June, July and August '02
Progress was slow. Took a few weeks off of boatbuilding for work, vacation
and chores. Ripped and pre-beveled chine logs to be installed in 2 pieces.
Butt joint between frame 5 and 6. Clamped chine into place with pipe
clamps. With some shimming (5 frames total, usually 1/16 and
1/8 the chines looked good. Scribed forward chine to stem, cut and plane to
fit. Very happy with result. With wife's help drew the chines up tight to the frame with clamps over 2 day period, wetting by boiling water over wrapped towels periodically. When the wood seemed dry
I mixed some epoxy and clamped up alternating each side and frame. Temperatures have been in the 90's and the epoxy sets up quickly. I don't mind mixing fresh batch but it becomes very runny so I've started using a filler with structural properties.
On to the sheer clamps. These were a real horror show for me, certainly the most frustrating so far. Because of space limitations, I have about 30" of space between the port side of the boat and my house. A wood clamp pulled the sheer tight to the rear of the breasthook and a screw through the brace and into the stem pulled the front of the sheer mostly tight. If I had to do it all over again I would consider laminated sheers. Before glue up I noticed a small crack in the chine at frame 12. The is the tightest curve and the crack obviously was created by drilling and setting the screw. Because the crack runs to the outside and forward it seemed clear it would not get any worse but I was very depressed. I asked Glen-L about this and Barry suggested I could sister a piece of wood to the inside of the frame as an acceptable repair. I also epoxied in a piece on the bottom for good measure.
I checked the chine and sheer lines to see how the planking would sit. A straight edge against the chine and sheer mated flat against the stem. Same was true at frame 12 and all points aft. However the sheer twisted to a more vertical position between the stem and frame 12 to a maximum 3/4" at the mid point. Glen-L suggested adding laminations, usually on the inside, and fairing the outside. In my case I added them to the outside in 1/4" thick strips and then began a major campaign of fairing. Belt sander, jack plane, and block plane, checking regularly with straight edge for a good fit. Took off half the wood I added but in the end it seems right and looks right. Some over zealous sanding required a patch of epoxy and filler to fill out the dip.
