The Latest

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To read the previous posts in this series, click the links below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Well!!! Christmas shopping, Christmas, New Years, and a bunch of other things slowed me down a bit, but I am making progress. The nontrip planks have been secured and the bottom runner planks are now on and waiting to set up for fairing and sanding. I like using 3/4″ drywall screws to test fit the planks and then use the holes as pilot holes for the bronze screws. Because of the glues and screws I am using, I have spaced the screws out further than the nails would have been by about 2 to 3.

The nontrip plank has been set and faired where the runner plank will butt up to it. The plans show a lap joint at the back of the sponson, but because the two sponson planks come together like bottom and side planks at the stem on a regular boat, I prefered a butt joint at the point where the planks converge on the bow piece. I could have used a transition joint and lapped the rear portion but I thought the butt joint would be better looking. Here I am using a plane to shave the angle on the edge of the bottom plank to match the nontrip plank. Laying the plane on its side and running it along the nontrip plank while holding the bottom plank next to it forms the correct angle and as I move fore and aft, the plane changes along with the nontrip plank keeping the angle correct.

Here the planks is test fitted with the drywall screws.Holes are checked and debris cleaned up and the area is ready for glue and the plank.Here the plank has been anchored and will cure for sanding and fairing.

 

Clamps were used along the bow piece instead of screws.

 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

 

This week I sanded down the bottom and put on the first coat of resin. I will be laying on a few more coats and then it will sit and cure while Rich and I go golf.

 

 

 

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Wow!!! More than three weeks since I last posted here!!! I have been busy on the boat and other things as well. I spent a week at the Milwaukee boat show as well as a week in Arizona golfing and site seeing.

I finished up the bottom as far as resin coating and we flipped the boat earlier this week. The coamings were fitted and the bow was faired where the bottom planking overhung the bow ring. Today I rough cut the decking and routered the fit along the carlings. Then I encapsulated the aft section of the boat. Tomorrow I will install the aft sections of the decking and install the coamings and the rest of the forward framing and strongback. The reason for installing the aft deck sections before the coamings is to prevent the coamings from springing the carlings out of their natural bend. The aft deck sections will provide the ridigity needed to keep everything in shape.

I went with maranti hydrotek for the deck. WHAT CRAP!!! See photo below.

Here is the port side deck rough cut. The edge that fits up to the coaming has been routered with a trim bit to fit along the carling. The coamings are attached to the carlings, so this will ensure a nice fit.The aft section of the boat is now encapsulated and ready for the aft decking and coamings.This is a shot of how poorly the maranti hydrotek cuts using a "Clean Cutting "blade. The maranti is pretty, but it is heavy and hard to get good, clean cuts. I will not be using this type of wood in future builds. I will stick with Okoume. It's more expensive, but worth it. Even my table saw with a premium blade had trouble getting good clean cuts. I made sure I cut from the back side to prevent the tear out on the finished side. I will need to sand or router all the finished edges.