[SPAM]Re: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger Gypsy
Since my last post we had the Gypsy out on Lake Arthur near Pittsburgh. There was a hat full of wind. A cold front was coming through. Maybe 15 mph. The windsurfers were out in force. The Gypsy went on and off the trailer like a dream. I had forgotten how really light it is and floats like a leaf empty. I scratched my head for a while remembering how the snotter worked and still don't think I had it tight enough. With two adults the boat rarely healed and was very stable. It is a lot of crouching compared to the schooner but what fun.
Epoxy is great stuff but I had more fun using less of it building the folding schooner and would like to use as little epoxy as possible on my next boat which will probably be nail and glue instant boat type.
I am looking at the Birdwatcher inspired Triloboat 16.
Thanks for your comments.
Leander+
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@...> wrote:
>
> Leander, et al.,
>
> My wife Susanne (coincidently spelled the same unusual way Phil's Susanne spells her name) shares our email address. She rarely reads anything from this "Bolger" forum but happened to read your description of your family's life with the Gypsy, etc. She was as taken as I by your evocative image of the role the boat(s) have played in your family over many years. I can imagine the now grown children coming home to find the restored Gypsy and enjoying the fond memories it arouses.
>
> You continue in the same vain with your image of "half a dozen kids...all having something to do and a line to man" when sailing the Folding Schooner. And then you serve up that delicious "taste of what it was like to man a 19th century fishing schooner". I have been fortunate enough to have sailed a 65' schooner built in the 1950s to the model of a classic Grand Banks schooner - complete with manila running rigging and only block and tackle for mechanical advantage. I know what you mean. (The vessel was Prothero's Alcyone then moored in Port Townsend, Washington. I lived aboard across the float from her and got to know the owner.)
>
> Thanks again for reminding us what Phil, and 'Dynamite', have done for small boaters the world over. For forty years I have been reading everything Bolger has written and built several of his small boat designs. I met him at the Mystic Seaport smallcraft symposium in around 1975 or 6 and have had a couple of rewarding correspondences. I had one entertaining phone conversation with Maine's favourite son, Dynamite Payson, in which I struggled to know what kind of wood he kept calling 'see-dahr'. Needless to say I share your enthusiasm for all these two men have contributed to our lives.
>
> Almost 30 years ago I built Otter (the original old one found in Small Boats) with WEST epoxy. Swore I would never subject myself to so many chemicals again. Later built several Yellow Leafs (Leaves?) with some high school students. To avoid the chemicals, and for the instructive value, we built them with all solid timber, two plank sides, cross planked and cotton caulked bottoms. I have not built a boat with anything like "gorilla glue" and am interested to know if that is now a commonly accepted usage in small boat building. Besides avoiding exposure to the chemicals, I remind people of how much weight can be saved in a car topable boat by dispensing with all the fibre glass and resin.
>
> Paul Glassen
> Vancouver Island
> British Columbia
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: revdrlsh
> To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 11:55 AM
> Subject: [SPAM]Re: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger Gypsy
>
>
> In between the Gypsy and the Folding Schooner we owned a Sea Pearl 21. It was a really nice boat though under canvased for Long Island Sound. It was extremely stable with 600 pounds of water ballast.We had a lot of fun in it as well. We had an old flat bed trailer for it that made it awkward to get it back on the trailer just about all a dad and three boys could do.
>
> The Folding Schooner is easier to launch, to retrieve and as nearly as fast upwind and goes by most anything that looks like a Clorox bottle going downwind. You sit on the floor with you whole back supported by the sides at just the right angle. It is the most comfortable day sailing I have experienced including things like a Capri 22. If you have a half dozen kids they all have something do and line to man. Flying and tacking the stay sail gives you a taste of what it was like to man a 19th century fishing schooner. The Folding Schooner is way more fun especially if you have four to fold and unfold.
>
> Leander+
>
> --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "revdrlsh" <revdrlsh@> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks. The Bolger/Payson team sure got a lot of people on the water that would have been ashore otherwise.
