building

Spencer Yacht Owners Group

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Also See Holdfast IV for a commissioned 46' Spencer

The story presented here is the building of a Spencer 35. In particular, it details what goes into two particular Spencers. The photos and text information is provided by the Owners of these vessels. They worked on the presentation together for the Spencer Yachts Website. The reprints of a Pacific Yachting Magazine story is with permission. The two extraordinary vessels are sv Eilean Donan Hull 51 and sv Misty Image Hull 53. Both of these Spencers are of the MKII series. However, it also shows exactly what builders went through on the traditional Spencer 35 as they are the same hull. Only the cockpit has been changed along with the change of location of the main aft bulkhead. Every Spencer will have something unique about it, but in the case of these two vessels, it is the love and dedication that stands out the most. Even after all these years, that feature still shines.

sv Eilean Donan Spencer 35mkII Hull 51 sv Misty Image Spencer 35mkII Hull 53

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sv Misty Image S-35mkII Hull 53
.................by Builder / Owners: Ken and Sandra Schrag

Spencer Boats and Home Building

Ron, our able organizer, requested a bit of the story of home boat building as it related to our Spencers. Spencer Boats Ltd. had a reputation for building strong, seaworthy boats to their proven designs. The company was always ready to do custom work for the new owners or to build to various stages of completion and many Spencers of all sizes had some home building aspects to them. They are all unique.

A number of boats of various types are still being built or finished by owners now but it does not seem to be as popular as it was in the 1960's, 70's and 80's and before. Some of the boats being finished at home now were projects that just never got completed back then. It is anyone's guess what percent of the home built or finished boats were actually completed once started but I believe the success rate must be pretty high with Spencers.

In early 1980s, Pacific Yachting did a special issue on home building that chronicled the experiences of one of our own. It is reprinted here with the permission of Pacific Yachting and Ken Schrag and is followed by a few words from Ken

The Copy Images below are left large for easy viewing. Other Images and Photos are to be clicked to enlarge

Our association with Spencers began in 1979 when dissatisfied with our Crown 28 we began looking at the various boats in False Creek Marina. Sandra noticed “Arpege” on our wharf, after admiring her several times we met her owners Les & Lillian McBurney. Les and Lillian invited us onboard and showed us around. They subsequently took us for a sail and we decided to purchase a Spencer 35 as our next boat.

In April 1980 we ordered a hull and deck kit after some discussion with Les. He assured us that completing the kit would be with in our capabilities and that we could look to him and Pat Brandlmayr for any advice and guidance we needed. An example of the value of this offer was his steering us to a hull and deck kit and having the engine installed at their yard. This eliminated the need for a shed and ensured that the boat would maintain its proper shape while we completed the interior. It also saved us the headaches of trying to lift the motor 15 ft in the air and slide it in through the companion way. Les was always willing to sit and discuss any problem we encountered and provided many hours of encouragement and guidance. He saved me many hours of frustration with his tips and suggestions on how to do various tasks. The sketch of how the chain plates were installed is typical of the quality of his advice.

While we were waiting for Misty Image to be laid up I drew up interior plans and cross sections approximately every 2 ½ feet. Pat Brandlmayr was very gracious and provided me with a copy of the lines drawing for the Spencer 35. This allowed me to prepare my drawings to scale. With the drawings in hand we ordered the wood, hardware, fittings etc that we required. As the PY article indicates our basement soon took on the appearance of a warehouse. When Misty Image was delivered by “Willies Boat Moving“ we built the cradle and set the hull up level both fore & aft and athwartships. In the S-35 the bottom of the keel, the waterline and the cabin sole are all parallel and horizontal lines. Also the bridge deck in the cockpit is horizontal and parallel to the cabin sole. By doing this I was able to use a plumb line and level to establish locations for seats, bunks, counters etc. Having drawn interior plans and cross-sections using the boat centerline and cabin sole as reference points I knew where the seats etc were to be located and could build them with a minimum of difficulty.

How to match an existing curved surface is a question that bothers many amateur builders. This occurs often in boatbuilding. Examples are bulkheads seat & berth tops. The solution is to plot the intersection of the berth top etc and the hull. I did this by establishing the height of the berth above the cabin sole, placing a straight edge at a known distance from the berth front and then measuring the distance to the hull curve every 4 inches. These measurements were then transferred to berth top material the hull curve is defined by joining the measurement points. With care it is possible to match the curved surface closely, for joints that will be concealed or fibreglassed further fitting is not required. If the joint will be visible (a bulkhead/hull joint) then it is best to make a pattern using the cardboard before cutting the wood.

Building/completing a boat is a large project. At times it can be discouraging; you spend a lot of time preparing, fitting and gluing pieces together and see little in the way of progress. Then there are the days when you install a seemingly insignificant part and WOW all of sudden you have made a giant leap forward. These ups and downs are frustrating, we coped by keeping a diary of how long we had worked and what we had done each day. This way when we (I) was feeling discouraged we could look back over the diary and see what progress we had made. We also took pictures. I have included these and the cross section drawings we prepared in planning our building.

A word of explanation on the time required to complete Misty Image. We took approximately 11 months from time of hull delivery to sailing condition. This required working 2 to 3 hrs every evening and all day most weekends. In the 11 months between us we put in 1350 hours of construction time. By July 1981 we were desperate to go sailing we had sold our Crown 28 in April 1980 and missed the water so we launched without completing all the trim, drawers and table. Over the next 3 years we built and added these items. The time required was extended by the need to travel from the house to the boat. In the end we required approximately 1500 hrs to complete Misty Image from a hull and deck. In 1996 in preparation for our trip to Mexico I added a hard dodger and subsequently have extended it to cover the entire cockpit.

