Here's news lifted from jwbuilders re the two builds that will compete in the Mach 2011 Everglades Challenge. The Beat goes on!
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Scamps Begun in the Boat Palace
Posted by: "jackiemonies" jackiemonies@yahoo.com jackiemonies
Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:23 am (PST)


Two identical Scamps have been begun here in Oklahoma by my husband, Mike Monies, built in the Boat Palace. These are to be used to sail the Everglades Challenge by Mike and his sailing partner, Andrew Linn, of Oregon.

If it is OK with JohnW I will occasionally post updates here on their progress or we can answer questions from members as well. Mike and JohnW have a wonderful mutual respect for each other, Mike loves John's boats of all sorts and is honored to be building these.

Mike and Andrew will be representing Small Craft Advisor Magazine with these two boats in the EC, and will be sponsored by SCA and Chuck Leinweber of Duckworks magazine http://www.duckworksmagazine.com who will furnish all the building materials (excepting lumber). There will be regular updates on the main Duckworks Forum also.

During this build, there will be regular monthly articles about the build in my Duckworks column, beginning with this months' column, "The Gift of Little Boats" (which has not been run yet). I hope that our members will enjoy following the joy and frustrations of our building, as the boats must both be completed and sailing no later than the end of February to make it to Florida for first week in March, 2011.

We will also be putting up comments on the Scamps blog on SCA as often as Josh Colvin and SCA would like to receive them. http://smallcraftadvisor.com/message.board2/

Should that not be enough Scamp news for everyone, I will also regularly post some news bits on my Sail Oklahoma! site, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SailOklahoma/ Both the Scamp and John Welsford will be attending Sail Oklahoma! in October, 2011, as our honored guests.

Please note, the plans have NOT been generally released yet, but as time was running out on building time we received preliminary plans early.

Incidentally, Mikes Scamp is to be named the "JohnW", Andrew's is to be the "StJohn" for another close friend and sailor. They have received sail numbers 4 and 5.

Sawdust, forever,

Jackie Monies, Moderator JW Builders
"Notes From the Boat Palace"- Duckworks Magazine
http://groups.yahoo.com/group.SailOklahoma/

Sorry to have posted on John W's group first! I had hoped Josh might break news here for us but we are delighted to have plans in hand and to be finally working on the two Scamps.

I will be Mike's "ghost writer" on the Scamps, as he is going to need every minute and hour to work on them. Andrew Linn will do sails but Mike will build the two Scamps for their Challenge.

If anyone wants to ask questions, I will promise a fast answer by walking out to the Boat Palace with my note pad and get a reply. We did this for his Laguna Dos build for last year's Everglades Challenge, so I am quite accustomed to the "drill".

For those not familar with the Everglades Challenge, it is a 300 mile race with both natural and more artificial route filters built into the voyage that raise obstacles that the sailors must overcome, based on the sort of boat they choose to use. Mike and Andrew will be in Class 4, Monohulls, as Solo captains, each in their own boat. They will represent SCA and Duckworks magazines with both boats.

Watertribe, the organizers of the Everglades Challenge in Florida, uses "tribal" names to designate their members. Mike is "WoodCutter" and Andrew Linn is "Krunch". I am known as "Story Teller".

We are excited and relieved to be starting at last. I hope that SCA's readers will enjoy following the adventure with us as we head for a pair of boats to sail the voyage!

Jackie and Mike Monies

Please post as much and as many photos as you can. I am EXTREMELY interested in seeing exactly what it takes to build a Scamp. Excited to watch the progress and see if i can determine if it's within my skill level. Thanks for taking the time to blog the whole deal!

Sean

sean ... i believe there is a 23' montgomery that underwent a significant, and successful, renovation because of your efforts and skills. if you have enough clamps i have no doubt you could build a SCAMP.

Hi Sean, Dave and everyone-

Mike says that building the Scamp is within the range of any small boat builder, even a first time builder.

He says the plans are excellent, very clear and he likes that the baseline begins on plywood's edge for drafting ease. He is accustomed to metric measure and likes that, as well.

Mike has been drafting patterns from the plans, says it is all going fast and easily, he is having no problems. When last seen he was building his work stands to hold the hulls. He has not yet firmly settled if he intends to build simultaneously or not on the two hulls, or just work on both. In other words, when he does one step he does in other hull, at same time.

He has done this before and is leaning to cutting out both boats at same time, doing same step at same time.

