Below are all the pages related to the building of the Hull – they are in Chronological Order (so oldest first). Once you click on a page, then you can use the “next” and “previous” links in the pages to move to others.

To see the latest posts first just click on “Hull Build” in the Word Cloud on this page.

Posts on the Building of the Strip-Plank Hull

• Build LogJune 8, 2011
  This is the first entry – 8th June 2011. Well the die is cast, I drew the boat plan in the “car port” and it fits… SO the plans were ordered and we’re off… well nearly! We have arranged to purchase the castings for the engine from Bruno in Paris, and paid the deposit, and… Read more: Build Log
• First wood arrives!June 16, 2011
  The first 7 sheets of 18mm chipboard arrived today. An hour or so with AutoCad persuaded me that it required 15 sheets of 8′ by 4′ to lay out the mould shapes, so we will start marking and cutting this weekend. (See below) Having consulted the experts, I am going to lay a fair amount… Read more: First wood arrives!
• It will fit – honest!June 18, 2011
  So this is where we are going to build Befur, need to sell the  bikes, dump the rubbish and erect something to keep the rain out of the end – there is about 2 ft spare length and about 3ft spare width, (in the narrow bit). I think if we erect the strongback/jig on casters… Read more: It will fit – honest!
• First Build day!June 19, 2011
  Steel meets Wood for the first time! Moved the first 7 chipboard sheets to the main workshop I spent the morning chopping (sawing) them into blanks for the jig moulds. As suggested we are making them in two halves (the tumblehome demands it really) – it seemed to go OK – one slightly crushed foot… Read more: First Build day!
• Marking out the mouldsJuly 7, 2011
  We progress. Having cut the first 7 sheets of chipboard into panels sized to provide the first half-moulds we set about marking them and cutting them out. Selway Fisher provide a set of mould shape drawings, these have a set of horizontal lines at fixed distances above and below the water line (like +50mm, +100mm… Read more: Marking out the moulds
• Sawing Straight (not)July 7, 2011
  Having clamped a pair of mould-half panels together, I figured I could just cut them out with a jig saw…. So off I set, slowly and carefully sawing along the line – 2 inches in I  encounter the first problem – there is so much dust I can’t see the line… At this point I… Read more: Sawing Straight (not)
• So Far So GoodJuly 12, 2011
  Well I  have turned the first 7 sheets of chipboard into moulds and am half way there… Paul (from SFD) clarified my confusion, I was thinking that the frames marked on the drawings were like the ribs on some of the pictures of his designs, just square and laminated onto undersized moulds – but they are… Read more: So Far So Good
• Step one complete!July 24, 2011
  Well, we passed the first milestone; all the formers/moulds/jigs are cut out, and I only made a complete hash of one of them! One needs a 14mm “outer” laminating around it due to my misunderstanding of the frames v ribs question and cutting it undersize – but that will serve as good practice for the rest… Read more: Step one complete!
• Carpentry 101November 18, 2013
  Well another milestone is reached, I have managed to start on the Hull for Befur. We cut the moulds out in the old house in Medstead, but this last week we have managed to rebuild the strongback (provided FOC by Graham in Shepperton from the Selway Fisher Yahoo Group, thank you Graham) and started erecting… Read more: Carpentry 101
• It’s looking like a boat!December 8, 2013
  With a lot of help from Louise, we managed to get all the moulds fitted to the strongback today. There’s clearly a problem with one of the moulds which is just not at all right – I’m guessing I made a mistake cutting or measuring…. more investigation needed – but here are some pictures! Update… Read more: It’s looking like a boat!
• It’s Spring – time for woodwork and a change of head!April 20, 2014
  Well the year is turning, and so the original plan of “metalwork in the winter, boat work in the summer” has meant that  I have moved from the closeted-convector-heater-cosiness of the machine shop, to the expanses of the (un-heated) boat-shed and turning my attention from engine to hull! A shift in thinking required. Avid readers… Read more: It’s Spring – time for woodwork and a change of head!
