build CHESSY ‘This strongly built 15-ft. peake skiff may BY ERNEST TUCKER: be easily rowed or driven by an outboard motor. HEN the soft southerly breezes blow- ing on your fevered brow and the moist, salty tang of marshes tingling in your nostrils make you long to get out on the water, then, Brother, the bug has bitten you and it’s time to think about building a boat. Chessy is just the ticket to get you acquainted with the sport. She is This bow-on view of Chessy clearly shows her rugged construction and useful roominess. You may have to notch the transom for the outboard. strongly built so she'll take a beating when you drag her up on sandy beaches or push her into marsh grass with its inevitable hidden snags and roots. She has plenty of flare, which will keep her dry when the going gets rough—and she is steady enough on her keel to enable the soft-crabber to stand in her bow and reach for a fast- moving crustacean without having the feel- ing of walking a tightrope. Her sides should be cedar or cypress and should be as free from loose knots as possible. If you use cypress, avoid brashy wood with raised grain, which will even- tually warp and splinter. Two 10-in. and two 12-in. boards are recommended, but ones as narrow as 8 in. can be used. Plane the edges straight and square so the planks will butt snugly against each other. Place enough of the boards together to get the necessary width and, using the side-plank layout, Fig. 1, as a guide and a long batten to insure fair lines, draw in the curves to which the sides are cut; then cut out. Repeat this process with the other side and mark the centerlines of the 10 ribs on each side. ‘Next, cut the chines from a 10-in. plank, sawing at about 22° from square and— remembering that they are opposites, not duplicates—being sure to run the second chine through the saw the opposite way from the first. The 22° cuts will save work in fairing up the bottom edges, which must be done before the bottom planking is applied, and will also prevent the upperTo impart in jigtime that mirror-smooth finish that we all admire on a fine boat, use a power sanding machi After sanding, give the entire hull a coat of good-quality marine-grade priming paint. Hore the seat risers and seats have been installed. To Prevent sag. the center seat supports are next added. edges of the chines from forming water- catching pockets. Notch the chines at each rib location, as shown in Fig. 3, making each notch % in. wide and ¥% in. deep at the top and tapering it to % in. deep at the bottom. This taper is the easiest and strongest way of notching the ribs into the chines. Cut the ribs a little longer than the width of the side planks—they can be cut off later on. Now fasten about four ft. of each chine to its side, keeping the forward end back far enough to clear the stem, which will be installed later. Be sure to put a good thick coat of paint on all surfaces before they are fastened together. Nail the first four ribs through the chines and clamp the planks together to make sure the seams are hard up against each other; then nail through them into the ribs. We are now ready for the stem. Lay it out as shown in Fig. 4. Saw to shape; then take a piece of wood the same thickness as On the bottom go triangular-shaped skeg and a keel for protection against damage. the side planks and, using a sharp chisel, cut out the groove so the sample of plank- ing comes flush with the forward line (rabbet) and leaves at the aftermost line (bearding). To complete, taper the for- ward end as shown, either on a bandsaw or with hand tools. The transom is gotten out next. Keep the number of seams to a minimum. A ¥-in, spline goes in each joint, as shown in Fig. 2. The saw is set to 10° when saw- ing off the ends and to 26° when cutting the bottom edge. The dimensions shown in Fig. 1 are for the small face—be sure to add sufficient stock to allow for the bevel. Fasten battens to the transom to hold it flat while installing in boat Nail each side to the stem, using a strand of