A place to share YOUR boat building story

• Indigenora by Craig Larson
  
  
• Glen-L Boatbuilder of the Month
  
  
• Designer's Notebook: Air-Cooled Motors
  
  
• January by ArtDeco
  
  
• Photos sent in since the last WebLetter...
  
  
• Shop Talk: Sander Stand
  
  
• Recent email
  
  
• Cartoon of the Month
  

• Whew!!! The holidays are (finally) behind us, the move of our website to a new and much more robust server is over, and the annual Glen-L inventory has been completed! Now I can get back to work posting your photos, project registry entries and improving the look and content of the WebLetter.
• If you've sent in photos of your project or completed craft and you haven't yet seen them on the website, don't worry. I am focused on getting everything that's been sent in to us cropped, enhanced and posted so that we can all enjoy and learn from your efforts.
• We at Glen-L want you to know that we appreciate all of your comments, emails, suggestions and submissions for the WebLetter. We encourage everyone of you who are enjoying the craft you've so lovingly built, or the project you're currently working on, or even just your plans for the future to share them with us and all of our WebLetter readers. Please continue to send us your photos, stories and comments - after all, 15,000 (the number of people receiving the Glen-L WebLetter every month) enquiring minds want to know!

Until next month . . .      
Editor      

Indigenora

by Craig Larson

To All Wooden Boat Builders In The New Year

M ay you be clear-headed on your design,
May your supplies be plentiful,
May you find a spacious place to build,
May your wood grain be straight,
May your building form be true,
May your sectional forms be precise,
May your tools be sharp,
May your planing be even,
May your bead-and-coves join,
May your mechanical fittings all hold,
May your fibreglass be applied evenly and your epoxy set like steel,
May your cabin be graceful,
May your paint be luxurious,
May your engine fire the first and every time,
May you be patient with yourself and those closest to you,
And may you make your way in safety and find secure harbour with joy!

My tools are put away until the new year. See you in a few weeks.
All the best to all boat builders in 2009, and especially the fine folks at Glen-L!!!

Editor's Note: Visit Craig's blog
Indigenora: A Blog About Building A Glen-L Eagle
.

Glen-L Boatbuilder of the Month

Ray Macke - Cabin Skiff and now True Grit

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from Glen-L WebLetter 21 where Ray Macke describes building his Glen-L Cabin Skiff "Therapy" - click here to find the complete article and photos.

Attached are a few photos of my Cabin Skiff project. I incorporated several modifications which included stretching to 18', moving forward decks up to top of bulwarks, changing cabin & berth shape, and making the windshields tilt open for ventilation. I started the project on 10/26/99 and slid it off the trailer for the maiden voyage on 7/22/00.

I haven't had enough time to really nail down the performance numbers yet, but this is what it is looking like so far. With the new Honda 50 hp four stroke I find it will plane at about 17 or 18 mph. Top speed is 30 mph.

I must say I get a LOT of looks from other boaters. You just don't see anything like the Cabin Skiff on the rivers here in the midwest. Also, in one of the photos you see the trailer and I built it from Glen-L's plans. Everyone that sees it is surprised when they find out it is not a "factory" job.

If anyone is interested in the building process they can visit my web site at http://www.egyptian.net/~raymacke/ . It tracks my progress from the beginning with lots of photos and text (also has a section on building the trailer).

I have enjoyed the process so much I hated to see it come to an end!

Editor's Note: Ray Macke recently sent us the following regarding his new boatbuilding project, a Glen-L True Grit. We're sure you'll enjoy reading it as much as we did, and we think that you'll especially enjoy clicking on the link Ray supplied that will lead to you all sorts of wonderful and interesting information . . .

H i Gayle and John,

I just wanted to drop you a note and express how disappointed I was not to be able to attend the 2008 Gathering. Although I try to avoid it, sometimes it seems responsibility gets in the way of having fun. But it sounds like it was even better than 2007. More people, more boats which equals more FUN! Would have loved to have been there. I also want to mention how much I enjoyed reading Bob & Dave's Excellent Adventure". It was a real kick to follow Dave's thoughts as he was discovering an experience that I have come to truly love - long distance river cruising. And it is particularly nice he did this on a run to Chattanooga, which is my all time favorite trip. I too was planning on making this trip again after the Gathering. In fact, this year was the first since launching Therapy in 2000 that I have not made it there. Won't happen again. As soon as the weather breaks this spring I am packing up the Cabin Skiff and heading for the Tennessee River.

But now the unseasonably cold weather has the rivers and lakes frozen over and Therapy sets in the shed. But I am not idle. I have been working on my True Grit project and making some headway. I have discovered that although the True Grit is only 50% larger than the Cabin Skiff - 27' vs. 18' - it is at least four or five times the project! Not that it has to be a lot more complex but my vision of the finished boat is much more sophisticated than the CS. With both 12 volt and 110 volt electrical systems, fresh water system including a shower, a real head and storage in every available space, a lot of time is spent in both planning and building. A lot of time! Not that I am complaining as I am enjoying every minute.

