Big news in the SCAMP world. The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is launching a very special "Build a SCAMP" course this summer (August 6th) here in Port Townsend, WA.
What will make the two-week-long course especially notable is that the instructor is SCAMP designer, John Welsford, who is flying in from New Zealand especially to teach 12 students to build 12 SCAMPs.
If that wasnt enough, the NWSWBB has partnered with the Northwest Maritime Center on the course, so all 12 SCAMPs will be built at the NW Maritime facility down on the water in Port Townsend—the birthplace of SCAMP #1.
Students will spend two weeks with John Welsford and two shop assistants building their own SCAMP from the Small Craft Advisor kit made by Turnpoint Design. Students can trailer home their mostly completed SCAMP at the end of two weeks, or opt to extend their stay for as long as two additional weeks.
Details are just being finalized. For more information check the SCA magazine message board or contact the NWSWBB at: (360) 385-4948 or http://www.nwboatschool.org
Its that time of year again. Spring Tweak time! This years Spring Tweak is a DIY tiller lock.
This tiller lock is fully adjustable, easy to make, unobtrusive, easily removed and set up, and only costs a few bucks to make. Ill show you how to make one.
Tiller Locks:
When it comes to tiller locking devices, theres certainly no shortage of them. Do a Google search for "tiller tamer", or "tiller lock" or something similar, and before you know it youll have spent your entire day looking at a bewildering assortment of different types, both commercially available and home made. Dont ask me how I know that.
Tiller locks generally fall into four main categories.
First, youve got your on-off lever action type, like this TillerClutch for example. These usually have a lever mounted towards the front of the tiller that allows you to alternate between locking the tiller in place, or allowing it to move freely. Its always locked or unlocked, theres no in-between.
Then theres the Solid Brace type. These consist of an adjustable rod that goes from the tiller to a box usually mounted on the seat back. Theyre designed to be rugged. The rod doubles as a tiller extender and can be easily detached to unlock the tiller. The rods length can be adjusted as needed.
Next, theres the Friction Knob type, like the ever popular Tiller Tamer. Here, a knob is used to adjust the amount of friction anywhere from very loose to a full lock.
Also using adjustable friction technology are a variety of DIY Shock Cord, Rope and Bungee types. These are usually home-made and can range from a single piece of rope stretched between two cleats, to devices constructed from bungee cords, fairleads, camcleats, blocks, hooks, and various other items.
Of course they all have their pros and cons. So how do you decide which one to buy or build?
What makes a good tiller lock (in my opinion):
Adjustability means flexability. I favor the devices that allow the friction to be adjusted from completely free tiller movement all the way up to a full lock. Dialing in just enough friction to hold the tiller in place still allows an occasional nudge to adjust the boats course.
Dont get in the way. Most devices have ropes that lead from the front of the tiller to the sides of the boat that block access to outboard motors, block seats, and so on. This can be a major drawback on a boat with limited space to begin with.
Quickly disabled and enabled. I want to be able to quickly and easily disable or remove the device when Im done using it, or in case of an emergency.
A DIY solution, inexpensive and easily constructed from readily available parts.
Strong, reliable, and should not be unattractive.
How my tiller lock works:
My tiller lock is a Friction Knob type. Tightening the knob pulls up on an eye-bolt, pinching a line against a strip of leather with increasing friction. The amount of friction is fully adjustable from very loose to a full lock. The friction between the rope and leather is smooth, consistant, and the leather will not wear out any time soon. It is not necessary to locate the tiller lock near the front of the tiller on a boat the size of mine, or on any boat with a well balanced helm. I located mine slightly forward of my aft coaming and ran the line almost straight across. There, the line is not blocking my way at all but still functions perfectly, so long as I keep the line free of slack. Two jam cleats on my coaming allow me to easily tension the line tightly. I can instantly remove the device by pulling the line off the jam cleats. A leather washer under the knob protects the tiller from damage and its friction prevents the knob from turning on its own.
Materials needed:
To make my tiller lock youll need a stainless steel eye-bolt and a few other small items that you can probably find lying around the house or garage. The eye-bolt I used is a Stanley V2161 that I got from Lowes for $1.28. Youll also need a small scrap of leather, a couple stainless steel screws, a short piece of rope, and a couple small scraps of wood. You may also need to purchase a couple small jam cleats. The knob can be made from a scrap of wood by tapping a threaded hole in it or using a threaded insert, or you can buy a threaded plastic knob at a hardware store for $2.60 like I did. Or simply use a stainless steel wingnut.
