Construction is well underway on the Estivo 16 Sport, the first model in the Estivo Runabouts line.
George Blackford is nearing completion on his Island Trail 22 build. This post of pictures shows the detail that is part of the paint process, the construction of the carbon fiber sprits, and installation of some hardware.
Companionway rails, hatch, and forward hatch
Cabin port lights
Comfortable seating height
Hull and deck are primed
Aft Deck painted
Deck and Cabin are finished
Cabin painted
Sprit cores laminated
Carbon Fiber sleeve slides over the core
Carbon Fiber is wet out and shrink wrapped
The carbon parts: masts and sprits
Topcoat on the topsides
Hardware getting installed
A long overdue update of George’s Island Trail 22 construction. The cockpit has been installed and primed, the cabin and deck built on a CYD supplied jig, and the interior is taking shape. George reports that he is finishing out the anchor locker gutter and will be soon moving onto the companionway hatch. Stay tuned for more updates!
Rudder Is Coming Together
Cockpit Locker and Gutter
Cockpit Icebox Construction
Icebox Lid
Companionway Step
Cockpit Is Installed and Primed
CYD Designed Cabin/Deck Jig
Cabin And Deck Core Laminated
Deck Being Fit To The Hull
Anchor Locker
Foredeck
Interior Installed And Primed
Cabin And Deck Perspective
Hull And Deck Profile
Continuing his great progress, George has sent us some great shots of the cockpit layout and of the boat out of the shop with the masts in place.
Centerboard Case
Centerboard is shaped, glassed, and ballasted.
Water Ballast tank
Sole and Mizzen Mast Tube
Bridgedeck
Cockpit seats are dry fit.
The boat is pulled out of the shop and masts are dry fit.
Stern View
Profile View
Jason is moving quickly towards a June launch of his Hill 16 skiff. As can be seen from the pictures, his hard work is paying off and the results are looking good. Stay tuned for updates as the launch date draws near.
The egg-crate interlocking stringers, frames, and bulkheads
Closed cell foam is added to the bilge compartments to meet ABYC recommendations for flotation.
Sole is installed.
Deck beams are shaped and installed.
Deck carlins
Plywood deck is installed before trimming, toerail, and rubrail are installed.
We just received some great shots of George’s Island Trail 22 build since he has returned to Florida this Winter. He has made some great progress and hasn’t lost any of his excitement towards his project.
George has opted for covering the bottom with Durasurf. Found on many snowboards and skis, it will take a beating when being dragged up those rocky beaches found along the Maine coast.
George applying some fairing compound. Fairing has to be the toughest job in any custom build. George showed some great patience in achieving a beautiful hull.
Primer is sprayed over the fairing.
Profile shot while baking in the Sun before being turned over.
Nice shot of the bow and false stem.
One of those exciting moments in any build, roll-over day. With the hull remaining pretty light at this stage and a bit of ingenuity, George was able to roll the hull by himself.
All settled in and ready for some attention to the interior.
The stem area showing some reinforcement for a bow eye.
The open interior ready for some bulkheads.
George made some excellent progress on his Island Trail 22 before heading North to Maine for the Summer. Although he is there for work, I know he is scouting out the islands he will be sure to visit next year in his finished boat. In a recent conversation, he expressed how anxious he is to get back to his project. I know I speak for those who are following his build, but we are too!
The transom and bulkheads are laminated and ready for installation.
The two hull halves have been joined together along the keel
A good perspective of the transom and the box keel.
The false stem is attached and faired into the bow.
The rubrail is glued into a dado in the topsides.
The exterior glasswork is underway.
After a couple gallons of epoxy and a large dose of patience, the hull is glassed.
We are proud to announce that the construction of hull number 1 of our Island Trail 22 design has started by boatbuilder George Blackford of Stuart, Florida and Milbridge, Maine. Continue reading …
The Hill 16 is a strip planked hull built over a male mold system setup on a ladder strongback. After planking, the hull is glassed in and out.
The L’Arche Dinghy is considered a foam composite structure. It has a core of 1/2″ foam and covered with layers of fiberglass cloth inside and out set in Epoxy resin. Below are renderings of the designed construction method. The boat is built one half at a time. A strongback with molds and battens are set up to form a female mold for the planking of the dinghy. Once the first half of the hull is planked, glassed, and bulkheads are in place, the hull is removed and set aside. The molds are then reversed on the strongback and the second half of the hull is built in the same manner as the first. At this point, the two halves are joined together and the hull can be removed from the molds and the outside layers of glass can be applied.