> >
> > I actually found the Folding Schooner easier to build though a more complex project and longer project. I like the old instant boat nail and glue to external chine logs approach. I used some tape here and there but mostly gorilla glue and the like. Epoxy is relatively safe when well handled but one part waterproof glue and some deck screws is pretty simple and friendlier around kids. I used some tape on the chines and the front of the boat where it beaches.
> >
> > Leander Harding
> > Sewickley PA
> >
> >
> > --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Excellent summary description of nearly two decades in the life of one of Bolger's inexpensive, easily built gems.
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: revdrlsh
> > > To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
> > > Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 9:03 AM
> > > Subject: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger Gypsy
> > >
> > >
> > > In 1991 my three boys and I built a Bolger Gypsy from plans purchased from Dynamite Payson. In 1999 and into 2000 we built a Folding Schooner. In between we built a six hour canoe.
> > >
> > > The Gypsy was sailed really hard every day for a month each year on vacation and on rare occasions otherwise. Since the Schooner came into use the Gypsy sat on saw horses in the garage. In 2005 we moved to the Pittsburgh area and brought all three boats along. None of them have seen the water since we got here.
> > >
> > > I decided to get the Gypsy back in business because I can sail it myself. It really is true that the smaller the boat the more you use it.
> > >
> > > The boat was built tape and glue with West Epoxy and then covered in glass set in Epoxy. It was built from what ever was available from local lumber yards. Some 1/4 AC Fir and some Home Depot Luan. I just turned the boat over and washed it out today. Here are my impressions after all these years.
> > >
> > > The plan and construction method is very forgiving and the shape of the boat is very true despite the total inexperience of the crew. We were average handy but this was our first boat.
> > >
> > > There are a lot of unsightly bumps on the boat. I didn't really understand how far I needed to sand down the fiberglass tape selvedges. I would use tape without a sewn edge in the future. I think most folks cut their own out of fabric. It was my first time working with epoxy and I didn't understand how it can snotnose on you when you aren't looking. You can smooth the thing out and come back in five minutes to find some runs and bumps. Hardened epoxy is very hard to sand down. I also was a little worried about getting over enthusiastic with a belt sander and that thin 1/4 skin. So overall cosmetically she is not great. I showed the boat to an old Maine carpenter and boat builder that I had worked for over a year or so early in our marriage and he looked it over thoughtfully and said, "Does it float?" and I said, "yes" and he said, "that's the main thing."
> > >
> > > But the boat has made our family and many friends absolutely delighted with the thrill of sailing or a quiet evening row on the lake again and again. Now that I understand what would have been involved to make it prettier in terms of creating nasty epoxy sanding dust I am not sure greater care would have been worth it for my purposes.
> > >
> > > After all these years the AC fir does have some checking. The cheap Luan is fine and gives no sign of edge delamination. I plan to use the boat until it falls apart. If a boat like this made of cheap materials is stored inside and gets maybe 40 or 50 days in the water every year which is a lot for the average user I suspect it can last a very long time indeed. It looks like the tab is less than $20 per year at this point.
> > >
> > > The sail I bought from Dynamite looks like the day it came out of the bag and the Shaw and Tenney oars I bought still have that factory varnish shine.
> > >
> > > If you have a few bucks nice marine ply would add a couple of hundred dollars to the build and is worth it because it is nicer to work with if you have the dough but...
> > >
> > > If you have some kids and not much money, build it with some good glue and whatever you can get from the lumberyard. Give it a good paint job. Latex is fine. Keep under cover when not in use and you will have a lot of fun for many years.
> > >
> >
>
For me it wasn't the weight or toxicity of fiberglass & resin, but expense and unfamiliarity with working with it. I have plans for Junebug, but built a Puddle Duck Racer (PDR, or PD Racer) which is a modification of the Brick into a One Class Raceboat (tongue firmly in cheek). I skipped glass and resin, and just put the bottom on with Elmer's Ultimate (Gorilla Glue compeditor) and copper ringnails. Used either Ultimate or TiteBond 2 for all other gluing, and stainless screws. Very simple, non-toxic, and very sturdy. No problem with no fiberglass.
