HOW TO BUILD - FLYING CLOUD
Flying Cloud may be built as cheaply as
by Sam Rabl
Naval Architect
H ARDLY were the plans for Buddy off the
press than Modern Mechanix boat fans
everywhere began to demand a large boat
along the same general lines. The simple
construction of this craft placed her within
financial reach o£ every ambitious youngster
who could wield a saw and push a plane.
Many of the original craft were built with
exceptionally fine results; one of them hav-
ing crossed the Gulf of Mexico.
Men who earn their living today must be
back at the office or shop Monday morning
and of course, require a boat that will not
require hours to dock. Nevertheless, the craft
miust be large enough to provide comfortable
accommodations for the average family and
not cost too much to build. With all of these
essential points in mind plans were drawn up
for this "ideal" boat and eventually the boat
itself was constructed and christened "Flying
Cloud" after that famous old American vessel.
Somehow we feel that the spirit of old Donald
McKay, designer of the original sailor, will
down kindly upon our miniature version.
possible or it may be constructed of expensive
materials. The power plant is either a con-
verted auto motor or any inexpensive marine
engine. The latter is preferred due to its
efficient cooling system which does away with
the problem of heat in the cabin. Toilet
facilities have been provided and all other
necessities of extended cruising have been
incorporated into her make-up. The builder
can either adopt the cabin plan which we
have designed for Flying Cloud or fit one of
his own to the existing interior. You may
fit the sailing rig or leave it off depending on
your own whims. As an out and out motor
boat she still has pleasing lines and the draft
may be made less than shown by taking three
inches off the depth of the keel. While it will
not be within the scope of this article to go
into the detail of laying down the lines and
fitting each and every piece of material in the
structure we will refer the reader to our How
To Build Twenty Boats for this information,
Materials used in Flying Cloud construction
may be any locally obtained wood suitable
for boat building. Buddys were built from
as many different materials as are found
around the world from New York to Singa-
pore and all are a success. Good solid and well
made joints contribute more to the success
of any boat than the excellence of the ma-
terial.

After the backbone is laid down on a large
sheet of building paper the shape o£ the
various parts are transferred to the wood
either with a tracing wheel or by driving
small brads through the outline, with-
draw the paper, leaving the brads standing
in the wood. The thickness of the stem and
keel timbers are such that the ordinary small
workshop bandsaw will handle them but the
easier method is to take the timbers to a mill
that has a large bandsaw and let them do the
job. After the timbers are cut and ready to
assemble they should be temporarily held to-
gether with clamps and a saw run between
each joint until the surface is wood to wood,
This process is repeated each joint of the
backbone and after all joints are thus fitted
they should be smeared with "Staytite" or
other similar cement, or a good roofing cement
to exclude water and most of all the destruc-
tive toredo found along the seacoast The
joints are made with drift bolts of 1/2-inch
galvanized iron headed up over clinch rings or
galvanized iron washers. Holes for the drift
bolts are drilled a sixteenth smaller than the
bolt and the bolt slightly pointed to enter the
hole. This pointing is done cold so as not to
harm the galvanizing any more than possible,
though bolts with nuts and washers may be
used if the builder so prefers. After the
backbone is assembled the apron of 2"x8"
material is securely fastened to the top of the
keel using cement as before to seal the joint.
This member is left square until the planking
is fitted. The backbone is now set up in its
proper position on the ground or shop floor
being sure to have the proper slope on the
bottom of the keel and the stem perfectly
plumb athwartship.
