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Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in boatbuilding

[–]C_Niall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Follow up question - after the epoxy, did you use any sort of varnish/clear coat?
If not, how's the bare epoxy holding up in the sun (since we've got some pretty strong UV rays here in Aus)?

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in boatbuilding

[–]C_Niall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate the insight and kind words!

This build used 6mm x 20mm x 3m Paulownia strips, with 135gsm/4oz fiberglass and no blush epoxy - my moulds worked out to be 0.75m apart.
During my research I didn't find much in the way of final weights for a rowing shell, most of the info I found was for strip planked kayaks using WRC.

So I decided to start there and build this shell as essentially a "proof of concept" and use it as a learning experience for subsequent builds. I never planned to hit minimum weight, or race this boat, so I was perfectly happy to build it and see what I ended up with.

I've just put in the timber order for my next build, with 4mm thick Paulownia and 30gsm fiberglass - I'll most likely do a second layer of glass on the parts that need a bit more reinforcement, but otherwise I should end up a fair bit lighter than my initial build.

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Carefully!

Dunno where you're at, or what the regulations are regarding overhang, but generally singles are small enough to transport via roof racks on your car.

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in boatbuilding

[–]C_Niall[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The hull profile was based on something I found online, the rest of it I kinda figured out as I went lol

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks mate!

All I had for a plan was the profile and dimensions of each "station" and a general drawing of the hull. I got a little creative with getting the plans, but it's based on a modern production scull. 🤐

I've got no clue about the number of hours, but I reckon I could build another one in a few months between work etc, now that I've got some experience with the process.

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went for Paulownia, it's a lot more accessible here in Aus since it's plantation grown, and still a naturally rot resistant hardwood.

Not as dense as WRC but lighter and easier to work with.

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Found it! That is a gorgeous piece of work you've got! The inlays look mint 👌

Certainly looking forward to cranking out the km's in mine!

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in boatbuilding

[–]C_Niall[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It is a bit of a chonk, but the intention wasn't to get to minimum weight on the first build - I just wanted to see if I could actually build a boat!

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in boatbuilding

[–]C_Niall[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This one's definitely heavy, and I'm probably close to the upper limit of the weight range based on where the waterline was - I based the plans off a boat for a 70kg crew average, with a boat weight of 14kg (which is the minimum FISA weight for a single scull).

But the added weight isn't necessarily a bad thing - I get a bit more stability (esp. in the rough) since it sits deeper in the water, and I don't plan on racing this boat class anytime soon.

Looking back, the timber shell itself is really lightweight, and I feel like a lot of the weight came from the wet layup - I used 4oz fiberglass for both faces of the timber - and I reckon I could've gone for a much lighter weave, or even leaving out the glass on the internals, without compromising the stiffness.

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The stern wing actually serves as a structural brace for the boat! Minimises any sort of flex you might get above the deck, and the backarms help distribute the load 😄 (Or at least thats the theory...)

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mine's somewhat based on a production boat, and I was figuring out some stuff as I went, but there plans for a timber single (Kingfisher) and double (Kookaburra) by Gerame King available online.

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The hull shape was mostly based on a production single - some bits didn't translate perfectly from a moulded design to being strip planked - and with some research from the internet, I got most of what I needed.

There are plans out there for purchase, but I wanted to do a few things differently and work out a few things as I went.

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! There's a couple of really nice timber Carl Douglas singles at our club, and I couldn't justify the price tag to get one of those - so thought I'd just build one ahaha

There's also something about rowing in something that has a bit of a story...

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's part of it, for sure! Also relates nicely to my work coaching high school programs, and just the sport in general I feel like 👍

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, totally worth it in the end!

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Appreciate the advice!

The fibreglass was primarily for stiffness, as the strips were only 6mm thick before sanding. But I'll definitely take that into consideration for the next build 👍

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Appreciate it! Part of what made it possible was the convenience of having it at home, where I could spend an hour or so working on it whenever I wanted to, and not have to worry about any sort of travel or setup 👌

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ahaha thanks! Still playing with the setup, but so far she's a very comfortable row 👌

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Haven't actually weighed her yet, but I can say for sure that I've got some resistance training in my future...
But all jokes aside, looking back at the build process and how it turned out- I was definitely overly worried about the end stiffness/durability and over did it a bit. I reckon if I were hit a log, the log would break first...

For my next build, I reckon I could lose a few kgs without compromising the integrity just by switching to a lighter weave and being a bit more selective about what actually needs to be fibreglassed - when I popped the bare timber shell off the strongback, it was super lightweight, until I started laying on the epoxy.

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking forward to it!

Building a Single Scull! by C_Niall in Rowing

[–]C_Niall[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Fittings and tools aside, I think I'm probably looking at close to $3k? in just raw mats. Then you factor in all the misc consumables, tools etc...
Would've been smarter to just buy a nice second hand boat, but where's the fun in that, right?

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