The building of a sailboat ........

Our names are Carl & Jarl and this website details the story of building Rugludallur*, our sailboat.

Rugludallur is a "Hout Bay 33" designed by Dudley Dix.

Back in 2002 when we started the project we didn't have any experience building sailboats and our only sailing experience was in dinghies. This website is meant to help others building their boats and getting them afloat in the best way possible, we are not affiliated with any commercial entity and I hope that gives us an edge by offering sound advice and information.

Before building a boat one should think deep and hard about the motives and objectives, building a boat is not a way to get quickly or cheaply afloat, buying a second hand boat is much cheaper and quicker. For us it's not about the destination so much as it is about the journey, building a boat is a fun endeavour and I would recommend it to anyone interested in engineering that enjoys working with his/hers hands. Aside from the learning experience it gives one the opportunity to tailor the boat to ones wishes, these could vary from added bow strength for high/low latitude sailing to better lighting for the chart table.

To follow our progress and see the latest additions you can check our online webcam or the boatbuilding photo gallery.

Misc

We've spent the last week finishing various tasks that don't sound like much but add up when there are many of them. Probably the biggest task was correcting the distortions in the window frames from when they were welded. We did this by bolting a 10mm aluminum plate to the backside and a 5kg sledgehammer with a 20x20 aluminum square in between to protect the stainless steel frames. Among the other things we have done is finish the fuel feed lines, fix some dents, finish the toe-rail and pipes for the manual bilge pumps.

Now we are starting the first of the interior woodwork, cutting down the bulkheads that are to large to fit once all the welds have been made.

On track

Everything is on track, loads more stainless has been added to the hull but there is still one or two weeks worth left. Currently what's left is to attach the railing, swap out the cockpit front panel with the engine control panel and compass for a stainless one and add the cockpit monitor housing. However before replacing the panel we need to route some of the bulkheads and get them into the boat since there won't be any holes large enough after the new panel is in place, we'll have to wrap them up really well and be careful during the sandblasting and painting but doing the inside of the hull in two batches (front/back) should enable this.

In other news we decided to bite the bullet and invest in a compressor that is capable of driving our sandblasting rig, in the end the price for an electric compressor was only about 2x more than the cost of renting a diesel powered compressor and paying for the fuel.

We have also received the wood router bits we ordered for doing the interior, going with "compression" or "up/down" router bits we can route clean through the plywood and get both sides cleanly cut, more on that when we start the woodworking.

Here are some pictures of what we have been working on for the last couple of days, these include drains for the windows, sterntube inside and out with zinc and prop on one end and seal on the other and finally an extra pipe fitted for misc electrical wiring and possibly exhaust from stove/cabin heater.

Blasting and painting before end of August

We've been putting in 10-12 hour days for about 30 days straight and it looks like we might be able to get the boat painted before the end of August. More stainless has been added to the hull some of it is taking a bit longer than we thought but it's probably not going to delay us more than a couple of days. The anchor roller and transducer mounts have been attached although some work still remains, we are waiting for the first batch of items to arrive from electro-polishing, once they arrive we can add the railing and the seachest.

A busy couple of days

We've been putting some hours into getting everything ready for sandblasting, it's interesting to see all the stainless get attached and how quickly it happens compared to the time it took to build the parts. So far we have cleats, vents, winch bases, fuel/water/waste through-hulls, mast step, cockpit bilge pump base, windlass, chain-plates and about half the sail-track bases installed. Almost all welding is done with TIG which is proving to be surprisingly fast because there is no need for grinding out the start of each weld which in turn means that shorter welds are possible to reduce distortion. For the sail track bases we bolted it to an aluminum square before welding, this proved to be an excellent way to minimize distortion and acting as a heat-sink reduced downtime between welds substantially.

Mistakes

I thought I would try to post something useful for future boat builders and one of the most useful thing I think we can contribute is an overview of our mistakes, what they were and how they could have been avoided.

Distorted keel plates from pouring to much lead at a time. Because we had a powerful kerosene burner melting the lead we were able to rapidly melt and pour all the lead, on hindsight we should have poured less at a time and let the whole thing cool, perhaps a water hose on the outside of the keel would have enabled us to cool the lead before pouring the next batch. We also regret pouring from such a height, next time we want the lead pot to be much lower to reduce splash and "foaming".

