Coaming

The coaming is traditionally a raised edge around the cockpit to keep water out. On this boat, the coaming is only 3/8” above the deck so it is mostly a trim piece to give the cockpit a nice finished look. The coaming is the first of many pieces of trim that I’ll have to make and install.

The coaming is made of 1/4“ solid Sapele, so the first step is to make the 1/4” lumber I’ll need.  I started with 3/4” lumber, so I had to either plane or resaw it down to 1/4”.  Resawing means using a bandsaw to cut a board in half to get two thinner boards. Even though the coaming is only 3.5” high, it needs to be cut from a 6”wide board because it is curved.  I don’t have a big enough bandsaw but I do have a thickness planer, so I had to plane it even though it requires more wood. It took about 16 passes and multiple shop vacs of sawdust to get the pieces to 1/4”.

I clamped the 1/4” side boards in position and traced 1/2” above the deck and along the bottom of the carling to get the final shape, which I then cut out with a jig saw.

I used cardboard to make a template for the front of the coaming since it is easy to bend around the curve. I used the cardboard template to figure out the size. I then used steam to help bend the wood and left it clamped in shape on a jig I made for a few days.


After a couple of days, I unclamped it from the bending form. It sprung back a lot, but could be bent back into the required curve by hand. I then temporarily clamped it in place on the boat and marked about 1/2” above the deck and cut it with a jig saw.  

I attached the coaming to the carlings with epoxy and two screws every 6” on the sides, and wherever it came in contact with a frame member in the front.

Once the epoxy cured, I used a hand plane to clean up the top of the coaming to a consistent 3/8” above the deck. I then rounded over the the top by hand with a rasp and sandpaper.  I also hand planed the bottom of the coaming to be flush with the carling on the sides.  I haven’t decided on the shape of the front of the coaming - I’ll either leave the bottom straight which makes it thicker, or make it a consistent height, which means the bottom of the coaming will follow the crown of the hull and be curved (the pencil line in the photo above shows the option, as does the cardboard template in the top photo).

The joint between the coaming and plywood deck planking is not very clean so it needs some trim as shown in the picture below.

The outside edge of the deck and hull also will need some trim for appearances and a rub rail for protection but I think that finishes the coaming!

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