John Nystrom
Peru, IN
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@...> wrote:
>
> Leander, et al.,
>
> My wife Susanne (coincidently spelled the same unusual way Phil's Susanne spells her name) shares our email address. She rarely reads anything from this "Bolger" forum but happened to read your description of your family's life with the Gypsy, etc. She was as taken as I by your evocative image of the role the boat(s) have played in your family over many years. I can imagine the now grown children coming home to find the restored Gypsy and enjoying the fond memories it arouses.
>
> You continue in the same vain with your image of "half a dozen kids...all having something to do and a line to man" when sailing the Folding Schooner. And then you serve up that delicious "taste of what it was like to man a 19th century fishing schooner". I have been fortunate enough to have sailed a 65' schooner built in the 1950s to the model of a classic Grand Banks schooner - complete with manila running rigging and only block and tackle for mechanical advantage. I know what you mean. (The vessel was Prothero's Alcyone then moored in Port Townsend, Washington. I lived aboard across the float from her and got to know the owner.)
>
> Thanks again for reminding us what Phil, and 'Dynamite', have done for small boaters the world over. For forty years I have been reading everything Bolger has written and built several of his small boat designs. I met him at the Mystic Seaport smallcraft symposium in around 1975 or 6 and have had a couple of rewarding correspondences. I had one entertaining phone conversation with Maine's favourite son, Dynamite Payson, in which I struggled to know what kind of wood he kept calling 'see-dahr'. Needless to say I share your enthusiasm for all these two men have contributed to our lives.
>
> Almost 30 years ago I built Otter (the original old one found in Small Boats) with WEST epoxy. Swore I would never subject myself to so many chemicals again. Later built several Yellow Leafs (Leaves?) with some high school students. To avoid the chemicals, and for the instructive value, we built them with all solid timber, two plank sides, cross planked and cotton caulked bottoms. I have not built a boat with anything like "gorilla glue" and am interested to know if that is now a commonly accepted usage in small boat building. Besides avoiding exposure to the chemicals, I remind people of how much weight can be saved in a car topable boat by dispensing with all the fibre glass and resin.
>
> Paul Glassen
> Vancouver Island
> British Columbia
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: revdrlsh
> To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 11:55 AM
> Subject: [SPAM]Re: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger Gypsy
>
>
> In between the Gypsy and the Folding Schooner we owned a Sea Pearl 21. It was a really nice boat though under canvased for Long Island Sound. It was extremely stable with 600 pounds of water ballast.We had a lot of fun in it as well. We had an old flat bed trailer for it that made it awkward to get it back on the trailer just about all a dad and three boys could do.
>
> The Folding Schooner is easier to launch, to retrieve and as nearly as fast upwind and goes by most anything that looks like a Clorox bottle going downwind. You sit on the floor with you whole back supported by the sides at just the right angle. It is the most comfortable day sailing I have experienced including things like a Capri 22. If you have a half dozen kids they all have something do and line to man. Flying and tacking the stay sail gives you a taste of what it was like to man a 19th century fishing schooner. The Folding Schooner is way more fun especially if you have four to fold and unfold.
>
> Leander+
>
> --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "revdrlsh" <revdrlsh@> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks. The Bolger/Payson team sure got a lot of people on the water that would have been ashore otherwise.
> >
> > I actually found the Folding Schooner easier to build though a more complex project and longer project. I like the old instant boat nail and glue to external chine logs approach. I used some tape here and there but mostly gorilla glue and the like. Epoxy is relatively safe when well handled but one part waterproof glue and some deck screws is pretty simple and friendlier around kids. I used some tape on the chines and the front of the boat where it beaches.
> >
> > Leander Harding
> > Sewickley PA
> >
> >
> > --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Excellent summary description of nearly two decades in the life of one of Bolger's inexpensive, easily built gems.
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: revdrlsh
> > > To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
> > > Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 9:03 AM
> > > Subject: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger Gypsy
> > >
> > >
> > > In 1991 my three boys and I built a Bolger Gypsy from plans purchased from Dynamite Payson. In 1999 and into 2000 we built a Folding Schooner. In between we built a six hour canoe.
