Cockpit seat mockup

This week I have been doing some mockups to decide how to frame the cockpit area and the seats along the sides. Also the cross member that supports the aft wall of the cabin and trying to visualize how all these things fit together. Not many parts f=of a boat are square but they do need to align with each other and intersect at times so I think doing mockups before glueing is a good thing. I have t go to the lumber store and buy some 3/4" marine play as well since the cockpit sole, the rear cockpit bulkhead and the cabin aft wall will be from that.

Cockpit seat framing mockup.

Centerboard ballast

Last weekend, my son and his kids came up to help me attach the ballast shoe (Keel) to the bottom of my boat. I had turned it upside down the week before. We hoisted it up and drilled the bolt holes then set it aside and sealed the surface with Henry's wet patch. A layer of Irish felt then more wet patch and set the keel on again. We bolted it down then trimed the felt and the cleaned up the squeeze then turned her back over. This week I am pouring about 25 lbs of lead into the centerboard so it will sink when I lower it.

I am using my ShopBot CNC to make a pocket for the lead. This CNC is too small for most of the stuff I am doing on the boat but it was the easiest way to do this.

Here the pocket is cut and I made spikes of 3/16 brass rod that I had lying about which should help holding the lead in place. There will be a plywood cover over the lead and the whole thing will get a glass and epoxy sheath after
the board has been shaped into a foil of some kind.

Melting the lead, unfortunately I don't have any pics of the lead after it was poured.

Some plywood gussets being added in anticipation of framing the deck and cockpit.

Ain't she purdy?

Updated sailplan and profile

Not a lot going on with the boat or maybe more exact, not much picture taking going on with the boat. I have been working on the centerboard. It needs some ballast so that it will sink when I want to lower it and it needs a track for the pendant to ride in when I want to bring it back up. Also I have to shape it into some sort of foil so it has less resistance while moving forward. I will add pics of this work soon I promise. My son Matthew and my Grandson Nolan are coming up this weekend to help me install the lead ballast shoe on the bottom of the boat and then flip it back upright so I can continue with the construction.

In the meantime, I have been fooling around with the sailplan
so here is the latest version I am considering.

Keeping on

I sure am getting tired of epoxy but I got a long way ta go. Here the centerboard case got a doubler and a cap. The cap will house the lifting tackle for the centerboard. Also I laminated the first of the deck beams as I need to figure out where they go in order to build up to that spot. I'll be working on the v-birth area next as well as the cockpit framing.

The centerboard case got a doubler to stiffen it up in the area
where the centerboard pivots down

Inside the centerboard cap, a 4 to 1 block and tackle will ease
the raising of the ballasted centerboard and bring the line back
to the cockpit where it will be lashed.

Forward from the stern.

Aft from the bow.

Nice figure huh!!!

Laminating a deck beam Actually it will be sawn in half down
the middle to make two beams.

Installing the centerboard case

This is kind of a big deal as I am filling the hole in the bottom of the boat and I don't want it to leak, now or ever if I can help it. There are a couple of ways to attach the case. Some bolt it to the keelson, sealing it with something or other. That is how I did the last boat and it has not leaked yet. This time though, the boat is much bigger and the bilge will be closed off from view most of the time and I want to make sure it is water tight. I am sinking the case all the way through the keelson to the lead keel. the hole is oversized and widened at the top. the centerboard is propped in the hole and slightly thickened epoxy is squeezed around the case until the hole is filled and then allowed to harden. Now there will not be any end grain showing as the case bottom will be covered by the lead keel after being sealed with epoxy. Then there are a couple of case logs that go on after the case is glued in and the lead keel bolts through them

Here the case has just been glued in.

Now the case logs are in and sealed around the centerboard bushings.

This is the case top and I will show how it works later. Just a note that it is removable and will house the lifting tackle to raise and lower the centerboard from the cockpit of the boat.

Interior structure

I have been busy cleaning up inside the hull and filleting the seams for extra reinforcement. I installed the "sheer clamp" at least I think that is what it is called for this boat. And now I am adding floors, frame members and the centerboard case.

Glueing and clamping in the sheer clamp. Lots of spring clamps needed here.

On the centerboard there is a pivot point that is under water. I drilled an oversize hole in the centerboard and both case sides and filled them with a thickened epoxy mix to seal the wood and will re-drill to the correct size for the bushings.

Here I have re-drilled the hole. I am using a pair of bronze oarlocks as the bushing. One on each side, I cut out the rectangular shape of the oarlock so everything will sit flush to the surface. These will be epoxied and screwed into place. The larger bushings go in the centerboard case trunk log and a pin thru it all to act as an axle for the pivot.

Assembled, it looks the same on both sides.

A couple of pics of the floor and bunk frame pieces, more to follow in a few days.

The centerboard case is almost ready to go in. I just have to take care of those bushings and make sure everything is lined up properly so the board can drop without hanging up and such. Concentrate!!!

Not a lot of new

I have just been cleaning up the interior in anticipation of installing frames and structure. But it has been cold of late and cold makes me slow, and makes me want to go stand in front of the fire. Well I have in fact, been cleaning up the inside of the boat and yesterday I glued up the centerboard blank from some nice Douglas fir. I needed to get that shape established so that I can start on the centerboard case, which needs to go in before I frame up that part of the interior. Well anyway, I rolled the boat out of the shop because it is a tight fit getting to some of my machinery so I thought I'd snap a few pics while it was out in the sun.

I like the bit of tumblehome in the rear quarter.