• A start on the hull properApril 21, 2014
  We cut the moulds for the hull almost two years ago, and erected them onto the strongback a few months ago – and while that looks like progress, you are always aware that nothing you have done is actually going to be a part of the finished boat…. So I was looking forward to getting… Read more: A start on the hull proper
• Beveling the mouldsApril 21, 2014
  One of the last jobs on the mould is to bevel the edges ready to take the strip planks. Below are a set of pictures showing this in progress. There are a few points worth noting on this process: Painting the edges of the moulds allows you to make sure you don’t go to far… Read more: Beveling the moulds
• Laminating & ThicknessingMay 1, 2014
  As I have noted in recent posts, we are now firmly into the hull construction and also noted that a neighbour’s Wadworth saw made short work of providing rough-sized planks for lamination. I thought I would just write a little further on the business of reducing these planks to boards ready for laminating, and the… Read more: Laminating & Thicknessing
• Stem, Hog and ClampMay 27, 2014
   Shiver My Timbers – a whole new language One of the major learning curves in this project is learning all the terminology for components in the boat – I’ve always taken an interest in language, but have never heard most of the terms used, and the ones I thought I knew have a whole new… Read more: Stem, Hog and Clamp
• Scarfing, a failure and glue knowledge…June 17, 2014
  As hinted in the last post I suffered a failure of a scarf joint while laminating the clamp in place. I guess I should start by discussing scarfing… Scarfing For items which we are laminating in place, I think the right approach is to first produce a single “stick” which is the right size for… Read more: Scarfing, a failure and glue knowledge…
• Bilge StringersJune 17, 2014
  This is a bit of work in progress… The bilge stringers run inside the hull along the bilge line, and also provide the “foundation” for later attaching the bilge runners (or bilge keels) to the hull. This produced some head scratching – as it seems to me that the “bilge keels” will need to be… Read more: Bilge Stringers
• Planking the hull (not the fad)…September 3, 2014
  I see that we have written nothing since June to indicate progress… Well that’s partly holidays, partly a dose of shingles, and partly because I have been more focussed on building than writing (no bad thing I guess). Planking at last
• Making sense of the planking?September 24, 2014
  I think we are starting to get “into the flow” with the planking… Louise and I work like a (reasonably) well oiled machine now – as you can see from the pics below the hull is starting to take shape.
• Progress – reaching the bilge & stringerOctober 23, 2014
  We have been planking continuously now, if only work would stop getting in the way…. Reached a couple of milestones in the last week Planking reached half-way up the stem and half-way round the transom (of course we are no-where near half way at the broadest point of the hull). Planking got too high to… Read more: Progress – reaching the bilge & stringer
• Retirement Beckons!January 19, 2015
  A change of pace and circumstance Well it seems I have not posted since November and the arrival of Befur’s trailer. Since then a lot has happened (so Happy Xmas, and Happy New Year)… I have had the fortune to be made redundant, and have (with Louise’s kind support) agreed to turn that into retirement… Read more: Retirement Beckons!
• The sun shines – so it’s back to the wood shed!April 30, 2015
  Just a quick post to demonstrate that I have managed to start planking again, now the boat shed temperatures are high enough to stop the epoxy being like toffee… We are getting really close to closing up the hull at the stem and stern – the twist in each plank is getting hard to mange… Read more: The sun shines – so it’s back to the wood shed!
• A little local difficultyMay 13, 2015
  As we approach the end of the planking I am having a little trouble getting the last planks to fit… below are two pics showing where we are at… In the one shot from the stem it’s the right hand side I am in trouble with (the plank after the one shown fitted here) and… Read more: A little local difficulty
• Bored of Planking Now!May 20, 2015
  Only 65% I was somewhat depressed to discover a few days ago that I had seemingly only laid 65% of the planks on the hull 😦  I seem to have been at it for EVER!! …and while practice is making me marginally faster I would be happy if it was over! The good news is that… Read more: Bored of Planking Now!
