Building a cruising sailboat An overview of the 31.8ft Benford dory and my interpretation of it. The SV Tapatya challenge coin is available from; http://www....

Closed Captions (CC):
oh hi everyone I thought I'd do

something a little different this week

I thought we start off by trying to give

you an overview of the boaters one of

the comments I am last week made me

realize that it is rather difficult to

get an overview of this boat and see the

thing really picture one of the reasons

for that is that we build never in this

this rather small shade the shade was on

the site here I just sort of made it a

bit longer but you know we're a bit

restricted in width and in length were

very restricted the boat just about fits

in here and yeah it's too patio she's a

Benford J Binford designed as an

American design that Jay Baer for design

sailing dory in the family of these

designs are and their whole range of

sizes I think I'm right in saying this

is a 26 foot 28 for the 30 31 8:30 to

4:30 for 36 and 37 and a half foot I

think that's the family

je Benford sailing Dory's this is the 31

for 8 as I said they're an interesting

boat they're hard chine built in plywood

how chine means we've got we got in

cross-section straight sides and a flat

bottom but fore and aft we've got a bid

of raucous and the bottom curves a bit

not a vast amount but a bit the sheer

curves quite a lot which means the fore

and aft deck I required an angle which

is quite attractive I find this is the

the raised deck version that the cabin

is full width comes out to the to the

size of the house had no side decks

but the reason also a

traditional cabin version with side

decks for me the the raised deck version

at the advantage having more room inside

with that full width cabin and I guess

also more buoyancy you're trapping more

air inside I don't it yeah I say the the

in cross-section the bottom is flat but

it does rock or a bit fore-and-aft but

what you don't see at the moment is the

keel that's coming on if you just turn

around how so and scan along the bottom

this is the reason for this is is that

it's possible to build these boats in

the shade low down good to come back to

very low down and then when the boats

pretty much complete you pull them out

you raise them up and put the key along

afterwards there are various kill

options I'm going for the long keel so

the keel will begin don't you see it's

past that ladder we begin at the bottom

of the stem run down an angle and follow

all the way back to where the sail drive

Lake comes through it will progress

beyond underneath the sail drive and the

rather Pindell the bottom rudder Pinto

will be fixed to that bottom of that

kill so it's a full long keel deck which

gives us a fairly shallow draught that's

nice for exploring nooks and crannies

for me that long keel is the extra

advantage of having a structural member

the full length of the boat underneath

built in plywood sheathed in epoxy and

glass good just step up past that

leather there hazel very nice let's

start at the bow we've got the bow

fitting here which is fairly tight in

the shed as you probably tell the anchor

roll is going to come on here stainless

steel bow fit in coming down the stem

and then we'll go off on to the forward

day so if you have a scam over this

hazel thank you very nice nice and

slowly this is the forward day you see

the bowsprit at the very front there

with that anchor roll of fitting on it

bolted through glued and bolted in

position I'm stood here in what will be

a forward hatch was a big hatch

structure that will be built here which

gives you extra Headroom in the forepeak

I'm stood in in the forepeak in what

will be that hatch so it gives you a

nice bit of headroom in the forepeak

this hole here is where the forward mast

is coming through the ford mass comes in

at the foot end of the fall cabin which

is the way it is looking pretty solid

we've got these nice strong tall

bulwarks running either side which are

one of the features of Bedford doors

scuppers in the corners obviously

because the water will run off that way

and we look at the end of the couch roof

here we've got the two forward-looking

fixed ports there and then if you come

up and scan over the raised deck you'll

see this large area large area flat deck

that's the main deck and if I just climb

up their house no can you see okay from

there the main mast will come through

about here so it'll be another mast

coming in there which I haven't cut the

hole for yet we'll be doing soon this

raised deck main deck is still waiting

to be glassed it's just still with epoxy

alarm will be glass soon

go where else at here this is going to

be the sliding hatch the main

companionway entranceway so what you

need to understand the thing is that

there are two runners on these dicks

either side of this hatch opening they

go the full length of this raised deck

so two runners come up there either side

of the mast

all right to the end and these would and

runners is what the sliding hatch is

going to slide on to have quite a nice

hatch and that would give us in that

area a bit more Headroom in this

vicinity and between these two runners

that come forwards up here there's

another opening hatch coming here which

again means we'll have a bit more

Headroom inside in that area so that's

very nice obviously various deck

fittings come by oars and whatever to

come on there that's pretty much how

that is we'll go back to the aft deck

now I'll never close well we're set on

the yar after now I'm sat in the cockpit

which is very nice it's a very small

cockpit which they're thinking there is

it won't hold much water I think again

