Ark II
Over 10 years ago, I built my first boat. It was a Glen-L Topper
with a Top Hat sail
that I transported on top of my Lada (a Russian/Czec car
that is a step down from a Yugo) when I lived in Antigua in the
West Indies.
Well, I got the urge again and this time I decided to build a
larger boat. I wanted a sailboat that could also function as a
small fishing boat if the mast was removed. So, it had to be able
to hold several people along with fishing gear. After searching for
a month for various designs that would work, I settled on the
Glen-L 15. It is just under 16' in length - about the biggest I
could build in my single car attached garage.
Photos by Beth...
February 1999
Next time, I'll purchase the frame kit or use plans which don't
require frames.
March 1999
After I had the frames built, I realized I should have cut the
notches for the battens prior to putting the frames together. Oh,
well...
April 1999
Next came the keel and the battins. After spending several hours
planing a 2 foot section of the oak keel one night, I splurged and
bought a power planer. It was well worth the money. Bending the
stringers around the frame took some patience, several tries, and
towels soaked in hot water soaking the wood for a day. Next time I
will review the instructions and start at the bow. Maybe it will
work better.
May 1999
The plans called for 16' plywood. Yeah, right. Try to find a
lumbar yard in the Chicago area that even has a decent stock of
4'x8' Luan. Looks like I'll be using butt joints.
June 1999
Time to flip it. That called for a party. The hull only weighted a
couple hundred pounds and was easy to flip with six people. We only
really needed two to four. The next step was to give everything an
epoxy coating. Between the oak, mahogany, and expoy, this boat
should last a long time.
July 1999
The deck is on. The seats are on. I decided to go the quick way
and use plywood for the seats rather than strips of oak. It must be
time to order the mast and other sail hardware.
August 1999
Time to build the trailer. This one is a modified kit from
Menards. I added a 2"x10' square tube to extend the hitch. J&B
Discount marine had most of the other parts I needed for the
trailer. Everything, that is, except for the upright that the winch
mounts to. A couple of angle irons and a 4"x4" took care of that.
Oops, I guess I'll need a hitch on the car as well.
September 1999
The sails came next. The jib was made from the Top Hat sail from
my previous boat. (The person who boat it used it for a dinghy to
get to his 60' sailboat and didn't want the sail.) The main was
made from a 22'x22' polytarp following instructions I found
somewhere on the net. If the boat handles well, I may splurge and
buy real sails for it. I don't think Beth will let me trash another
dozen needles on her sewing machine when they need replacing.
October 1999
I need to find a 5-7 hp engine. The boating season is pretty much
over here in Illinois, so I'll probably wait until next year for
the maiden voyage.
Things I leared in this project:
- Glen-L does not sell centerboard shoes any more.
- Lead will melt on your stove. My scuba dive weights are now part
of
the centerboard.
- Attach the centerboard to the trunk prior to installing the
trunk.
- The mast may only cost a couple hundred, but shipping will
cost 50% of the mast.
- If it says "boat" on the label, it costs three times what it
would if the same item had "home" on the label. (The same goes
for Harley Davidson parts.)
- Don't use your wife's good sewing scissors to cut the vinyl
tape used on the polytarp sails.
- The bottom is easier to paint if you do it before you flip
the boat over.
- Red bottom paint is closer to marroon in color.
- A couple drops of oil on the screws help them go into oak
much easier.
- Pilot holes are needed even for nails on oak.
- If you coat everything with epoxy, you will have to sand it
all to get the paint to stick.
- Epoxy filler covers up mistakes.
- Microspheres may look like flour but costs much more (and the
word boat is not even in the product name!)