Asymmetrical skeg form due to not attaching both sides at the same time. When we built the skeg we welded the frames and the leading edge pipe to the hull then proceeded to fully weld one side on the inside as is specified in the welding procedures for the keel. Unfortunately this caused the final form of the skeg to be slightly asymmetrical, if we had to do it again we would tack weld both sides and grind away enough material to get good penetration on the welds and a symmetrical form..

Not all pieces were correctly cut using the curvature of the plates to our advantage. Steel as delivered from the mill will have a slight curvature to it, this is especially true for thinner plates, it will prefer to curl on one side, this is due to stresses locked in from manufacture. When we were making the CNC cutting files we arranged the pieces to minimize wastage, unfortunately this included flipping things over which eventually lead to them having the incorrect curvature which not only makes plating harder but can affect your hull shape. Make sure you use the curvature to your advantage and if you have things CNC cut explain that it matters which way the plate is cut.

Unevenly rolled radius plates should be bent into proper shape before being attached to the frames/hull. When a steel plate is cold worked and rolled into shape some internal stresses will be present, when you then cut out smaller pieces they might have areas which are less curved and others that have a smaller radius. This needs to be corrected before the plate is attached, if you don't have a 3-4 roll plate bending machine at hand I recommend two sturdy pipes laid horizontally in parallel and ends welded to sturdy plates, you can then feed the plate between the pipes and use the plate as your lever to correct minor differences in curvature.

Not enough temporary support for floors/fraiming, should have built a sturdy frame on the strongback to rest the floorings on. We underestimated the amount of temporary bracing that should be used, mostly we did not realize the amount of force required to force radius plate into their place. If we had to do it again we would build something more sturdy and with a level plan on top (think two box sections running fore/aft), this way we could mark the positions of the floorings on that which would make erecting and positioning everything much easier.

Insufficient bracing for butt-welding early plates caused some distortion which although can be corrected by sledge hammer is better avoided. We should have used more welding strongbacks and braces from the start, especially for butt welding plates, this would have saved work later on and produced a more fair hull.

Windows done

We have finished a couple of things since our last update, first off we have finished making all the attachment points for the interior, stainless angle for the floors and about 550 attachment lugs for the paneling and joinery.

The windows have been finalized aside from the draining which will be added soon. Yesterday we turned the polyethylene anchor rollers on our lathe, we also threaded a couple of things for cable glands where cables have to pass through watertight parts.

The rub-rails are ready to be welded to the hull, we split a section of 2" 316 pipe lengthwise and then we plan to weld them with 309 MIG to the hull.

Last week we also went and visited a company called Rafpolering which does electro-polishing of stainless steel, we took a couple of sample pieces and we were very happy with the results, it's a big time saver if we can use it for the railing. The results are not quite mirror finish but after a couple of minutes on the mirror buffing wheel it's great. The other nice thing about electro-polishing is that it includes acid pickling which removes any contaminants which would cause corrosion later on.

The other big news is that we found a local supplier for our polyurethane , after talking to several companies which use polyurethane extensively for anything from hot water pipes to food storage containers we finally found someone which uses densities in our range, a company called Promens (formerly Saeplast) manufactures several products from polyethylene and polyurethane, we are driving there on Tuesday to pick up the containers.

Mild steel work done and more

Finally all the mild steel work is done, everything is welded, ground and cut for stainless parts.

All the stainless parts are ready including the bow roller and mast step which were the final parts because the 5mm and 8mm 316 stainless plates were hard to source. We ordered some Clemco sandblasting components from the UK and built our own blast pot, it's tested and works quite well giving SA2.5/3 and Rugotest 9a/b with ease using 1mm garnet media.

We bought all the paint and the sand for the sandblasting and got our airless paint pump up and running with a new gun. Our current work alternates between finalizing and attaching stainless components and finding a way to spray polyurethane foam for insulation, current experiments involve using two automotive hydraulically assisted rack and pinion steering systems and a cheap sprayer for mixing and proportioning the two components.

Long time no updates

It's been a while since our last update but things are back on track and there are some new things to report. Firstly we finished the trailer (wagon) for the boat and have lifted the boat onto the trailer, the trailer is designed to minimize the ride height in order to fit the boat under the door, we will need to add spacers to lower it when we do move it.

We have investigated several options for the sandblasting and paint work, right now it looks like the most economical option is to buy the equipment and consumables and do it ourselves due to our requirement for a SA 2.5 surface.

Pretty much the only things left before blasting is attaching stainless parts to the hull and masking them, a couple of months at most but it's slow going when work is only done in spare time. We can't wait to start working on the interior, it will be a nice change of pace and interesting to see things starting to come together.

