Making the boat’s skeleton

I finally got to epoxy all the parts together today to create the boat’s skeleton! I epoxied the centerboard trunk, stem, chine logs, and the keel to the frames. In addition to epoxy, all the parts are screwed together too. I coated the screws in wax so I can remove them later to plane the frames, chines, and keel so the plywood planking will sit flat (I don’t want to hit a screw head with my plane) and then replace them with the silicon brass screws after the hull is faired.


It took a few days of preparation to get everything ready to epoxy in place.

First I cut the slot in the keel for the retractable centerboard. I just drilled a hole in the keel somewhere inside the centerboard trunk and then used a router with a trim bit. This worked perfectly - the bit followed the inside of the centerboard trunk and cut the slot exactly to size. I then rounded over the back of the slot so the water will flow smoothly. I want every last knot of speed I can get!

I cut the chine logs and sheer clamp out of the remainder of Boardzilla, the giant board I bought. The warp got a lot worse when I ripped the board into strips:

Once I planed the chine logs down from 1-1/8” to 3/4” thick and bent them around the frames, which required quite a bit of force, they made a nice smooth curve. 

It took me a couple of tries to cut the correct angle to get the chines to meet up solidly against the stem and set back the right amount so they’ll be flush with the stem once it is beveled.

I spent about four hours total fitting both chine logs into place and attaching them with screws.

 

I then epoxied the chime log in place and secured it with 2 1/2” screws dipped in wax so I can remove them later and replace them with silicone bronze ones (I was afraid of breaking the silicon bronze ones if I used them initially).

The wood for the sheer clamps has even more bend and twist than the chine log so I was a little nervous about fitting and installing it. I wrapped it in towels and poured boiling water over it make it easier to bend.


The frame is now ready for fairing, and then planking. 

Next Page (fairing the framework)


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