Cape Henry 21
 

 

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This is intended to be a continuing saga of the building of the Cape Henry 21, which we (I and my wife Jennifer) have decided to call Mehalah.  We spend time each year in West Mersea, Essex, England, and anyone from there would understand the connection.

So, I bought the plans from Dudley Dix.  When they arrived, I did as I have done with other boats, and started building a scale model from the plans, to get a good feel for how to build the boat, and how she would turn out.

The 1:15 scale model on the building frame

The model's hull planking complete

Model ready for the deck; mast and rudder

Building the model gave me a really good feel for the boat (I read somewhere that a model is a three-dimensional blueprint) so I decided to go ahead, and order lots of stuff.

I am building the boat in our garage, which (with the door closed) is about two inches longer than the boat.  A lot better than two inches shorter!

Setting up the bulkheads in the garage

Looking down the plumb line - looks straight!

All set up but the transom, fiberglassed and epoxied

As at May 28, 2006, I have installed all the stringers.  Planking comes next.  I bought the skin patterns from Dudley, and laid out the pattern for the garboard planks on three sheets of plywood, already cut for scarfs, but not yet glued.  I then doubled up each sheet and cut the pattern out with a trim saw, to get two exactly identical planks.  These I then glued, ending up with two extremely large planks to be fitted.  Then, with the help and guidance of Tim White, head boatbuilder at Norwalk Maritime Aquarium, we installed the port garboard plank all in one piece.  We started at the centerboard case and worked forward, screwing firstly to the backbone, then to the middle stringer, then to the chine stringer.  Guess what, it fit!!

Lots of clamps needed on stringers in the bow

Cutting scarfs with the Scarfer from West Systems

Port garboard plank in place!

Meanwhile, back at the Maritime Aquarium I have glued up the mast and the gaff boom, both built using the bird's mouth method.  I have also laminated some plywood together and started shaping the rudder,

The gaff boom glued but not yet rounded

The rudder under construction

With both garboard planks in place, I decided to add the built-up keel before more planking, as it is easier to get up onto the boat with stringers exposed.  After cutting and gluing on the base plank to which the keel will be attached, I drew a pattern for the keel on some spare plywood.  I have now ripped the 3" x 1.5" planks that will make up the keel; next job is to epoxy them together.

Keel pattern is drawn on spare plywood

Boards making up the keel

The keel was difficult to do, especially working alone.  However, it is now in place, all the planking is on, and so are the small bilge keels.

All planking is on, now to paint!

I have added an outer stem, as did the builder in the WoodCraft magazine articles.  The panels did not fit together closely enough without this.  It's August, no launch this year!

The last month has been nothing but sand, epoxy, sand, epoxy.....  The first bottom coat is now on, the topsides need three more coatings of epoxy (all in the same day) and she will be ready to turn over.  Turn-over is set for 15:00 on October 15.

First bottom coat is on!

Which date has come and gone.  With the help of about 20 people, we lifted the boat up and carried it out of the garage.  While it was in the garage, I built a wheeled dolly for it to sit on once turned over.

Lots of lookers-on debating how to do it

I am installing two by fours to tie the dolly to the building frame

Starting the roll-over!

Half way over, and still in one piece...

So far the two by fours connecting the building frame to the dolly were doing their job..

Continuing the roll-over

And she's over (sighs of relief)!

The heavy-lifting crew

Building frame removed, rolling her back into the garage

And then it was time for beer, and lots of it.  I can now roll the boat in and out of the garage to continue working on her interior.   

And so we're now on to the interior.  The first job is to put epoxy fillets onto all the stringers and bulkhead-to-skin joints; I put in fillets to the top of the stringers (when she was upside down) and as these are now the bottom of the stringers, I need to fillet the top of each stringer.  Mixing all this thickened epoxy is a pain in the neck - I have now gone to mixing sizable quantities in a flat plastic plate, rather than in a cup.       

Foredeck bulwarks are in; foredeck is built but not yet installed

Framing for starboard quarterdeck, raised about two inches to the DWL

Framing for port and starboard galleys, to take sink and stove, respectively

Cockpit walls are in, also motor well

As at the end of August, 2007 the boat is virtually complete, except for finishing the interior, where lots of cleanup is needed, and I also need to put the toe-rail onto the cabin roof.

The foredeck hatch

Starboard side from the rear

Port galley not yet complete

Starboard galley with small alcohol stove

Cabin hatch is in place, except for garage roof

View from above

Looking into the cabin

Gas tank goes in starboard locker

Can't believe I have to cut the hull for the bowsprit!

Bowsprit opening completed

A neat jig to hold the rubrail in place

Rubrails scarfed, bungholes drilled for screws

Terrible spring weather delayed painting the boat, until almost the end of May.  However, it's now out of the garage and on its trailer, so the launch can't be far away!

Out of the garage, last day on the building cradle

Matt "the 28 ton crane man" lifted the centerplate, then the boat, onto the trailer

They sent a 28-ton crane that reached over the house to make the pick-up!

Ain't she sweet!

And so we get to the (secret) launch, on Friday the 13th - nothing like saying "up yours" to fate.

Getting ready to raise the mast, Tim White fitting it into the tabernacle

Getting ready, Tim & neighbor Liz

Reday to back to the ramp

Going down the ramp, Alfred Alk assisting

On the water - she floats - who would have thunk??

There's more to come...

Me on the boat, being pulled over to the dock

At the dock at Norwalk Yacht Club - ain't she sweet!

So much for the secret launch.  We've now had the official launch, with several helpers, and several bottles of champagne.

Mehalah on the trailer, about to go down the ramp

Down the ramp, with me making a quite undignified climb aboard!

On the water

At the dock, in a nice fresh breeze

Off to her mooring for the first time

Thanks to all who helped at the launch, including Jennifer, Joanna & Mia, Nancy & Ron, Kevin, Greg & Ioa, Joze & Marty, Jodi & John, Barbara & Hal, Marilyn.  Thanks to Nancy for the photos above.

She's now on the water at Norwalk Yacht Club, and we have taken her out several times.  The past weeks have been breezy, so most times I've flown the jib, not the genoa.  The main sail is huge!  She points really well, and tacks with no problem, except that with the genoa it's usually necessary to pull in the roller furling, make the tack, and let the sail out again.  Otherwise, the genoa gets caught on the forestay.  One point - she really is sized for four adults only (plus possibly a couple of kids), partly due to the space the motor takes up in the cockpit.

Mehalah at anchor, with genoa dropped just in case

A three-quarter view

..and another

Coming soon - Mehalah under sail.