Did you ever find a source for spline weights? You can contact Tom
MacNaughton (do a web search on his yacht design school) and buy some from
him. And from Elkhorn Composites, for $27.50 each, you can buy the
traditional ducks made from cast-lead:

Craig Smith or Dave Hopton
Elkorn Composites
25 Grove Street
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831)722-1654

Westlawn used to sell white plastic, lead-free hollow, spline weights that
you'd buy then fill with BB's. I have these and like them well enough,
although I filled mine with lead shot from the local reloaders supply store
(gun store).

You can read Westlawn at

I'm sure the Webb Institute and The Landing School can also point you to
sources for spline weights. From what I've seen, the spline weights range
from $20 to $30 or so (that's *each*, not for a set) and you'll want a
minimum of about 10. I have 15 and have on several occasions needed all of
them.

For your full-size lofting, note that a hardwood batten (1/4" by 1", as long
as your boat plus about 8 feet) works will. You can lay out plywood, put
nailers across the seams to hold them together, then draw in your baseline
and centerline, square off the stations etc. Put a fine finishing nail
through each offset point and instead of using weights, use spring-loaded
clamps to do the fairing with the batten. You sometimes have to mark a fair
curve, remove the batten and nails, then relocate some nails and re-bend a
fair curve with your batten a couple of times to achieve the fairest curve
that produces the best average through the original offsets (discounting the
outliers that are obvious typos that is.)

Here's a picture of me doing just that:

http://www.advantagecomposites.com/tongass/step8.html

Good luck,
Brian

--
My boat project: http://www.advantagecomposites.com/tongass


"David & Margaret George" wrote in message
...
Actually, I was going to loft a set of plans from the table of offsets.


"Eide" wrote in message
news:uQBib.74554$sp2.5683@lakeread04...
Are you going to use them for a lines drawing?

"David & Margaret George" wrote in message
...
Hi folks,

Does anyone have a source for spline weights/lofting wales. I am
gearing
up
to build my first dinghy and was looking for supplies.

Thanks,

Dave G.