The new dimensions of the boat stretched the limits of the ACX plywood I was using and I had to wire the panels together in several places. I also had to use a little more filler than I had planned. This gave me a good opportunity to try the various items that came in my System Three® sample pack as well as some of my own ideas and creations. Some of the creations were more successful than others but I viewed all of this boat as an experiment and a learning process and, thus, all of the expenses as tuition.

I liked making my own wood flour by double sifting my shop floor sweepings. For some epoxy-thickening applications Fix-All® worked pretty well. Made of wood flour, gypsum, starch and lime, it never set up quite right for vertical surfaces--it sagged-- but worked very well on the horizontal seams. Rather than turning to a "peanut butter" consistency it would kick into a gum like Liquid Nails® floor joist adhesive. I also ended up using Bondo® especially where I had had wire holes and wanted a smooth surface prior to exterior taping. In fact, about the only two powders in my shop I didn't try using as fillers were the Metimusal® and the Jello® pudding and pie filling. The Metimusal® might actually have pretty good sanding characteristics. I’ve since gone out and purchased a 50-pound bag of silica. Never want to run out of thixotropic agents again.

I used WEST System Brand® epoxy and hardener throughout since it was the only brand locally available. I’d love if there were more local retail competition in the epoxy market here but that is currently not the case. The safest course of action in a first project is to stick with the four or five established thickeners and use them for the prescribed applications. If you mix your own concoctions, just remember to test them on scrap before using them on the boat.

The re-cutting and the extra filling resulted in some analysis of my choice to proceed with option one. A review of my sanity seemed to be in order as well. The experience was a classic case of "It seemed like a good idea at the time" and it is important not to beat yourself up too much at those moments. I tried to think of what my friend Bill the philosophy major would say but all I can remember is the three enduring questions he asks daily: 1) Why am I here? 2) Is there a God? and 3) Do you want fries with that? Further examination and discussion with the local boatbuilding support group reminded me that attitude makes the difference.

All's well that….Oh Well!

I'm not obsessive-compulsive. (I found I didn't have time to collect all the web sites having to do with obsessive-compulsive disorder on the inter-net). But as I write this I'm waiting for the delivery of the plywood for laying out a new Diablo--a real one this time. The only question is do I owe "Dynamite" another plan fee--seeing as how the first boat isn't actually a Diablo.

I measured everything several times prior to cutting. I even used two different devices in case one was faulty. First I used my tape measure--the one my wife calls my "Norwegian pager". Then I checked my work with my metal rule. In this case I was measuring back from the station line but from the wrong point on that line (see graphic). I was measuring from the bottom of the side panel rather than from the bottom of the plywood. As a result the angle was too steep. This steep angle had to be trimmed on top to match the stem (under my option one). The rest is history.

One of the measures of builders is how they respond to stupid mistakes. Sometimes we manage to do something even more stupid to attempt to correct the first one. Many of us are more forgiving of others than we are of ourselves. Next to sheer persistence, I rate forgiveness as a necessary component in completion of a boat-building project. In fact, after talking with my boat builder support group, skill seems to come in between fifth and tenth place in the priority order of characteristics likely to result in a floating project. Many articles review the skills required to build a boat. Fewer deal with the character traits required.

Measuring correctly in both instances is necessary for project completion.

ES

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2000 issue of Boatbuilder.

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