Streaker Build - Vic Hawkins

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO BUILD?

Winter 1994.

Part 1.

I have been asked this question on many occasions since I decided to start Streaking, and to enter the class by building my own boat.

The story starts towards the end of 1992 season. I had been sailing a succession of Lasers over a ten years and was out sailing one Sunday in rather too much wind for my competence when the boat proceeded to attack me and throw me out. That was it; on the notice board it went. Eventually a club member stumped up the readies and took the plastic tray off my hands.

‘Get a good boat – buy a Streaker!’ said Vernon. Not wishing to invoke a court martial, or worse, I ordered a kit from Jack Holt. About a month later a phone call told me that my kit was ready for collection from the ‘Old Fire Station’ in Todmorden high in the Pennines. Having found Holts northern outpost I eventually set off home with an ‘MFI Wardrobe Kit’ box (8 foot x 3 foot x 6 inches) in my trailer, a mast on my roof, and a boom an a bag of bits in the car. The sail, I was told, would be sent to me direct from the Holt loft.

At home I opened the box and checked all the pieces against the very full list of parts. There were one or two pieces of wood missing and the odd piece of chandlery but a phone call to Todmorden soon resulted in the wayward parts catching up with the rest of the kit courtesy of the Royal Mail. The kit is indeed very comprehensive containing everything needed to complete the boat down to the last screw and brass panel pin. The only requirement not supplied with the kit is the paint to cover the outside. However there are one or two things that the thinking builder may wish to alter from the kit. Having discussed my project with a number of boat builders both professional and amateur, I dispensed with;

Epoxy resins are much more expensive than Styrene resins but their properties are unique and varied. When painted on wood, epoxy soaks in making a permanent and complete seal against water. Two or more coats produce a glass like surface and a shine better than any varnish, and with the addition of various fillers produces either glue with tremendous bonding properties, putty like filler to hide any indiscretions during building, or decorative filler for corners. Although the resin sets to very high shine epoxy does suffer if exposed to sunlight, something that does occasionally happen in Britain! This can be overcome by applying two coats of a specific anti-UV coating to any surface that may be exposed to daylight.

And so to building. It is said that a Streaker can be built with about 80 hours work. My reaction to this statement is HOW? A more realistic time span would be 150 hours for a competent amateur builder with even longer if a superb finish is wanted.

Before beginning anything the builder should read and fully understand the comprehensive building instructions supplied with the kit. As I was using epoxy to build my boat my first job was to seal all the pieces of wood. This is done by painting one coat of the epoxy, mixing in the proportion of 5:1 by volume of resin to catalyst, to all sides of all the wood. The mixing is easily done using the small plastic dispensers sold by West for their containers. These are calibrated that one press of the resin pump is mixed with one press of the catalyst pump. The clear liquid epoxy resin is made into very strong glue with the addition of colloidal silica, a very light white powder. The consistency then changes from a liquid to that of thick cream, very similar to normal wood glue. Thick, but light, filler is made by the addition of a brown powder called microballons to the liquid resin, or larger holes can be filled by the addition of sawdust. A tip here is not to mix more than you can easily use in about half and hours work. Remember that if the workshop that you are working in is cold then the cure time will be longer, and conversely the hotter the area the shorter the cure time.

Having prepared the wood, the first part to assemble, and to some extent the most important part of the building process, is the keelson and plate case. To do this you will first need to draw a straight line on the workshop floor approximately fourteen feet long. Attach and glue the plate case spacers to the two pieces of wood that will form the fore and aft keelson sections and lay them at the set distances from the datum guide line drawn on the floor. Having applied three coats of varnish or epoxy to one side of each of the two pieces of ply that will form the plate case, glue and nail first one side, and when the glue is fully set, turn the keelson over. Check the distances again against the datum line, and apply the second side. Time taken at this stage to make sure that the distances are accurate to the millimetre is well spent. The keelson forms the backbone around which the boat is built, and therefore governs the whole hull shape.

Because standard sheets of ply wood are only eight feet long the panels that form the hull, and sides of the cockpit, have each to be formed by joining two pieces of ply. This is done by butt joining the panels and covering the joint with ply strips about three inches wide. Again this is done using the datum line drawn on the floor and, as with the keelson, time taken to get the distances accurate to the millimetre will be well rewarded when the boat is finished. The plans indicate that the nails used to join the covers to the panels should be clenched over. I found that this damaged the wood and so I left them proud, taking the excess off with a sanding disc later.

The bulkheads and transom have now to be assembled with their reinforcing strips. At this point those wishing to build their boats as near to weight as possible can begin to shed a bit of excess weight. Some can be lost from the boat as well! All the reinforcing pieces are supplied cut from square section. It is worth taking time to round the non-contact sides. I found that a Black and Decker power file was ideal for this task, which could be done very quickly and neatly. This may sound a bit unnecessary but the weight saving must amount to close on a quarter of the total weight of all the reinforcing pieces. The deck beams can all be treated in a similar fashion. Another way of saving weight that I have heard of entails leaving out some of the side and aft deck strengthening bars. While this may be a way of reducing weight the strength of the boat must be compromised and I would not advise the amateur builder to contemplate this course.



