H H Payson and Company

10/13/2024

Teal center frame laminate update...

Moving forward on my Teal build... I've experimented on steaming/laminating, and I think I have a technique that works for me. (Rip Big Box White Oak 1 x 4 into .125" strips, then completely soak those strips in a mix of water and fabric softener for a few days, and finally steam bend for 45 minutes and clamp into a jig for a few more days for drying. After that, use thickened epoxy and jig to lock into final shape. Here is the frame drying into rough shape in the jig...

Question for y'all... How many .125" laminates do you think I need? I've experimented with 4 laminates, and when glued with plain Titebond III, the result feels as strong as iron. Now I'm using thickened epoxy as glue... Keeping in mind that this boat may well become a camper, and that I may try to put some sort of two-piece mattress on her floor, how tall do you think the center frame should stand off the Teal floor?

10/13/2024

Straightened out the shoe on the Teal model...

As I mentioned earlier, I messed up the shoe on the model... It was *way* off center. I used an X-ACTO razor knife to cut the glue line and shear off the shoe from its incorrect placement, and carefully re-glued... This time paying much more attention on location, and just how straight it really is. Takes almost perfect symmetry and straightness to be able to balance the model on the shoe... Another lesson learned for the real build -- get the shoe, skeg, and drag strips on straight!!! :)

08/28/2024

Not sure my good customers have noticed but I've had to increase the price of the Full Size Patterns by $15.00 due to a new USPS service charge for long packages. Sorry 'bout that!

08/21/2024

Looks good even through my Covid obscured brain.

Well... The model is pretty much complete,. I left out the leeboard and the sail rig because I don't intend to sail her, but I did include a stub of a mast to give me ideas...

Question for y'all... The white circles on the fore and aft decks represent watertight deck hatches. (Both bulkheads will be watertight.) Should I put the aft hatch on the bulkhead face instead of on the deck? Hmmm... (And yes, the oars are to scale... 7'10"...)

08/14/2024

Teal model shoe and skeg in the making... Love that laser... For the actual build, I'll use thickened epoxy for the adhesive...

08/10/2024

With a little luck........

Free boat building stuff... Hi all! Thought I'd mention this... There's a ton of free boat building tools and materials available if you just know how to look and ask... Case in point... We have a freebie service here on Cape Cod (FreeCycle), and sometimes people post stuff they don't want. This time, someone was getting rid of 9 clamps free... Gotta love it! Those will come in handy for the gunwales on my Teal build! Google to see if your area has free stuff, and don't be afraid to ask. Also, don't hesitate to speak up... We've got a bunch of good lumber from Home Depot just by telling the managers that we're home boat builders (and CNC'ers and home laser users...) You'd be surprised what quality scraps they might send your way when they take pity on your "mental affliction". :)

06/17/2024

Have fun with it Alan. 1/4" (6mm) plywood is fine. I'd use all epoxy glue unless you are allergic to it.

Hi all... Well, another project begins, albeit long overdue... I started my first build (the Teal back in the early 1980s but didn't finish it 'til the '90s.) Then came a career, relationships, and builds like the Peapod and the Nymph... Sadly the Teal saw little use (here's a pic of it in a rare appearance.) It was a wonderful little boat but saw too little usage before being relegated to the weeds and rotting away. But it's time to start again. I'm cleaning out my main shop, and I want to build another one, and I hope to document the process here. Also, I will have questions... Here are a few:
i.) Following Dynamite's advice, I intend to build a model of the Teal first. In the past I've built models in cereal-box cardboard to 1:27 scale. But times have changed... What scale would y'all recommend?
ii.) Times *have* changed. This time I won't use cardboard, but instead 1/16" hobby ply or balsa. Thoughts?
iii.) And in keeping with the times, we'll be using a laser to cut the model parts. Has anyone done that before? (Both the wife and I are very familiar with computers, so porting the plans into computer files is easy for us.)
iv.) As for the actual boat, I want to keep the weight down, so i want to stray a bit from the plans and use 1/4" marine ply throughout. I'll only use it in calm water, and won't sail it, so I hope 1/4" is stiff enough. Thoughts?
v.) I have the old Weldwood powder glue. Is this the best stuff now, or is there something better?

That's all for now...

TIA, Alan