People have asked “Would you do it again” My answer is Yes, I found a great deal of satisfaction in the building and Misty Image has served us well over the years. She has taken us cruising in many areas of the B.C. coast and in 1997 to Mexico and the Sea of Cortez.

The Photos Below show the various stages of work from start to finish. Click on the photos to enlarge.

The Deck Mold Prior to Starting Layup

The Outer Skin of the Deck in Place

The Deck with Balsa Core in Place on the Side Decks

Looking at the Companionway
Note the Framing

The Hull with the Outer Skin and Foam core
Additional Inner Layers to be Installed

The Solid Lead Ballast,
4540 lbs of Lead

Installing the Cabin Sole Framing,
Engine Installed on its Mounts

Assembling the Rudder

Head Counter Framing

Seat Locker Gutter Mold
Click to Enlarge

sv Misty Image
Ready to be Launched July 1981

sv Misty Image
Under sail off White Rock 1982

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sv Eilean Donan S-35mkII Hull 51
....................by Builders / Owners: Ian and Nes Sutherland

Spencer Boats and Home Building

Another Spencer 35 that was finished off at home was "Eilean Donan". It happened more than 20 years ago and took place at the side of the house in Victoria where we still live. I can hardly remember those days but everything Ken (Misty Image) said rings true. Of course, our project took us about 3 times as long as Ken and Sandra's.

In the mid-late 1970's we owned a 24' Shark sailboat. The boat was a lot of fun but it had its limitations and was starting to need serious work, not the least of which was replacing the hull to deck join. The aluminum rivets used had started to pop - Sharks were from the Great Lakes and apparently aluminum rivets are something you can get away with in a lake boat. Replacing them was lots of fun. We realized that we were on to a good thing with this sailing but had an idea that we might like to go farther than the Shark might take us. We looked at new boats at boat shows and other places but didn't see what we were after and couldn't afford them anyway. We looked at used boats in our price range and found that they would needed significant amounts of work. We wanted a boat that would be in good shape but for the price of a used boat. This was a problem.

We started to think about building. At the time, we were starting a family and thought it would keep me busy, out of trouble and around the house if I were to build a boat at home. Having known some people who had built boats from scratch, I realized this was a big, long-term project. I had done some woodwork, a bit of fiberglass work but nothing on that scale. We started to think about something reasonable like finishing a hull and deck, maybe something about 35'. The initial outlay would be more modest and we could finish it as we could afford it. Good theory.

A number of builders would be willing to sell us the hull and deck. The boat would have to sail well and that narrowed the field. We decided we would try sailing a few and go from there. Whenever we talked with "people who knew", the Spencer would get high ratings for sailing and quality of construction. As it happened, we contacted Les McBurney at Spencer Boats in Vancouver. Les owned a Spencer 35, "Arpege" and he offered to take us out for a sail. We soon found that others who worked for the company also owned Spencers. This was a good sign.

We made a trip to Vancouver and went for a sail with Les and his son-in-law. There was a nice breeze and they went below to do some task but really to leave us alone with the boat. Sailing around English Bay we realized we were sold by the time we tied up. We tried to be non-committal and said we think about it and be in touch. We called shortly after and ordered a hull and deck from Les.

What a time, we made a couple of trips to Vancouver while the hull and deck were being built. Les always patiently explained what was going on and gave answers to our naïve questions. The boat arrived at our house in early 1980 as did our first son. I remember both occasions quite well. They were put in their respective cradles within a month or two of each other and demanded a lot of attention.

At the Spencer yard
Large 4 Part Photo - Click to Enlarge
Adjust Side Bars to view all of photo

The arrival of the boat was intimidating. It was a cave with not even a floor to stand on. What a lot to do, could we do it, where to start. I had to leave within a couple of days of its arrival to work up-Island. Since it was winter and rains were a fact of life, the cockpit would fill up with rainwater without drains. I put in the cockpit drains and that started the process.

We had a bell in the house that was attached to a string that led to the boat beside the house. When I needed an extra hand I would ring the bell and Nes would come out for a short while when she could. Grandparents would baby-sit when we had an especially big job to do. The boat became a landmark in the neighbourhood.

We still had the Shark at the time and when there was a Spencer Rendezvous at Prevost Island we sailed it over to see some finished boats and look for ideas. We met the Brandlmayrs, several people who worked at the boatyard, other people who had finished their Spencers or had them completely finished at the yard. Many people had taken their boats to distant ports. What an interesting group of people. That trip was more helpful than anything else both for motivation and for meeting people who helped with tricks of the trade.

Rendezvous at Prevost Island early 1980's
Click to enlarge Photos

It seems we had a lot of pictures of our son growing and of a second one that came along while we were still finishing the boat. Somehow pictures of the boat building got left out.

In the fall of 1982 we realized we were almost done and decided we should launch "Eilean Donan". This was the name of the Shark, which we had sold by then. We quite liked the name and eventually came to realize it was the name of a castle in Scotland, so we kept it. When launching day came, the feeling when she went in the water, didn't leak and floated on her lines was fine. I still think I might like to build another boat just to experience that few seconds again.

The Launch of Eilean Donan

Since then, we have had lots of good times with "Eilean" and our kids grew up with her since
they are almost the same age as she is. We are still planning more adventures with her.

sv Eilean Donan
Click to Enlarge

Diagram
Rudder Information

Diagram

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