BonnieTwoSailboat

Bonnie IIPart I

Shallow draft, seaworthiness

and comfort are combined in

this 18-foot auxiliary sloop.

By J. A. Donohue

BACK in 1940, the boating editorof MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED un-

dertook to design and build aboat to meet the requirements ofa majority of readers as indicatedby their letters. It seems that prac-tically everybody wanted a boatwith an engine and a vast majorityliked sailing, so it was quicklysettled that the boat should haveboth sail and power. Then too,most people wanted a boat of mod-erate size and ample beam with aroomy cockpit for fishing and acomfortable cabin for overnighttrips; shallow draft was desired,so that a dinghy would not beneeded and the boat might bebeached if necessary; V-bottomhulls were first choice because oftheir seaworthiness and ease ofconstruction; a fair turn of speedwas wanted, both under sail andpower; and last, but far from least,the boat had to be well built atmoderate cost and have a good salevalue. How well the designer metthe requirements is evidenced bythe continued popularity of theoriginal Bonnie.

Some fourteen years later, DickDonohue, of Seattle, Wash., wasone of those who liked the looks ofBonnie. He bought a set of plans

Mechanix Illustrated

DIMENSIONS GIVEN IN FEET, INCHES, 8 EIGHTS OF»<CHES TO INSIDE OF PLANNING

HALF - BREADTHS FROM CENTERLINE

O-I-OI0-2-4O-2-40-2-40-1-6 0-4-0 0-4-010-4-0 0-4-010-2-0

DEPTHS BELOW BASE LINE

SHEER 10-5-1 Ib-8-3fb-10- i3b-IO-6lo-IO-2io-9- i ro->3

2 - J - S 2 - 5 - 6 2 - 6 - 7 ! { - J 2

REEF_gOINTS ^^ J~~-^..

1/2' FIR HALF ROUND''

PORT HOLESI FIR HALF ROUNDMOLDING

133

and studied them carefully. Before he got aroundto building, he had the opportunity to buy asecond-hand set of sails, mast, boom and riggingfrom a Mercury Class boat. Knowing that Bon-nie's sail area, about 165 sq. ft., was very closeto that of a Mercury, he decided that with somecareful figuring he could adapt the plans andcome up with a workable design. Needless tosay, he knew the danger involved in attemptingto change a proven design. However, He wasn'texactly a novice, having built three boats pre-viously. With this practical know-how, he beganto adapt the boat to fit the sails. Once this wasstarted, other changes were incorporated, mostlybecause of a desire to reduce the costs even morethan in the original Bonnie. The result, a lighterboat with a new sail plan, which was built for theextremely low cost of $403, is now presented anewas Bonnie II.

The first step in building the boat is the layingdown of the lines. After ordering your framelumber and plywood according to the bill of ma-terials, obtain a roll of building paper from yournearest lumber yard. This is to be used for mak-ing the full-sized lines and body plan drawings,and also for planking patterns later on.

The first step is to cut three 20-foot pieces fromthe roll of paper, lay the pieces flat on the floorand paste them together with rubber cement orother adhesive. This will make one large sheet20 by about 8-1/2feet. Paste up another sheet toa 5x8-foot size. Spread out these big sheets onthe floor and hold down the edges with books,thumb tacks or anything handy. With a chalkedstring, snap down center lines and base lines andaccurately transfer the profile to the larger ofthe two sheets—the body plan to the smaller.A long, straight rule, a couple of flexible battensand a black pencil will be needed for this. Measureoff the frame stations along the center line anddraw a line to indicate each one, at exact rightangles to center and base lines. It then becomesa routine matter to draw the plan of the boat justas it will actually be, taking halfwidth and heightmeasurements from the offset table, spottingthem on your drawing and connecting them upwith pencil lines. It is, of course, only necessaryto draw half of the boat in the plan view.

Having completed the full-size drawings (in-cluding stem and transom), you are ready to re-tire to workshop or garage and cut the frames,gussets, keel, keelson, stem, transom and knees.You will note that the offsets are given to the

Filler block is glued in frame No.1 to anchor carriage bolt runningthrough keel, keelson and frame.

Before going ahead with the finalassembly oi frames, check for ac-curacy on the full-size body plan.

