All the Plywood for the Structural Keel Is in Place.
Inside his Västervik workshop, Swedish boatbuilder Sven Yrvind is assembling the core structural keel for his plywood test boat. With the laminated timber set along the bottom, he focuses on aligning two angle irons and positioning lifting hardware directly into the centerline.
To handle the heavy hull during shop construction, Sven prepares dedicated through-hull fittings. As he explains while setting the components, “I’m going to put two pipes straight through to be able to lift the boat” without damaging the surrounding timber.
Laminating the Structural Keel
The keel assembly demands precise alignment before the adhesive hardens. Sven laminates five layers of plywood together, numbering the plies from 1 through 5, and aligns the brackets so the pipe holes remain parallel. Because the adhesive cures slowly, he uses the waiting time to adjust heights before weighting down the entire assembly for the night.
Heavy weights hold the wood firmly overnight while the epoxy cures. Once the epoxy dries to the touch, Sven checks the joint line and cautiously backs out the temporary fasteners: “And this is not stainless. I don’t like them to break.” With the screws removed, he returns the lead weights to their places, noting that “Now, we got a strong base for the things to stay here.”
Test Boat Specifications
| Design Metric | Specification |
|---|---|
| Hull Length | 4.8 meters |
| Hull Beam | 1.3 meters |
| Sail Area | 6 square meters |
| Keel Lamination | 5 plywood layers |
| Steering System | Adjustable fins without rudder |
Shaping and Fiberglass Sheathing
With the primary keel lamination secured, the next stage shifts toward fairing and reinforcement. Sven plans to shape the laminated wood and drill hundreds of holes through the components before covering the boat with glass fiber cloth. As the shop lead is cleared and the cured base stands ready, the structural backbone moves one step closer to final hull assembly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sven laminates five distinct plywood layers together with epoxy to form the structural keel base.
Two angle irons are installed across the middle of the boat to hold parallel through-pipes that serve as lifting points.
The screws are not stainless steel and were set in epoxy; removing them carefully prevents them from breaking inside the wood.
Sven will shape the keel wood, drill hundreds of holes, and sheath the hull exterior in glass fiber cloth.
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This Youtube channel is about me Sven Yrvind. I am 87 and a half years old dyslectic solo sailor.
I am building a plywood test boat for a Divinycell and NM-epoxy high-latitude cruiser.
She will be about 4.8 meter 15 and a half feet long. Her beam will be 1.3 meter. She is a two masted lugger with a total sail area of 6 square meter. She will have no rudder but will be steered by adjustable fins. I am planning a cruise in the Southern Ocean to Dunedin NZ.
Subject to change.
Often the 22th every month I do a resume of the project.
I have an illustrated book with good reviews on Amazon. https://www.amazon.se/s?k=yrvind&crid=1549D6PR18BUJ&sprefix=%2Caps%2C112&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_1_0_recent
If you’re interested in contributing to my experiments links are below.
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=53X8NVEA22MBL
Swish 0706200550
Also please subscribe - even if you are not interested in sailing.
For more see Yrvind.com
Sven Yrvind
At 86, Sven Yrvind is still pushing the limits of small-boat design. Discover the philosophy and technical grit behind his 'Exlex' series.
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Social Media Links:
All the Plywood for the Structural Keel Is in Place. Location
- Sven Yrvind Workshop, Västervik, Sweden (57.7578,16.6373)
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A Rope Attachment and Reinforced Joints.
Sven Yrvind reinforces his plywood test boat hull in Västervik, installing an iron bottom runner, dual lifting rope pipes potted in thickened epoxy, and fiberglass corner joints.
All the Plywood for the Structural Keel Is in Place.
Sven Yrvind laminates all five plywood layers for the structural keel of his test boat in Västervik, installing lifting pipes and letting the epoxy cure under heavy shop weights before final shaping.
More of the Same – The Penultimate Layer.
This Youtube channel is about me Sven Yrvind. I am 87 and a half years old dyslectic solo sailor. I am building a plywood test boat for a Divinycell and NM-epoxy high-latitude cruiser. She will be about 4.8 meter 15 and a half feet long. Her beam will be 1.3 meter. She is a two masted lugger with...
More of the Same – Third layer.
This Youtube channel is about me Sven Yrvind. I am 87 and a half years old dyslectic solo sailor. I am building a plywood test boat for a Divinycell and NM-epoxy high-latitude cruiser. She will be about 4.8 meter 15 and a half feet long. Her beam will be 1.3 meter. She is a two masted lugger with...
More of the Same – 2nd Layer.
This Youtube channel is about me Sven Yrvind. I am 87 and a half years old dyslectic solo sailor. I am building a plywood test boat for a Divinycell and NM-epoxy high-latitude cruiser. She will be about 4.8 meter 15 and a half feet long. Her beam will be 1.3 meter. She is a two masted lugger with...