Until now I have avoided placing anything on the web about the project - just didn't want to take the time. But have had numerous inquiries about my progress and decided to go ahead and post some info and photos. I'll try to keep it updated as things progress. As usual I am open to any and all comments and suggestions so everyone please feel free to drop me a note.

--- Ray Macke

Here is the link - http://www.egyptian.net/~raymacke/TG/TG01.html

See Ray's compendium of river cruising stories
in the WebLetter Index under "Cabin Skiff."

Designer's Notebook: Air-Cooled Motors M any get the idea that one of the air-cooled "lawn mower type" engines can be adapted to marine use. They are relatively cheap, especially when compared to a comparable marine engine. Then there are air-cooled motorcycle motors, lightweight and powerful; wouldn't they work? Most land vehicles do a lot of coasting. When the throttle is released, on a bike for example, it will roll for quite a distance. Do the same thing on a watercraft and the coasting will be minimal. Constant power is required; there is no resting for the marine powerplant. Years ago a marine mechanic compared a marine engine to that of an automobile going up a 20 percent grade in low gear, with wide open throttle. Perhaps this is overstated but the marine power does not rest, it's under load all the time. The typical motors referred to simply are not intended for such use. An air-cooled motor in a vehicle on land is generally exposed; the flow of air around the cooling fins work well. In a boat, the motor is working harder, the rush of air is minimal and overheating becomes common. The oiling system is probably not made to stand the heat or perhaps the angularity of a marine installation. The exhaust on the land based vehicle is run through pipes exposed to the air or even short pipes with a little muffler as in the smaller motors. A boat engine exhaust can become red hot. If the carburetor float sticks and raw gas hits the hot exhaust, the 4th of July comes early. And some of the small motors have a fuel tank attached; more pyrotechnics. A marine engine has water jacketed exhaust pipes to cool them. It is possible for the individual to make manifolds but it isn't easy. Making such a manifold with standard iron exhaust pipe is a waste of time; it will rust out quickly with the heat and water. Copper or stainless steel works fine but welding the jacketing around a pipe without leaks is difficult. In an attempt to solve the cooling problem, some have wrapped the engine cylinder cooling vane grooves with copper pipe and pumped cooling water through the system using the overflow to cool the exhaust pipes. Others have tried large fans with special ducting to cool the engine. All kinds of methods have been tried, but few worked. A major problem is what to do about a transmission. The marine transmission shifts from forward to reverse actuated by a lever with neutral in between. There is no brake on a boat except shifting the transmission into reverse. Small marine transmissions are not plentiful. Even if one is found, perhaps from a worn out marine engine, adapting the salvaged transmission to fit the motor can be a formidable task. Note that no mention is made regarding "big brother". The USCG surely won't approve an installation that is potentially dangerous. Insurance may be hard to come by, or impossible to get, if an inspection by a marine surveyor is required. In other words, check the process out before going forward with installing one of the commonly available air-cooled engines in a boat. The foregoing is not meant to condemn air-cooled motors specially made for marine applications. These are fine installations and many have been proven in years of use. But these are not the "garden variety" small engines referred to in this text. They have been engineered and developed over the years specifically for marine use.

With greater confidence in yourself and your abilities, you will set bigger goals, make bigger plans, and commit yourself to achieving objectives that today you only dream about.

Shop Talk: Sander Stand

Recent email:

Subject: Merry Christmas
Date: 12 December 2008

Good morning, John. Just a short note to wish you, Gayle, Glen, Darla and Buckshot a very Merry Christmas and a successful 2009.

Also, many thanks for putting up with my endless barrage of emails and WAY too many photos of our ZIP. I can tell you that the high point of the project was taking it down to show it to you guys in August.

All the best,

-- Mark Shipley
Thousand Oaks, California

Editor's Note: See more about Mark and his Zip in
Customer Photos and the Project Registry as well as (what Glen called) Mark's "excellent example of bottom batten reinforcement" in WebLetter 105.

Subject: Christmas
Date: 18 December 2008

Hi Gayle and the Glen-L Team,

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year and plenty of safe boating through the holiday period. We are going away skiing after Christmas for 10 days, will come back a bit sore.

Have not done anything on our Renegade for the last 5 months, have changed jobs, no time to work on it and it has been too hot to work in the shed (100 degree`s today). Will send more photo`s after the New Year.

-- Ian Bell
Brisbane, Australia

Editor's Note: See more about Ian and his Renegade in
Customer Photos and the Project Registry.

Subject: Glen-L Gathering of Boatbuilders
Date: 1 December 2008

See photos of the Riviera, Monaco, and Topper Bill Yonescu has built - BEAUTIFUL craftsmanship!

Subject: Forum & WebLetter
Date: 12 December 2008

Subject: Ken Hankinson DVD
Date: 29 December 2008

Cartoon of the Month

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