SAILOR STEM Boatbuilders

Over the next 5 months 90+ students from 8 Philadelphia area High Schools will complete another 19’ Outboard Garvey as they explore the myriad STEM challenges that present themselves in the real build of a real wooden boat.

At this point we are a few months into the build and as I’ve been slow to update you all, I’d like to apologize by painting a thorough picture of the year so far. I invite you to read on for highlights from 2018 and tune back in next week for highlights from January and February before continuing with weekly updates as we get into the meat of the build!

October- We started the year with a dive into three basics of boat design- displacement, buoyancy and propulsion- primarily through foil boat competitions. It’s Physics. We all know some Physics. Having spent our waking lives interacting with and observing this physical world, we’ve learned a bit about how things work. We know how objects interact with one another in many environments. We can describe their relationships to one another with both exhaustive accuracy and absolute whimsy, yet, when asked if we know anything about physics, we shrug. But watching a 9th grader sculpt a tinfoil marvel that under one balloon’s breath can glide arrow-straight across a 20’ pool and crash into the back wall with enough energy to send a small wave rippling back across that pool, there is no doubt, we know Physics. It is in this spirit of proud curiosity that we get to commune with Archimedes, Bernoulli, Alden and Herreshoff as we look with wonder at one object dancing gracefully across the water, and another taking a hilariously dramatic dive to the depths of our tank, and call them both boats.

November- Equipped with heads full of nautical notions, we took to the shop to learn the working of wood and master the keeping of fingers. Building a beveled side tool tote with a half-blind mortised handle provides opportunities for learning the safe use of the Miter Saw, Band saw and Drill Press as well as screw-driving, planing and abrasive fairing techniques. Paired with an overview of the Lofting process, our students wrapped up November both physically and mentally ready to start building their boat!

December- Immediately before the first saw blade shears the first fiber of the first timber a certain magic lingers in the shop air. Be it here in the WOW, at Urban Boatworks’ shop across the river or in the hundreds of boat shops dotting the bay shores of the northeast, enthusiasm and temporary amnesia emulsify into a dreamy anticipation in the mind of the shipwrights when, for a fleeting moment, nothing has gone wrong and everything is still perfect. Many students joined in on our giddy smiles while some peered with dread at the plans laid out before us as we cut our first cuts and fastened our temporary forms to put together a reliable Strongback- the base from which our hull will emerge.

  With the strongback readied, hardwood timbers met circular saws, thickness planers, tablesaws, and hand planes as they began resembling the structural members of our Garvey’s Backbone.

 Thanks for joining us in our educational adventure! See you next week!

Jawn makes its big splash!

I apologize for the delay, but June 2nd was a smashing success for the SAILOR program.  We launched Jawn, the 19′ garvey that our students worked so hard on for the entire school year.  I hope that every student is proud of what they were able to accomplish with this project.  We needed each and every one’s help to make this boat a reality, and I am grateful for how committed our students were.  That Jawn look like she was built by a bunch of professionals!  Here are some photos from the celebration!

Although our boat has already launched, I wanted to share some spectacular photos that were taken the day our EAGLE girls applied the final coat of topsides paint. 

Before:

After: 

The finish work on this boat is coming together so nicely! This week our EAGLE girls were busy doing final coats of oli/varnish on our floor planks, applying the first coat of topsides paint to our hull, and adding non-skid paint to our decks.  These girls were busy!

Floor Planks!

Below the girls have just finished sanding the planks and are vacuuming off the dust. 

After 30 minutes passed since applying the oil/varnish mix, we needed to wipe off any excess of the mix that didn’t get absorbed into the planks.  Below, Monet and Aretha are on top of this process.  Just look at how beautiful these planks look!!!

Deck Non-Skid!

Although the forward and aft seats are, well places to sit, there will be times when people need to step up onto these surfaces.  In order to make them safe and slip resistant, we added a non-skid coating of paint.  Below Aretha is rolling on the good stuff while Dave supervises. 

