Well here we are starting the painting of the outside of the hull of the Cape Henry 21. I used 2 part epoxy undercoat and 2 part polyurethane topcoat. Which gives a very durable and low maintenance finish.

Work progressing on the topsides. The deck and cockpit are pretty much done at this stage and just need the non-slip deck coating.

And in the photo above all the white paint is finished and the top strake is ready for a few coats of black. Of course while  I was waiting for the paint to dry I was wiring, splicing and plumbing and generally finishing up all of the interior and rigging. It’s at this stage in a build that the to do list gets longer and longer everyday until the boat is finished. There are also literally hundreds of different pieces to paint and/or assemble. When you start building a boat the list is short, get materials and build boat.

If you’d like to start another boat building list why not give Tiernan Roe a call at +353 (0)86 1586937 and we can get started on your boat.

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

I’ve just realised that this posting is my 100th, and for all those that have read all of them, (thanks mammy) thanks for sticking with me and please tell you’re friends.

Work on the Cape Henry 21′ gaff cutter has jumped ahead in these photos. The boat didn’t change for ages while the interior was being made. Finally it was time to fit the deck beams and lay the decks. 

But before that I had to build the cockpit, gas locker ad outboard motor well.  In the photo above I have the first half of the main deck suspended above all the epoxy glue on the deck beams. It would have been impossible to lift the plywood into place without smearing glue all over the place on my own.

The deck is laid and I’m marking out for the deck hardware. In the end I put the lovely bronze winches varnished cherry pads to improve the lead to/from the deck clutches. The swivel cleats for the fore sail sheets are nifty Spinlock PXR’s which are much easier to disengage than standard cam cleats.

Here I’m laminating up the oak toerails that will run along the edge of the deck. This was a bit quicker than steaming single handed and the glue line is almost invisible as I kept the pieces from the same stick together.

So please drop by again to get the post 101 and it maybe a bit more interesting, who knows.

Why not contact Tiernan Roe, about having your dream boat built phone +353 (0)86 1586937 or email roeboats@ymail.com

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

After many hours of cutting and fitting of parts the interior is finally ready for coating with three coats of epoxy. Not seen in these photos are the berth flat parts which were coated outside of the boat. The un-coated parts of the bilge are where the lead ballast will be epoxied into place.

Once the epoxy had hardened I went at it with a card scraper to remove and lumps or bumps in anticipation of the 3 coats of epoxy primer followed by 3 coats of two part polyurethane top coat.

Next up is the building of the cockpit, installing the deck-beams and decks and lots and lots of other things to do. I was glad to have this bit of painting done and get a chance to work without having to wear a mask all day. My big hooter gets a bit sore after a while being jammed into a rubber mask and I’ve tried quite few masks but my nose is just too big. It’s a hard life! ‘Til next time Nanu Nanu

Why not contact Tiernan Roe, about having your dream boat built phone +353 (0)86 1586937 or email roeboats@ymail.com

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

Well the wind kept blowing hard and there was nothing for it but to keep working. Here are a few photos of the interior progressing. We decided to go with with drawers instead of going with the ubiquitous, and dark, cave lockers. This has proven to be a good idea as the finished product looks smart and works well.

I also took delivery of the 25mm steel plate for the centreboard. Man is it a beast to move a round. I’m in the process of grinding a tapered profile on the board in the photo above. It weighs around 150kg. Luckily I got the hang of moving it around and in and out of the van as  I had to take it to and from the glavanisers.

Why not contact Tiernan Roe, about having your dream boat built phone +353 (0)86 1586937 or email roeboats@ymail.com

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

After rolling the boat the interior was sanded and any fillets that  weren’t done previously were finished off before the inside was coated with three coats of epoxy resin.
The photos below show the interior being mocked-up in preparation for a visit from the client. This was over the Christmas holidays on one of the windiest days of the winter. I was glad I had pushed the boat right into the workshop and I was able to bolt the doors closed. It was gusting to 65 knots for 2 days. (Met.ie)

This is the cabin looking forward towards the V-berth flat.

Cockpit mock-up looking starboard.

The mock-up was very useful in confirming the ergonomics of the cockpit and cabin. The client wanted to make sure that he could sit upright on the bunks. As it was head could have worn a top hat in there. So plenty of sitting headroom.

If you would like to discuss having your own boat built I’m always interested in talking about boats. Only last week I had phone call from a guy and we spent a good half hour discussing the merits of different woods and glues. So pick up the phone and give me a ring +353 86 1586937.

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

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Well the time has come to get the boat up the right way. Always a bit of a stressful time as the boat isn’t fully strong and it’s usually the first time the boat is moved. I was able to move the boat out of the workshop on my own and get it ready for when my helpers ( Thanks guys) arrived.
Thankfully it was fairly easy to roll the boat upright and wheel her back into the workshop. It certainly was a tight fit going through the doors, less than ½” to spare.

Well here’s the 21′ Gaff cutter I’ve been working on all planked up and coated with epoxy and copper/epoxy anti-fouling. So she’s ready to roll. Come back next time to see the boat rolling. Well you’ll get to see the before and after of the rolling. My volunteer photographer for the day was in bed. Ah well volunteers you can’t keel haul them like you can crew.

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

Well here we are with all of the planking complete and in the photos you can see I’m draping the fiberglass cloth over the hull. You can see in the photo below that I’ve added some extra layers along the bottom of the deadwood.

I left the edges over long along the first lap and will trim it off once the epoxy resin is going green i.e. not quite hard. 

You can get a nice idea of the shape of the hull from the photo above and I’ll tell you it got pretty slippy up there when I was rolling on the second and third coats. I had to get up on the boat to do inside the centreboard case and along the keel.

It’s coming close to the summer season and it’s time to start thinking about getting on the water. What better way to do it than in your own custom built Roeboat, why not give me a ring to discuss your current or future boat +353861586937

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

Oh yeah! Lucky reader here is a very rare picture indeed. It’s of me and I’m actually working. I’m adzing out the curve on the bottom of the deadwood. It’s made up from laminations of 3″x2″ Southern Yellow Pine. The adze was the handiest tool I had on hand for roughing out the shape. It was pretty quick, mind you a sharp chainsaw or better still a ships saw would have been nice to have.

Once it was glued and bolted in place I was able to start the side planking. Those stringers were mighty handy for running a flush cut bit along, you can see the slot in the ply on the right.

If you’re looking for a beautiful boat to enjoy with your family and have it built exactly the way you want give Tiernan a ring +353 28 38973 or drop him and email.

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

Here I’m fitting the stringers that support the longitudinal joints/laps in the planking. They also determine the planking run and give something to clamp too when the epoxy is setting. Again I dry fitted them all and removed the outside ones so they wouldn’t be in the way while planking the bottom.

The forward section of the bottom panel has considerable twist and hollow which is very difficult to get a piece of ply to conform to. To make the job easier and stronger; it won’t be necessary to cut lines half way through the ply sheet to make it bendy, I orientated the ply 90º and now the grain of more veneers are running in the right direction to take the bend.

Once the bow section was on the rest of the bottom planking was fairly straightforward, each length of plywood was scarfed to the next with epoxy resin. The photo below shows the bottom planking complete.

If you are thinking of all those relaxing and enjoyable adventures you could be having if you had your own custom built Roeboat, give Tiernan a ring and get the ball rolling on your dream boat, +353 86 1586937.

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com