Each frame is completed by layinggussets and floor beam in wet redlead, securing with brass screws.

Crossties, made of scrap lumber,are nailed flush across the topsor open ends of completed frames.

inside of the planking, so there is noneed to make allowance for the thick-ness of the latter, all frames beingmatched up right to the line on the bodyplan. Spread the body plan on the floor,with the base line at the top, take meas-urements of frame sides and bottoms, aswell as the angles at keel and chine, andsaw out the 24 frame pieces (4 pieces toeach of the 6 frames). If you have a cir-cular saw this work can be done veryrapidly as it is only necessary to set themiter gage to the correct angles and thencut the pieces to their proper lengths,two at a time. Be sure to extend the sidepieces clear up to the base line. Thiscauses the frames to automatically as-sume the correct shape of the bottomwhen they are placed upside down onthe building frame. After the hull hasbeen planked and turned over, theseextra lengths will be trimmed off at thesheer. As you finish cutting each frame,place it on top of the body plan at itsstation for a final checkup. Incidentally,don't forget to mark the station numberon each piece of frame so there will be nomixup when assembling.

Next step is to cut the gussets (theangular pieces that tie the frames to-

Portlights that open are useful for cabinventilation, can be installed up forward.

Left: with frames beveled and chine flushwith bottom, only keelson needs beveling.

gether) from %-in. fir plywood. Thesimplest and most accurate procedure isto lay a large sheet of tracing paper overthe body plan and trace off the angle atthe chine and sheer of each frame. Markthe outside line of each gusset 8 in. alongthe side and bottom of each frame, thenat right angles across the thickness of theframe. A diagonal line from the. twopoints thus established completes theshape of each gusset. Use the same pro-cedure for the floor beams, allowingthese to extend 14 in. or more along theframe bottoms. The outlines thus ob-tained may now be t ransferred bymeans of carbon paper directly to theplywood.

You are now ready to proceed withthe frame assembly. Place the framepieces, starting with No. 1, on the floorin their assembled position and coat thejoints and places where gussets and floorbeams will cover with red lead. Whilethe paint is wet, clamp the gussets andfloor beams to the frames, fastening inplace with 1-1/2" No. 10 flathead brassscrews. When all have been com-pleted, crossties of scrap lumber arefastened flush across the open ends

[Continued on page 153]

The 2-1/2-hp, air-cooled Briggs and Strattonengine can move the boat along at 5 knots.

or tops of the frames. The six assembledframes may now be laid aside until needed.

The three parts of the stem are cut fromone piece of mahogany, 6x3 in. x 6 ft. long.If you have a fairly heavy band saw youcan cut the pieces yourself; otherwise alocal mill will do the job for a few cents.Mark the three sections accurately on thewood from the full-sized drawing pre-viously made. After they have been cutout mark the taper at the front edge, usingthe cross-section drawing as a guide. Clampeach piece to the workbench and trim witha drawknife, smoothing off with a jackplane. The piece at the bottom has verylittle taper, being practically flat where itruns into the keel. Place the stem pieces onthe floor and fit them together. The lockscarphs should fit snugly, and the wholego together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.Take the stem apart, paint the joints withred lead, reassemble and bolt together withbronze or galvanized carriage bolts of thesizes indicated in the bill of materials.Countersink the heads in the outside ofthe stem. If the boat is to be used in saltwater it is best to employ bronze and brassfastenings throughout, as these will ma-terially add to the life and value of theboat and be well worth their extra cost.The stem may now be roughly rabbetedwith mallet and chisel, or you may waitand cut the rabbet after the frameworkhas been set up. If you have never builta boat before it is best to leave the rab-beting until later. It will be noted fromthe drawings that the stem must be rab-beted to take the 3/8" side and bottomplanking. The stem must also be notchedfor chines and sheer strips, but this too, isbest done later on.

