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Simple Router Table from Reclaimed Desk

Found on Instructables.

Mike John




A Good Read

A short story about Sam Coles' 3000 mile adventure in a 28ft dhow from India to Australia circa 1980.

Paul


The ‘Slingshot 16’ Trimaran Gets a Motor Mount!

By Frank B. Smoot www.DIY-Tris.com

If the wind would promise to always blow, I would be happy not to own any outboard motors. But reality being what it is, I have two of them - an ancient 2 hp, 2-stroke Evinrude and a nearly new 3.5 hp Merc.

The Merc obviously provides more oomph, but at 46 lbs, it is exactly twice the weight of the Evinrude. (Probably not a big deal - unless you’re 69, like me.) And since the Ev happily pushes my 16’ tri at 9 mph flat out and 6 mph at ½ throttle, it’s just fine for my needs.

The problem, of course, is how to hook up a small outboard to a narrow boat whose transom is not only 7’ away from the only seat, but wouldn’t be sturdy enough to hold a motor in any case. Add to this the fact that the additional weight all the way aft could mess up the trim, and in any case, the motor’s tiller handle would be totally out of reach.

The pieces: 2x6 x 36” or so, 1x4 x 16” or so, ½” ply, 4” x 12”

The pieces - Test assembled as they will be when glued in place on the boat (with PL Premium 3X Construction Adhesive).

The plywood “butt plate” has had pieces of ½” x 1-1/2” stock glued on 3 sides before being glued to the port side of the hull. This counteracts the upward thrust of the 2x6 when the motor is attached.

Once the glue on the starboard side 1x4 piece has set, the hole for the 2x6 motor mount board can be cut out.

Here you can see the port side end plate and the starboard side support plate with the hole cut out. Four through-bolts secured the latter in place while the glue cured.

Inside view of starboard side support plate showing the 4 through-bolts. This plate is snug against the bottom of the sheer clamp and the inside of the bilge panel, and is glued to both.

The motor mount board is glued solidly in place.

Here you can see the two #14 S/S screws (with beauty washers) that secured the mount board in place for gluing.

The finished product. I tested it by standing on it (once the glue cured). It handles a 160-lb static load just fine, so I think it will support most any small outboard!

The solution? A side mount! With this arrangement (first tried out on my 24’ tri), the motor is not only located amidships, where it won’t mess up wither trim or helm balance, but the tiller handle - and all other motor adjustments - are also in easy reach.

Of course, the first question I always get about the side mount is: “But won’t a motor located there try to make your boat go in circles?” And the answer is, no. Absolutely not. For reasons I can’t fully explain, the side mounted motor seems to have no tendency whatsoever to make the boat turn.

Plus, the foot pedal-controlled rudder is so fat aft of the motor that it acts exactly as it would under sail. In fact, the cat-rig sail is more inclined to try to push the boat off course than the motor is. So just point the motor dead ahead, and let your feet do all the steering!

A picture being worth 1000 or so words, here’s a batch of photos showing exactly how and where the motor mount (a spare chunk of 2x6) is attached to my Slingshot 16 trimaran.

Frank

Frank's plans are available in the duckworks store.


DIY Drill Press with Rubber Band Suspension

I do woodworking as a hobby, not as a business, so I'm always looking for fun & creative ways to improvise. I don't have a drill press, but lately every project I've been working on would benefit from the precision of a drill press: both the depth of the hole and the vertical axis. So: I decided to convert a corded drill that I have into a drill press.

Found on Instructables.

Mike John


Bench

A friend of mine has a dead tree removal service, so with a steady supply of potential material I decide to make a super-manly workbench.

Found on Instructables.

Mike John


USB Power from Drill's Battery

If you are like me, you have a few cordless tools around. They are expensive - especially the batteries - so why not let them do double duty? Here is an instructable that shows you how to use those batteries on your boat to charge phones, cameras, etc:

Chuck

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