tools and materials needed for building Expedition Wherry

I am a first time builder and will be ordering my Expedition Wherry next week.  Are there any essential tools or materials that I should include in my order.  I will be ordering the complete kit.  Interested in advice for all needed items to start.  I will order the finish products at a later date


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RE: tools and materials needed for building Expedition Wherry

the following link on the CLC site has a list of tools/materials:

http://www.clcboats.com/default/stitch-and-glue-boat-building.html

CLC does not sell everthing that you need.  but usually, if they sell it, the price is pretty good.

i would start with their list ( http://www.clcboats.com/default/stitch-and-glue-boat-building.html) as a master list and do the following:

-confirm if you need it or not (e.g., you definitely need the items on the 'must have' and 'supplies' list.  most of the optional items, in my view, are not needed except for the high quality saber saw and electric sander.

- sort out what you already have and what you have to get.

- for your 'get' list, see which ones CLC has....and include it in your order if you are happy with the price.

a couple other thoughts.  as they say....lots of clamps are very helpful. i can't give you an exact number....but i have built similar project and i have an inventory of 30 spring clamps, 20 small (2 inch) c clamps and 15 large (3 inch) plus a dozen miscelanneous others.

when you get to sandpaper....you will use a lot of it.  so buy the grades you need for your sander and buy bulk if you can,  again, if you prep a list, some of the mail-order providers are very inexpensive.  you just need to club enough together to get the free shipping or have shipping paid for by the saving.  on a lot of the consumables, buliking it will get you douple the quantity at the same or better price than buying locally in small quanitities.

while they don't have it on their list, a couple other items i find really handy:

- a combination belt/disc sander (this is an item that sits on a work table and allows you to detail sand/shape a piece) is a really useful item. 

-  a shop vac to clean up after your work session and to attach to your tools (the sander) to suck the dust right up.

- an inexpensive thermometer so you know the temperature in your work space

lots of duct tape or packing tape also comes in handy.

on tools, most of the tools are fairly inexpensive new.  but for some of the more esoteric tools, they can add up or actually be pretty expensive. And while they are great to have....you won't use them a lot.  my latest project is a strip built boat and i picked up some of the more specialized/optional tools (a high quality bandsaw ) on craigslist at a fraction of its orginal cost.   i was impressed by the number of great, high-end, lightly used equipment at a great price that a little shopping on craigslist showed.

my last thougt, even though it is not really a tool per se...is thinking about organizing your work space. making sure you have room for what you need and, to the extent possible getting rid of any extraneous clutter which can become a hazard when you are focusing on your project/the work you are doing.

best of luck

Howard

RE: tools and materials needed for building Expedition Wherry

If you do not have enough clamps, for small spans you could cut 2" PVC pipe to use as a clamp. See the boat builder tips for the aricle.

 

RE: tools and materials needed for building Expedition Wherry

16 and 18 ga wire..... Use the 16 in the places where you keep breaking the CLC wire as you pull the planks tight against the frames and the 18 in case you run out of the CLC wire. They both will fit into the 1/16" holes.

RE: tools and materials needed for building Expedition Wherry

Lights so you can see properly what you are doing.

clamps

A radiator or fan heater to get your epoxy flowing

clamps

a thermometer 

clamps

a little block plane

a few more clamps

and most importantly - a sharpening stone and honing gauge. 

RE: tools and materials needed for building Expedition Wherry

When I was placing my order for my Dory over the phone with CLC I asked him to advise what non obvious tools he recommended and one he recommended was the Shinto Rasp so I added it to the order.  It's amazing how many things I use it on.  Great tool. 

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