• Closing the gapJuly 6, 2015
  Almost there! After what seems like months we are very close to finishing the planking of the hull. In this post I wanted to describe the process I am using to finish the planking before cladding the hull (with it’s glass skin). Curvy planks
• A hull with no holes in – oh wait!August 2, 2015
  Well this months thanks go to Nigel Thompson from the SBA who noticed signs of wavering and  procrastination in my questioning about the sequence of build operations, and stepped in to put me back on the right track…. To go back a bit; you might recall that the game plan is to clad the hull… Read more: A hull with no holes in – oh wait!
• DeadWood – dead hard! (pt. #1)September 5, 2015
  The Keel? So the next step in the process is to add what you or I might call “the keel” (but the designer calls the “the deadwood“). I imagined this would be an easy job, but it actually transpired to be quite taxing and turned into some nightmarish version of steel and wood Lego, where determining… Read more: DeadWood – dead hard! (pt. #1)
• Deadwood – dead hard! (pt. #2)October 12, 2015
  Too much moaning! Well it’s another month down the road and the deadwood/keel is done – to be fair to Selway Fisher most of my troubles with this are entirely self inflicted, and by comparison to some other designs, Paul’s are much simpler and well thought out for the beginner (and in fact the first… Read more: Deadwood – dead hard! (pt. #2)
• Painting and FillingOctober 30, 2015
  Well actually this short post just concerns itself with filling… Having sanded off the epoxy cladding, the next step was to fill it to provide a flat surface for painting. I was advised to use Nautix Blue Epoxy filler, which I obtained from MarineWare in Fareham. This is quite remarkable stuff – it’s expensive at £100… Read more: Painting and Filling
• Turning it over!!!!!October 30, 2015
  Well, yesterday was a momentous day! As noted in the previous post, I was totally ready to move on and stop filling/preparing the hull and see the inside! More assistance from Nigel Thomson from the SBA produced an excellent result. We propped the workshop roof with some Acroprops, fitted up a selection of chain hoists (thank… Read more: Turning it over!!!!!
• More nautical terminology wierdnessNovember 29, 2015
  A bit of light (well heavy actually) relief The last few weeks have been devoted to progressing the Landrover rebuild to provide a comfortable and reliable tow vehicle, vast amounts of foam insulation, lead-loaded sound deadening and carpet and new LED lights might make it quieter, but I suspect may have more effect on the… Read more: More nautical terminology wierdness
• Fit-out and SteelworkJanuary 20, 2016
  Fitout The current process is trying to finalise the major items in the fit-out of the boat, so that I can install the major structural elements for the cabin and mast. This is a bit of a “round in circles” process, You imagine how it will be, draw it out, see it doesn’t fit, imagine… Read more: Fit-out and Steelwork
• Fuel Tank, Mast Structure and GalvanizingFebruary 25, 2016
  This is a hotchpotch of notes on progress we have made in the last few weeks. I am now focusing my attention on the internal fit-out. We need to get Befur in a state to move her on a trailer to our new home in Cumbria in August, this is adding some needed pressure, to… Read more: Fuel Tank, Mast Structure and Galvanizing
• Fitting Out ProgressApril 12, 2016
  Just a note to bring up to date the state of the fit-out and progress over the last month… We have fitted: Chain-locker for anchor, rode etc. Mast/partners support steelwork Foredeck (although we need to cut out hatch for chain-locker, glass and then fit teak decking) Aft deck (hatches, glassing and decking also to be fitted)… Read more: Fitting Out Progress
• Sculpture in Epoxy and WoodJune 28, 2016
  Boat building for botchers! I have returned to work on finishing and fitting out the hull, and in the process come to the conclusion that boat building using strip-plank/epoxy is mostly a process of sculpture using wood and epoxy as the constructional elements. I must confess that this approach really rewards the botcher, as there… Read more: Sculpture in Epoxy and Wood
• More fitting out – and symmetryJuly 6, 2016
  Just a quick note, the last week or so have been dedicated to the building of the cabin on Befur, and the first stages of internal fit-out. This has involved the fitting of the cabin sides (as seen in the last post’s pictures), and the fitting of internal bulkheads, (e.g. the walls of the loo… Read more: More fitting out – and symmetry
• Under the Cosh!July 25, 2016
  As we move inexorably towards August I am feeling the pressure to finish Befur ready for the move to Cumbria! We have ordered a trailer from Gecko Trailers in Cornwall, (who’s spelling is worse than mine)! that is due to arrive in 6 weeks, so I think it’s defining a definite end date
• Fitting OutAugust 24, 2016
  Louise (having retired) has joined as a full-time worker now, and progress is much improved… She has become an expert epoxy filleter, and having two people to hold a job, or get the pencil you left on the bench when you’re up-side-down in the cabin saves a huge amount of time. We have fitted the… Read more: Fitting Out
• Paint!September 11, 2016
  A day we thought we might be never reach, has arrived ☺. Today we put the first paint on Befur,it’s only primer but it is a milestone. We have decided to use Epifanes 2-pack polyurethane for the hull cockpit, decks and topsides (and something cheaper for inside)! So £480 later we have the necessary under… Read more: Paint!
