Devlin Cackler Build, continuing with deck beams and electrical

Bill Burruss

Bill Burruss

Well-known member
All,
Good evening. I am glad to see the variety of duck projects on this site and that everyone (at least here) does not appear to be going stir crazy from COVID 19 lockdown.

Continuing on with the build, we added strong backs. The Cackler plans only call for a single strong back centered through the bow area, but we walk on the front deck a lot and may use it to strap things like decoy bags or crab traps, so it will see lots of use. Also, someday, the bow may end up supporting a trolling motor or seat for fishing, so we added 2 more strong backs that are lined up on the line the combing will run. I also added strong backs in the sponsons to provide something solid to hold the combing screws. Unfortunately, I had not planned this ahead of time and ran out of wood. At least HB had some straight grained 8ft Doug Fir 4x4s that could be made into nice 1x4s. This gave me a chance to really tune-up the bandsaw, to include buying a new blade and re-adjusting all the guides, tension, and table squareness. Was very pleased with the results, except for the 1 small knot in the picture.

View attachment Strongbacks bo 1.JPG

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View attachment Strongback, sponson.JPG[strike][/strike]
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In the first pic you will notice gap between the #1 bulkhead and the middle of the bow strong backs due to the Cackler?s upswept nose. I had not really noticed the upswept nose until this point of the build. This is the only Devlin duck boat I am aware of having this shape. I used woodscrews to pull the center of the strong backs down to their permanent position while the epoxy cured, but had to add the solid blocks of wood to eliminate risk of the screws tearing out of the plywood end grain. Not a pretty job, but once decked, will never see the light of day.

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One area presenting lots of opportunity for customizing was the space between the rear bulkhead and motor mount. Really wanted to deck the area to add seaworthiness, but could not decide between putting the battery there, electrical panel/fuses, or perhaps dry storage. Beauty of building your own boat is you can customize it exactly the way you want. Hard part is not overthinking every little detail. And it helps if you?ve actually used the boat first. Don?t know if it is just me, but the best ideas always seem to come while sitting in the boat drinking coffee on bluebird days.

For the electrical I went with a small panel on the port side to mount the fuse box and switch plate to. Switches are for 2 bilge pumps, running light, accessory plug, and under deck lights.

View attachment Electrical Switches.JPG


Tohatsu calls for an 850 cca battery, which is pretty big. Seem odd as that?s more than my v-8 truck engine needs, but the boat will be used in cold, rough conditions, and the factory says so. The wheelchair battery seen in the pics is my BB2 light/bilge pump power source, but it worked fine to run the tilt up to check engine clearances in all postions. Was thinking of putting the battery box under the panel for convenient access to the battery and short wiring run to the fuse panel, but realized it was a significant obstacle in efficiently getting into the open space in the port sponson. That led to installing the battery on a battery shelf in between the motor mount and rear bulkhead. Installed a group 27 battery tray instead of the battery box as the battery will be protected by the decking and easier to remove/install without the box.


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Looking through some of the Cackler and Snow Goose pics others posted on Duckboats.net provided the inspiration to use teardrop side mount bow lights. I really like how they are protected and out of the way (especially since having replaced a couple of the bicolor bow mounts that hit something).

View attachment Bow light sockect.JPG

After preparing the holes for the bow lights, I ran all the wiring conduit in preparation for foaming. The conduit is bedded in 5200 to hold it in place and keep water out. Probably overkill, but I had an open tube and it does not stay usable forever.


View attachment Bow Conduit 2.JPG



View attachment Conduit, middle.JPG



The main reason I wanted the engine installed before cutting down the rear bulkhead was to see how much room the motor needed for full travel range, and deal with any interference early. From the pic you can see I never went to shop class and still do not know how to properly use a sabre saw. I was counting on a sabre saw running along a board c-clamped in place as a guide to produce a straight cut. Bad move- the blade bent off course in an arc. After repairing the damage, I freehand cut the line with the sabre saw, then reattached the guide board and used a router with a flush cut router bit to clean up the cut and finish the job right. Always an opportunity to learn new woodworking skills on these things.
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The really good news was that there is also room in the new compartment for the fuel/water separator (Tohatsu at least used to recommend them on their 4-strokes). I have since drilled a hole though the longitudinal to pass the fuel line from the separator to the fuel tank without having to run it back out and through the cockpit. It also quickly became apparent that the well underneath the battery shelf was an ideal place for a bilge pump, especially since the weight of the motor will probably make water pool there. Plus, it couldn?t hurt to have a redundant pump as this is a duck boat will be used in harsh conditions.



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Up next, foaming, bilge pump plumbing and decking.

Have a great evening,
-Bill
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Bill

I always thought the front deck was upswept from pictures but have never seen a Cackler in person to know for sure. For sure that would change the strongback and decking installation. Looking forward to the next installment.

Eric
 
Bill~


Great work!


A couple of thoughts on your deck framing.


It is helpful to run a central framing member along the entire length of the boat while framing. Ultimately, the section within the cockpit will be sawn away - but it helps with maintaining symmetry and measuring elevations.


View attachment 2 Frames in temp.jpg



What I have done in similar situations was to fasten a notched frame to the interior (chamber) side. Note, too, that the bulkhead and frame go right up to the decking - so an airtight seal is easy to accomplish when bedding the deck plywood with 3M 5200.



(Speaking of which, I learned here that an opened tube of 5200 can be stored in the freezer to prevent premature curing in the tube.)


