Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

I finally got started on the new MiniPaw dinghy. I've had the stuff for for almost a year now. I've been working afternoons on it.

And of course, a set of plans.

You do some measuring

set some nails at certain points

spring a batten on the curve

cut out the panels

and here's the finished sides and bottoms, rough cut.

Yesterday we left with rough cut panels. Now we need to smooth the edges to the exact lines, which is best done with a hand plane.

Isn't this fun? My shoulder is yelling at me.

Layout and cut out the bow and stern transoms.

Again, spring battens for curves.

Some more nails on points to transfer patterns.

Transferring a pattern.

And all the knees and gussets are done.... in just as few minutes.

The boat gets a center frame of solid wood, with corner gussets and all those knees get glued together.

Gusset's are epoxied and nailed with bronze boat nails.

Boat nails are ring shanked - once in, they aren't coming out!

Transoms get reinforcing pieces of solid wood across the tops.

All epoxied

And nailed

Remember that center frame? Well, it all needed rounding and smoothing before going into the boat.

And the tools of choice. A Shinto Rasp, a bastard file, and sand paper.

We're gonna wire the boat together, so we need many short pieces of wire. The simplest way to get them is to wrap them around a 1" rod many times, slide the coil off, cut along one side, and end up with a bunch of rings.

And those doublers on the bow and stern transoms need to be worked down to the correct size. More hand plane work.

And now, finally, we begin to actually build the boat. Here's the beginning of what we call "going 3D".

Transoms are in.

Side view with bottom installed.

All 3D

Here's the up front end. Ya gotta be careful now, or you'll look like you were in a cat fight from all the wires.

Next Time: Filleting and taping; fitting interior parts