Snowmane

Here is Snowmane, a Weekender sailboat, designed by Stevenson Projects.

I started this boat after moving to Owensboro in 1997. I stopped in 1999. I'll let those who know me discern the reasons.





Okay, let me try and explain what you are viewing in the three pictures above. First of all, the boat is upside down, and you are looking at the keel and the bottom, and you can see the sides as well.

The first piece to be built was the keel. It's the long spine that runs the length of the boat. The keel will serve to provide what is called lateral stability. That means that when the sail is full of wind, the keel will 'dig in' to the water and keep the sailboat on a straighter track.

After constructing the keel, the bottom of the boat was shaped from marine grade plywood and screwed to the keel. I used these wonderful screws which have a square drive, which made for easier work, fewer stripped screwheads, and more torque.

Next came a bulkhead installed midway on the bottom and a transom attached to the end. That allowed structure to bend and install the sides of the boat, and then easy installation of the gunwale strips. The white dots you see in the pictures on the sides of the boat are actually countersunk screws that are covered with an epoxy filler to provide a smooth surface.

Finally, you may notice that the bottom, sides, and keel are shiny in the picture. At this point, they had been covered in a layer of woven fiberglass and sealed with an epoxy resin. This serves to strengthen the hull and provide some protection from moisture.

Keep in mind, part of the reason this design was attractive to me was the previous experience I had working for Apex Custom Fiberglass back in Griffin, GA, when I was growing up.




These next two pictures don't show as much progress as they could. Before fiberglassing the bottom and sides, I painted the inside of the boat, installed the deck, and covered the small cuddy cabin.

So, here in these pictures above, you see the bottom painted a glossy hunter green.

As it stands now, the boat looks pretty much the same. I have done some work over the past eight years in preparing the deck and cabin for fiberglass. There are many corners that need to be smoothed and/or filled with epoxy filler, and there are some minor defects in construction that need to be addressed, and then the hull will be complete.

Currently, Snowmane sits in our garage in Owensboro. There's no garage space available here in Evansville just yet, and certainly none that would be a suitable work area. So, that's an issue waiting for a solution. I do think I'm getting closer to the time when I will be able to complete the project and christen him.

Faithful servant yet master's bane,
Lightfoot's foal, swift Snowmane.

By the way, here is a definition of bane. Now you understand.

And here is an article about the original Snowmane. And more.

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