By William Garden

Naval Architect

A QUICK look at the

current cost of boats
makes most of us feel like
holing up for a year or so,
hoping that prices will come
down. There's an alternative
to h i b e r n a t i o n , though—
lower your sights to some-
thing that you can build
today at a reasonable cost.
Gamin is such a packet. She's
deep, roomy, and heavily
ballasted. Put her in a race
with the average light sail-
boat and she'll finish last.
But put a couple of fellows
aboard who want to cruise—
or load her down with the
whole family, including
Aunt Tillie and the dog, for
an afternoon's sail—and
she'll be in her element.
For cruising, Gamin holds
one distinct advantage over
her larger sisters. Suppose
you live in New York and
want to see what the coast
of Maine looks like. Simply
put Gamin on a trailer, load
her up with gear, and take
off. You'll be sailing along
the Maine coast before a
larger auxiliary could even
clear Cape Cod Canal.
When cruising, you'll need
only a cockpit cover that fits
over the boom, a Primus
stove, sleeping bags, a grub
box, four one-gallon water
jugs, and the miscellaneous
gear ordinarily connected
with camping. A good set of

Mechanix Illustrated
108
FIG. 1
SAIL PLAN AND
DECK PLAN

Anyone handy with tools will have little trouble
building Gamin. Her V-bottom seam-batten type of
construction is strong yet comparatively simple.
Evident here is the rugged framework that insures
Gamin's builder many years oi carefree pleasure.
sweeps will provide auxiliary power and
make a better man of you in the process.
The time taken in laying Gamin out full
size will more than be repaid during con-
struction. Two four-by-eight sheets of ply-
wood are butted to form a floor 4 ft. wide
and 16 ft. long and, to conserve space, the
three views in Fig. 2 are drawn one on top
of another. Nail a 1/2 x 2-in. base batten
along the bottom edge of the plywood,
checking it with a chalk line to make sure
it is perfectly straight. Draw in the water
line and the station lines exactly as shown.
110
From the dimensions, reproduce in pencil
the fore-and-aft lines, using battens—one
measuring 1/2 x 3/4in. and the other, to take
the stem rounding, 1/4 x 1/2 in. After the
fore-and-aft lines are down, develop the
body plan from them; then deduct the 3/4-
in. plank thickness from each section and
draw in the inside line of each frame.
To transfer each inner section line to the
framing material, lay shingle nails on their
sides along the line about 2 in. apart and
imbed the heads in the plywood. Lay a
piece of the framing material on the nails
and step on it—the line will be plotted on
the stock and can then be drawn in with
a pencil and sawed out.
Make the side frames extra long to reach
the floor when building upside down. They
are joined to the bottom frames with ply-
wood gussets, using glue and nails. The
stem and transom should be made next,
following the same transfer method used
on the frames.
Fig. 3 shows the backbone assembly. Set
the frames, stem, and transom on the build-
ing floor at the proper intervals. The cen-
terboard-trunk subassembly comes next.
The bed logs must be bandsawed to the
rocker of the keel. Fasten the keel and
apron together with thick paint and screws;
then bend them into place and bolt to the
transom knee, bed logs, and stem. The skeg
can be bolted on aft at this time.
Your next job is to bevel the frames and
notch out for the battens, sheer clamp, and
chine. Locate the battens to suit the width
of your planking material. About 5-1/2 to
7-1/2-in. widths can be used for the bottom
planking and 4-1/2 to 5-1/2in. widths for sides.
Once the fore-and-afters are installed
and faired, give the entire structure a coat
of flat paint inside and out. Now she is ready
for the planking, which is spiled and cut in
the conventional manner. Nail it to the
frames and screw it to the battens. Since
the material widths available will vary
from locality to locality, I have specified in
the Lumber List the area to be covered
rather than the width and length of each
piece.
When she is planked, clean the hull off
with a smoothing plane, sand with garnet
paper, scribe in the water line, and apply
a coat of flat paint. The best way to turn
her over is to invite the gang in for a party,
saw off the frames, and pick her up. Have
some padded chocks ready to set her in.
The next day, pick up the pop bottles,
sweep out, and sit down for a look at Gamin.
Have a good look at the sheer for any bumps
or irregularities and meditate about the
steps to come so work will go along in the
proper sequence.
Mechanix Illustrated
 Fair the sheer plank off to the clamp.
While she is clean inside is a good time to
paint the interior. A dark reddish brown
is attractive and wears well. For hot
weather, though, a buff would be better.
Fit the deck beams and carling, spring
in the coamings, and paint this new struc-
ture. For decking, use waterproof plywood.
Apply two coats of paint to the underside
before fastening down. Along the sheer
clamp, lay the decking over a strip of cot-
ton wicking that's soaked in paint. This
will keep her tight.
October, 1949
The mast stanchions, floor boards, and
seats go in next. Nailing cleats are added
to the centerboard trunk to take the bulk-
head. The rake of this bulkhead makes a
nice lazy back. When the joiner work for-
ward is all in, the cabin top can be fastened
down. Installation of the rudder, cleats, and
miscellaneous details winds up the hull
work.
Now, roll her to one side of the shop and
get to work on the spars. Spruce, fir, and
Alaska cedar are all good materials. The
mast is made in two halves and glued to-
111
 All that remains to be done is to choose
a name for your boat. We're partial to
Gamin, but any short and sweet name, such
as Mischief or Dormouse, will be fitting.
Good luck—and happy sailing!

gether after hollowing. Note in the drawing

that the hollow doesn't run all the way to
the ends of the spar. The best way to cut
this hollow is to take a few cuts on a table
saw first, then work out the rest with a
gouge, using a template to make sure you
don't go too deep.
For gluing up the spar, make a 2 x 10-in.
bench, 24 ft. long, from common structural
lumber, truing it up with a chalk line. Glue
the two halves together and clamp them
down on the bench. Allow a couple of days
to dry; then unclamp, round off the mast
with a plane, sand, and apply five thin coats
of good varnish. The hole for the masthead
sheave has a strong rake to its bottom side.
Carefully sandpaper and varnish here so
rain will run off. A wedge should be glued
on the after side of the masthead so the
backstay will clear the mainsail. The back-
stay tang, which is detailed, can be made
from either Everdur or galvanized iron.
All other fittings are stock items. The boom
is solid, shaped to the dimensions given.
Sails of a sort can be made by the ama-
teur, but it is a difficult job. You'll be far
happier if you go to a professional and pur-
chase properly made sails.
Apply the final paint job to suit your own
taste and you're ready to slide Gamin over-
board. Without ballast, she will be too
tender to carry sail in much of a breeze.
Sash weights make good ballast; or you
can use nice, round rocks about the size of
tennis balls. Leave some small hatchways
in the floor boards for stowing ballast. Make
them about 10 in. in diameter with 9-in.
(inside diameter) rings screwed below to
form rabbets to take the hatch covers. Bal-
last Gamin to suit local wind and sea con-
ditions—and she's ready to go!
Depending upon your skill and workshop
facilities, about 250 to 350 man-hours will
be required to complete the job.

112 Mechanix Illustrated

FIG. 6-CONSTRUCTION PROFILE AND PLAN