Questions & Answers

Q: Some of the measurements are off a little in Featherweight Boatbuilding, what are the correct measurements?

A: Here are the measurement corrections for the Wee Lassie Drawings:

The length of building board as shown should be Ten foot Seven and one quarter inches. Actually it can be any length, the mold spacings are the only important item here. I often set up a wee lassie on a building board originally made for a much longer canoe. The overhang on each end makes it a little easier in placing the outer stem.

A: Here are the measurement corrections for the Wee Lassie 2 Drawings:

Stem mold. Change the hight measurement from 15 5/8" to 15 3/8"
The Thirteen inch measurement should be 12 3/4"

Mold number two- at Nine inches should be 13 3/8"

Mold number five- at Thirteen inches should be 3"

Mold number six- at Eight inches should be 3 7/8"

The main thing is to fair your points, we use very close spacings on the measurements for just that reason. In a normal table of offsets your points would be three or four inches apart, and mistakes might not be obvious.

Q: Just how thick should the stem be?

A: Five or six 1/6" (more or less-whatever will bend comfortably) thick strips compose the inner stem.  This of course is mounted to the stem mold with masking tape in between otherwise the boat will never come off the mold!  

Q: How long should the building board be?

A: It is really not significant exactly how long or short it is (how far out it sticks beyond the boat.) It is good to have it stick out as far as the stem to put a clamp on it to hold the end of the strips "down".  Later when you are sanding you may wish it was a bit shorter... Featherweight Boatbuilding shows a reasonable length.   To lay up my molds start in the middle and work out both ways using the station locations from the plans.