By William Garden Naval Architect
A
QUICK look at the current cost of boats makes most of us feel like holing up for a year or so, hoping that prices will come down. There's an alternative to h i b e r n a t i o n , though— lower your sights to something that you can build today at a reasonable cost. Gamin is such a packet. She's deep, roomy, and heavily ballasted. Put her in a race with the average light sailboat and she'll finish last. But put a couple of fellows aboard who want to cruise— or load her down with the whole family, including Aunt Tillie and the dog, for an afternoon's sail—and she'll be in her element. For cruising, Gamin holds one distinct advantage over her larger sisters. Suppose you live in New York and want to see what the coast of Maine looks like. Simply put Gamin on a trailer, load her up with gear, and take off. You'll be sailing along the Maine coast before a larger auxiliary could even clear Cape Cod Canal. When cruising, you'll need only a cockpit cover that fits over the boom, a Primus stove, sleeping bags, a grub box, four one-gallon water jugs, and the miscellaneous gear ordinarily connected with camping. A good set of Mechanix 108
Illustrated
FIG. 1 SAIL PLAN AND DECK PLAN
Anyone handy with tools will have little trouble building Gamin. Her V-bottom seam-batten type of construction is strong yet comparatively simple.
Evident here is the rugged framework that insures Gamin's builder many years oi carefree pleasure.
sweeps will provide auxiliary power and make a better man of you in the process. The time taken in laying Gamin out full size will more than be repaid during construction. Two four-by-eight sheets of plywood are butted to form a floor 4 ft. wide and 16 ft. long and, to conserve space, the three views in Fig. 2 are drawn one on top of another. Nail a 1/2 x 2-in. base batten along the bottom edge of the plywood, checking it with a chalk line to make sure it is perfectly straight. Draw in the water line and the station lines exactly as shown. 110
From the dimensions, reproduce in pencil the fore-and-aft lines, using battens—one measuring 1/2 x 3/4in. and the other, to take the stem rounding, 1/4 x 1/2 in. After the fore-and-aft lines are down, develop the body plan from them; then deduct the 3/4in. plank thickness from each section and draw in the inside line of each frame. To transfer each inner section line to the framing material, lay shingle nails on their sides along the line about 2 in. apart and imbed the heads in the plywood. Lay a piece of the framing material on the nails and step on it—the line will be plotted on the stock and can then be drawn in with a pencil and sawed out. Make the side frames extra long to reach the floor when building upside down. They are joined to the bottom frames with plywood gussets, using glue and nails. The stem and transom should be made next, following the same transfer method used on the frames. Fig. 3 shows the backbone assembly. Set the frames, stem, and transom on the building floor at the proper intervals. The centerboard-trunk subassembly comes next. The bed logs must be bandsawed to the rocker of the keel. Fasten the keel and apron together with thick paint and screws; then bend them into place and bolt to the transom knee, bed logs, and stem. The skeg can be bolted on aft at this time. Your next job is to bevel the frames and notch out for the battens, sheer clamp, and chine. Locate the battens to suit the width of your planking material. About 5-1/2 to 7-1/2-in. widths can be used for the bottom planking and 4-1/2 to 5-1/2in. widths for sides. Once the fore-and-afters are installed and faired, give the entire structure a coat of flat paint inside and out. Now she is ready for the planking, which is spiled and cut in the conventional manner. Nail it to the frames and screw it to the battens. Since the material widths available will vary from locality to locality, I have specified in the Lumber List the area to be covered rather than the width and length of each piece. When she is planked, clean the hull off with a smoothing plane, sand with garnet paper, scribe in the water line, and apply a coat of flat paint. The best way to turn her over is to invite the gang in for a party, saw off the frames, and pick her up. Have some padded chocks ready to set her in. The next day, pick up the pop bottles, sweep out, and sit down for a look at Gamin. Have a good look at the sheer for any bumps or irregularities and meditate about the steps to come so work will go along in the proper sequence. Mechanix Illustrated
Fair the sheer plank off to the clamp. While she is clean inside is a good time to paint the interior. A dark reddish brown is attractive and wears well. For hot weather, though, a buff would be better. Fit the deck beams and carling, spring in the coamings, and paint this new structure. For decking, use waterproof plywood. Apply two coats of paint to the underside before fastening down. Along the sheer clamp, lay the decking over a strip of cotton wicking that's soaked in paint. This will keep her tight. October, 1949
The mast stanchions, floor boards, and seats go in next. Nailing cleats are added to the centerboard trunk to take the bulkhead. The rake of this bulkhead makes a nice lazy back. When the joiner work forward is all in, the cabin top can be fastened down. Installation of the rudder, cleats, and miscellaneous details winds up the hull work. Now, roll her to one side of the shop and get to work on the spars. Spruce, fir, and Alaska cedar are all good materials. The mast is made in two halves and glued to111
All that remains to be done is to choose a name for your boat. We're partial to Gamin, but any short and sweet name, such as Mischief or Dormouse, will be fitting. Good luck—and happy sailing!
gether after hollowing. Note in the drawing that the hollow doesn't run all the way to the ends of the spar. The best way to cut this hollow is to take a few cuts on a table saw first, then work out the rest with a gouge, using a template to make sure you don't go too deep. For gluing up the spar, make a 2 x 10-in. bench, 24 ft. long, from common structural lumber, truing it up with a chalk line. Glue the two halves together and clamp them down on the bench. Allow a couple of days to dry; then unclamp, round off the mast with a plane, sand, and apply five thin coats of good varnish. The hole for the masthead sheave has a strong rake to its bottom side. Carefully sandpaper and varnish here so rain will run off. A wedge should be glued on the after side of the masthead so the backstay will clear the mainsail. The backstay tang, which is detailed, can be made from either Everdur or galvanized iron. All other fittings are stock items. The boom is solid, shaped to the dimensions given. Sails of a sort can be made by the amateur, but it is a difficult job. You'll be far happier if you go to a professional and purchase properly made sails. Apply the final paint job to suit your own taste and you're ready to slide Gamin overboard. Without ballast, she will be too tender to carry sail in much of a breeze. Sash weights make good ballast; or you can use nice, round rocks about the size of tennis balls. Leave some small hatchways in the floor boards for stowing ballast. Make them about 10 in. in diameter with 9-in. (inside diameter) rings screwed below to form rabbets to take the hatch covers. Ballast Gamin to suit local wind and sea conditions—and she's ready to go! Depending upon your skill and workshop facilities, about 250 to 350 man-hours will be required to complete the job. 112
Mechanix
Illustrated
FIG. 6-CONSTRUCTION PROFILE AND PLAN