Building the tiller lock:
The lock is very simple and building it should be quite self-explanitory. Here is a cutaway diagram of how it goes together:
Youll need to drill a 1/4" hole through your tiller for the eye-bolt.
Make the bottom piece from a scrap of wood measuring 2-1/2" long by 1" high by 3/4" thick. I used white oak. Cut a 1/4" slot completely through it, long enough for the eye-bolt to fit through, and counterbore a couple of screw holes in it. Round off the corners.
Cut a strip of leather as wide as the inside diameter of the eye-bolt and long enough to wrap around the wooden piece. Leather from an old belt works fine. Insert the eye-bolt, then add the leather strip, holding it in place with glue or a couple brass tacks. Make a leather washer for under the knob. Drill the hole in the leather washer oversized so the eye-bolt can freely move up and down through it.
After months of hemming and hawing over plans and possibilities and uncertainties and even driving to the Middle of Nowhere to get a trailer, finally we start building the boat. Or at least we build something that is essential for building the boat.
The Glen-L plans call for making a building form upon which to build the boat. With the building form you get the boat at a height you can work on it, as well as have a level, plum, and square form upon which to assemble the individual pieces.
From these photos you also get an idea of just how beautiful a location we have to build the Shantyboat Thanks to Lawrence and his family for their generosity, and perhaps their healthy curiosity as they watch the project slowly come together from a pile of lumber to a boat.
I actually found an error on Glen-Ls otherwise flawless building plans. The plans called for the cross spalls to be 97", which is one inch over 8 (a frustrating waste of conventional length lumber). Another measurement in an end view gave half the measurement of the cross spall as 3-11 1/2", or 95 inches. As usual after a little back and forth clarification, I got a message from Gayle:
Wes,
I had Glen take a look at the plans and heres his response:
Seems to be an error. The cross palls should extend 3 11-1/2" each side of CL or 95" long. You have thickness of side planking, plus FG plus rub rail to obtain beam of 8 2". This will make an 8 width on the bottom to match the two 4 wide PW panels.
Gayle Brantuk
This building form was mostly made of scrap lumber. The stringers (the frames of the boat that run longitudinally) will sit on top of and perpendicular to these cross spalls on top of the building form.
I actually built the form wrong, at least according to the plans (the side pieces are reversed inside out). And though it didnt hurt anything, it set me off on a cascade of self-recrimination at my carelessness. If I assembled the boat with as little attention to detail, I would be wasting material, causing undue frustration, and making an ugly boat.
This made me rethink ways I could balance my eagerness with my sense of precision. The next week I switched gears from my cavalier construction of the building form to a slower more careful approach.
Jen and Kai both helped me make the building form. And after Kai and I had a pretty pointless conflict, I realized one very important boatbuilding need that I hadnt taken into account for people working hard in the hot sun all day: Snacks!
There are many different types of roller furling systems. This furler is a "Wykeham Martin" or "wire luff" type. This popular design has been in continuous use worldwide for over 100 years. It requires a jib that has a stainless steel wire sewn into the luff, or has a "jib set flying" (a jib that does not attach to a stay). If your jib hanks onto a fixed forestay or needs to wind around a forestay this furler wont work for you. The furler you need would be more like this one.
This furler, as illustrated below, is sized for my 15 Welsford Navigator, or any similar sized small sailboat. It is comparable to a Ronstan RF76 or a Harken 434 dinghy furler. It can be scaled up in size and strength for larger boats by substituting a stronger eye-bolt, stronger u-bolt, upper swivel, and ball bearing thrust bearing.
Here is a test run of the furler
Origin
In issue #58 of Small Craft Advisor magazine, Kirk Gresham wrote an excellent article on how he designed and built two roller furlers for his 17 cutter Eider for a mere $40 each using bits of scrap and a few bits and pieces of hardware from a local hardware store. This saved Kirk a whopping $670 off the $750 price tag he was quoted for two furler units from a local Port Townsend chandlery. I knew from the moment I read Kirks article that I wanted to build one of his furlers too. I love building things. Id much rather build something than buy it, even if it ends up costing me more. But in this case building it saved me a bundle too. Thats a two-fer for me!
I had some questions after reading the article, but I knew Kirk attends the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival every year, so I met Captain Kirk at the festival. He answered all of my questions and allowed me to take some close up photos of his furlers.