> > >
> > > The Gypsy was sailed really hard every day for a month each year on vacation and on rare occasions otherwise. Since the Schooner came into use the Gypsy sat on saw horses in the garage. In 2005 we moved to the Pittsburgh area and brought all three boats along. None of them have seen the water since we got here.
> > >
> > > I decided to get the Gypsy back in business because I can sail it myself. It really is true that the smaller the boat the more you use it.
> > >
> > > The boat was built tape and glue with West Epoxy and then covered in glass set in Epoxy. It was built from what ever was available from local lumber yards. Some 1/4 AC Fir and some Home Depot Luan. I just turned the boat over and washed it out today. Here are my impressions after all these years.
> > >
> > > The plan and construction method is very forgiving and the shape of the boat is very true despite the total inexperience of the crew. We were average handy but this was our first boat.
> > >
> > > There are a lot of unsightly bumps on the boat. I didn't really understand how far I needed to sand down the fiberglass tape selvedges. I would use tape without a sewn edge in the future. I think most folks cut their own out of fabric. It was my first time working with epoxy and I didn't understand how it can snotnose on you when you aren't looking. You can smooth the thing out and come back in five minutes to find some runs and bumps. Hardened epoxy is very hard to sand down. I also was a little worried about getting over enthusiastic with a belt sander and that thin 1/4 skin. So overall cosmetically she is not great. I showed the boat to an old Maine carpenter and boat builder that I had worked for over a year or so early in our marriage and he looked it over thoughtfully and said, "Does it float?" and I said, "yes" and he said, "that's the main thing."
> > >
> > > But the boat has made our family and many friends absolutely delighted with the thrill of sailing or a quiet evening row on the lake again and again. Now that I understand what would have been involved to make it prettier in terms of creating nasty epoxy sanding dust I am not sure greater care would have been worth it for my purposes.
> > >
> > > After all these years the AC fir does have some checking. The cheap Luan is fine and gives no sign of edge delamination. I plan to use the boat until it falls apart. If a boat like this made of cheap materials is stored inside and gets maybe 40 or 50 days in the water every year which is a lot for the average user I suspect it can last a very long time indeed. It looks like the tab is less than $20 per year at this point.
> > >
> > > The sail I bought from Dynamite looks like the day it came out of the bag and the Shaw and Tenney oars I bought still have that factory varnish shine.
> > >
> > > If you have a few bucks nice marine ply would add a couple of hundred dollars to the build and is worth it because it is nicer to work with if you have the dough but...
> > >
> > > If you have some kids and not much money, build it with some good glue and whatever you can get from the lumberyard. Give it a good paint job. Latex is fine. Keep under cover when not in use and you will have a lot of fun for many years.
> > >
> >
>
----- Original Message -----From:revdrlshSent:Saturday, August 15, 2009 11:55 AMSubject:[SPAM]Re: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger GypsyIn between the Gypsy and the Folding Schooner we owned a Sea Pearl 21. It was a really nice boat though under canvased for Long Island Sound. It was extremely stable with 600 pounds of water ballast.We had a lot of fun in it as well. We had an old flat bed trailer for it that made it awkward to get it back on the trailer just about all a dad and three boys could do.
The Folding Schooner is easier to launch, to retrieve and as nearly as fast upwind and goes by most anything that looks like a Clorox bottle going downwind. You sit on the floor with you whole back supported by the sides at just the right angle. It is the most comfortable day sailing I have experienced including things like a Capri 22. If you have a half dozen kids they all have something do and line to man. Flying and tacking the stay sail gives you a taste of what it was like to man a 19th century fishing schooner. The Folding Schooner is way more fun especially if you have four to fold and unfold.
Leander+
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups. com, "revdrlsh" <revdrlsh@.. .> wrote:
>
> Thanks. The Bolger/Payson team sure got a lot of people on the water that would have been ashore otherwise.
>
> I actually found the Folding Schooner easier to build though a more complex project and longer project. I like the old instant boat nail and glue to external chine logs approach. I used some tape here and there but mostly gorilla glue and the like. Epoxy is relatively safe when well handled but one part waterproof glue and some deck screws is pretty simple and friendlier around kids. I used some tape on the chines and the front of the boat where it beaches.