He said that the Scamp kits would be wonderful time savers, of course. As we were trying to begin our build some time before the kits were to be available that was not an option we thought. However, the kits look wonderful and so precise, we would certainly recommend them to others.

Sawdust, forever,

Jackie Monies (for Mike)

Yay! Go Mike, and go Jackie keeping him fed and watered for the project.
I'm sorry I wont be out in the Boat Palace with him, maybe sometime.

John Welsford

JohnW, we are looking forward to having you and the "JohnW" with us in October, 2011 in the Boat Palace!

Here's Mike's report on the weekend:

"First off, let me say how much I like the plans. Using the plywood edge as a baseline for all 8 bulkheads makes them easy to draw. I was able to draw all 8 bulkheads, the centerboard and rudder today, as well as cut out a plywood pattern of each."

Mike also built the lower part of the building frame to use as a work bench for cutting out the parts. We will send in a few photos soon to Josh to choose from.

He is trying to average about 8-10 hours per day working on the boats. He starts when he can, which does not mean he gets up at 5 a.m. and begins! He also always takes breaks during day to come in, leave the project, eat a snack away from the Boat Palace. JohnW knows he does NOT miss a meal, so he comes in for lunch and dinner, then goes back and works steadily. While we do not keep a formal work log (I asked him to do so on the Scamps) we know that it is going to take 10 hour days to finish them. The 10 hours can come in any combination of hours!

If you work steadily on a boat building project like this, it does not leave it all "still to be done" when the deadline reaches you. I will talk about this more in next month's Duckworks column, "Notes From the Boat Palace"-- what it takes to finish, whether it is the boat or a sailing event!

Sawdust, forever!

Jackie Monies (for Mike)

Hi Sean,

Thanks to Simeon Baldwin, there is an extensive photo diary of the building of the first SCAMP prototype at the Northwest Marine Center. The 100+ photos have been uploaded to the Yahoo Group, JWBuilders2. The specific folder where you can find the photos is entitled, "SCAMP-NMC_Prototype". You need to join the Yahoo Group to view the photos, but the moderators quickly approve membership in this photos only group.

Also, there is a vibrant online community of experienced and newbie builders on jwbuilders. In addition to many helpful comments from other builders, John Welsford also follows the group closely and posts often. The forum is well moderated, and is thus an excellent resource for the aspiring builder.

Cheers,
Luke Seubert

Thanks Luke...I'll get onboard with the Yahoogroup..that's fantastic.

Dave..... I appreciate your faith in me based on the Dauntless "should have hired a marine surveyor incident!" hahaha.....but I still find myself questioning if I could do a project like this start to finish with my "hack" woodworking skills. I am very exited to see how the whole Kit process works out as having the kit already mostly pre-cut would take away a lot of my "jigsaw anxiety" when cutting expensive wood!! lol How about you??? Are you thinking of building one?

My problem now is that I've seen the photos of the professionally built Scamp and would want mine to look that beatiful!

Yesterday was Mike's first day cutting "real wood", parts that will now become boats. He finished bulkheads #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8 which is the stern. He also cut the stem pieces, the centerboard parts and the rudder parts.

After dinner he went out and laminated up the first rudder so that it could have the epoxy setup overnight. I asked him why he only did the first rudder and not both? He replied it was because it was a rather large rudder and only one would fit on his table. I will explain that one!

Mike uses a method that involves small backing pieces of plywood, lots of them, all over the rudder, nailed with dozens of small nails into a very thick wooden building table. This compresses the epoxy and plywood evenly, keeps the plywood from slipping around as it is inclined to do with the slick epoxy. Very neat system. I will send photos to Josh of this!

Mike says this is the part of the build time when building two boats at once is faster because he stacks his plywood, two sheets at a time. You can then cut out both boats with a single cut in the same time it would take to cut one.

For those with a fear of cutting expensive wood and "messing up" I will point out that with as many boats as Mike has built, he still drafts his plans and makes a pattern for every part, then traces it on his GOOD plywood and cuts. He does this on every boat, even though he may not ever build another like it. He is quite thrifty with plywood and materials, does not like to make a mistake or waste the wood.

Last year during our horrible freezing periods, John Welsford suggested we get a wood burning stove for the Boat Palace and burn Mike's wood scraps.
I told JohnW we would freeze waiting for enough scraps from Mike's building to heat a boat building shop!

Sawdust, forever,

Jackie Monies (for Mike Monies)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SailOklahoma/