The transom, transom frame and kneecome next to our attention. Mahoganyplanks, 8 " x 3/4" thick, are glued up andused for the transom itself. Cut to the shapeand dimensions indicated. Assemble 3/4x3-in. mahogany transom frame on the tran-som, fastening with 1-1/2" No. 10 flat-head brass screws. Be sure to allowabout a half-inch of transom frame to pro-ject out over the sides and bottom of thetransom; this takes care of the bevel forthe planking later on. Mark the outlines

Bonnie II[Continued from'page 136]

of the transom knee accurately on a pieceof 2x7-3/4"x 3-ft. mahogany and band-sawto shape. Fasten the knee to the exactcenter of the transom 5/8" above the bot-tom edge with 5/16" carriage bolts runthrough from the outside with heads coun-tersunk. The 5/" clearance allows anotch to be cut in the transom frame toreceive the end of the keel.

The next job is to prepare the 16-ft.lengths of oak and Alaskan cedar whichbecome keel and keelson. They must betapered from station 2 forward and fromstation 5 aft. Next cut out the centerboardslots, using care to get them both alike.You will have found that the 16-ft. planksare a bit too long—they should be trimmedto exact length at the forward ends andallowed to lap over aft, for the time being.

You have now reached the point of set-ting up the building frame, upon whichthe hull will be constructed. Obtain twocheap but straight 2x6's 18 ft. long. Placethem parallel on edge about 30 in. apartupon the building site. Take care to havethem exactly level—if the ground or flooris uneven the planks must be shimmed upuntil they are dead level. Nail pieces ofscrap lumber across the ends with heavygalvanized nails, and fasten three or fourcross braces in between to give a veryrigid assembly. Give the frame a finalcheck for level and run a strong cord alongthe exact center from end to end, pullingit taut and tacking it down securely.

Bring out the six completed frames, dustthem off and mark a center line on eachcrosstie. Cut a notch the width of thekeelson and 5/8" deep in the bottom ofevery frame. It will be necessary to bevelthese notches so the keelson will fit per-fectly flat in each one despite this curve;the bevels can be taken from the profiledrawing or determined by setting theframes up temporarily and running a bat-ten across the bottoms. In any case, cutthe notches carefully and set the frameson top of the building frame, after firstmarking station lines on the latter. Frames1, 2 and 3 must be placed just forwardof the station lines, and 4, 5 and 6 just aftof their station lines. In other words, the

[Continued on page 154]

153

Bonnie II[Continued from page 153]

aft edges of the mahogany parts (not thecrossties) of frames 1, 2 and 3 should bethe station lines, and the forward edges of4, 5 and 6 must do likewise. Drop a plumbline from each frame before finally bracingit in position. Any scraps of light lumberwill serve as braces, and may be nailed tothe frames in convenient places, then downto the building frame. After all frameshave been securely braced in their correctpositions and crossties nailed to buildingframe you are ready to bend in the keelsonand keel.

First lay the keelson in its notches andbend it down to frames 1 and 6, clampingit at those points. Place the keel on topof the keelson, centered, bend it down andclamp. Two 5/16" carriage bolts are runthrough keel, keelson and frame, withheads countersunk in the keel at eachframe except frame 1, where only one boltis used. A filler block is placed in the Vat this frame, through which the bolt isfastened.

The transom with its attached knee isnext set up in position on the buildingframe. The keel and keelson may now betrimmed until, when pulled down flushwith the knee, they are just even with theoutside of the transom. Notch the transomframe 5/8" deep for the keelson, andrasp the end of the latter until it seats nicelyin the notch. Fasten securely with carriagebolts in the same manner as the frames.The stem can now be bolted temporarilyin position with two long carriage bolts.

The framework has now become a ratherrigid unit, but nothing compared to whatit will be after chines and sheer battens *have been put in. The former consist oftwo pieces of yellow cedar 7/8"x2-3/4"x 18ft. long. The sheer strips are somewhatsmaller, being 7/8"x1-3/4" x 19 ft. long.Notches must be cut in the frames to ac-commodate these pieces. First cut thechine notches, allowing the chine to fit evenwith the side angle of the frames andproject slightly beyond the bottom, to bebeveled flush after fastening. The correctfore and aft bevel of the notches can beobtained by bending a long, light battenaround the sides of the frames and markingthe angle on each. After the notches, in-

cluding one in the transom frame, havebeen cut, bend in the chines and fastenwith two 2-in. No. 10 flathead brass screwsinto each frame. Mark off the sheer lineon the frames, cut notches and bend in thesheer battens in the same manner as thechines.