Being a mechanical designer by trade, naturally I couldnt resist making some improvements to the design. I used bronze thrust washers in place of the steel radial bearings Kirk used, and I made the spool with a core of solid hardwood instead of using a section of PVC pipe. These two changes significantly increase the strength of the furler, make it operate more smoothly and increase corrosion resistance. I also used an ABS end cap instead of the bent aluminum strap used to contain the furling line. It looks better and does a much better job of containing the line.
So, here I present my improved version of Kirks $40 roller furler.
Click to enlarge
Making the Drum Assembly
The drum is made from an inexpensive 3" ABS drain pipe end cap available at any home center that sells indoor plumbing supplies, like Home Depot, Lowes, Grainger, etc. The cap I used is a Mueller 2979H. (Note: a 3" cap is actually 4" in diameter. It caps a 3" inside diameter drain pipe). Caps are available in a variety of sizes if you want a larger or smaller furler. You will also need a stainless steel eye-bolt. I used a 1/4" x 4" Stanley V2161, but welded eye bolts are a better choice as they are much stronger. To make the drum assembly, drill a 1/4" hole in the center of the end cap for the eye-bolt. Drill 7/8" diameter holes every 45 degrees around the outside for access to the furling line. Locate these holes so they are 1/4" below the open end of the cap.
I also drilled a series of small drain holes in the bottom of the drum.
Use locktite to secure the two nuts on the eyebolt.
Making the Spool Assembly
To make the spool assembly, first I cut two plywood disks from 1/4" plywood. The outer diameter of the disks should be just slightly less than the inner diameter of the ABS cap. We dont want the furling line to slip through the gap and jam the furler. Sandwiched between the disks is a piece of oak (or any other hard wood) that is 2" in diameter and 7/8" thick. Glue these three pieces together taking care to align them accurately. Drill a 1/4" hole through the center for the eye-bolt. Drill two more holes to match the stainless steel U-bolt legs. The U-bolt I used is a 1/4" x 1-1/8" x 3-1/2" Stanley V2193. Drill one extra hole in the upper disk for the stop knot of the furling line. Paint the spool with several coats of enamel paint. Cut and file the legs of the U-bolt flush with the nuts. Use locktite to secure all four nuts.
Assembling the unit
To assemble the unit, place the spool onto the eyebolt of the drum assembly. Then add a 1/4" stainless steel washer, your thrust bearing, and a locknut. Additionally secure this locknut by drilling a tiny hole near the end of the eyebolt and adding a cotter pin, or use Locktite (blue not red). The thrust bearing is simply two or three 1/4" I.D. sintered bronze thrust washers. These strong, inexpensive corrosion resistant self-lubricating washers should be readily available at any good hardware store, or you can order them here. Once in a great while, apply a drop of motor oil to the thrust washers. It will soak into the porous metal and lubricate them for a long time.
A ball bearing can be used instead of the thrust washers if you prefer. They are more expensive but may operate more smoothly under high tension. The exact size you need will depend on the diameter of your eyebolt and the space available inside your u-bolt. The style of bearing you would want is shown below, and a source for stainless steel thrust bearings in many sizes is here. Ive tested both the thrust washers and the ball bearings on my boat and there was no noticeable difference.
Tie a stop knot in the end of your furling line, feed it through the hole in the upper disk and out through one of the holes in the drum. Spin the spool to wind up the line.
Upper Swivel
A swivel is required at the head of your jib to allow the wire luff to spin and roll up the jib. With this type of furler you want a swivel that spins easily. I have tested three different swivels on my boat that have worked well for me.
This anchor swivel, is a good choice provided your luff tension is not too tight. If your jib uses a jib halyard, this swivel will work for you. It is extremely strong, very inexpensive, and spins well under moderate tension. However, since its not a ball bearing swivel, it can stick when tensioned too much.
Ball bearing swivels are a better choice. The Ronstan RF75 swivel is considerably more expensive, but is an excellent choice for larger sailboats with higher luff tensions. And this jumbo sized (size 10) fishing swivel is an excellent choice for smaller sailboats and sailing dinghys. It is the largest ball bearing fishing swivel Ive been able to find and works very well on my Navigator. It is rated to support up to 810 lbs. Do not rely on this fishing swivel to hold up a mast on anything larger than a sailing dinghy.