BOAT BUILDING BEGINS

Spring 1995.

Part 2.

Now the boat building really starts with the assembly of all the pre-constructed pieces. The easiest way to assemble the pieces is by supporting the fore and aft ends of the embryo boat on two ‘Workmate’ type benches with the hull side upwards. The bulkheads have pre-cut slots which slide into matching slots on the two assembled strips of ply that will form the cockpit sides, in the manner of bottle dividers in a cardboard box. The two central bulkheads are only formers, the centre parts of which are removed after covering the hull. When all the bottom edges of the bulkheads and the transom are flush with the side panels they are each tacked in place with a copper wire stitches passed through small drill holes and twisted to tighten. The assembled keelson is then placed in position in the pre-cut slots. At this point the construction becomes reasonably rigid but has enough movement to allow for squaring up of the various pieces. Check and adjust all distances and make sure that all the bulkheads are parallel. All corners are then reinforced with woven glass tape impregnated with resin, except those on the cockpit side of the two central formers. The tape need not be cut to exact size as any excess is easily removed flush to the wood when the resin impregnation is fully cured. The boat now has a good degree of rigidity and the finished shape can start to be seen.

Trim all excess reinforcing tape, fare off the keel to the shape of the formers, and the hull planking can begin. Lay the two bottom panels on the hull and bevel off the joining edges to an approximate fit. Glue and pin first one side then the other working from a line drawn down the centre of the keel. The discerning builder will notice that this operation covers the plate slot! Don’t worry; this is cut out later when the glue is fully set. At the bow end the keel tapers to a point before the end of the panels. The remaining length of the panels are pulled and held together with copper wire stitches at about two inch intervals forming the lower curve of the bow.

When the glue is fully cured on these panels, the chine panels are fitted. Because there is nothing to glue to, the chine panels are held to the bottom panels and to the bulkheads with copper wire stitches at a distance apart that keeps the panels in close contact with each other. This is at about twelve inch centres at the transom end and reducing towards the bow until they are only two to three inches apart at the curve of the bow. Bevel the meeting edges to fit as the stitching progresses. At the bow end pull the panels to a point and cut off any excess so the shape is a continuous curve with the bottom panels meeting at a point, and in a straight line with the keel, at the bow. Stitch the bow sides together at about two inch intervals.

Saw off any excess deck beams and fit the topside panels in the same way as the chine panels. Do not worry if the panels come above the bulkhead sides, these will be fared off later. Turn the boat over, pin the topside panel edges to the bulkhead tops, then resin and tape all the joints between the hull panels making sure that the stitches and stitch holes are well covered. Also tape and resin the bulkheads to the outer panels. Pay particular attention to the stem and reinforce with either wide glass tape or three overlapping strips of the standard width. You should now have a water tight hull. Turn the boat over again and fill any small holes in the joints between the panels. It is quite acceptable to overfill all these holes as the next job is to sand the hull to shape removing all the copper stitches in the process. After an initial sanding check for defects again and fill. Repeat the sanding and filling until the hull is smooth with no defects. This preparation has great importance as the speed of the finished boat is dependent on having a good hull shape with the chines as straight as possible and with no variation from a clean curve of all the chines and keel from stem to stern.

Turn the boat over with the deck uppermost. The hull is now finished apart from painting and is ready for decking. The deck is both decorative and also forms the integrity of the buoyancy tanks to the side and also to the stern and bow. This is where the time is spent making the boat look nice as well as having leak-proof buoyancy tanks. Chock the hull so that there is no rocking and the hull is firm.

Fit both the gunwales to the boat, starting at the transom. Do not glue these at this time but use small ‘G’ clamps at each bulkhead with the last two about six inches from the bow, leaving enough room to fit and glue the breasthook. Mark the position of the chain plates on the gunwales and, after checking that the sheer line is a good matching curve on both sides, draw a line on the outside of the hull on the underside of the gunwales. Drill a pilot hole through the gunwale at each bulkhead so the screws will cleanly enter the notched beams finishing with two screws at each side into the breasthook. Remove the screws and G clamps and cut small neat slots at the marked points to take the chain plates. Apply glue to the full length of the wood and attach with the screws working from the bow. Nail through from the inside of the boat at about four inch intervals. Use a weight against the outside to take the bounce out of the nails being driven in. Clean any excess glue out of the chain plate slots and the underside of the gunwales before it has fully set.

Glue and pin the reinforcements for the chain plates and thwarts on the inside of the hull. I also added two small blocks for the mainsheet horse as an extra reinforcement.

Glue a piece of wood to either side of the forward king plank to act as supports when the mast hole is cut in the foredeck and when set glue and screw in place. Cut all the deck supports, side deck rails and aft king plank to size and fit. Remember to round all the non-contact sides of these to ease water runoff and also to reduce weight.