The next task is to bevel all the frames,sides and bottom, until a continuoussmooth surface with no corners or edgesis attained, on which the planking will fitlike a glove. The transom, of course, mustalso be beveled, as well as the keelson.Trim the latter until a flat board placedalong a frame will snuggle up against thekeel.

Now unbolt the stem and roughly chiselout the rabbet, following the cross sectiondrawing. Cut the notches for the chinesand sheer strips. They must be deepenough so that the ends of these pieces willfit flush into them, the outsides level withthe planking rabbet. Replace the stem,tightening the bolts and fastening the endsof chine and sheer pieces in their notcheswith 2-in. No. 10 screws. The stem waspurposely made heavy so that this* couldbe done. Check the rough rabbet with astrip of wood several inches wide and 5or 6 ft. long. Lay the wood along theframes near the bow, clamp it and bendthe end down into the rabbet. Do this atintervals, trimming the rabbet as you go,until the plank fits neatly into the rabbeteverywhere. By following the method justoutlined, you will have no difficulty in cut-ting an accurate and professional-lookingrabbet. Any final smoothing off for a per-fect fit can be done with a small blockplane.

Thanks to the use of marine plywood,the process of planking is reduced to itslowest common denominator. The speedand simplicity of planking a boat with thismaterial is amazing, as you will find outonce you get started.

This concludes Part I of Bonnie II. Part •II, to be presented next month, will containall the information necessary to finish theboat plus a bill of materials. •

154 May, 1956

BONNIE II

i

This is the concluding article

describing construction of MIs

18-foot auxiliary cabin sloop.

By J. A. Donohue

IN planking Bonnie II, the sides arecovered first, two pieces to each.

Get out your roll of building paper andmake two patterns for the side; a full12-ft. one and another to cover the restof the length. On one side use the shortpiece at the bow, on the other side atthe stern, thus staggering the joints. Al-low the pattern to come about 1/4 "above the chine and below the sheer.Place the patterns on the 3/8". plywoodsheets and run a pencil line aroundthem. Incidentally, when planking withplywood, it is not necessary to allowmuch seam; 1/16". is plenty at stem andkeel, less than that at butt joints. Cutout the panels and clamp them in placeon the sides. They will bend easilywithout heating. Drill holes for l-1/4"No. 8 flathead brass screws; 5 in. oncenters along frames and sheer; 3 in. oncenters at chine and stem. Remove thepanels after all holes have been drilledand brush away the sawdust and chipsunderneath. Take marine glue and swabit plentifully along the chine, stem andtransom. Coat also the correspondingedges of the panels, on the undersideonly. Now take strips of cotton flannel(you should have previously obtainedsome of this material at a departmentor dry goods store and torn it into 3-in.wide strips) and lay them along thegluey chine, stem and transom. Re-place the panels with clamps, and turnin the screws until they are just belowthe surface of the plywood. When allpieces are on tight (you will see theglue squeeze out) plane the edge thatprojects below the chine until it is

Mechanix Illustrated

Part 2

Bonnie II a lot of boat for its size, offers many hours of pleasure for the builder.

beveled even with the latter. Followthe exact same procedure to plank thebottom, placing flannel and glue alongkeel, chine, stem and transom. It willbe necessary, however, in the case of thebottom to put both short panels at thebow, as a 12-ft. length is too hard tomanipulate into the stem. Put in thebow panels first, clamping the aft endsto keelson and chine, then working theforward ends gradually down to thestem.

You may have to use the hot towel

treatment on these pieces in order toease them into the twist at the bow, butthis is a very easy task. Simply heat alarge pot of water over the kitchen stoveuntil it is boiling. Place a big bath towelon top of the panel and slowly pour theboiling water over it, until you can feelthe warmth with your hand on theunderside of the wood. Whip off thetowel and push the end of the piecedown toward the stem. You will be sur-prised at how much more yielding theheat treatment has made the plywood.

After planking, hull is turned over. Projecting frames are sawed off as work continues.

A Briggs and Stratton 2-1/2-hp. air-cooled, single-cylinder engine, the same type used ex-tensively for lawn mowers, is used for auxiliary power. The 2:1. belt-driven reductiongear is made up of stock pulleys and bearings. Picture at right shows engine installed.