Topsides Paint!

Lastly our EAGLE students applied the first coat of topsides paint, a light mint green color.  First they needed to tape off all of the neighboring surfaces so that we could keep our crisp waterlines and bright rails paint free.  Below, Alexis is under the boat taping off our waterline. 

Once taping was done, they could get to work with rolling and tipping the paint.  Rolling and tipping means that you roll the paint on any which way with a roller brush, and then you lightly brush the tip of your bristle brush across the rolled surfaces in the direction of the grain and into the wet paint.  We had two teams of three for this process.  In each team, there was a roller, a bristle brush tipper, and a person with a flashlight looking for any drips or missed spots (QC, if you will). 

Amia, Alexis, and Janiyah made a great team of quick workers.  

Janiyah makes painting look good.

This console is lookin’ good!  Above is how far we got this week with fitting and installing all of the electronics for our center console. 

Early in the week we got the structure of the console fastened together.  Can you believe this came from a drawing that our students came up with!?

Then we needed to start drilling for where all of our instruments will go.  Our CHAD students stepped up and really helped move this part of the project forward. 

Above is the panel for where our gauges will go. 

Jahmier is starting to drill for where our bluetooth radio will go -- right next to the usb charger.  I know what you’re thinking, and yes, of course we need to have music on our boat and the ability to charge our cellular devices!

Above and below our students are using the jig saw to cut out the rectangular slots for our breaker panel and radio. 

Below Mylz and Jihad are drilling for lights and the speakers.  We clamped a scrap board behind the panels to help reduce blow out from the drilling. 

This week the boat was flipped upside down again so that we could prep the hull for its finishing touches.  Apart from the shoes installation (which we talked about in our previous post), the students needed to seal the seams between the planks so water can’t leak through, and they also figured out the waterline so they could apply bottom paint. 

In order to seal the plank seams, our Totall Envolvement students had to caulk the seams with cotton.  Below you can see them dividing up a thick strand of cotton into two separate containers (one for each side of the boat). 

The cotton strands were then rolled into the seams with these mini pizza cutter type things that Dave whipped up in about five minutes.  The students rolled the tool back and forth to compress the cotton and have it fill in the gap between each plank. 

After all of the seams were caulked, the students went over the cotton with white primer paint to help lock the cotton in place and prep for a seam compound to be applied next. 

Our Bodine and CHAD students were helping us figure out the waterline.  The waterline tells us, you guessed it, how far the boat sits in the water.  Below the waterline we apply bottom paint, which is a special paint that protects the hull from marine life growing on it.  

Above we are marking out the waterline with blue tape so that we keep a crisp edge when we paint.  Below you can see the finish product.  Voila! 

But that was just the first coat of bottom paint.  We needed to get a couple more coats before we called it good.  Below our EAGLE girls have applied another line of tape to keep that crisp edge.  They are also applying seam compound over the primed cotton caulking to add more protection from water seeping through the planks. 

Below the girls are scuffing up the previous coat of bottom paint with scotch brite to help make sure their coat adheres well. 

Step 3. Pet Saunders

Our PET foreman, Rob, gave us some step-by-step guidance for how to install the shoes on the boat.  His notes prove that Saunders is an integral part for most boatbuilding processes. 

But in all seriousness, these guys were crushing it again by helping us install the shoes.  The shoes are four long strips of mahogany that run forward and aft along the bottom of the boat.  They help protect the bottom of the hull, as well as provide traction for maneuvering in the water. 

First they had to apply sikaflex with a caulking gun and use a putty knife to spread it along the inside face of the shoes.  The sikaflex will seal the connection between the shoes and the hull and help waterproof it.  Once the sikaflex was spread we all had to work together to lift the shoe and hold it in the right spot along the boat for fastening.  We had predrilled the holes so we knew where each shoe needed to go.  

