Preview: How to Build a Caledonia Yawl, Part 22 – Stemheads & Breasthooks

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Stems and breasthooks are signature components that jump out visually in the finished boat.  Learn the specific techniques to get things right.

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11 Responses So Far to “How to Build a Caledonia Yawl, Part 22 – Stemheads & Breasthooks

  • Matt Haverly says:

    How is it this guy NEVER breaks his pencil lead when he makes lines? I break my pencil every other line I draw. :)

  • David Heal says:

    If one was planning on clear-coating the interior (with clear epoxy and/or varnish), how diligent should one be in removing all evidence of excess epoxy spill-out? Use masking tape on adjacent unglued areas? Thoroughly wipe off excess with denatured alcohol? Does the spill-out epoxy staining “disappear” when it is covered by the final clear coating?

    • Geoff Kerr says:

      I advocate a complete sealer coat of epoxy inside and out. This serves as an excellent base for subsequent paint or varnish work. Any areas that were previously splotched with epoxy will then blend right in. I do mask and wipe clean with denatured alcohol as I build, as I try to avoid as much sanding and chunk scraping as possible. If you varnish over epoxy splotched areas adjacent to raw areas I suspect the color will eventually blend. It will probably take an extra coat or three to get surface build-up to match.

  • Lee Fox says:

    Re: Stemheads & Breasthooks. Geoff took this difficult part of boatbuilding and demystified it!
    I like his comments “Stemheads need to mimic the natural sweep of the sheer” and “Breasthook crowns makes it pretty” ……including the hollow! I agree, folks that see a lovely boat feel the breasthook when they cup their hand on the curve including the underside. I admit I’ve done it and don’t know why? :) Thank-you OCH crew for bringing another great video for this Caledonian Yawl series.

  • Weaver Lilley says:

    As usual, I waited with anticipation for this episode. Just a terrific series. Question: Not sure how Geoff bevelled the sides of the breast hook. We saw him take the angle. Was it band sawed, shaped with the planer or other means?

  • William Loux says:

    This series is absolutely fantastic, wish I had watched it before I started building my boat, would have saved me many errors. What a great boat, simple to follow, and all basic boat building skills that would transfer to nearly any home built boat. I anxiously await each episode and this series alone is well worth the price of the Off Center Harbor subscription.

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