When the panel has been forced to thestem put in several screws quickly tohold it. You now have it subdued andthe rest is routine. The two long bottompanels will go on as easily as the sidepieces. Space the screws at 2 in. oncenters along the keel and stem, 3 in.along the chine and transom, 4 in. on theframes.

Bevel the edges of the bottom plank-ing until they are flush with the sidesand transom. Butt blocks may be putin at this .time. In the original Bonnieleftover scraps of frame lumber were

used for this purpose, but still betterwould be pieces about 3/4x5 in. Set thebutt blocks in flannel and marine glue,fastening with double rows of screwsspaced at 3-in. intervals.

Next, cover all screw heads withKuhl's trowel cement and fill the seamsalong keel, stem and butt joints withelastic seam compound. Caulking isunnecessary. Mark the waterline asshown in the plans, using a heavy penciland a long batten, with a taut stringrigged along the hull for a guide. Sandthe bottom smooth and apply two coats

147

of copper bottom paint, red, green orbronze, coming just up to the waterline.

The boat is now ready to be turnedover and you will need to make a cradlefor it to rest on.

With the boat upright, installing thecenterboard trunk is the next step. Cutoff the frames and crosspieces extend-ing above the sheer at stations 3 and 4.Then cut away the frames and floorbeams on each side of the centerboardslot to accommodate the width of thecompleted trunk. Next the trunk iscompleted as shown in the drawing. Becareful in shaping the bottom as it mustfit flush on the keelson to be watertight.Also be sure to paint the inside of thetrunk with four coats of bottom paintbefore it is assembled. Use 1-1/2" No.10 screws to fasten the bed logs tothe sides, driving them from plywoodthrough mahogany. Then locate andbore holes though keel, keelson, and bedlogs for the hold-down carriage bolts.Cut a gasket to fit over the slot and set itin a liberal quantity of marine glue. Putthe trunk sides in position and ramdown the end pieces. The forward postmust stick up well above the top of thetrunk so it can be tied into the cabinroof. Fasten the end pieces in placefrom both sides of the trunk, using 1-1/4in. No. 10 screws. Run the bed log boltsup through from the outside and tightenwith nuts and washers from the insideuntil the glue oozes out. You may nowinstall the centerboard itself or leave ituntil later.

You are now ready to add the decking.Cut off the remaining projecting framesat the sheer and plane down any edgesuntil they are flush with the sheer. The3/8-in. plywood deck beam gussets are

now cut. At frames 1, 2, 5, and 6 theycan be triangular in shape, extendingabout 8 inches down the frame sides and8 inches along the deck beams. Frames3 and 4 show inside the cabin so you'llwant to cut their edges with a gracefulcurve. Clamp the gussets to the frametops and fasten with 1-1/2" No. 10screws. The three full-length deckbeams and the short side ones are allcut from a 12-ft. plank as shown in thedrawing. The beams are clamped oneby one to the gussets, with their outerend butting against the frames, thenscrewed in place.

Next, bend in the two longitudinalsthat form the main fore and aft support-ing members of the deck and cabin.Notch them into the deck beams andtransom frame. They run continuousfrom station 1 to the transom and arefastened at each deck beam with onescrew. Two other longitudinals are rununder the fore deck on each side of whatwill be the hatch. These are notchedinto the breast hook and frames 1 and 2.The short side beams are notched intothe main longitudinal and fastened withone screw at each joint.

The mast pardner, not shown in thedrawing, fits just aft of frame No. 2. Itis a 3x3x8-in. block of mahogany. Anopening, 3-1/2 x 4-1/2", is cut out ofthe center to take the mast, allowingample room for wedging when the mastis stepped. A small hatch opening isprovided just forward of frame No. 1.Three sides are already formed and itis necessary only to fasten a crosspieceto provide the fourth. Place an uprightbrace under the center of the deck beamat frame No. 6, securing with screws tothe floor beam.

The covering is comprised of six sec-tions: two forward, one on each sideand two aft. Three panels of 3/8-in. ply-wood are used. To avoid waste, makepaper patterns of the deck section beforecutting the plywood. The plywood goeson quite easily and is fastened with 1-in.No. 8 flathead brass screws spaced aboutsix inches apart. Butt blocks are placedunder the side deck joints and %-in.plywood filler pieces back up the jointin the fore deck. The same arrange-ment is used [Continued on page 168]

148 Mechanix Illustrated

Bonnie II[Continued from page 148]

at the joint in the after deck. Run Kuhl'sseam compound into the seams. Stain thedeck and apply one coat of varnish rightaway for protection.

