David,

Spent a while in your beautiful country back in the 1980s. Loved it.

I built a Peeler Skiff, About Time, a few years ago and enjoyed both the building and the resulting boat. I use her in saltwater in New England and find her to be comfortable and stable. I built from the CLC kit so you'll have a bit more work to do. My primary advice is be patient and don't rush things. As you gain experience things will get easier and easier. Measure twice and cut once and if you're unsure about anything ask the Builders Forum and/or CLC.

I would recommend that you search the Builders' Forum for references to "Peeler" and absorb some of the collected wisdom of Peeler builders. When I was wrapping up my build, I posted these Lessons Learned. Another tip that seems to apply to many of the stitch and glue kits is, when stitching the sides to the transom and bottom, support the bottom at the ends and let the middle sag a little. Things will fit better.

Cheers,

Dick

Hi Dick

Nice looking boat - well done!

Thanks for the words of wisdom - I am indeed searching out all and any posts that are peeler related.  In fact all and any that are stich and glue related!  This forun is a great resource.

I hope to film some of my build process too, so hopefully future builders can learn from my mistakes.

Regards

David

David,

Here's a link to a scarfing jig. I know the distributor isn't accessible from New Zealand, but knowing they exist might make one easier to find in your location. The Gougeon Brother were early proponents of plywood and epoxy for boat building. They races scows on Midwestern lakes.

Cheers,

Dick

Thanks Dick,

I think I am going to forgo the jig and learn to cut the scarves by hand with a block plane.  I've found in the past that the time I spend researching, devising, building and learning to use a jig is often better spent developing the skills not to need one.  That beeing said before I've actually tried to hand cut a scarf of course!

My plans arrived last week and the plywood I ordered arrived today, so I'll make a start tonight.

Wish me luck!

David

David,

I wish you luck (and patience). Building my Peeler was one of the more enjoyable exercises of my previous 10 years. Tahe it slowly and savor the adventure.

Regards,

Dick

David,

I'm a newbie too and I just finished my Peeler kit.  It hasn't even been wet yet.  Just got my Texas registration yesterday.  I am really glad I got the kit!  No scarfs!  Everything went together perfectly.  This was my first home-built boat and I learned a lot, especially about fiberglass and epoxy.  I applied the epoxy coats too thick and ended up with floating fiberglass and epoxy runs that had to be sanded off.  I ran out of the epoxy that was provided in the kit.  My main advice would be to use very thin coats of epoxy, which the manual directed but I forgot.  Don't skimp on the fillets though.  

Good luck with your project.

Jim N