• The Final Push to the NorthOctober 12, 2016
  Well, as I may have mentioned we have decided to relocate to Cumbria (330miles north of current location) – this of course means moving house and more significantly relocating the workshop and boat! This decision has resulted in the gap in posts and also a final push to get Befur in a state ready to… Read more: The Final Push to the North
• Providing some Direction – Befur gains a rudderSeptember 29, 2017
  One of the major outstanding jobs on the hull was to build a suitable rudder. As Befur is meant to sail (as well as steam) we wanted to make sure we provided some thing effective. Researching the subject covering everything from historic articles on Chinese Junk development to the Steamboat Associations’ handbook and designers from… Read more: Providing some Direction – Befur gains a rudder
• Engine Meets HullFebruary 13, 2018
  Just a note to commemorate another milestone. Yesterday we (neighbour Mike and I) lifted the engine into the boat! Hurrah! We had spent a deal of time debating how best to do this, with the hydraulic bucket on the tractor being the initial option – but in the end we both felt a bit “windy”… Read more: Engine Meets Hull
• Lifting the Boiler InFebruary 28, 2018
  With the snow too deep to open the doors today, a few words on the last couple of weeks work seem appropriate. We are still working towards an April launch, but there is a fair amount still to do.
• More Electrics, “Decks” and WoodworkMarch 26, 2018
  Having craned the engine and boiler into the hull we have now settled the position of the key components and can start to deal with some of the remaining fitting out tasks. We are still aiming for an April Launch, but in true project planning style we had not said which day in April, so… Read more: More Electrics, “Decks” and Woodwork
• Late- yes, Embarrassed – some, Nearly There – maybeMay 22, 2018
  I noticed that I had not written anything since the end of March, and I guess (unconsciously) this was because I had intended to have Befur ready for the water on the first of April, and that clearly wasn’t happening – and addressing that fact in print was a bridge too far! However, we have… Read more: Late- yes, Embarrassed – some, Nearly There – maybe
• Going at it hammer and tongs!June 10, 2018
  Well, we have been working very hard to try to get Befur ready for the water, and this picture of me taking a break from boat building (on a blacksmith’s course seemed to epitomise what life is like….). – thank you Becca for the course, provided as a Christmas present, at a real Elizabethan forge!
• Update on a snowy dayApril 3, 2019
  As April begins the weather returns to snow and cold, so it seems a good time to provide a progress report. We are working towards getting Befur into the water for 2019 – I was hoping for April 1st, but (as always) I am behind plan. However, it really is too cold to be on… Read more: Update on a snowy day
• Winter WorkOctober 5, 2021
  Well, Befur is back in the fells for some winter work. The pull-out and trip home was uneventful, thanks to Simon and Dean’s help, and the garage finally finding and fixing the leak in the Land Rover’s turbo pipes! Much less smoke and much more go! Work to do We have a tentative list of… Read more: Winter Work
• Getting to the end of the worklistApril 15, 2022
  I’m falling behind! No progress update since January – sorry. We have been working hard to get her ready for re-entering the water… This winter’s workslist has turned into quite a major refit. The list below shows the work we are undertaking, and all is completed except installing the engine and the work on mast… Read more: Getting to the end of the worklist