For the actual fastening process, we started at the forward end and worked our way back.  One student was under the boat installing screws up through the hull into the shoe as the rest of us pressed the shoe down against the hull for a tight connection.  We needed everyone’s help during this process, so unfortunately we missed getting pictures.  However, we do have some nice after photos.  These guys are pros!

One set down, another set to go!

As launch day looms nearer, our students are working on projects that will help ensure the boat looks great when it makes its big splash.  Some of these projects include: attaching any remaining parts and hardware such as spray rails and cleats; filling screw holes with epoxy putty and bungs; and sanding the surfaces to prep for finish paint. 

Below, our Totall Envolvement students are final installing the spray rails.  We say final install because they covered the inside surface of the spray rail with sikaflex, which helps waterproof that surface along the hull of the boat.  Once that stuff dries it will be very difficult to take off. 

Each student got a chance to fasten a few screws along the spray rails, and we all had to work together to support the rails from falling .

Below, Janiyah from our EAGLE group is attaching a cleat to the boat by bolting it through the inwale, plank, and rubrail.  Those cleats aren’t going anywhere!

Below, Caleb is sanding the hull to prep for paint.  Sanding the surfaces of the wood is important because it removes any imperfections or scratches from the milling process, and ensures that the paint will adhere to the wood evenly. 

Our students also had to fill the screw holes with putty.  Once the putty dried we were able to sand off any excess and bring it to a smooth flat surface.  Next when they apply the paint, you won’t even be able tell where the screws are.  It will seem like the boat is being held together by magic!

We also have a fair amount of painting to do still.  The whole exterior needs to be painted and our EAGLE girls are getting the process started with some primer on the transoms.  You go, girls!

Our CHAD guys have been busy with their center console designs, and I’m very impressed with what they came up with.  For the design process, we pretended that Dave and I were their clients, and the students needed to come up with proposals for us to choose from. 

Above: Dave going over the parameters of what each design needs to contain. 

After we debriefed the guys on what we were looking for, they were off to sketching.  I appreciated how thoughtful and creative each design was.  Below are the ones we liked most, and we decided to mock-up a hybrid of the two out of cardboard. 

Once we had a mock-up to review we were able to analyze the specs to see if further changes needed to be made.  During our review session we decided the top part of the console needed to have greater width and depth so that the devices we’re installing will fit.  So it was back to the cardboard!  This was a great example of the design spiral process.  In the end, the final mock-up looked great, and all we had to do was make small tweaks along the way to help us get there.  It’s like these guys go to a high school for architecture and design, or something.

Above: The initial mock-up for the console. 

Above: Cutting out new pieces for the revised mock-up.

Above: The final mock-up for the center console -- looks good!

Meanwhile, we needed to think about how the wiring for these devices will run from the center console to the fwd and aft ends of the boat in a discreet way.  The task was given to our Totall Envolvement group, and they stepped up to the challenge of drilling holes in our floor timbers for the wires to run through under our floor planks. Our foreman Salome captured some photos of the process. 

First, they needed to measure out where the holes were going to be drilled.  they picked a set distance off of the center of the floor timber on either side and marked the halfway point on the face. 

Then it was time to drill!  Our students took turns drilling through each floor timber. 

Laying out the floor planks was a project that spanned several days and many of our students got to be a part of the process.

It started out with our EAGLE girls helping rough cut planks to the proper length and shape.  It was tricky to get the planks to lay flat on our floor timbers so we used weights to hold them down.  As more and more planks were added, we used small pieces of 1/4″ thick wood to act as spacers between them.

Then our Totall Envolvement students stepped in to make more planks and we started to fasten them down to the floor timbers.  As Foreman Emmett said: 

​“Since the floor is symmetrical, we made a copy of a plank by flipping it over, tracing it, and cutting it out. Then we placed it in the boat and placed weights on it, put spacers in between the planks, and tightened them together with a clamp. Then we drilled holes in the plank and put screws in it to hold it down.”

The students used a bit brace to fasten the screws in place.  This tool helps students from overturning the screw, which could cause the screw to break.  It also puts much less strain on the student’s wrist. 