is protected by these these raised

bullets all the way around which is very

nice it will be tiller steered so the

tiller will be will be protruding out

there here aft hang rudder so the

brothers hung on that on the back end of

the boat she's nice gives you access to

that no difficult things to deal with

Ruth with house coming through the boat

and seals and whatever very simple now

something I've done yeah you buy the

plans and and the permission to build

the boat obviously which is what you're

paying your money for really but but

then if you look at the way every

builder of these boats who's bothered to

publish the way they've done it go about

it they all do it slightly different so

it's differently so you're open you you

have room for interpretation of how are

you going to build these boats which is

nice and something I decided to do

because I wanted to try and fit the

court of birth in this

area so if you just lean forward their

eyes when film down in there you'll see

a quarter of Earth with some flutter on

it good quote birth in there and I'm

going to build as part of that call of

birth there'll be a raised section on

this Arctic here that protrudes

carries on back to here with a dick box

in behind it coming up there something

like that which will be there at a

pleasant angle from when you're relaxing

you can sit back and lean against it and

not a steer because that's too far away

but but it'll be quickly on relaxing

times you got somewhere to sit rest that

is not in the plans that called a birth

that is my idea entirely and just gives

us one more birth in the boat and rhythm

that is out of the main living area and

can be that can double up a storage when

it's not being slept upon the other side

obviously will have a symmetrical thing

but but it would be purely deck box

there it's a storage box and I'm hoping

in that end that house was showing you

now knowing the forward end of that date

box I'm going to put the dayy tank for

diesel so we've got gravity diesel free

to my diesel stove that's coming in the

galley area we'll see that in a while

if I move some of this clutter here you

see we have a and after lazarette of

those wrecks always offed some off

storage if you just poked out in there

hazel with a camera see their stories

there for me this is this is too deep

I'm going to put a false floor in there

which will give it have the additional

benefit of being a structural member

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horizontally in the in the hollow so

then with a lift out flap who lifts out

section so you can put more permanently

stored items underneath it and then have

easier access items on top of it that's

coming in there

I say cop it's in here engine controls

and and whatever all be coming somewhere

possibly in that deck box I'm hoping

hoping and planning that after these dip

boxes there'll be a stainless structure

stainless posts going up with it with a

cross section really cross piece there

and a bimini a hard bin me coming up

covering the sliding hatch and coming

back to about here with solar panels on

the top so for my solar should fit and

that will protect making this cockpit

area quite protected but just just a

flat roof I think I don't think it'll

put a screen in I think I'll leave it

open to see through just a flat roof top

of that the main sheet comes back to

about here somewhere there'll be a

stainless fitting across there somewhere

where that canoe is with the mainsheet

obviously can run him back this way to

operate it from here through some blocks

I'm planning to put a piece of wood

across the aft deck here I don't know so

high so that any rain that comes on the

after it won't run beyond there it will

go out through a couple of scuppers

there obviously after it needs some

drains the cop it needs drains those are

in planning will be

coming that's pretty much what the art

it looks like this go inside never

looked showy

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go we're inside as I say whether these

runners coming up on the main deck that

the head room would be higher here this

piece of beam will be cut out when those

runners are in place and it's just

supported in that deck there but that

would be cutting out too real have

significant Headroom here and I'm

wearing shoes at the moment off which I

would never do it about in the

companionway

I've gone for a traditional hatch with

washboards be two half drop-in boards in

here

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obviously it needs a bit of framing up

around here but traditional dropping

washboards with the sliding hatch or

slide back to here or so I like it at

the moment I've got a set of steep

stairs stood there which I hope will

stay there and be used the court of

birth is on my left here on the

starboard side on my right and the port

side will be a galley coming in here so

that's still waiting to be built haven't

even started on that I have just picked

up a nice piece of Formica for that

arrived yesterday we're here in Germany

we're in northern Germany and I've

looked for four years I've been looking

for a Formica

in Germany and I failed to find any on

sale which is quite incredible because

I'm used to it being fairly readily

available so in the end I've bought a

roll of a sheet of Formica from on via

ebay from somebody in Scotland they were

selling it and had some trepidation as

to whether it would arrive here in any

decent condition but I have to say the

seller did a brilliant job a package in

it I'll show you that arriving and show

you the way it's come

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we tuned it it's a roll of Formica and