>
> Leander Harding
> Sewickley PA
>
>
> --- Inbolger@yahoogroups. com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@> wrote:
> >
> > Excellent summary description of nearly two decades in the life of one of Bolger's inexpensive, easily built gems.
> > Thanks
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: revdrlsh
> > To:bolger@yahoogroups. com
> > Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 9:03 AM
> > Subject: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger Gypsy
> >
> >
> > In 1991 my three boys and I built a Bolger Gypsy from plans purchased from Dynamite Payson. In 1999 and into 2000 we built a Folding Schooner. In between we built a six hour canoe.
> >
> > The Gypsy was sailed really hard every day for a month each year on vacation and on rare occasions otherwise. Since the Schooner came into use the Gypsy sat on saw horses in the garage. In 2005 we moved to the Pittsburgh area and brought all three boats along. None of them have seen the water since we got here.
> >
> > I decided to get the Gypsy back in business because I can sail it myself. It really is true that the smaller the boat the more you use it.
> >
> > The boat was built tape and glue with West Epoxy and then covered in glass set in Epoxy. It was built from what ever was available from local lumber yards. Some 1/4 AC Fir and some Home Depot Luan. I just turned the boat over and washed it out today. Here are my impressions after all these years.
> >
> > The plan and construction method is very forgiving and the shape of the boat is very true despite the total inexperience of the crew. We were average handy but this was our first boat.
> >
> > There are a lot of unsightly bumps on the boat. I didn't really understand how far I needed to sand down the fiberglass tape selvedges. I would use tape without a sewn edge in the future. I think most folks cut their own out of fabric. It was my first time working with epoxy and I didn't understand how it can snotnose on you when you aren't looking. You can smooth the thing out and come back in five minutes to find some runs and bumps. Hardened epoxy is very hard to sand down. I also was a little worried about getting over enthusiastic with a belt sander and that thin 1/4 skin. So overall cosmetically she is not great. I showed the boat to an old Maine carpenter and boat builder that I had worked for over a year or so early in our marriage and he looked it over thoughtfully and said, "Does it float?" and I said, "yes" and he said, "that's the main thing."
> >
> > But the boat has made our family and many friends absolutely delighted with the thrill of sailing or a quiet evening row on the lake again and again. Now that I understand what would have been involved to make it prettier in terms of creating nasty epoxy sanding dust I am not sure greater care would have been worth it for my purposes.
> >
> > After all these years the AC fir does have some checking. The cheap Luan is fine and gives no sign of edge delamination. I plan to use the boat until it falls apart. If a boat like this made of cheap materials is stored inside and gets maybe 40 or 50 days in the water every year which is a lot for the average user I suspect it can last a very long time indeed. It looks like the tab is less than $20 per year at this point.
> >
> > The sail I bought from Dynamite looks like the day it came out of the bag and the Shaw and Tenney oars I bought still have that factory varnish shine.
> >
> > If you have a few bucks nice marine ply would add a couple of hundred dollars to the build and is worth it because it is nicer to work with if you have the dough but...
> >
> > If you have some kids and not much money, build it with some good glue and whatever you can get from the lumberyard. Give it a good paint job. Latex is fine. Keep under cover when not in use and you will have a lot of fun for many years.
> >
>
The Folding Schooner is easier to launch, to retrieve and as nearly as fast upwind and goes by most anything that looks like a Clorox bottle going downwind. You sit on the floor with you whole back supported by the sides at just the right angle. It is the most comfortable day sailing I have experienced including things like a Capri 22. If you have a half dozen kids they all have something do and line to man. Flying and tacking the stay sail gives you a taste of what it was like to man a 19th century fishing schooner. The Folding Schooner is way more fun especially if you have four to fold and unfold.
Leander+
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "revdrlsh" <revdrlsh@...> wrote:
>
> Thanks. The Bolger/Payson team sure got a lot of people on the water that would have been ashore otherwise.