The main frames are now gotten out along
with the transom as shown on the plans, de-
ducting the plank thickness, and all joints
assembled with 1/4" galvanized carriage bolts,
the joints should be well painted with white
lead. The notches are cut for the keel,
FIG.2-!N60Aa0 PROFILE
& ARRANGEMENT PLAN
109
stringers, chines and clamps as shown The
notches for the stringers being half way
between the keel an.d chine or in thirds if
two stringers are fitted. The stern knee is set
on the keel apron and the transom attached
to it. This should be perfectly plumbed and
either fastened to the shop rafters to keep it
so, or braced to the ground with good heavy
shores to keep it from moving. The frames
are then fastened to the keel, being sure to
keep them at perfect right angles to the keel
and set perfectly vertical. After all frames
are set up they are checked for plumb and
squareness and then securely braced to 'the
shop rafters or the ground so that they will
not go out of line while the boat is being con-
structed. If the structure is erected out in the
weather it will be well to give it a coat of good
paint to protect it. This should be the pro-
cedure even if the boat is built under cover
as wood will last a lot longer if properly pro-
tected. The best paint to use is one of the
new aluminum primers, now on the market
either purchased ready mixed or mixed by
yourself.
With the frames and transom properly
braced, the chines and clamps are bent in, thus
tying the structure together rigidly. In bend-
ing the chines and clamps the best procedure
to follow is to bend them in pairs, thus equal-
izing the strain on the two sides of the boat.
They are best pulled together with a block
and fall fastening them to the stem and
working aft. They should be procured in
one piece if possible, and if this is not possi-
ble a butt joined should be made with a re-
inforcing piece at least three feet long backing
up the joint. The intermediate frames are
now fitted starting from the transom and
working forward. Forward of main frame
number four they will begin to take curva-;
ture and the shape of these frames is obtained
by bending thin strips of wood between frame
three and the stem and picking up the shape
from these strips or rib-bands, The stem rab-
bit is cut by the same method. The upper
frames are now fitted by making patterns at
the main frames and fitting the upper frames
at these points. The upper clamps are now
bent in. and the intermediate upper frames set
to match the lower ones. Tops of the main
frames should be well braced to take the
strain of bending the upper clamps.
A pattern of the deck beams is now made
to the curvature shown on the plans and the
upper clamp trimmed off to suit this curva-
ture. The top frames are also sawed off to
suit this crown. The beams are now gotten
out and dovetailed into the upper clamps. Fit
all beams all the way across the boat and cut
them out for the companionway later. Now
is also a good time to fit all cockpit and cabin
floor beams before the planking is in place as
securing good fits is easier at this time as well
as having the beams in to take planking
strains. Mast pardners as well as base blocks
for bits and cleats will be much easier to fit
now and these should be attended to before
the planking and decking goes on. The whole
of the structure should now be thoroughly
painted, The chines and apron should be
beveled to suit the bottom planking by laying
e straight edge between the chine and keel,
and drain holes should be cut in all of the
bottom timbers to allow the free passage of
bilge water to the pump. Now is also a good
time to fit the gas tank and the fresh water
tanks as well as motor control rods and
electric wiring that will be difficult to get to
later.
The side planking is now fitted and may be
run in parallel strakes or evenly divided
between chine and sheer as the owner so
desires. If run in parallel strakes, stealer
planks will have to be run in at the sheer and
chine to fill out the additional girth forward.
These should not end in sharp points but be
nibbed into the plank directly below them.
The edges of the planks should be outgaged
so that they are an eighth inch open on the
outside for caulking. No side plank should
exceed eight inches in width. The planks
should be screwed to the stem and transom
but nails may be used to attach them to the
frames. Butts of the side planks should be
spaced well apart to preserve the strength.
The bottom planks are laid athwartship at
about forty-five degrees to the keel and
treated the same as the side planks. A strip
of flannel or old woolen cloth should be in-
serted between the chine and planking as well
as the apron and the bottom. This flannel or
wool should be smeared with Staytite reduced
a little with linseed oil to about the con-
sistency of thick molasses. The cement should
be just thin enough to squeeze out when the
planks are set up if a good tight joint is de-
sired. Black Staytite is recommended for
work below the water line and the gray for
work above, Never use the black cement
where white paint will be used over it. The
planking on the raised sheer is fitted similar
to the side planking, and if a classy job is de-
sired should be of mahogany and finished
natural. The decking in the bow well will be
easier to fit if the planking of the upper sheer
is delayed until this job is finished.
