Puffin 28

[Mike Keers]

Hi gang,
Has anyone built, or know of anyone who has built the Karl Stambaugh-designed "Puffin 28" diesel cruiser?

Got the plans, starting construction, wouldn't mind finding out if I'm the first!
Thanx, Mike

[Mike Vogdes]

Hey Mike,

Looks like you may very well be the first!
Puffin 28 looks like a nice boat, lots of luck with it.
I ordered plans for Redwing 18 earlier in the week and Im now awaiting delivery. This looks like a promissing winter project provided I can squeeze it in my shop.

[Mike Keers]

Mike,
Yes, it's looking like it's a medical experiment. I asked Karl if anyone else had ever built Puffin, and he referred me here!

Let me know what you think of his plans when you get them. It's a good thing I have some experience, as he seems to be of the same school as some other famous designer who said it "wasn't his job to tell the builder how to go about his job. He just supplied the lines".

Let's just say the plans for Puffin require a good deal of imagination and a fair amount of previous experience. It will be challenging fer sure! But then that's what we're here for right? Good luck!
Mike Keers

[Mike Vogdes]

Mike,
My plans arrived yesterday and I looked them over pretty well last night. They seem to be clear and easy to understand, no surprises so far. However the scantlings are very heavy for an 18' boat. I would imagine the Puffin 28 dimensions would be on the large side as well.
Redwing 18 plans come both stitch & glue or glue and screw, I have never seen that befor on one set of plans. I like um, then again I like clasical music and rock and roll..

I'm gonna start taking off the material list tonight, we'll see how much I like'm then.

[PatCox]

Mike V.,
which way do you plan to build it? I have been dithering over that issue lately. I have built a sticth n glue kayak, as well as a difficult, copper riveted cedar lapstrake (well, thats not done yet, but almost.) The epoxying is so obnoxious, I prefer the pure woodworking, and after this boat I am doing, screwing plywood panels together would be a dream. The construction photos on the Devlin website really turned me off on the idea of stitch n glue for something big, there seemed to be enormous amounts of poxy everywhere, and lots of grinding and sanding of epoxy. Yuck. Good luck either way.

[Mike Vogdes]

Pat,
I hear what your saying about epoxy dust, the last stitch and glue boat I built in a loft next to my office at work. My office is on the second floor and part of the second floor the (loft) is open to the warehouse below. Whew!! dust everywhere, even tried to rig up a makeshift dust control system to a big shop vac, it helped but it was still a mess.

Like you I have a project to finish up befor I can start another one. Its a class-A hydro I'm building with my son, we are just finishing up decking, then sand for a couple weeks, then we are planning to ship it off to one of his buddies who's going to spray varnish it in his body shop.

I'm dithering also, my loft area is to small for the Red Wing, however I do have a pretty good size shed (well ventilated) that is available this winter. The shed also has access to an air compressor for air tools, grinders, sanders and such. Makes a big difference when you have a lot of sanding to do. I would also like to try "peel ply" by W.E.S.T. that looks like it would eliminate a lot of sanding. The jury's still out though.