just above the chine. These are temporary and help to bring the side panels into a fair curve. After the bottom panels are epoxied, these battens will come off.

I had to use some scrap wood I had as the battens and I did not have any that would go the full length of the hull. I had some about 14' I think and they seem to do the trick very well except there is one area near the stem that the batten did not reach and is not fair. It's where I have a scarf joint in the plywood and it sort of caves inward a bit - the result of an imperfect scarf. I think I can add another short batten there and fair it out - I'll figure this out before I attach the bottom panels.

Small setback

I was going to shape and glue the keel batten - a board that runs down the centerline inside the bottom of the boat - today, but my board is only 14 ft and I need 16. I found the other two feet in another piece that I was going to scarf to the 14 ft piece, but it's too warped. I'll have to wait and go to the lumber yard and get a better piece. I was too tired to do anything else, so I called it a day.

My friend Wojtek sent me a picture showing how the bottom panels go on. I didn't think they were stitched on while the epoxy sets, but they are. That's a bit more work than I anticipated the bottom would be. Not bad though.

Some progress

Yesterday I glued the joints that I had temporarily fastened. It took a while to get the boat level and straight. My floor is not level - just the ground with plywood laid on top. To get it level I just put a level across it at the transom, the temporary center frame, and then the forward bulkhead. I made adjustments by putting blocks of wood under the boat where needed. Then I had to check for twists. I did this by measuring from the bow to the right corner of the transom, then comparing that to the measurement from the bow to the left corner of the transom - if they are not the same, the hull is twisted. You obviously don't want to glue a twist into the boat. If there is a twist, and I I one, you just grab the transom and twist it in the opposite direction. It took me a few tries, but I finally got it. Putting a nail through the end of my tape measure finally stopped me from having to walk back and forth to the front of the boat to set it on the tip of the transom every time I compared left to right.

190 1/2 inches from the bow to each corner of the transom, on the bottom. Level and straight, I epoxied the joints.

Today I scarphed and glued to pieces of 3/8 plywood which will make up one half of the bottom. What's left from those two pieces after I cut the panel out gets scarfed and glued to another piece of 3/8 in. panel to make the other bottom panel.

Next: fit and glue the keel plank. This is a board that goes straight down the middle of the bottom of the boat. I have to put it in before installing the bottom panels.

Cruising waters

Although my first expedition in the boat is not in sight, it will likely be around Winyah Bay and North Inlet. Here is a google map. I also plan to go further south, towards McClellanville, SC.

As I said in an earlier post, I've never sailed, so this will all be a learning experience for me. Someone told me the other day that they once went sailing in Winyah Bay and were making pretty good speed as far as the wind. When they looked at the shoreline, however, they realized they were actually being pushed slowly backwards because of the force of the current. I'm pretty sure he was sailing in a displacement type boat. My hope is that the planing abilities of the BRS will solve any such problems.

community of boatbuilders

One thing you learn quick when you get into building boats like this is that there is an entire subculture of amateur boatbuilding out there. Wooden Boat Magazine, their online forum, many other online forums, many books, etc.

Other builders are always eager to help you with advice. When I first started looking into building one of these, I contacted the designer to see if there were any builders close to me. Turns out, someone just around the corner had built a Core Sound 17' - the sister to the BRS. I called him up on the phone and he showed me his boat. I'm hoping he's going to take me sailing now that the weather has warmed up. I'm also hoping he can help me with some things like building the rudder.

I have found two other builders of the BRS 17 - one in Florida (Tampa area) and one in Warsaw, Poland. The builder in Florida has been using his as a motoring fishing skiff. He has yet to complete the sailing rigging on the boat. He has sent me some pictures of his boat and I'll post them if he gives me permission.

The builder in Warsaw is named Wojtek and hopes to make his maiden voyage in his BRS this week. Here is a photo of his boat:

Here is an account of a couple's cruise in a BRS 15' in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico: http://www.smallboatforum.com/PDFfiles/BeachCruisingBaja.pdf

It has some good pictures of the boat and is quite a testament to the design.