Construction
As the hurricane season in 2006 wound down, I gathered up my untidy stack of scribbled notes and computer printouts, and set to work.
I built a strongback out of two 16 foot 2X6 timbers, braced to each other and to the saw horses that supported the strongback at a convenient working height. The bulkheads and frames were erected on this strongback, leveled and plumbed and fastened to the strongback with temporary screws.
Once all the frames, bulkheads and transom were up and positioned, it started to look a little like a hull.
The inner stem on the first hull is 1/2 inch plywood that extends back to the collision bulkhead, to better transmit any collision forces to the rest of the hull. In the second hull I used solid 3/4 inch yellow pine for the stem, because it was hard to keep the ply stem perfectly straight.
The chine logs, mid-stringer, and sheer clamps were notched into the bulkheads and frames, and packing pieces were used on the stem between the longitudianl members.
The 1/4 inch planking was offered up to the frame, marked, cut, and fastened in place with temporary screws and epoxy. I avoided using permanent fasteners in the construction, in the belief that changes would be needed.
The first hull is planked, and off the strongback. I added rub rails to the gunwales and planed them flat. The second hull is in frame.
I glassed the hulls to a couple inches above the waterline, trying to avoid weight and the expense of glassing the entire hulls.
I couldn’t resist dragging both hulls out into the yard, just to see how they looked together. At this point, I realized that Slider was a pretty big boat, for a 16 footer.
Here you can see how the side deck stringers were put together. Also note the seat rails, which extend from the mid-stringer. Side decks and seat rails form a double girder system that gives the hulls tremendous stiffness without a great deal of weight.
Here you can see how the deck beams were let into the tops of bulkheads, using a half lap to avoid taking too much wood from either beams or bulkheads.
The cockpit coamings were laminated from two strips of 1/4 inch plywood. The first layer was temporarily screwed to the deck beams and the second layer clamped to it.
I painted the hulls before bolting them to the crossbeams, because it was much easier to paint them upside down.
The storage spaces in each hull are 30 inches deep, and divided horizontally.
The unfinished cedar center deck is removable, and the yellow pine cross supports have their ends wrapped with glass to prevent splitting.
Rudders and daggerboard were built from laminated plywood, roughed out, glassed, and faired.
The trailer began life as a cheap 4 foot by 8 foot flatbed from Harbor Freight. It was modified with flat bunkers and a winch pedestal.
Copyright 2008 Ray Aldridge