Now is a good time to get in the motor beds
and install the motor. The exhaust piping as
well as all fuel and water lines will be a lot
easier to fit at this time. With these in place
the cockpit floor should be laid and canvassed.
The steering gear installed and then the two
ends of the cockpit built up of tongue and
grooved staving with joints painted. The
bridge deck is now laid and canvassed. The
cockpit canvas turns up under the trim around
the floor so that it can be easily renewed. The
bridge deck canvas is turned down over the
forward cockpit end and up under the
cabin end bulkhead to make a weather-tight
job. A generous application of gray Staytite
cement will insure watertightness. The cabin
end bulkhead is now completed and trimmed
off flush with the top of the beam. Door posts
are installed and the cabin top is ready to be
laid. This is laid up using tongue and grooved
material with a vee edge, or beaded edge as
the builder desires. It will be found that the
vee edge is much easier to paint. The plank-
ing o£ the raised sheer should be left an inch
and a half high forward of the cabin and
the cabin top material worked to a thin edge
along the raised sheer at the bow to allow
the cover board to finish out as a rail cap for-
ward.
When the cabin top material is close enough
to the eompanionway to support the beams,
they are cut and the headers for the com-
panion hatch fitted. The cabin top material
is then continued across to the side of the
boat. The top is coveted with number ten
canvas with the material laid up with either
a seam down the center, or across the hull
if narrower material is used. In event that
the material is laid across the boat all seams
should lap aft. All of the canvas throughout
the boat is either laid in marine glue or white
lead thinned with varnish. Seams and edges
of the canvas are secured with 1/2" copper or
galvanized tacks spaced on no more than
three-quarter i n c h centers. The canvas
should be wet down immediately after laying
and painted with a priming coat when par-
tially dry. The forward and aft decks are laid
up in narrow strips of edge grain material
and the seams caulked. They can either be
finished natural or painted as the builder
desires. The seams of these decks are filled
with deck seam composition or gray Staytite,
Sufficient material should be allowed around
all deck openings when the canvas is laid to
turn up inside the framing of these openings
to keep the water out. After the canvas is
primed the cover boards may be laid in thin
white lead.
The cabin interior as laid out, is one which
has given much satisfaction over a period
of years in all small motor boats. It is very
much similar to a very popular standard small
cruiser now on the market which shows tre-
mendous sales. You may prefer another ar-
rangement and you may suit yourself on
this matter, keeping only in mind that the
weights should be similarly disposed. The
eompanionway, of which details are shown,
113
is located on the port side. In the cabin
proper the galley is located outboard of the
companionway steps. Inboard of the steps
the toilet bulkhead is constructed on center-
line,and- a small buffet covers as much of
the motor as will project toward the steps.
This buffet should be removable so as to get
at the carburetor side of the motor. Tongue
and groove ceiling three-eighths thick should
be used on the toilet bulkhead, or it may be
constructed of 1/4" masonite as will be ex-
plained later. The galley panels are also
constructed of masonite or waterproof ply-
wood as shown. The toilet door panels should
be pierced with a jigsawed design
of some sort to allow air to enter
the toilet at all times.
The toilet is a small marine bowl

of the pump type and should be installed with
the proper seacocks on intake and outlet with
strainer intake to prevent clogging. Lead
pipe should be used for all connections. While
it will be impossible to stand upright in the
toilet, it is still possible to install a wash
basin should the builder desire one. This
should be of the folding type, and located on
the forward bulkhead in such a position that
it may be used when the bowl is used as a
seat. The generator side of the motor is ex-
posed in the toilet allowing free examination
of all the many parts located on this side
of the motor. The toilet should be provided
with a port light facing the cockpit for ven-
tilation, and this port of course should be
fitted with a curtain. Should the builder de-
sire, a vent can be fitted through the eabin
top to aid in venting the toilet, but this will
form a stumbling block in going forward on
a dark night if not properly located. The
interior of the toilet should be finished in
white above the sheer line and a light green
below.
