Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Maybe I should go on Sesame Street!

One floorboard...


Two floorboards...


Three floorboards...


Four floorboards...


And a bunch of bulkheads.


The boat is stitching together well but certainly not quite as easily as is let on in the manual. Once the side panels are on you must go inside the boat and do a balancing act along the keelson and centerboard to stitch in the floorboards and bulkheads. The alternatives would be hiring an orangutan to reach the inner stitches or hang from the ceiling Mission Impossible style. Pulling the hull together at the bow and forcing some of the stubborn floorboards to conform to the hull is certainly easier with a second person for the last few stitches.

Here is the transom being positioned to measure the bevel required on the side edges to match the curve of the hull panels.

This is what is left when almost all the full size patterns have been used. The only parts I still need to cut out are the companionway ( which is best done further in assembly to make sure it fits the curves of the top decking) and the topside panels.

A few more stitches, check everything for trueness, and it will be time to tack weld all the seams with epoxy and wood flour. Then on to the huge job of applying all the fillets (large rounded joints of epoxy and wood flour), fiberglassing the inner hull, and sanding in preparation for painting. I am hoping my fillets can be at least as half as good as the works of art created by Jeff who has already finished the inner hull of his Pocketship.



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