Construction of the cabin has been keptas simple as possible and ample sittingheadroom is provided. The principal sidesupports are eight pieces of 1-1/8x2-1/4" fir,four to a side. The back ones, at frame No.4, are carried down to the floor frame andfastened to it with screws. The other up-rights do not extend below the deck fram-ing and are screwed to the longitudinals.It is necessary to bevel the lower ends ofthese uprights so that they will standstraight, as the longitudinals have an out-ward slant. The three aft uprights on eachside are placed with the greater dimensionrunning lengthwise; the forward ones areset in the opposite direction and notchedto receive the roof stringers.

The front panel of the cabin goes on next.Use 1-1/4" No. 8 screws to fasten it to theuprights. Next, bend in the roof stringers,securing them to each upright with twol-1/4" No. 8 screws. Cut the two backpieces of the cabin with care and standthem in place. It is best to make paperpatterns of these, taking measurementsfrom the inside of the boat since the endsmust be flush with the inside of the hull.Notch the chines and sheer strips and,when fitted correctly, fasten them to theback uprights with l=1/4" No. 8 screws.

Cut two more pieces of fir for doorframes and screw them to the edges of thedoor opening. Run screws from plywoodinto fir. It will be found that these up-rights, running down behind the slide railsfor the removable panels, can be fastenedto the floor beam for extra strength. Cuttwo fir end carlins and screw them to theplywood end pieces, allowing the outsideends to rest on the uprights. The insideends butt against the door frames. Nowsaw out the carlin which fits against thefront panel and fasten it in place with 1-1/4in. No. 8 screws. The two fore and aft roofbeams of 7/8x2-in. oak come next and arenotched and screwed to the end carlins.

The cabin sides are 3/8-in. plywood andcontinue aft to a point six inches beyond

the cockpit, acting as splashboards. Thebottom edges are snug against the deckall along and must be trimmed in a slightupward curve to attain this. Screw thesides to the framework and clamp in placearound the edges of the cockpit tem-porarily.

The splashboards are lined with 3/8-in.plywood of the same shape but extendingdown inside the cockpit to cover the deckframing. At the aft end of the cockpit thepieces are notched so the extremities willrest on the afterdeck alongside the splash-board. This gives a 3/4-in. thickness to thesplashboard. Remove the temporaryclamps on the splashboard and screw it andthe lining to the deck longitudinals. Sideports are cut now or later. The remainingroof carlins can now be put in. They arenotched into the tops of the fore and aftroof beams and fastened with one screw ateach joint. The roof is then covered withplywood in three sections, with jointsmeeting over the roof beams. The topedges of the cabin sides should have beenpreviously beveled so the roof panels willfit snug.

The removable panels and the slide railswhich hold them can now be fitted belowthe cabin doors. The top panel is rabbetedas shown to form a stop for the doors.Fasten the hatch slide rails to the cabinroof with 2-in. No. 10 screws, driven fromthe inside up through the roof panels. Thehatch cover is made as shown, with thehinged flap on the front coming down overthe door top when closed.

Construct the forward hatch cover also,following the sketch. Stain and varnishall exposed mahogany surfaces, if you havenot already done so. Paint the outsides ofthe hull, cabin sides, front and ends withtwo coats of yacht white, flat. The entireinside of the boat should be given a prim-ing coat of aluminum paint, followed bya coat of semi-gloss interior paint.

All the deck hardware, door hinges, rud-der gudgeons, etc., may now be put on.The bow and stern chocks, bow plate, lipleaders and hinges are screw fastened:mooring bitt, gudgeons and cleats arethrough-bolted.

