February/March 2014

This month I tackled installing the keel bolts.  These are stainless steel threaded rod with nuts on both ends that run through the keel and floor boards.  They are to be installed on all floor boards that are not getting bolts for the ballast keel.  The ballast keel will be installed latter and it will have its own bolts.  Drilling a straight and true hole 20 inches deep is tricky.  You can not rely on your ability to hold the drill at the correct angle.  To get this right I made a jig at every hole to help me drill straight.  The following images will give you an idea of the procedure.

The first thing I needed was a vertical reference.  I clamped this square stock in place and made sure it was vertical with a level.  Make sure to check two orthogonal sides.  This requires an iterative approach because when you adjust one angle, the other invariably is effected.   

I then take two small pieces of wood, one shown above, and place one end on the centerline of where the hole will be.   I then mark where it intersects with the vertical square stock shown on the left.  I make two of these.

I, then, clamp the small pieces of wood to the vertical square stock, one a few inches above  where the hole will be and the other 6-8 inches further up.  Make sure that the pieces are clamped so the mark aligned with the vertical square stock.

With the drill bit in the drill, I can align the bit with the small pieces of wood.  The pieces of wood do not actually touch the drill bit but I can site along them keeping a constant distance between the wood and the drill bit.  You will have to check at an angle so you can keep the space between the bit and the wood constant at the same time you keep the two spaces the same.

Carefully start drilling.  Take your time and clear your bit often.  What I mean by clearing your bit is lifting the bit out of the hole so the wood chips are removed.  If you do not clear the hole as you drill, the bit will bind and will not cut clean.   It will also be harder to keep your alignment.

I also finished the first layer of the cold molded process on the port side.  The following images detail the final stages.

Here, I am getting excited about finishing this side.  The changing hull shape in the last section makes fitting the strips a little tricky at times but the ready access (no ladder or climbing) makes the work go quickly.  I've started marking the strips where they end at the stem and precutting them.  I get a much better result this way.  I lay a pencil flat against the opposite side of the stem and make a mark across the strip after it is clamped in place.  This way I cut the strips where they would meet when the other side is installed.  This will actually result in too sharp of a point at the step bit it gives me the liberty later to decide how to shape the underside of the stem.   I also put a few lines across the previously installed strip onto the clamped strip to ensue that I can easily and quickly align the strip once I lay the epoxy down.

Working on the bow has other challenges as well.  The longitudinal baton twist and change shape radically at this point.  They do not necessarily have the same shape on both sides due to the fact that the lumber cut from different logs with different grain have different properties.  Having two batons laminated does mediate this a little since you end up getting contribution from both although the first baton seems to dominate since it is fixed.  This has required me to laminate thin pieces of wood onto the batons where they do not quite match from port to starboard as well as perform some radical sanding of the batons.  It won't be perfect but it should not be noticeable or affect performance.

I've used quite a few blocks to make sure the hull is fare in the bow.  I also resorted to a few other tricks to ensure the hull is fare such as screwing temporary blocks to the underside to take out bulges and dips in the strips.  I've left the last few strips uncut because they were awkward to place.  This allowed me some freedom in the installation.  Notice how the strips get narrower as the curves get more aggressive.  

Blocks removed, stem cut to shape and some rough sanding performed.

And I've started to make progress on the starboard side of the boat.

Well, I have made some progress on the starboard side of the boat.  Unfortunately there is a wall a few feet away from the gunwales  that prevents me from getting good pictures but I'll try to keep the readers updated.