>
> I actually found the Folding Schooner easier to build though a more complex project and longer project. I like the old instant boat nail and glue to external chine logs approach. I used some tape here and there but mostly gorilla glue and the like. Epoxy is relatively safe when well handled but one part waterproof glue and some deck screws is pretty simple and friendlier around kids. I used some tape on the chines and the front of the boat where it beaches.
>
> Leander Harding
> Sewickley PA
>
>
> --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@> wrote:
> >
> > Excellent summary description of nearly two decades in the life of one of Bolger's inexpensive, easily built gems.
> > Thanks
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: revdrlsh
> > To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 9:03 AM
> > Subject: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger Gypsy
> >
> >
> > In 1991 my three boys and I built a Bolger Gypsy from plans purchased from Dynamite Payson. In 1999 and into 2000 we built a Folding Schooner. In between we built a six hour canoe.
> >
> > The Gypsy was sailed really hard every day for a month each year on vacation and on rare occasions otherwise. Since the Schooner came into use the Gypsy sat on saw horses in the garage. In 2005 we moved to the Pittsburgh area and brought all three boats along. None of them have seen the water since we got here.
> >
> > I decided to get the Gypsy back in business because I can sail it myself. It really is true that the smaller the boat the more you use it.
> >
> > The boat was built tape and glue with West Epoxy and then covered in glass set in Epoxy. It was built from what ever was available from local lumber yards. Some 1/4 AC Fir and some Home Depot Luan. I just turned the boat over and washed it out today. Here are my impressions after all these years.
> >
> > The plan and construction method is very forgiving and the shape of the boat is very true despite the total inexperience of the crew. We were average handy but this was our first boat.
> >
> > There are a lot of unsightly bumps on the boat. I didn't really understand how far I needed to sand down the fiberglass tape selvedges. I would use tape without a sewn edge in the future. I think most folks cut their own out of fabric. It was my first time working with epoxy and I didn't understand how it can snotnose on you when you aren't looking. You can smooth the thing out and come back in five minutes to find some runs and bumps. Hardened epoxy is very hard to sand down. I also was a little worried about getting over enthusiastic with a belt sander and that thin 1/4 skin. So overall cosmetically she is not great. I showed the boat to an old Maine carpenter and boat builder that I had worked for over a year or so early in our marriage and he looked it over thoughtfully and said, "Does it float?" and I said, "yes" and he said, "that's the main thing."
> >
> > But the boat has made our family and many friends absolutely delighted with the thrill of sailing or a quiet evening row on the lake again and again. Now that I understand what would have been involved to make it prettier in terms of creating nasty epoxy sanding dust I am not sure greater care would have been worth it for my purposes.
> >
> > After all these years the AC fir does have some checking. The cheap Luan is fine and gives no sign of edge delamination. I plan to use the boat until it falls apart. If a boat like this made of cheap materials is stored inside and gets maybe 40 or 50 days in the water every year which is a lot for the average user I suspect it can last a very long time indeed. It looks like the tab is less than $20 per year at this point.
> >
> > The sail I bought from Dynamite looks like the day it came out of the bag and the Shaw and Tenney oars I bought still have that factory varnish shine.
> >
> > If you have a few bucks nice marine ply would add a couple of hundred dollars to the build and is worth it because it is nicer to work with if you have the dough but...
> >
> > If you have some kids and not much money, build it with some good glue and whatever you can get from the lumberyard. Give it a good paint job. Latex is fine. Keep under cover when not in use and you will have a lot of fun for many years.
> >
>
I actually found the Folding Schooner easier to build though a more complex project and longer project. I like the old instant boat nail and glue to external chine logs approach. I used some tape here and there but mostly gorilla glue and the like. Epoxy is relatively safe when well handled but one part waterproof glue and some deck screws is pretty simple and friendlier around kids. I used some tape on the chines and the front of the boat where it beaches.
Leander Harding
Sewickley PA
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@...> wrote:
>
> Excellent summary description of nearly two decades in the life of one of Bolger's inexpensive, easily built gems.
