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Northeaster Dory · new build

Launched

Northeaster Dory, built on a porch

by Example Logs · boatbuildlog.com

An example log built in a space that was never meant for boatbuilding. Shows that the shop matters less than people think.

This is an example log, not a real project. It exists to show what a useful build log looks like — dated entries, tagged to a step, with hours recorded and mistakes written down. The technique in it is illustrative; don’t follow it as instruction, and check anything structural against your designer’s drawings. Its hours are excluded from the site’s median figures.
6
Entries
48
Hours
210
Days elapsed
6
Photos
Mar 2024
Started
All steps Shop & Tooling Stitch & Assembly Fillets & Taping Fairing & Sanding Paint & Finish Launch Day
Oldest first
Shop & Tooling 4 h

A covered porch and a tarp

No garage. Screened porch, a tarp on the open side, and a rule that epoxy only happens above 15°C.

It worked. The constraint was the calendar, not the space.

Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Stitch & Assembly 10 h

Lapstrake panels wired up

Glued lapstrake, so the planks land on each other rather than butting.

The laps want to slide while the epoxy is wet. Clamp more than you think, and check the sheerline from a distance every few planks.

Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Fillets & Taping 7.5 h

Frames and thwarts

Interior structure in. It gets stiff very suddenly at this stage.

Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Fairing & Sanding 9 h

Sanding, and more sanding

Nothing to say that has not been said. Dust mask, good light, patience.

Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Paint & Finish 14 h

Paint and brightwork

Painted hull, varnished rails and thwarts.

Brightwork takes as long as everything else combined if you let it. I stopped at four coats and have no regrets.

Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Launch Day 3 h

First row

Rows beautifully, tracks well, and is light enough to get on the car alone.

About 62 hours across seven months of weekends.

Illustration — example log, not a photograph.
Illustration — example log, not a photograph.