The process...

The first thing to do is transfer the patterns onto the plywood. "Lofting" is not required for the Tubby Tugboat. (Lofting is the method of transferring lines from a set of plans to the plywood using a table of offsets. I have skillfully avoided obtaining any other details on the subject.)

So, I laid a sheet of 4' x 8' x 3/8" plywood on my basement floor and prepared to transfer or trace the pattern of the bottom of the boat onto the plywood. The very first thing I did was lay down the centerline so that I could line up the patterns properly. Using carbon paper and masking tape, I made a long sheet of carbon paper in a curve that followed the pattern. This turned out to be painful after transferring a few lines. Then I got smart, and taped enough carbon paper together to make one large piece big enough to cover an entire 4' x 8' sheet of plywood. This worked out great for the remaining transfers.

Transferring lines is difficult for several reasons. Carbon paper does not slide around very well on plywood (which is actually a good thing once it's in place) and it is difficult to get it to lay flat on the plywood. The same occurs with the patterns. They arrive folded instead of rolled up, so I had to deal with the creases in the patterns whilst laying this out. I had to get it as flat as possible before starting to trace, so I taped it to the plywood on one end and pulled it as tight as I could without ripping the pattern, and then used a few weights to hold it in place. Tacks don't work, they rip the pattern if you need to adjust anything so don't even bother. Again, it was a painful process... maybe lofting would have been the way to go afterall.

Here is a closeup of lining up the centerline prior to transferring the opposite side. You actually cut a whole in the pattern so that you can see the underlying centerline on the plywood.

After finishing up the bottom lines, I transferred the 2 transom braces. These guys are wedged between the transom (back of the boat where the motor is mounted) and the back seat.

Here's a shot of laying down the lines for the bulkheads. It was all an estimation at best, but close enough for me. I basically made a few marks where appropriate, then used a straight-edge to draw the lines. In fact, when I assembled the hull, I did have to adjust these a bit.

I continued the transfer process over the next week or 2, and had most of the parts cut. Next, drilling the stitch holes. The patterns have small dots spaced at about 4" where each stitch should be placed. This is for the copper wire, which holds the boat together before gluing and glassing. After drilling the stitch holes, I hauled the parts out to my garage, and began stitching. Stitching is surprisingly easy and fun (many builders absolutely despise wire stitching). The best part was actually seeing Tubby take its first breath in three dimensions. The bends are considered severe but it really wasn't that difficult. There was a bit of a crackling noise, but that's what happens with bending dry wood. I love it when friends ask, "Did you have to boil that wood to make those curves?". Not at all. Basically, you stitch a hole or two, then bend it a little more and stitch again.

Unfortunately, I can't locate any of the pictures I took of the stitching process. But you get the idea. Before these next photos were taken, there was actually quite a bit of work done. That included mounting the bulkheads to the bottom of the boat with brass screws, gluing the butt-joint for the bulwark, and a lot of epoxy mixing, filing, planing and some sanding.

Here's a shot of the butt-joint from the outside:

Various shots before encapsulating and glassing the hull...

Filleting and glassing the bow was challenging.

The motor mount, seats and transom braces-- The plans called for gluing 6 1/4" plywood pieces sandwiched together to get the thickness needed for the motor mount. That sounded pretty painful to me, so I went down to our local dump and found 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood in near perfect condition. It's amazing that people throw this stuff out... especially when you consider the cost of 3/4" plywood.

Seat filleting both midship and aft. Motor mount glued and screwed into the transom.

After procrastinating for a few months and finding other things to do, like build a deck ... I added the upper bulwark, which gave Tubby a nice shape. Then the foredeck was attached in 2 pieces which took me a few nights. Then I glassed the seams with 3" fiberglass tape, and encapsulated the hull (completely covering the wood with epoxy, both interior and exterior).

Encapsulating each half of the foredeck.

Foredeck 1" x 1/4" support installed around the bulwark. This is what the foredeck will be attached to.

Preparing to stitch the upper bulwark onto the encapsulated hull. Note that the joints on the upper bulwark are connected with 3" fiberglass tape. So, it was a 2 day process. I laid the 4 pieces of bulwark flat on the garage floor, glued and glassed both joints and let it cure. The following day I flipped both pieces over and did the same thing.

Upper bulwark and foredeck in place. Note the plywood strap screwed across the foredeck to level it out until the epoxy cures.

After stitching and gluing the upper bulwark to the port and starboard sides, I clamped and stitched and glued the aft bulwark. These areas were glassed with 3" tape a few weeks later.

These are the latest shots of Tubby (December 2000). When it warms up again, I'll get back to work. Hey, it's cold up here in Maine!

After removing most of the stitches, I did some very rough grinding and sanding on the exterior seams.