On the forward side of the toilet bulkhead
a shelf should be built to hold books and the
many other what-nots that collect aboard a
boat The berths are of the conventional
type and may be either fitted with plain
cushions or those of the box spring type as
will be dictated by the builder's pocketbook-
Forward of the berths is located another shelf
as shown on the plans. Stowage space is
provided on the starboard side beneath the
shelf. Should the builder desire, this space
may be enclosed by bulkheads reaching to
the deck, thus forming a locker in which
shore clothes may be hung without fear of
their getting mussed. The shelf forward also
provides space for a radio which, if fitted,
should be provided with an antenna. On
station five a bulkhead is constructed extend-
ing between keel and deck and clear across
the boat. A door should be provided in this
bulkhead below the level of the gas tank so
as to give access to the bow of the boat and
the chains which will be stowed beneath the
tank.

On the interior all trim may be of ma-
hogany and varnished as here it will not be
exposed to the weather, All panel work may
be very easily made from masonite or ply-
wood by simply routing a groove of the re-
quired size in the rails and styles of the panels
and setting the plywood in this groove as the
panels are assembled. Panel work will be a
distinctive advantage due to its ability of
being easily removed for perodically paint-
ing the inside of the planking and for inspec-
tion and repair if necessary. All paneling
should be installed with screws. The ceiling
of the cabin should be In all cases finished
a bright color to improve the lighting. The
underside of the beams may be champferred
or fitted with mahogany caps that can be re-
moved when the ceiling is painted.
The flooring of the cabin should have a
removable section so that the bilges may be
inspected and painted. Linoleum on the floor
will be a big aid to keeping the cabin clean,
and curtains at the ports will give the in-
terior a homey appearance. The drainboard
and sink may be of monel metal or galvanized
iron but in either case it should be neatly
applied and all joints made watertight. A
small galley pump should be fitted at the sink
to draw fresh water from tanks located under
the cockpit floor. A small spirit stove or
one using canned heat is located aft of the
sink. A dish rack is built on the aft cabin
bulkhead to carry the ship's crockery. Be-
neath the galley platform there will be room
for cupboards to stow canned goods, and
should the builder desire, there will still be
room to install a small icebox. All loose
cushions should be of the life preserve type
to avoid carrying these very necessary ad-
juncts as required by law. I would strongly
recommend a two and a half gallon fire ex-
tinguisher of the foam type be installed rather
than the ordinary one-quart liquid type,
Many a beautiful cruiser has burned to the
water's edge because a quart of liquid was
just a little shy of being able to quell a fire.
A bell and whistle are also required by
law as well as sailing lights which will con-
sist of a red light to port and a green light
to starboard. A bow light must be fitted be-
tween the skeen chocks and a stern light high.
enough to show over all other sail-
ing lights on the boat will be fitted
aft All of these lights should be
combination oil and electric. When
proceeding under sail alone only the
red and green lights should show.
When under sail and power a boat is
considered a power boat and as such
must carry all lights listed before.
The cabin lights should be of the
dome type and all lights must be
double contact as there is no con-
venient steel chassis to ground to as
in a car. Ail wiring should be in-

stalled in neat moulding so as to be

readily accessible in case of short cir-
cuit. The cabin dome lights may be
of the regulation auto type which are
just as good as most marine lights and
cost about half as much. Outlets for
the sailing lights should be made
through watertight fittings sold for
this purpose. While on the subject
of lights, an old auto headlight may
be installed on the spreaders aft to
form an efficient flood light to light
up the deck when going aboard at
night or when an emergency arises to give hatch cover to fit over wood ventilator.