Progress

Several things have happened since our last update, first we sourced a couple of parts including the rest of the steel for our trailer, most of the stainless fasteners and the rest of the stainless fittings and material for the boat. Most of the pre-work for the stainless is done and we have started welding major parts to the hull including the sliding hatch, hatch frames, windows and other things that are attached directly to the deck. In order to bend angle bars for hatch frames on the inside we had to class up our roller so we made a couple of extra wheels for angle bars and pipes, since it's mostly used for stainless and we were on a budget we used mahogany for the rolling wheels, hopefully this will leave the stainless surface in a pristine condition. The stern tube was welded using 309 MIG, we decided on a double pipe solution where a 316 pipe is welded to the hull with external threading on the end and a smaller diameter 318 pipe in contact with the seawater is then screwed in from the inside and only welded on one end by the prop, this should in theory give minimal distortion and maximum corrosion resistance with the option of changing out any parts in contact with seawater.

Work, work work

Still working on tanks and stainless components, most of the railing has been cut but needs to be welded to the hull. The sterntube went in last night and tanks should be finished in the next couple of days. Welding stainless components to the hull is made substancially easier by using MIG 309LSI wire with 98% Argon, 2% Co2 instead of stick welding but it's still more than 100 meters (300ft) of welding. Before welding everything we fitted the engine and made double sure everything lines up.

Last weekend we went out to the countryside to visit a farmer which had offered us wheels and front axles from old trucks to use for our boat trailer, using this and some I beams (IPE) we will be able to move the boat out and about for blasting and painting.

Considerations and options for paint systems and abrasive blasting have been taking up some time aswell, it now looks like we might do the whole thing ourselves if we manage to source components and build the equipment (blasting pot and cyclone grit recycler). We also took the time to sum up what we have learned about blasting and paint systems including a spreadsheet (OpenOffice Calc/Excel) to calculate quantities and prices for the paint, you can find the info under the Boatbuilding/Hull section. Hopefully we will also be able to post some diagrams for a blasting pot and grit recycler soon.

A whole lot of work

We have been grinding away (literally) and putting most waking hours into the boat, the steel work is progressing nicely, stainless steel work has started and we hope the hull with everything welded on will be done by the end of August. In recent day's we have been getting quotes for sandblasting and painting, as strangely as it sounds it looks like the blasting and painting costs about two times more than what we paid for all the steel! It's been a learning experience to read up on steel paint systems and blasting, different blasting media, standards for cleanliness and surface roughness. For applying the paint systems the airless spray guns are quite expensive when they have to be able to mix ratios of composite materials (epoxy) on the fly and pump paints with > 60% dry content. As always there is more to it than simply sandblasting and spray painting.

If everything gets sorted we will be able to move the boat outdoors by end of August and leave our current premises to save on rent.

Here is a recent rendering showing layout for some of the deck gear.

Pouring the Lead

We have now poured the lead into the keel, we used a kerosene burner from a Master blower with compressed air to melt up ingots we previously cast from scrap lead. Mostly everything went to plan but in hindsight we should have poured smaller amounts to further reduce the buckling in the keel plates. Another thing that we learned is that the scrap lead contained enough contaminates (tin, antimony, etc) that the upper surface was a couple of millimeters higher than what we expected. After the lead pouring plates were placed on top and welded to the keel plates, these will be pressure tested and topped off with diesel fuel to prevent any galvanic corrosion for occurring.

Here is also a fresh rendering with stanchions and pulpits.

"Watertight"

Everything has been welded together but since all joints need to be welded both outside and inside there is still some welding work left. Once all carbon steel has been welded and final grinding performed it will be time to do a thorough cleaning after which the stainless components will be welded to the hull.

Butt welding the deck proved to be tricky and required substantial bracing using ( strongbacks) and using a crude jacking device to minimize distortion from the welding process. We were able to source our preferred windlass for $300 on Ebay, a new Anchorlift Dolphin 1000 from 316 stainless steel arrived this week and so far looks very solid and of excellent quality.

Plenty of pictures have been uploaded to the gallery and the webcam is always up to date, soon we hope to release a time lapse video from the webcam showing the whole process in minutes, to be continued ...

