Building the Glen-L Monte Carlo- a 24.5 ' Triple Cockpit Runabout

"Unfair"

Material Selection and Choices:

During Construction-

Hull

• Hull is mahogany framed with plywood gussets, longitudinal stringers are long-leaf yellow pine, 3 layers of bottom are 1/4" marine ply (forward 10' of outer layer is 1/4" mahogany).

• I started with 3/4" finished mahogany and cut into two pieces with bandsaw (5" maximum), then ran through thickness planer until 1/4" thick. Worked well.

• Bought 1/8" mahogany veneer from Canada was applied directly over 2nd layer of marine ply- was able to locate 12" widths for deck and transom, used ~6" widths for sides.

• Applied Vulkem as planned between ply layers instead of epoxy, also fasteners. It won't come apart, and probably would be virtually impossible to repair.  Acts like a molded plywood boat.

• All deck strips epoxyed and stapled, routed 2.75" on center.

• Will be staining "ebony" for a very dark black hull with hard racing bronze bottom and hunter boot stripe.   Didn't like that, sanded all off and started over.  Now traditional Chris Craft red stain with dark walnut deck accents, dark green bottom.  Caulk mid-tan (actually 5200 mahogany) under varnish.

• Final length is 25' 6"?  Who knows where the extra foot came from. Hull has a nice shape, but has some rippling from my imperfect construction-- hence the name "Unfair"  Now at deck is under 6 coats of Epifanes Varnish, it is looking better. 

• Sheer was notched for 1-3/4 Rub rail w/router. Bedded in 5200, sanded flush with deck came out easier than expected. Last 6' back to transom had absolutely no idea how to run the rail, but it's done. By that time, wished boat had traditional (non-barrelback transom.  Still, looks OK to the eye, but obviously perfect. (Unfortunately, I have a very good eye for what it should look like after 10 years of boat shows-- but it is "not-bad" for a first-big boat.

Preconstruction section:

Wood

I am not a "wood snob" nor am I overly extravagant or overly cheap.  To that end, my wood selection is rather eclectic.

Frames- Mahogany (of some vintage...) Available at a local building supply company had wonderfully surfaced mahogany in lots of widths and length planed and pre-sanded to 3/4 inch. 

Deck Beams- Mahogany and poplar.  Most of the deck beams are will be cut-out and relocated once boat is flipped over and cockpit locations, engine position, etc are determined.  To that end-- the ones that are "fixed" are mahogany, the others-- poplar.  (People note that poplar is rot susceptible-- but in deck beams, out of the water, on a trailer boat, treated with CPES-- I'm not going to worry about it.  It's relatively inexpensive, has straight grain, comes in wide widths, and cuts easily.

Chines, Sheers, and Battens and Keel- Long-leaf Yellow Pine (treated).  Lowes sells 5/4 select deck lumber that has very straight grain, takes fasteners well, is relatively heavy, and is known as a boatbuilding wood.  I ripped into appropriate widths (2.25 for chines and 2.0 for sheers), then cut to appropriate thickness.  That results in long-lengths with only 1 scarf joint for the 26'+ stringers. It's a rather heavy wood, and rot resistant. Regardless-- they're glued in so it's too late to change. Also 2 laminations of 1x6 for the keel (5/4 actually).

Motor Stringers- Douglass Fir (because that's what the lumberyard had.  Picked the straightest I could find--it tend to split when it dries out (perhaps the reason the plywood lamination was included in the plans.

Outer Layer of Hull Laminations- For all the articles in Wood Boat about cold molding, it is hard to locate mahogany 1/4 or 1/8 veneer for the outer lamination.   I finally found some in Canada @ $2.70 sf for 1/8th-- think I will go with that at this point. It comes 4-5 inches in width in 10' lengths so would be OK for sides and deck.  Will probably "cut my own" 1/4+ for the bottom layer as it isn't so critical and run it through my new planer.

Inner Layer Plywood- Nothing special here-- just 1/4" marine plywood from Paxton. 2 layers on bottom, two on sides.  "Ouch" at $37 per sheet but still cheaper than Okume (Gaboon).  Ordered 16 sheets today- 6/15/2004.

Fasteners:

Bought the Glen-L Fastener Kit-- the cheaper Galvanized one...  (At least the nails were silicon bronze for some reason. After all, it will be a "trailer boat" at least as long as I own it.  (Update: re-bought almost all silicon bronze due to the difficult of using the cheap galvanized ones-- the compound in in the screw head so is difficult to drive.)

Adhesives:

Regardless of Glen-L's advice, I am uncomfortable with an "All-epoxy, encapsulated boat. Here's my rubric (to this point):

• For pieces that are joined together "only because I need longer, or thicker wood-- I use the Glen-L epoxy.  (Scarfs, chine and sheer laminations, etc.)

• For places that will be at "joints" - I am using "VULKEM 116" construction adhesive.  (such as chine and sheer to frames, frame clips to frames, hull planking to frames, etc. (All of these joints that require a fastener anyway.  VULKEM is an alternative (substantially cheaper) to 3-M 5200 (actually like 4200) .  It dries in 6-7 days depending on humidity (air moisture precipitates the cure) and actually increase it's adhesion for at least a year. Rated for underwater use.  I will use also to adhere plywood to frames (along with the appropriate fastener, the 2nd later of plywood to the first layer.  Haven't decided on how to do the veneer-- as thin as the 1/8th will be, think I will epoxy.  But, that is a much later decision.  (Used Epoxy)

Paints & Coatings:

• Bilge:  TBD (Probably a 1-part polyurethane.

• Bottom: Pettit Hard Racing Bronze

• Brightwork: as always: Epifanes Varnish & Wood Gloss..  Wood Gloss for 1st 8 coats, Traditional afterwards.