proper light to work the boat. This light will A standard type boom jack should be made
also be found handy for night fishing where a to take the main boom when the mainsail is
landing net might be required. All wires furled. A ring buoy attached to this so as to
should be of the lead covered waterproof type. be readily removale has often been an instru-
On the after deck there should be fitted two men to which many people owe their lives.
small bitts securely fastened for towing a This buoy may be dolled up with the boat's
dinghy or a disabled boat if necessary. A name and the owner's and club flags to look
small ventilated hatch should also be fitted real yachty. A binnacle may be fitted in the
on the deck over the tiller or quadrant with cockpit ahead of the wheel box if desired or
the ordinary box compass may be used in any
position convenient to the helmsman. If the
compass be of the box type it should be in-
stalled so as to set in a series of strips on the
deck so that it will always he placed in the
same position. In this way only is it possible
to log the courses and follow them at all times.
While it was felt that topping lifts on such
small booms would be a nuisance, they may
be fitted if the builder so desires. The top-
ping lift should be bearded in the way of the
gaff to prevent chafing and to give the boat
a real go-to-sea look.
Well constructed and well found Flying
Cloud will be able to do coastwise cruising
almost anywhere. To consider an ocean
crossing in this boat would be folly even
though boats smaller than she have done these
kind of voyages. This boat was designed as a
comfortable cruiser and should be considered
as such. Her cockpit is much too large to take
to sea and her bottom is not strong enough
to withstand the sort of punishment which
such a voyage entails. There is no way to
adapt this boat to such work but at some later
date we will publish an enlarged edition of
Buddy which will be specifically designed to
follow the track of the Hawkshaw, a Buddy
that poked her nose into such far places as
Cuba and saw the coast of Yucatan over her
taffrail. This boat will be the answer to the
many letters of readers who had the yen to
go off shore just as Flying Cloud is the answer
to those desiring comfort to the more adven-
turous type of cruising.
With the major parts of the hull com-
plete, the fittings may be installed. The.
chain plates to take the shrouds must be in-
stalled before the sheer moulding is in place.
The freezing port in the bow well should be
cut in and covered with a door of the same
material as the raised sheer planking and
arranged to swing out so that it will spill
water should a wave come over the bow. The
companion slide and cover can next be fitted
as shown on the plans. A strip of copper
should be used to cover the joint on the for-
ward end, or many of popular weather-strip
sections on the market may be used at this
point. Before the interior woodwork is fitted
the drains from the cabin top should be con-
structed of one-inch lead pipe set as close to
the cover board corners at the after end of
the cabin as space will permit. The cockpit
drains should be made from the same
material with a leather flap tacked over their
overboard ends to prevent a wave from work-
ing back into the cockpit.
The rudder is constructed of steel or brass
plate with the stock of the same material. If
the rudder is of brass, its thickness should be
1/4" and the stock of 1-3/4" dia. material.
The rudder stock is slotted and brazed to the
plate as is also the short stub at the bottom of
the rudder which forms a pivot through a
hole bored in the returned end of the rudder
shoe which should be of 1/2" brass, three
inches wide. If the rudder is to be of steel
plate, the stock will be of cold rolled steel
bar electrically welded to the blade. The
shoe will then be of steel also and the whoJe flexible steel cable. Should the builder so
assembly galvanized after welding. The desire a hand tiller may be fitted, in which
rudder stock is carried through the hull, in- case the stock is carried up through the after
side of a piece of brass pipe or galvanized pipe deck. As there will be a reversing gear fitted
to correspond to the motor, some means will have to be ar-
w i t h rudder ranged to positively stop the rudder from
metal, screwed turning any further than thirty-five degrees
into a proper each side of the centerline.
size h o l e in The spars may now be constructed from
the stern Oregon pine or spruce. They are first worked
knee. At the square with all the proper tapers incorporated.
