I got to go sailing again and managed to get a couple more videos. Turns out it's really hard to record and operate RC controls at the same time, so my sailing isn't the best. I'm very impressed with how maneuverable the T37 is, and how fantastic it is at close hauled sailing.

I only had about 4mph winds today, I can't wait to see how this little boat does with 10+mph!

After about four months of building, I finally had my maiden voyage! It was a very gusty day which was not ideal, my boat ended up heeling over more than I would like and getting just a little water in it, but nothing major. I'll be coating the inside of the hatches with a light layer of petroleum jelly out of an abundance of caution, but I don't think it's really necessary. Overall, I'm very happy with my kit from Tippecanoe and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a kit like this!

I've been moving lately and pretty bad at posting updates, but over the past few weeks I got the boat painted (don't judge me I used rattle cans) with a cool looking green and white striped patterns. I also got all of the rigging for the sails done and the servos set up to control them.

August 10, 2025

Today was an exciting day! I always dread the step of varnishing woodworking projects, but I can't deny that the results are incredibly satisfying. I sanded down the hull sides, deck and deck hatches all the way to 320 grit and thoroughly tack-clothed all of the dust of, then I very carefully applied the first coats of varnish to the boat. It needs to cure overnight, but I plan to do several coats throughout the week after work if I can find the time.

While the varnish dries, I attached the main boom to the sail and added the carbon fiber collars to keep the boom ring and vang from sliding around the mast. Bending these wires out of the stainless steel rod was a bit of a pain, but with some patience I got them in placed. The main boom also has the vinyl grommets for rigging adjustments just like the jib boom.

August 3rd, 2025

I forgot to take pictures, but I did a little bit of work last Sunday. I waterproofed the hatches by putting a thin coat of epoxy all over the top and bottoms. Then I applied a coat around the coamings, making sure to coat over the tops of the small magnets to hopefully keep them in place a little better over time. I put a layer of plastic wrap over the coamings, then weighed down the hatches on top. This made sure the epoxy set up in a way that the hatches would still fit and even gave me a really good seal. We'll see just how good of a fit it is when she takes sail for the first time

While that set up, I assembled the booms per the instructions. This was the first bit of rigging I got to do and it was kind of exciting! The booms are made of carbon fiber with vinyl grommets used for adjustment points for the rigging. A couple brass rings are lashed to the underside as well. I only have a picture of the jib boom for this update.

August 2, 2025

I haven't had much time until today to work on this unfortunately. I made up the main hatch and got all of the magnets glued into place today. Then I used some leftover veneer to plank the tops to match the deck and it turned out really nice in my opinion. The magnets hold the hatch on tight so hopefully it'll keep most of the water out.

Next I'm planning on coating the hatches inside and out with a thin layer of clear epoxy to waterproof them, then I'll varnish the veneer to make it really pretty when I do the deck.

July 25, 2025

I really like the idea of using magnets to attach the hatches since it helps me keep them a really low profile. I got some neodymium magnets off Amazon to play with. I tried several different methods of placing the magnets but didn't like any of them until I tried just making the coaming slightly bigger and glued the magnets directly to the deck, then I used a shim to raise the matching magnets and glued them directly to the hatch ceiling. This was a nice way to do it in my mind because then the magnets line themselves up with their pairs perfectly on their own. I made sure to rough up the surface of all of the magnets with sandpaper for better adhesion and later on I'll go over all of them with a thin layer of epoxy to secure them into place better.

I used 10 magnet pairs for the rudder hatch and it holds it on there very securely, but I guess we won't know just how good it is until it sails.

July 22, 2025

I had hatches on the mind today at work so I mocked something up when I got home with some scrap plywood. It's not pretty by any means, but it gives me an idea of what I'm working with. Even with just throwing this together, it's still a very nice fit that stays together almost with friction. Now I just need to find a way to embed some magnets when they arrive tomorrow and I think I'll have a good solution. Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone.

July 21, 2025

The mast post set up perfectly level with a slight rake and the rudder post is lined up nicely with the keel without the rudder being epoxied into place now. I'm very happy with how this build is going, it's nice to be able to see the full height and length at last.

Now I'm on to deciding what to do for the hatches. The problem is I don't have a whole lot of clearance because the main sheet will run from a barney post aft of the hatch over the top and to a brass U in the deck. I mocked everything up with some thread before I start gluing anything down to get an idea of what I have to work with. The kit plans call for a mylar sheet over the hatch so clearance isn't really a problem, but I have a lot of leftover veneer planks so I think it would be nice to build a custom hatch.

I made a sort of cross section with basswood and it looks like I'll have room for a 1/8" basswood coaming with a scrap piece of 1/8" plywood on top. I was planning on basically following Gary Webb's video linked below, but with the hatch being so low profile I won't have enough clearance to use the pins that he does. Does anyone have any ideas on a good way to attach the hatches so they stay secured to the deck while underway?

July 20, 2025

Now we're caught up to present day for the build log. I'll try to keep posting as I progress still.

Two items on the agenda today: the rudder post and the mast post.

I started with the rudder post. I used a spare piece of plywood to make a holder for the rudder shaft while I epoxied in the rudder shaft. The shaft is a carbon fiber tube with a rubber gasket to help waterproof. Just like with the keel, I made sure the boat was level on my workbench before starting. I also waxed the rudder shaft so it hopefully won't stick if any epoxy gets on it. Using both the makeshift plumb bob and the keel, I lined up the rudder so it was perfectly in line with the keel and then epoxied it into place.

After letting that sit for a few hours, I came back and started on the mast post. The T37 has a larger 4" carbon fiber tube that goes into the boat for the mast to slide in to. I shortened the mast post so it would only stick up about 1/16" from the deck when glued into place. With a couple of levels and a bevel tool I did a trial run of gluing the post down. I made sure the mast would end up perfectly vertical with a slight tilt aft. Then I put a blob of thickened epoxy on the bottom of the hull for the post to sit on. I roughened up the post a little so the epoxy would adhere better before all of this.