candlewicking and thick paint to insure watertighiness. Make up the assembly fixture from rough lumber, as shown in Fig. 1, and nail its forward end to the aft face of the stem. Force Mold “A” down 07INBOARD PROFILE See e i“ FiG.1 + : Se sie ij 7 ey f 0 ott jy] ¥ 01x. Hoe y}/ |* Fon ‘sow = a5 Say | ey “yy LINE WWOAK OR PINE SKEG 35° 367+ 36 36°—_-}+} 36 12] Oak FILLER, eLOcKS ‘TRANSOM : KNEE - Eas F'CEDAR OR PLYWOOD \ PLAN | VIEW TAKE. BEVEL, FROM PLAN VIEW eee MOLDS ‘ay "xa" PINE, tee aes Pod ASSEMBLY FIXTURE ox", SRACKET TOP tse STEM ‘TEMPORARY LEAT TEMPORARY RIB TO HOLD“MOLO {GLAM ES INGPLACE): VERTICAL (CLAMP TO SIDE PLANK) _j.. REFERENCE LINE SUNWALE- a eaNS Genie OCT Tanug a Se: a walbaaw Fou evrcanny HE RACES ROUND OWMeNsion® ARE ToNNIOE tuceter saNKING MIDSHIP SECTION (FOAK OF PINE) SHEER CLAMP-2°XIf'OAK OR PINE . eee aes a = ‘Rips-2"x1{" OAK FASTEN GUNWALE ¥ eS Y'cear support. | FROM INSIDE 2p oureonR0 ef, x13" SEAT RISE MOTOR -——7" BATTEN SEE FIG.3 VOINT- SEE // siDes “ARE ei CEDAR On a : ‘CYPRESS IN TWO | GotTOM is 2°CEDAR, oR YPRESS SIDES AND 4 ON OR THREE WIDTHS ~~ 8 "7 (APPROXIMATELY 8" WIDE) TO ALLOW FOR BEVEL KEEL‘ IS "DEEP, 1f"WIDE AT THE TOP, TAPERS DIMENSIONS ARE FOR AFT SIDE OF TRANSOM 0 F'WIDTH AT THE BOTTOM. 8even with the top edges of the side planks and nail and clamp to Rib No. 2. Pulling in the stern gradually, fasten the remainder of the ribs in place. "The chines will slide aft approximately 14 in. by the time the sides are pulled in to meet the transom. After the chines have been nailed and clinched their full length, saw off the aft end so they will butt against the transom Now, nail through sides into transom. Turn the boat over and fair up the bottom edges to take the bottom planking. Put on the bottom as described at the begin- ning of the book ‘Now, turn the boat rightside up and nail in the keel batten, stopping it % in. short of the stem and transom and beveling as shown. Seat risers and gunwales should then be nailed on. Fasten the gunwales from inside. Next, nail in the sheer clamps, breast hooks, and transom knees. Secure filler blocks underneath the rowlock chocks. Complete by installing the seats. If an outboard motor is used, notch the stern so the wheel is sufficiently below bottom of boat to be in unobstructed water. Sink the heads of all fastenings below the surface of the wood. For smoothing up the hull, you can’t beat a sanding machine; so try to borrow or rent one for a few hours. Finish the entire hull with a coat of primer; then strike in a waterline 1% in. above the actual line of flotation and apply two coats of antifouling paint below the line and two coats of semigloss above it. Add a pair of No. 1 rowlocks and a pair of 7-ft. oars and you're ready to go. * L_OF MATERIALS (Approximate Quantities Required) White Ook (Specify that wood i to be used for boatbuilding; fifo consist of fist, second, and select grade: only: and is to be air dried to a maximum of 1S%e motsture Content.) Ribs and Transom. Battens: 39 lineal #, S45 es Sheer Clamp: 28 lineal ft, $45 34" x We" Kool: 4 Tineal fy 543. Ya"% Wa" Transom and Skeg: 8 sq" fh, $25 1a". Gunwale: 32 lineal tt. 1/1" halt-round. Hook, Transom Knees, and. Rowlock Chocks: Ta’ S48 Wyre 8 Stem: 30 lineal in, $45 244 x 7" Cedar oF Cypress (Specify that wood is to be used for boatbuilding: 10 consist of A and 8 grades only; and isto be ot dried to a maximum of 18%, moisture content) Sides, Bottom, Chine, Keel Batten, Seats, Seat Risers, and Seat Supports: 180 board fh, S23 3" Fartenings 4.4. galy. nails: 1 Ib, 6d galv. nals: 5 Ibs. 8d: galv: nails: | Ib. Miscellaneous Bow Line: Yo" manila. Rowlocks: Size N Oars.:7 ff. long. Paint: Y gal. primer 1h gal. semigtose. A Gal. antifouting FIG. 2 TRANSOM JOINT +x" PLYwoop SPLINE 1g TRANSOM—— FIG. 3 ae eee Veal Fig.4- STEM DETAILS LARGE-SCALE PLANS will greatly simplify construction. Send $1.00 | to MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED Plans Service, Fowcett Building, Greenwich, Conn. Please | specify Plan No. 8-157,