The process continued until the planks reached all the way out to the edges of the hull.  Once all of the planks were installed, we got a good shot of what to expect for our finished boat -- and boy does it look nice!

But we were still far from done!  The next thing we wad to do was mark out where our center console will go and cut the floor planks so that the console can fit.  Our Bodine students helped us reinstall the planks once the cut had been made.  While the planks were being fastened I asked the foreman for the day, Nadir, why he chose this program and what he liked about it.  With a smile he said:

“I chose to do SAILOR because it sounded fun and interesting. I love SAILOR because it is fun to see how we work and learn new things.”

Once the planks were installed, the students could look back and feel good about all that they had accomplished up until that point... 

After we were satisfied with how the floor had taken shape, we were ready to start the finishing process.  We needed to sand the planks to smooth out any imperfections or waves from the thickness planer.  Our Bodine students started us off, and below you can see Henry trying to sand out some burn marks from the table saw when the planks were cut to width. . 

Now the process comes full circle back to our EAGLE students.  It was their job to finish sanding and put our first coat of a 50/50 mix of varnish/tung oil on the planks.  Sanding always feels like tedious work, but they persevered.  Foreman Gekeya affirmed, “WE WORKED HARD!” when we asked what they did that day. 

The real fun started when they got to apply the varnish/tung oil mix.  This mixture seals and hardens the wood to protect it from water and wear once it’s on the boat.  It also does a nice job of making the grain on the wood pop and shine.  One of the students, Alexis, took a lot of pride in this work.  She was very meticulous and told me she wanted to make sure the varnish/oil mixture was applied evenly. 

Since the boat was flipped right side up, there’s been plenty of work to get the inside of the boat built up.  From painting to bench seats to floors, our students have been busy!  What’s nice about this point in the process is that we can easily divide and conquer.

1.  Of course there’s always sanding and painting to do.  We’ve been slowly working up coats of primer before we start applying finish paint. 

2. We’ve also been working on the forward and aft benches.  Below you can see the aft bench and bulkhead in the making.  Our battery, bilge pump, and some storage will be kept below the seat. 

3.  We built floor timbers that will support a level walking surface inside the boat and started to lay out planks that will serve as the floor.  Below, Henry and Deshauna from Bodine are prepping the floor timbers for their first coat of primer.

Below:  Terrill and Shawn from PET have just finished milling out the mahogany stock that will make up our floor planks. 

Below:  The floor timbers have been painted and installed, and we are just getting started with laying out the floor planks. 

Once we flipped we needed to make the sheer (that’s the top most edge of the boat) rigid enough to keep the shape of the boat stable.  Up until the flip, we just had our planks attached to the frames.  After the flip, we added:

1/4 knees, which are boomerang-shaped pieces of wood that strengthen the connection of the planks to the transoms.

Inwales, which are long strips of wood that rest on notches cut out in our frames.  

Rub rails, which are hearty strips of wood that run along the top most edge of the boat on the outside.  These rails will protect the planks from damage if it hits against a dock or another boat. 

The rub rail, plank, frame, inwale connection is what really makes the boat’s shape rigid.  We riveted nails through all four parts at every frame location to bring them all together. 

Above: Initial fitting of the inwales in the notched frames

Above: PET students applying dolfinite to the inside of the rub rail before attaching to the boat.  The dolfinite helps prevent water from getting in between the rub rail and the plank.

Above:  Tyhir and Mil from PET are riveting the rub rail, planks, frames, and inwales all together.  Riveting is definitely a team operation -- and a loud one at that!

Above:  a view of what the aft end of the inwale transition into the 1/4 knee looks like

Above: Mikayla from Bodine is making bungs to plug up all of the countersunk holes in our rub rails

Above:  Kevin from Bodine is sawing off the excess of the frames so that the rails, planks, and frames are all flush to one another

Above:  the rails are attached and the bungs have been glued in