View attachment 10 Inside finish + nailers.jpg





One other thought - being a notorious stickler for terminology: A strongback is a framing structure on which a hull is built - but is not (generally) a part of the vessel. It's purpose is to allow for precise positioning of the hull members during hull construction.


I would call any fore-and-aft (longitudinal) deck framing member a carlin. The gunwale-to-gunwale framing members are either deck frames or deck beams. The short lateral framing members - as either side of a cockpit, for example - are deck purlins.



I will now clamber gracelessly down off my soapbox....


All the best,


SJS









 
Steve,

As always, the comments and "schooling" are appreciated. And beautiful work on the sneak boat.

Interesting note related to strongback, Devlin's new (2014) plans called for starting the boat build upside down on a "building frame" , which is essentially the same as the framing member you describe. Being a creature of habit, I built right side up as his old plans showed and used a measuring tape and level to position the bulkheads. Held them in place pre-epoxy with wood screws.

Had to re-read the nomenclatures on the Cackler plans. Looks like the "carlin" is simply labeled "Deck Beam" on the plans. Gator Boats actually used the term "strongback" as you described it on their Bullfrog plans. Learn something every day.

Thanks
Bill
 
Bill & Steve

I didn't pull my old Devlin blueprints but am 99% certain those components were called strongbacks back when they were truly blueprints rather than the computer pdf files Sam now generates. I think we had a similar discussion in the past about keelsons. I'm starting to suspect that the origin for a lot of these terms is known but not widely known and some terms are used (maybe abused) over time by different builders and the terms take on multiple meanings. Interesting. Now when I hear the word Carlin I'll think of something other than George :)

Eric
 
I could see where the terms could get interchanged and the precise meaning lost, especially since you don't see a lot of wooden boats out there anymore or people dedicated to building them.

Take care,
Bill
 
Good morning, Eric & Bill~


I fully appreciate that my nit-picking stems from the swirling mass of arcane and downright archaic information I carry around with me in my aging skull - a habit taught patiently to me by my Dad in all matters - not just boats and the like. Our family famously kept a big 2-volume dictionary within reach of the dining room table and many meals were interrupted with a search for "the right word".....



I looked through Devlin's book yesterday and found the "deck beam" in a drawing - but could not find "keelson". I'm guessing the latter is on a plan. As I thought more about it, I realized that traditional wooden boats - before plywood - had no need for longitudinal framing down the center of the decks. (Although sometimes the central deck plank was called the "king plank" and might be thicker and wider than the other deck planks.) I'm sure an early book on plywood boatbuilding would include a term for such a framing member so necessary with sheet lumber.



I suppose the important thing is that the vessel float upright when all is said and done!


(I promise to stay off my soapbox for awhile - although I may occasionally pester others about the spelling of "vise" and "coaming"....)


Bill~


I enjoyed your account of the challenges presented by the jig saw. Although irreplaceable is so many situations, precision has never been its long suit. And, you've also seen how cutting all those openings through bulkheads is so much easier on the bench - prior to installation. But, there's also lots to be said for designing and figuring it out as you go along!


Keep up the fine work and reportage!


SJS

 
Steve

I picked up on the term keelson from Clark Craft plans for the Armstrong Broadbill, if I recall correctly. Admittedly, the nautical dictionary I carry in my head is tiny and woefully incomplete so keeping a real one within reach of the dining table would be a good idea.

Eric
 
Steve,
Some of us did not get to go through a boat building apprenticeship and have to beat the wood into submission. Half the fun is in learning how, and sites like this and the information you and others have shared helps those who want to learn.

Yes, it is not fun cutting holes in bulkheads once installed. Even getting the router in there can be tough. Fortunately, my son cut most of the holes before we set the bulkheads in place. This setup was a little more primitive than what you posted, but worked. And since I'm sharing this later in the build, will mention the Cackler plans call for 1 set of knees at the #3 bulkhead, but we used 2 sets since we lengthened the boat. Sam gives the full dimensions for #3, so I cut that from dumpster wood to properly shape the hull and custom cut okume for the real knees .



View attachment lining up bulkheads.JPG
 
Good morning, Bill~


"Dumpster wood" ! I'm adding that to my list of boat lumber for sure.


re bulkhead cutouts: Whether on the bench or once installed. I often use a hole saw to cut the radiused corners - then connect them with a jigsaw or manual pull saw.


All the best,


SJS

 
Tom Whitehurst said:
Steve- A keelson is a longitudinal member above the keel, I have used a keelson often on small skiffs. By using a keel/ keelson cut and planed on the bench you can save a lot of time instead of cutting a rabbet for the garboard plank to land on. I hope it?s apparent in this photo.
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Yes, the term keelson as has been used here is to refer to strakes, that is what the discussion is about.
 
Good morning, Tom~


Yup - this discussion goes back a few years - when I saw "keelson" applied to external longitudinals on the bottom of a hull. In my experience, such members are either a keel - when on the centerline- or strakes or runners (as on Scooters) either side of the keel.


BTW: A boatbuilder friend of mine named his son Keelson - an appropriate use in my book.


All the best,


SJS


 
Steve

I hope he wasn't named that because they want him to be good at taking abuse [;)]

Eric
 
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Eric Patterson said:
Steve

I hope he wasn't named that because they want him to be good at taking abuse [;)]

Eric
Click to expand...

They could have named him Sue
 
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