it should be blue so yeah that's great

so I've got the Formica and it'll be on

the galley tops and and enough for the

for the heads worktops in there which

are quite small so that's V that supply

would work tops with Formica Dahle I can

imagine at the moment sink that the aft

end here stove coming in here I've got a

Dickinson diesel stove comes in there

chimney out there somewhere

a bit of work top here fairly simple

galley I'm not going to have a fridge

storage cupboards underneath and racks

as and where I can fit them for

everything as I say the diesel stove

will have gravity feed from add a tank

that's in their deck box which is the

other side of here so just gravity feed

through to the stove yeah looking fairly

good I think over on the starboard side

here if you can see there is the heads

area again completely untouched at the

moment you may have seen the video I did

with with the composting toilet and so

I'm planning to put a composite

composting toilet in here the whole area

is fairly small but it's a 32 foot boat

so I will manage but it'll be a small

work topper in there with a small hand

sink foot pump for water toilet and I'm

still think I've been springing on this

I've been to a fryer on this one and I

still think I can get a shower in here I

imagined a couple of boards or fold down

and cover up the toilet so you can sit

down there have a have a simple shower

drain under the floorboards into her

into a tank that is emptied by hand

probably

I know the electric pump some sexists

but I think I'll just having it handed

get one that's where we are they're over

nearly done full circuit wrapping it in

the saloon area it's a tease around

bookshelves I'm in the process of

cleaning up the wood getting a bit of

paint on the white panels this is all

under coverage at the moment but it's

coming on all of this wood work will be

varnished of course all of these will be

cleaned and varnished and white on the

ply panels so looking quite good will be

fiddles along the bookshelves fiddles

around that the nav table fiddles around

here in in varnish wood so it's that

that would trim varnish would trim white

panels or off-white panels and clearly

the cushions that go on there will be

some kind of color

give it a better pretty character if you

step through I think you've seen the

speakers already got a couple hardwood

speaker boxes from some offcut side

they're in a functioning they have table

the other sides of them starboard side

hose yeah and then I've got this old

ship's clock we should be coming up here

somewhere I've got a barometer as well

be going up there somewhere coming in up

here and then we're into the four peak

which is in bear State and also a

waiting paint and varnish a couple of

shelves either side for clothes and

whatever it's just about there good and

then if we turn around and go back off

for the last time just keep running no

shift this ladder

and you saw last week fitting the engine

engines in position the diesel tank will

go at the very back behind the engine

fairly small diesel tank

I think the engine itself only burns a

liter an hour so it doesn't need to be

enormous tankage will have that tank at

the back of there this de tank and

jerrycans

four DS of storage means we've got

plenty room in the engine room plenty of

access obviously that's got me connected

out wiring cables water old story

still a lot to do I think that's just

about all of the boat isn't it have we

shown you everything I hope so I bet I

hope that helps to give you some sort of

picture of the boat until we drag her

out of the shed and you can see a ring

in here in our entirety it'll be tricky

and then if she's gonna change her shape

or appearance I shake quite a lot when

we lift her up and get that keel

underneath that really does change the

way these boats look at the moment you

see that sort of flat bottom and it

looks a bit boxy but wouldn't you see

that that long keel underneath it really

she starts to come alive yes so where do

we go from here

I guess you must be able to guess really

my well I'm trying to do at the moment

is to get the decks glassed-in get the

aft deck boxes complete so I can get the

aftet glass the raised deck glassed and

then get those two grammars are speaking

about in position work on the hatches

the hatchet they're opening deck hatch

there and the sliding hatch here another

important thing I should be doing soon

he's making up a couple of dummy masts

dummy short lasts cut a hole in the

partners directly above Hazel's head

here and get in the mast steps the

2-mile steps in position put a couple of

dummies short Marcin just to get the

feel of what it's like with those masts

in position and then when we've got all

that done it'll be getting the head

installed getting the galley installed

when we're there when that's done it's a

case of painting varnishing cleaning up

getting the engine hooked up so it's a

hell of a lot to do hell of a lot to do

you know it's interesting work lot to

think about but I want to gather as

finished as possible in the shade before

we pull her out and then lift her up

once on some blocks and start working on

the keel and rather this Bimini this

hard Bimini there are solar panels that

I was talking about there they're guard

rails around that around the outside of

the of the decks all those sort of

things going to come on and then I guess

the last thing will be to make the 2mass

so should be making the masts in Douglas

fir doing them up and shaping them and

then will be just about done I how long

that will take is is anybody's guess you

just keep going in and then they gets

down one day doesn't it but I ain't I

hope to get as much of this fitted out

inside and the deck work I was talking

about as much as that done this year

maybe this time next year spring time

next year pulling the route those are

hopes and dreams I there's no fixed

schedule sometimes you forget how much

needs to be done so maybe next summer

pulling her out working on the kill

rather and whatever and then obviously

it wouldn't make any sense tough to

splash her in the winter so the

following year maybe splash time that's

where we are I hope that's a useful

guide to you or a useful overview or

gives you an overview of the project

here where we are well guys thanks for

watching ice it for this week I hope

it's helped your picture of the boat if

you're not a benfeitoria aficionado

you've got a better idea

they work as I said last week we really

appreciate your thumbs ups your comments

it's lovely

see you next time I will get back to the

boat building next time do it bye

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and enriches sunsets

let's see tell me where you going soon

decisively what's your destination

tell me about we can move together where

adventures about running

many

they suggest

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Britta's inside

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