> Thanks
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: revdrlsh
> To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 9:03 AM
> Subject: [SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger Gypsy
>
>
> In 1991 my three boys and I built a Bolger Gypsy from plans purchased from Dynamite Payson. In 1999 and into 2000 we built a Folding Schooner. In between we built a six hour canoe.
>
> The Gypsy was sailed really hard every day for a month each year on vacation and on rare occasions otherwise. Since the Schooner came into use the Gypsy sat on saw horses in the garage. In 2005 we moved to the Pittsburgh area and brought all three boats along. None of them have seen the water since we got here.
>
> I decided to get the Gypsy back in business because I can sail it myself. It really is true that the smaller the boat the more you use it.
>
> The boat was built tape and glue with West Epoxy and then covered in glass set in Epoxy. It was built from what ever was available from local lumber yards. Some 1/4 AC Fir and some Home Depot Luan. I just turned the boat over and washed it out today. Here are my impressions after all these years.
>
> The plan and construction method is very forgiving and the shape of the boat is very true despite the total inexperience of the crew. We were average handy but this was our first boat.
>
> There are a lot of unsightly bumps on the boat. I didn't really understand how far I needed to sand down the fiberglass tape selvedges. I would use tape without a sewn edge in the future. I think most folks cut their own out of fabric. It was my first time working with epoxy and I didn't understand how it can snotnose on you when you aren't looking. You can smooth the thing out and come back in five minutes to find some runs and bumps. Hardened epoxy is very hard to sand down. I also was a little worried about getting over enthusiastic with a belt sander and that thin 1/4 skin. So overall cosmetically she is not great. I showed the boat to an old Maine carpenter and boat builder that I had worked for over a year or so early in our marriage and he looked it over thoughtfully and said, "Does it float?" and I said, "yes" and he said, "that's the main thing."
>
> But the boat has made our family and many friends absolutely delighted with the thrill of sailing or a quiet evening row on the lake again and again. Now that I understand what would have been involved to make it prettier in terms of creating nasty epoxy sanding dust I am not sure greater care would have been worth it for my purposes.
>
> After all these years the AC fir does have some checking. The cheap Luan is fine and gives no sign of edge delamination. I plan to use the boat until it falls apart. If a boat like this made of cheap materials is stored inside and gets maybe 40 or 50 days in the water every year which is a lot for the average user I suspect it can last a very long time indeed. It looks like the tab is less than $20 per year at this point.
>
> The sail I bought from Dynamite looks like the day it came out of the bag and the Shaw and Tenney oars I bought still have that factory varnish shine.
>
> If you have a few bucks nice marine ply would add a couple of hundred dollars to the build and is worth it because it is nicer to work with if you have the dough but...
>
> If you have some kids and not much money, build it with some good glue and whatever you can get from the lumberyard. Give it a good paint job. Latex is fine. Keep under cover when not in use and you will have a lot of fun for many years.
>
----- Original Message -----From:revdrlshSent:Saturday, August 15, 2009 9:03 AMSubject:[SPAM][bolger] Resurrectging A 1991 Bolger GypsyIn 1991 my three boys and I built a Bolger Gypsy from plans purchased from Dynamite Payson. In 1999 and into 2000 we built a Folding Schooner. In between we built a six hour canoe.
The Gypsy was sailed really hard every day for a month each year on vacation and on rare occasions otherwise. Since the Schooner came into use the Gypsy sat on saw horses in the garage. In 2005 we moved to the Pittsburgh area and brought all three boats along. None of them have seen the water since we got here.
I decided to get the Gypsy back in business because I can sail it myself. It really is true that the smaller the boat the more you use it.
The boat was built tape and glue with West Epoxy and then covered in glass set in Epoxy. It was built from what ever was available from local lumber yards. Some 1/4 AC Fir and some Home Depot Luan. I just turned the boat over and washed it out today. Here are my impressions after all these years.
The plan and construction method is very forgiving and the shape of the boat is very true despite the total inexperience of the crew. We were average handy but this was our first boat.