Full steam ahead

Calli has been back for a while and Jalli's back is much better. All hull plates have been tacked in place so now it's just a whole lot of welding and grinding for the next four weeks or so, the first stainless parts were welded to the hull over the weekend, these consist of weld flanges attached to threaded pipes and will serve as throughhulls for all exhausts and pumps. The stainless is welded to the hull with a 309 stick electrode for better compatibility between the 316 stainless and grade A shipbuilding steel. To prevent the exhaust fumes from destroying paintwork we will be fabricating special elbows which screw on to the pipes but have another pipe inside for the exhaust (more details on that later). The stainless parts themselves are welded using TIG (GTAW) and acid pickled to remove oxidized material. We have added a whole lot of pictures to the Gallery and I urge people to check it out

Deck and Cabin done

After a pause due to a herniated disc (Jarl) were back at it, deck and cabin are now securely tacked, the cockpit won't be tacked until all work beneath it has been finished. Carl is heading off to the UK for a couple of days so there won't be much progress for the next couple of days.

Deck and Cabin Top

It's been a busy couple of days but things are moving rapidly, the cabin top is now fully tacked in place, so is the deck. Next we will be tacking the cabin sides and finally the cockpit at which point all external plates have been tacked in place. It's during this part of the construction that the CNC cut plates really save a whole lot of time and effort.

The turning

Tonight we turned "Rugludallur", hopefully this will be the last time it's turned 180°. The ground clearance for the sheer was less than 1mm, a bit of a close call but everything worked out.

After turning the boat we opened up a bottle of bubbly and contemplated the next steps.

Next up is deck framing and stringers after which we will plate all the topsides and cockpit.

Still waiting for the sterntube

We tacked on the starboard side of the keel today, now we just need to finish the welds around the keel and then it's time to turn the hull. Unfortunately the sterntube material got delayed further so we decided to go ahead and add the sterntube once we have turned the hull. Probably another day or two on welding total before turning. Meanwhile we bought a Wallas stove on Ebay, since it's a demo unit we got it for a nice price but we will need to pick it up in the UK.

Most of the hull has been welded now, we are still waiting for the sterntube material to arrive and once it has we can put the sterntube in place and finish the keel. In order to prevent crevice corrosion and pitting we decided to use stainless duplex 2205 (1.4462) for all exposed underwater parts, hopefully this will provide a very inert system with our 316 folding prop from www.seahawk.com.au

Once the keel is done it's time to turn the hull around and start building the deck and cockpit.

Hull plating mostly done

We have finished tacking all plates to the hull, except one side of the keel. We have started welding the strings to the plates, once that's finished we will start welding horizontal seams and end with vertical seams before turning the hull over and starting the deck.

Keel & Skeg

Non Radius sections, the skeg and half the keel have been plated, they are to be followed by the radius sections. It will be very interesting to see how the radius sections will fit since we pre-cut them and did strain analysis to get the best form. The time for turning the boat is rapidly approaching, hopefully we will be ready to turn by November 15th.

Building the skeg provided to be a challenge, getting it to form correctly into a symmetric hydrodynamic profile was tricky and needed things to be done in just the right order and a lot of bracing.

We have started plating the hull, the transom is in place and the stringers have been attached. Fitting the side plates is our current task, we are getting everything to line up before we tack them in place, unfortunately we realized that we made a mistake in orienting the plates when we cut them, the "natural" curvature of the plates is reverse on the far (port) side. Hopefully this won't have to big of an impact on the fairness.

We have also come of up with a new motto for the welding procedure just use LEAN methology, if it does not need to be welded now then don't weld it now.

The frames have been erected

We finished raising the frames and tacking them down on Monday (4th of August), There are plenty of pictures in the gallery and for the most up to date images feel free to check out the webcam, if you don't want to install the plugin for it you can always use the snapshot feature for a still picture. Next up are the stringers followed by the hull plating. All the frames have been slotted for the stringers and drilled so the bulkheads can be bolted to them with ease. The construction for this HoutBay 33 is a bit different from most because we are required to have transverse frames (local maritime regulations), because of this we welded the floorings straight to the frames and erect them with the frames rather than using temporary frames and adding the keel/floorings later.

We have been taking regular snapshots (1 min) with the webcam and will release regular videos as the building progresses, these should provide a very detailed step by step guide for how to build the boat.

We have finally finished building the CNC Plasma cutting table and cut all the components for the boat. The table is able to cut plates up to 2x6m plates (6x19'). You can see some pictures in the Gallery and we have uploaded all of our videos to Google Video video.google.com/videosearch

* Define:rugludallur, An Icelandic word best translated as weirdo, it is composed of the words Rugl (nonsense) and the word Dallur (leaky boat)