[Continued on page 186]

June, 1956

Bonnie II[Continued from page 168]

For auxiliary power the boat has a2-1/2-hp, air-cooled, 4-cycle, single-cylinderengine. Made by Briggs and Stratton, itweighs just 40 lbs. and is priced at about$52. This engine, with the throttle controllocated conveniently on top, will move theboat along smoothly at about five knots.A 2:1 reduction gear cuts the boat's speedto less than one knot for trolling, yet allowsthe engine to operate efficiently within therecommended rpm. The reduction gear isfabricated from stock bearings and pulleysand mounted on a non-corrosive framewith the engine. A simple, two-positionclutch connects the engine to the shaft. In-cidentally, the 9x6-in. propeller, bronzeshaft and stuffing box were bought in asurplus marine center for less than $10.

Construction of the engine mount is de-tailed in two drawings. The enginestringers are notched into the floor beamsand frames and leveled off. As the bottomslopes upward toward the stern, thenotches at frame No. 5 will have to besomewhat deeper than those at No. 4 toaccomplish this. When it is done, thestringers are lag-screwed to the frames.The exact angle of the triangular pieces onwhich the engine rests will have to be de-termined on the job. When it is accom-plished, temporarily bolt the pieces inplace on the stringers and place the engineupon them.

Determine the spot where the shaft willgo through the bottom of the boat and cuta 1-in. wide slot through the keel and keel-son at this point. The skeg drawing showsabout where this slot will be, though it willvary slightly in different boats. Make theskeg as shown, assemble with screws andmarine glue and shape the top to fit flush

June, 1956

against the keel. Also, be sure the slot inthe skeg is roomy enough so that the shaftwill not bind.

Place the skeg up against the keel andwedge it in place with a stick between itand the floor. Then get down on hands andknees and peep through the shaft hole tosee if it lines up with the engine coupling.A light shining on the coupling facilitatesthis work. If the shaft opening is in cor-rect alignment, the coupling will appearas a perfect circle in the exact center withnone of its inside walls visible. However,chances are that some adjustment of skegand motor will be required before every-thing lines up. When you think you haveit, run the shaft itself into the opening andpush it into the coupling. It should go inquite easily if the lineup is correct. Checkto see that it revolves freely without bind-ing and, when satisfied, bore holes throughthe keel from the inside for the lags andbolt that will hold the skeg on. Then re-move the skeg and cut a canvas gasket tofit between it and the keel, allowing a holefor the shaft. Soak the gasket in marineglue, put it in place and fasten the skeg.Then replace the shaft and secure the en-gine permanently.

The rudder is extremely simple, beingcut from a piece of 3/4-inch fir plywood tothe shape and dimensions given in thedrawing. The tiller may be either ma-hogany or oak. It is held to the rudderby side pieces of oak. A single carriagebolt pivots the tiller assembly on the rud-der, allowing free up and down movementand easy disassembling.

The inside of the cabin and cockpit willnot be described in detail, as each builderwill have his own ideas about how hewants them arranged. However, a fewgeneral suggestions may be of help. Youwill probably want two bunks in the cabinand there is ample room. Let them runfrom the aft cabin walls forward and diag-onally in toward the center of the boat un-til they almost meet in front of the maststep. This latter, by the way, should beput in before the bunks and fastened tothe keel with two carriage bolts runthrough from the outside.

It is suggested that two seats be installedlengthwise on either side of the cockpit, ata convenient height. Plywood, 1/2 or 3/4in.

[Continued on page 188]

187

Bonnie II[Continued from page 187]

thick, is ideal for flooring, both in cabin andcockpit. Cabin floors are supported by thefloor beams. In the cockpit it will be nec-essary to screw extra supports to thebeams and cut the floor boards to fitaround the motor. Incidentally, if you de-cide to pipe the exhaust out through thetransom, a hole should be cut in one of thefloor boards to allow the pipe clearance.Flexible metal exhaust tubing is obtain-able at most marine supply stores.

Moldings conclude the woodwork. Use1-inch quarter-round along the deck cabinseam, and 1-inch half-round along thedeck-topsides seam and cabin roof seam.Set all molding in Kuhl's bedding com-pound and fasten with countersunk,plugged screws.

Dick Donohue picked up his mast, boom,sails and rigging secondhand for $75. Forthose of you who might not be so lucky,spar construction is detailed in the draw-ings. Note the use of filler blocks in thehollow mast wherever hardware is used.Mast and boom are finished with four coatsof top-grade spar varnish, sanding lightlybetween coats.

A paint job completes the boat. The lasttouch is the final coat of bottom paint whichis applied just before going overboard. •