BUILD

TINKERBELLE II, left, is a close

copy of original, above, in which
Robert Manry crossed the Atlantic.

Mechanix Illustrated
TINKERBELLE II
IOhioNManry,
THE SUMMER OF 1965, Robert
a 48-year-old Cleveland,
newspaperman, made a single-
handed, 78-day, 3,200-mile crossing of
the Atlantic Ocean in a 13-1/2-ft. center-
board sailboat named Tinkerbelle.
Manry's miniature ocean cruiser—
one of the smallest to ever accomplish
that feat—was actually a converted
stock sailboat called the Whitecap man-
ufactured by the Old Town Canoe Co. of
Old Town, Maine.
The design of the new Tinkerbelle is
an adaptation and, in some respects, I
feel, an improvement on the original.
The general dimensions are the same,
but the. lines are a little easier making
her faster, the centers are more prop-
erly located and the sail area is in-
creased.
Most importantly, while the original
is clinker-built, the new boat is of dou-
ble-chine, plywood construction to
make her more suitable for the home
builder.
She can sleep two average-size people
below decks, carry a goodly amount of
gear, and the large locker aft of the
cockpit will take all kinds of cruising
gear.
August, 1967
By Viktor Harasty
As in the original, foam flotation
blocks can be carried in the stowage
areas or glued to the underside of the
deck.
The mast is of the folding kind,
hinged in a tabernacle and is easily low-
ered away with the jib halyard shackled
to the stemhead fitting. Like her name-
sake, she also has a heavy centerboard
—albeit in a more conventional ar-
rangement.
Two rudders are shown. For shoal
waters, the hinged blade is an advan-
tage. The solid, all-wood rudder, can of
course, be lifted out, and is as much of
an option as a spar stepped directly on
the deck or the open cockpit shown in a
daysailer version which is available
from the author. In either version, she
will be fairly fast, stiff and seakindly
and a lot of fun to build and to own.
Tinkerbelle II is readily trailerable
and can be built in the single-car ga-
rage. It is recommended that all the
outer plywood surfaces be covered with
10-oz. fiberglass cloth or the lighter and
easier-to-handle polypropylene (Vec-
tra) cloth. Double-up the fabric on the
chines, keel and deck edges for extra
strength and water tightness.
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 TINKERBELLE II

A close study of the plans will

show all the needed materials
and the sizes of same. With the
exception of the offsets, it is OK
to use a scale ruler. Minor di- FRAMES ARE BUILT on a flat surface then set up
vergences from the sizes of the on grid of 2-by-2-in. strips nailed or positioned
materials shown, are not too on floor, above. Below, boat now right-side
critical. An outline of the build- up, deck beams installed, ready for planking.
ing procedure might be of help
to those who are building a
small boat for the first time.
The first step in building Tin-
kerbelle II is to make a full-size
drawing of the frames (or cross
sections) using the dimensions
shown in the table of offsets.
This is all there is to the myste-
rious and frightening lofting
job. Use white-faced beaver-
board or draw directly on a
sheet of plywood—which you
can later cut up and use for
other components.
Draw the frames in full, both
sides, fore and aft and then as-
semble the frames right on
these lines with floors and gus-
sets in place and the notches for
the keel, chines and sheer
stringers as well as a centerline
scribed on. Be sure to deduct
the planking and deck thickness
from the frames. Use Weldwood
Recorcinol glue liberally on all
adjoining wood-to-wood sur-
faces.
Build the hull upside down,
on a temporary grid of 2-in. by
2-in. pieces nailed to the floor.
The frames are set up and tem-
porarily fastened to these grid
strips. Next, the sheer-stringers,
chines, and keel are notched in.
Fasten the stem and transom to

August, 1967
 TINKERBELLE II
the keel by means of knees.
Make sure all frames are square
to the center line, on the right
stations, and that all stringers
form a fair curve without
bumps or hollows.
You have now completed the
frame structure of the boat. Fair
up and plane the edges of the
frames and stringers to receive
the plywood planking. Fit and %" INNER KEEL | k
put the plywood on the sides
V OUTER KEEL
first. Before putting on the bot-
tom, make up the centerboard
base and fit and fasten into
place. Use Resorcinol glue liber-
ally.
Now glue and fasten the
bottom planking into place.
Galvanized screws (three times
the length of your plywood
thickness), or annular nails will
do—particularly if you plan to
cover the hull with polypropy-
lene (instead of fiberglass).
Now the boat is lifted from
the grid, turned over, and the
deck beams and the decking in-
stalled. Cover the deck and
cockpit with Vectra or fiber-
glass cloth also, and set the
frames for the hatches in epoxy
glue.

SAILS & HARDWARE

Dacron sails with T2 insig-
nia, rigging, blocks, screws,
bolts all available as a kit
or individual orders from
Alan-Clarke Marine Sup-
plies, 75 Chambers St.,
New York, N.Y.

116
 The sharply-curved trunk
cabin top is best made of 5/8-in.
by 1-1/2-in. mahogany strips
edge-glued and nailed and also
well covered with Vectra.
The boom gooseneck (Merri-
man catalog fig. #518P) can be
converted to roller reefing by
making a new removable toggle-
bolt which permits the sail to
be rolled up by hand. The main-
sheet traveller can be a length
of flexible stainless steel wire
secured at both sides of the aft
deck. It should have enough
slack to enable it to rise about a
foot.
A small winch and 1/4-in. flex-
ible stainless steel wire pennant
will be helpful for raising and
lowering the centerboard since
it is a pretty heavy item. Mount
the winch on or near the top of
CB trunk and lead the wire to
the board through a small roller.
The spar is shown as a hollow
built-up mast. A solid spar or
aluminum mast could be sub-
stituted.
Finally, if you do not plan to
leave the boat in the water for
lengthy periods, do not paint
the bottom with anti-fouling
paints. Use a hard and glossy
enamel such as Sav-Cote. •

117