A word about strength
Make sure you select components that are strong enough for your application. An easy and conservative way to do this is to look at the diameter of the stainless steel cable used to make your jibs luff wire. My jib uses 1/8" cable, which has a Safe Working Load (SWL) of 352 lbs. 3/16" cable has a SWL of 740 lbs, and so on. The SWL of each one of your components (eye-bolt, u-bolt, swivel, thrust bearing, shackles, etc) should be at least as high as that of your cables. Youll be able to find the SWLs on the products packaging, at the manufacturers website, or with a bit of Googling. That way youll know your furler is stronger than your luff wire.
$40 furlers around the world
Click here to see Barrys UK version of this furler. These young folks are enjoying their furler on their homebuilt catamaran John Hows Fulmar SailCanoeFan in Montreal Conclusion
This furler has performed flawlessly on my Navigator Ellie for over 5 years now, and I couldnt be more pleased with it. If you have any feedback or if you build one of these furlers for yourself, Id love to hear about it. Please leave a comment below.
Shortly after he bought a Falmouth Bass Boat 16, Barry Taylor began searching the internet for guidance on how to build his own roller furler.
Said Barry, "When I came across your web site, showing how to build a furler, I was immediately excited and inspired because you had provided very clear and easy to follow details of how to build one."
But Barry soon ran into a couple problems. Indoor plumbing, as it turns out, isnt quite the same shape in the UK as it is in the US.
"I think the 3" black ABS cap is excellent and want to build one of these. The problem is I am in the UK and I cant get hold of black ABS, especially a cap with a relatively flat end to it (theyre all slightly domed over here - and grey!). Lowes or Home Depot wont ship to UK so was wondering if anyone could offer me a suggestion how I might get a 3" black cap?"
I considered sending a cap to Barry, until I looked up the shipping costs, and nearly fell out of my chair!
But persistence paid off, and he was successful in getting the domed cap to work. In fact, I find the shape quite attractive. The cast stainless steel eyebolt Barry used also looks attractive and strong. An excellent choice.
"I immediately set about researching how to obtain the necessary ABS end cap etc. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I sourced all the materials, made my furler drum/bobbin from 6mm ply discs and a solid oak centre drum, painted it up black and white (because yours looks so smart in those colours) and hey presto I had a furler, for a fraction of the cost of a new one. I used a thrust washer similar to the one you describe and bought the Spro Ball Bearing Swivel that you recommended."
Another problem Barry had to solve is a common one. Barrys boat uses a fixed forestay, which required a modification to his bow fitting so that the furler and jib could be mounted aft of the forestay.
"I had to make a bespoke mount plate to enable the furler to be mounted behind the forestay such that there was sufficient clearance to prevent the jib snagging on the forestay when being furled."
And finally, an adjustment had to be made to accommodate the available eyebolt length.
"I had to counterbore the centre of the furling drum because 6mm eyebolts only come 100mm long and this wasn’t quite sufficient to allow fitment of the thrust washer."
"The project is complete and the jib furls away beautifully."
Well done, Barry! Yours is an excellent example of how this furler can be adapted to a variety of materials and sailboat rigs. I hope you enjoy many years of smooth sailing with your hand crafted furler.
Big news in the SCAMP world. The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is launching a very special "Build a SCAMP" course this summer (August 6th) here in Port Townsend, WA. 
First, youve got your on-off lever action type, like this TillerClutch for example. These usually have a lever mounted towards the front of the tiller that allows you to alternate between locking the tiller in place, or allowing it to move freely. Its always locked or unlocked, theres no in-between. 
Then theres the Solid Brace type. These consist of an adjustable rod that goes from the tiller to a box usually mounted on the seat back. Theyre designed to be rugged. The rod doubles as a tiller extender and can be easily detached to unlock the tiller. The rods length can be adjusted as needed.
Also using adjustable friction technology are a variety of DIY Shock Cord, Rope and Bungee types. These are usually home-made and can range from a single piece of rope stretched between two cleats, to devices constructed from bungee cords, fairleads, camcleats, blocks, hooks, and various other items.
There are many different types of roller furling systems. This furler is a "Wykeham Martin" or "wire luff" type. This popular design has been in continuous use worldwide for over 100 years. It requires a jib that has a stainless steel wire sewn into the luff, or has a "jib set flying" (a jib that does not attach to a stay). If your jib hanks onto a fixed forestay or needs to wind around a forestay this furler wont work for you. The furler you need would be more like this one. 
Shortly after he bought a Falmouth Bass Boat 16, Barry Taylor began searching the internet for guidance on how to build his own roller furler. 