Remove all excess lumps of glue and glass tape from the inside of the fore-tank, side tanks and rear-tank and coat everything with three coats of varnish or two of epoxy.

At this point I diverted from the plans and did not put drain holes between the side tanks and the rear tank. Instead I sited a large screw hatch in the centre of the bulkhead to the rear of the cockpit. I also cut two holes, one in each side of the cockpit in the region of the front of the plate case to take two four inch hatches. This would then give me limited, but adequate, access to the side tanks to mop up any water and also to the under of the decks to fit sail controls.

The plans indicate that the chain plates and the rudder pintle are mounted with screws. I felt that five millimetre bolts with nylock nuts and washers would be preferable. Access to complete this task can be accomplished through the hatches after the boat is completed.

The last major job in constructing the boat is decking. This is done using seven pieces of ply. Lay these out on the workshop floor and check that the grain of the wood all runs in the same direction and all the pieces match for colour. One piece of mine did not match but Holts were very accommodating and swapped for one that did. The deck of a boat is usually finished with clear gloss with the wood grain on view. For this reason great care should be taken in the finishing. All the panels butt join together on relatively wide beams so this is not a problem. I felt that the joins could be enhanced by the addition of a wood strip between each join. I used sycamore, a very white wood, which contrasts well with the normal ply finish. These strips only need be of the order of one eighth of an inch to gain a good effect.

Before starting to deck, chock the boat firmly and make sure that there is no twist and all is square. If you are not using an epoxy, all the undersides of the deck panels have now to be treated with three coats of varnish. Remember not to varnish were the glue lines will be. If you are using epoxy only one more coat is needed over the preparation coat and can be coated over the entire surface. Fare off all the deck beams, gunwales and hull top planks so they are all in line. Use a lathe to check for fairness. Thoroughly clean out all the side, fore, and aft tanks and start decking by fitting the angled side decks. Measure the length of each side, there may be a slight difference! Cut the panel one millimetre over size, apply the glue to the beams and offer the wood up bowed so that the ends touch first. When the centre is pressed down a good seal will result at each end. Attach with brass panel pins at four to six inch centres. When the glue is set cut off any excess and fare to the deck beams with sandpaper on a block. The foredeck is next. Apply glue to all the beams and lay in place. Do not worry that there is excess over the sides this will be faired off later. Stick small pieces of masking tape on the surface to indicate the position of the beams to assist pining. Start by pining down the centre line at about three inch centres. Then working outwards from the centre line progressively pin the deck down each beam finishing with a line of pins around the gunwale. If pins are indented with a small pin punch the resulting hole can be filled with a good waterproof stopper of a matching colour to the deck. The rear deck is now fitted in two pieces joined down the centre line. When the fore and aft decks are fitted and the glue has set make sure that the side deck joints are clean, square and free of excess glue. Measure the distance very accurately and add on about one millimetre. After marking the distances on the pieces of ply that will form the side decks cut only one end. Lay the side decks in place and check again for length and angle of cut. When you are satisfied, cut to length. The fitting is similar to the sloping side decks in that the panel is offered up to the boat with the two ends being put down first and the centre pushed down to form a good clenched joint at each end. Pin down and fill the pinholes. Fare off the excess decking back to square with the gunwale with a very sharp plane. Drill and countersink the rubbing beads at about eight inch centres. I included a thin strip of sycamore here to give a light line around the boat between the deck and the rubbing beads for cosmetic reasons only. Glue and screw the bead in place overlapping the stem and transom, this excess is cut off flush when the glue is set. With fine sandpaper on a cork block, sand the decks and rubbing bead to a smooth finish and also the underside of the gunwale. Mark the centre point for the mast and cut out with an approximate size of hole using a saw and an electric drill. Open out to the shape of the mast section with sandpaper.

The two central bulkhead formers are no longer required and can be cut out and the excess sanded down to flush. The floor battens are cut to shape and glued and nailed through the bottom of the boat. The plans again say the excess pins should be clenched over. I placed a weight on each batten to ensure a good contact with the inside of the cockpit while the glue was setting and cut off the pins when the glue was set. Two holes are cut out of the cockpit floor to take the self bailers, holes are cut in the transom to take the bung fittings and after a final sand and clean round, the boat is ready to paint to your own design.

After the paint has dried the fitting out can proceed. The basic fittings are all contained in the kit but there are one or two omissions. The main fault is that there is no kicking strap system and none are recommended. I felt that another page could be added to the otherwise very good building instructions to describe various rigging methods and more competitive sail control ideas. I used the ‘walk past someone that knows and see how he does it’ method, and with a bit of trial and error came up with a reasonable result.

After all the hard work it is very pleasant to put the boat on a trailer and take it for its first sail. I certainly was very pleased with the look of my boat and was more than happy with the sailing characteristics.

And the answer to the question posed at the beginning of this article? – About three months of spare time ENJOYMENT.

Vic Hawkins – Streaker 1432.