ELROW LA ROWE'S MICRO NEWSLETTER
NEWSLETTER #4, on MICRO: NOV. 1984
Yes, more recent plan buyers can get copies of former NEWSLETTERS by sending a SASE. Yes,
I am still on the epoxy thing relative to keel gluing. It turns out that most suppliers
don't want their mix with hardener tampered with, but Clark Craft epoxy car. be mixed to
pet you up to 70 minutes of working time. And, we add Adler's keel assembly program which
may be great for some--and maybe lowers necessary gluing time too:
He dry fitted his plywood sheathing and cut the keel framing, laid one side of the
sheathing
on the lead in right position, glued and nailed into lead (he mostly used drilled
holes into the lead for the nails). I suppose one could nail and glue the framing onto
ore side of sheathing, and then turn it over onto the lead. Then he and his friends jack-
ed up the boat (concrete blocks and heavy boards), set the assembly into position, and
glued and nailed it to the keel batten. Finally, the other side of the sheathing was
glued and nailed to lead, keel batten, and framing. Here too, a dry run fit would allow
pre-drilling ply and lead holes for fast glue and nail work.
He also just finished his main mast: He did the taper first, by hand (thought sawing
wasn't worth the trouble, after he tried it at first), using a plane called a
"hogger",
which removes wood fast. Then, he cut the bevel after. Says it looks nice. My "in-
structor" an old-time wood boat builder, cuts the edges off first, and then hand
dres-
ses the rest. Probably will have more on this later.
Some have had trouble finding flat-head copper nails for butt, strap glue-ups. One never
uses many in a boat, and mine came from The Copper Nail, Box 936, Sacramento, CA 95804.
I got mine long enough so I was clenching over about 1/2" of the nail. They can be
pounded
into the ply (the clench part,), and after auto body puttied and sanded, the final surface
is smooth for painting.
Adler has had numbers of calls and letters from the "brotherhood", and Martti
the Finn
some letters, which say more about sailing MICRO. He wrote several "a successful
design
that sails well and offers roomy accommodations,--she heads up surprisingly well, and
can be sailed to windward even in hard wind and chop when reefed down,--she is very stiff.
Her behavior is a mix of' small and big boat properties--she turns very quickly--responds
to waves immediately(not pounding, but a 'corky' feeling)--doesn't seem to make any dif-
ference in speed if one is alone or with 5 guests."
The first, article on PIROGUE is in Messing about in BOATS, 29 Burley St., Wenham, MA
01984.
Editor Hicks sends out some sample copies should you want one. Our newest design is a 16'
outboard catamaran, a fishing and pleasure runabout which Bolger says is "very
fast"! Adler
thinks he will do one. Reasonable top hp is 30, but is faster than competitive boats for
whatever hp one uses. Seats are the deck between hulls, which hulls are in turn stand-
ing room or footwells, and a plywood dodger effect around center cockpit is handsome, and
thigh or hip high when standing in a hull) We are talking about one 30% larger (about
20') with cabin and accommodations. They also run better in a chop than most others.
Might mention that Hick's test of boatbuilder Montgomery's PIROGUE would have read a lot
better had the skeg, seats, sail, and proper double paddle been available to him.
Skipped an issue or two here and there on Micro ads so plan sales have fallen off for the
past 6 weeks; might be a good time to get out names and addresses of other plan owners in
your various areas, maybe before Christmas.
One south CA builder is the school teacher inventor and builder of one of those sailing
rigs on 3 wheels. A Miami carpenter, now working on yacht interior woodwork, is building
from accumulated scrap--like a teak bow and mahogany transom from a DuPont yacht. More
foreign inquiries lately, than before, latest from Portugal.
Have appreciated, and enjoyed the correspondence with numbers of you. Thanks.
E. La Rowe