Here are links to other steps of the Puddle Duck Build

• Part One, What's a Puddle Duck? and I get Started
• My Puddle Duck Racer goes 3D It's official, I get my hull number.
• Next, I add flotation compartment.
• Bottom gets fiberglassed and Gunnels are added.
• Daggerboard case and seat get made.
• Making the daggerboard.
• Adding weight to the daggerboard
• Making the kick up rudder along with a tiller.
• I made a wooden sprit
• Finishing the carbon fibre mast I made a few years ago.
• Replaced the Broken Carbon Fibre mast with a wooden one.
• My PDR gets a mast step, plus side and front decks and more glass
• Finally Finishing the hull
• The Duck gets some hardware
• I make a Sail for the Puddle Duck
• My Puddle Duck Gets Launched!!

Making the Daggerboard Case and Seat

I decided on the daggerboard rather than the leaboard. I'm used to daggerboards and they seem more solid than the lee boards. There are lots of stories from PDR boat builders where the leeboard gets ripped off, or gathers weeds and junk. I'm told daggerboards give better performance but I don't know. Since I want to be able to put a seat across for rowing or a passenger then it makes sense to have it in the boat anyway.

The Daggerboard inside faces got 2 coats of epoxy and were glued together. I'm using cut-up pipe for clamps. When I want extra pressure I just tape 2 sections one inside the other.

Daggerboard case glued to bottom of the Puddle Duck Racer. I'm using weights to keep it in place while it sets. I checked that it was square and properly lined up to the boat.

2 Crosspieces will support the Daggerboard case and also a seat.
I had to cut the crosspieces and re join them otherwise I could not have placed them through the buoyancy tank side. I did not trust the plywood of the tank to support the case and seats. My joint is not quite long enough, usually a good scarf joint is 7-8 times as long as the width, so I added fiberglass cloth to strengthen it.

Support is glued and taped with a strip of fiberglass. It will support a seat. I like to be able to row a sailboat when the wind dies, I don't think PDR's are very easy boats to paddle.

Seat glued in.

I will be opening the slot for the daggerboard using a router. It feels very solid even without a coat of epoxy. I'm thinking that I can store my junk under the seat. Bailing bucket, sponge, lunch, sweater, all can be put under the seat out of the way.

I'll round the edge of the seat when I next have the router out to open the daggerboard slot.

emails: Christine

This web site reflects my personal ideas and doesn't represent anyone else's point of view.