Construction of the prototype
Building began in August 2000. The boat was launched in April 2002, after one year and eight months of construction. Two of us worked on it, Irene and I, three days a week with moderate consistency. A large amount of the time was dedicated to looking for materials. The boat cost us about 8.000.000 of the old lira, about 4000 euros. Building took place in a work shed on the shores of lake Bracciano, at the Acquarella sailing club, which welcomed us with open arms. The club was about forty five minutes drive from our home, well worth the compromise, considering it wasn't a boat we could build in our back yard.
Building officially began the moment the sheets of plywood were delivered. The first task is the cutting and joining of the planking sheets. The overlapping 'fish' joints you can see here in the photo weren't very satisfactory and, all considered, not much easier to realize than the scarf joints: the latter are the choice we advise for definitive plans.
We proceed to glue the sheer stringer and all the longitudinals, working on a flat surface with thickened resin and staple gun. On the second hull (in the photo), we experimented with gluing the stringers on the formed hull, but it's so much easier to work on a flat surface.
We now make holes for the copper wire stitch and finally put everything into its established form, constantly and abundantly wetting it and allowing it to dry for a couple of weeks.
During this moment of apparent standstill, the drawings and next moves are studied, all the bits are sawn and impregnating can begin with the standard two coats of epoxy resin.
Once everything has completely dried and the planking sheets have acquired a slight but permanent curvature, we undo the stitches, insert the transom and stitch the stem. It is a very exciting moment, the odd friend is there to witness and help us tighten, pull, tie…
The curious (and the experts of the club…who are the cousins of the 'expert onlookers'…!) watched us suspiciously as we worked on a table with flat sheets, saying that we were building a boat: now it appears before their eyes in the space of ten minutes and an expression of surprise fleets across their faces. We are actually right at the beginning, but this beautiful and fully formed shell standing before us after only fifteen days work definitely provides us with a good incentive for what is further to do.
The hulls now go back under cover.
We fillet the inner edge of transom and the stem with the hull keel side up, a few friends having helped us to turn it over. Now it is time to do the keel, with its inner coating of glass fibre. At this point we insert the bulkheads and test the setting of the sheer line; then we fillet everything.
The next step is to glue the guard rails, which stiffen the sheer line and facilitate its setting in.
The cutting and gluing of the stem and stern deck planking and relative strengtheners is a quick and relaxing phase, we work swiftly and comfortably. The planing of the sheer stringer, strictly by hand, is Irene's passion. Some of us begin to imagine the boat finished…
Before completing the fore-deck planking, we place the mast fitting in each hull, a sort of large cup in 15mm thick plywood and what's more, fully lined with Fibreglass: it proved to be heavy, impossible to inspect and, quite frankly, useless. In the drawings it is substituted by a circular partner in Delrin and a fitting on the keel on reinforced flooring. The unstayed masts consist of Anticorodal tubes and should be free to rotate, to avoid torsion stresses and undue turbulence on head of sail.
At this point, Irene has put on mask and overalls and it cannot be put off any longer, we varnish the hulls!
We now fit out the interiors, kept to a bare minimum, no more than the stern berth, two small benches and a folding table. There is, however, all the warmth of natural wood. That's the beauty of a plywood boat; as soon as the shell is completed you find yourself with a nicely finished interior, without having to insulate or decorate. Even the children give us a hand with the sanding of the edges of the berth panels.
When we cut, assemble and varnish the deckhouse it is Spring 2001. Again, the boat appears to be finished. Irene, on belly of the hull is dreaming of sailing… sailing.
We paint deck and hulls to protect the epoxy resin from ultra violet rays, with water based acrylics, which on retrospect have proved to be a valid and less toxic alternative to the traditional 'marine' products.
We construct the hatchway doors and at last Cuoncio Cuoncio comes out of her shed, under a starry sky. It is the summer of 2001: we shut down shop and take a holiday. Time to begin again in September.
By now the time seems near but inevitably, you finish off here, finish off there and before you know it it's Spring: the assembling of the cross beams, the construction of the masts, the creating of the rudders, take up the last weekends, together with the buying and installation of the fittings.
Meanwhile the sail maker cuts the sails and the trampoline.
During a bout of flu which renders us both bed-bound, Irene and I tie the endless knots of the prow net from a red 3mm rope: the cure works and we… recover!
The last operations before setting sail: in the photo, Piero Barone, outstanding mathematician, refined home-builder and dear friend, gives us a hand in stringing up the prow net.
The official day of the launch is the 18th of April 2002. There are hundreds of invites, all of them had passed by at least once to get stuck in by wetting, tracing, sawing or gluing.
We wait for everybody to arrive and then, at last, the first hoist, which obviously you can never forget!
Now it really is all ready…
Cuoncio Cuoncio slides into the smooth calm water at midday.
Here we are!
Then we sail and party until late evening. The boat floats (!), she moves (!!) and what's more she sails. Now is the phase of putting things right and testing in water. The construction work has finally come to an end and, inside, we are secretly missing it.
Francesco Fabbrovich, Irene Ausiello