There are a lot of unsightly bumps on the boat. I didn't really understand how far I needed to sand down the fiberglass tape selvedges. I would use tape without a sewn edge in the future. I think most folks cut their own out of fabric. It was my first time working with epoxy and I didn't understand how it can snotnose on you when you aren't looking. You can smooth the thing out and come back in five minutes to find some runs and bumps. Hardened epoxy is very hard to sand down. I also was a little worried about getting over enthusiastic with a belt sander and that thin 1/4 skin. So overall cosmetically she is not great. I showed the boat to an old Maine carpenter and boat builder that I had worked for over a year or so early in our marriage and he looked it over thoughtfully and said, "Does it float?" and I said, "yes" and he said, "that's the main thing."
But the boat has made our family and many friends absolutely delighted with the thrill of sailing or a quiet evening row on the lake again and again. Now that I understand what would have been involved to make it prettier in terms of creating nasty epoxy sanding dust I am not sure greater care would have been worth it for my purposes.
After all these years the AC fir does have some checking. The cheap Luan is fine and gives no sign of edge delamination. I plan to use the boat until it falls apart. If a boat like this made of cheap materials is stored inside and gets maybe 40 or 50 days in the water every year which is a lot for the average user I suspect it can last a very long time indeed. It looks like the tab is less than $20 per year at this point.
The sail I bought from Dynamite looks like the day it came out of the bag and the Shaw and Tenney oars I bought still have that factory varnish shine.
If you have a few bucks nice marine ply would add a couple of hundred dollars to the build and is worth it because it is nicer to work with if you have the dough but...
If you have some kids and not much money, build it with some good glue and whatever you can get from the lumberyard. Give it a good paint job. Latex is fine. Keep under cover when not in use and you will have a lot of fun for many years.
The Gypsy was sailed really hard every day for a month each year on vacation and on rare occasions otherwise. Since the Schooner came into use the Gypsy sat on saw horses in the garage. In 2005 we moved to the Pittsburgh area and brought all three boats along. None of them have seen the water since we got here.
I decided to get the Gypsy back in business because I can sail it myself. It really is true that the smaller the boat the more you use it.
The boat was built tape and glue with West Epoxy and then covered in glass set in Epoxy. It was built from what ever was available from local lumber yards. Some 1/4 AC Fir and some Home Depot Luan. I just turned the boat over and washed it out today. Here are my impressions after all these years.
The plan and construction method is very forgiving and the shape of the boat is very true despite the total inexperience of the crew. We were average handy but this was our first boat.
There are a lot of unsightly bumps on the boat. I didn't really understand how far I needed to sand down the fiberglass tape selvedges. I would use tape without a sewn edge in the future. I think most folks cut their own out of fabric. It was my first time working with epoxy and I didn't understand how it can snotnose on you when you aren't looking. You can smooth the thing out and come back in five minutes to find some runs and bumps. Hardened epoxy is very hard to sand down. I also was a little worried about getting over enthusiastic with a belt sander and that thin 1/4 skin. So overall cosmetically she is not great. I showed the boat to an old Maine carpenter and boat builder that I had worked for over a year or so early in our marriage and he looked it over thoughtfully and said, "Does it float?" and I said, "yes" and he said, "that's the main thing."
But the boat has made our family and many friends absolutely delighted with the thrill of sailing or a quiet evening row on the lake again and again. Now that I understand what would have been involved to make it prettier in terms of creating nasty epoxy sanding dust I am not sure greater care would have been worth it for my purposes.
After all these years the AC fir does have some checking. The cheap Luan is fine and gives no sign of edge delamination. I plan to use the boat until it falls apart. If a boat like this made of cheap materials is stored inside and gets maybe 40 or 50 days in the water every year which is a lot for the average user I suspect it can last a very long time indeed. It looks like the tab is less than $20 per year at this point.
The sail I bought from Dynamite looks like the day it came out of the bag and the Shaw and Tenney oars I bought still have that factory varnish shine.
If you have a few bucks nice marine ply would add a couple of hundred dollars to the build and is worth it because it is nicer to work with if you have the dough but...
If you have some kids and not much money, build it with some good glue and whatever you can get from the lumberyard. Give it a good paint job. Latex is fine. Keep under cover when not in use and you will have a lot of fun for many years.