t o p of t h e After the spars are squared and all humps
s t o c k there worked off of their surface they are again
s h o u l d be worked to an octagon shape. The corners of
fitted a tiller the octagon are again worked off, and finally
or quadrant, the spars are rounded. A hollow sparplane
which in turn will be a lot of assistance in this operation
is connected if one can be procured. At least five coats
to the drum of hot linseed oil should be painted on each
of the steering spar and after being sandpapered they should
w h e e l with be given three coats of good spar varnish. If
bright work is eliminated in the construction
the spars may be painted. This of course
excepts the foremast as far as the gaff will
travel. This section should be oiled and given

118
a coat of mastine grease. The bands and
withes should be purchased before the spars
are made and the spar worked to a diameter
a little larger than the band at the point where
the band is to be located. On the masts it is
good practice to allow a shoulder at least an
eighth inch larger than the band so that the
band will not slip down the mast when the
turnbuckles are set up. At points where the
blocks or stays are looped around the mast,
shoulder cleats of hardwood should be fitted.
These cleats should be slightly mortised in
the mast so that they will not put all of the
load on the screws attaching them to the
masts. The foremast should have a thin brass
plate attached at the point where the gaff will
swing so as to eliminate wear on the spar at
this point. This plate should be carried at
least three-quarters around the mast and
fastened with escutcheon pins. The center-
line of the plate will face aft.
The wire rope rigging should now be made
with all ends aloft spliced or looped as re-
quired. Splicing is highly recommended as
it will give the rigging a professional look. In
event of the builder being unable to splice
wire rope it may be turned back on itself and
served and soldered as shown. All loops
wherever fitted should be served with Italian
yacht marline to prevent wear on the metal
and improve its appearance. After the spars
are stepped the lower ends of the shrouds and
stays are spliced to the correct length, to fit
the turnbuckles when they are three-quarters.
 open. This allows them to be set up properly.
No wire should be tightened beyond the point
at which it is reasonably taut so as not to set
up undue strains in the hull and spars. Be
sure that all manila ropes are rove and all
blocks shackled or set in their proper places
before the spars are sent aloft. Ail ends of
manila line on the boat should be securely
served with sail twine waxed with beeswax
so that they will not fray out Here the
builder will be able to show his marline-spike
seamanship by producing work that the old
sailors loved to term "ship-shape and Bristol
fashion."
The sails should be of six-ounce canvas
and provided with sail covers as the foresail
will not be convenient to remove after every
,;run. Khaki sails look well on this type of
yacht, especially so if the hull is finished in a 3/4" manila, 20 feet long, which should
dark shade. The sails should be thoroughly be neatly eye-spliced on one end. The free
end should be seized or served.
With the exterior finished we can turn our
attention to its painting and finish- There
isn't a prettier job afloat than those whose
woodwork is of mahogany finished natural.
In connection with this also there are none
which occasions more work to keep them
looking this way. For the man who has plenty
of time and likes to fuss around cleaning
varnish and scraping down whenever it is
needed, the bright work will have a lot of
appeal, but to the man who really wants plea-
sure afloat I would strongly recommend fish-
erman finish with all woodwork painted. My
own preferences would be a green bottom,
black hull and buff decks, with all trim
painted white. In any event secure good
marine paints which are the cheapest in the
long run. Every coat applied to the hull should
be sanded and nil seams of the planking
reinforced in all corners and the mainsail puttied flush with a good seam compound.
should be fitted with sail battens. As the sails Completed, "Flying Cloud" will furnish its
are in this case auxiliary to the motor they builder with endless hours of enjoyment such
need not be constructed with the precision as only the deep blue water can offer. Care-
that is required of racing sails. Strength ful construction will result in a truly beauti-
rather than shape should be the rule. The ful craft that can be looked upon with pride.
sails are laced to both main and
fore boom with lacing eyes as
shown. All halyards and sheets
should be led to the end of the
raised deck and belayed on
cleats as shown on the deck plan.
The locations of these leads
should be memorized so that
even on the darkest night, in
sailors' lingo, you will "know
the ropes." While ordering the
running rigging it may be well
to include two mooring lines of
120