SCAMP #434 Build - April Progress Report

As I was away for most of February and March no progress to report for those months but now back home I am trying to spend time every day in the boat shop.

Three days into backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon - about as far away from boat shop as one can get!

The theme seems to be lots of little jobs...

Drilled the pivot holes in the centreboard trunk (with doublers) after careful alignment epoxied in the 3/4" OD X 1/2" ID bronze bushings.  Fabricated pivot bolt covers - port to be permanent and starboard to be removable for access to the bolt.

My drill press not deep enough for the trunk but neighours just fit

Same for centreboard

Bushings trimmed to length and sides scuffed for grabbing epoxy

1/2" SS bolt cut to length and inserted 

Pivot bolt cover  - still needs epoxy sealing 

The centreboard case glued up and after much dry fitting and tab trimming bulkheads four to seven and the cockpit longitudinals were glued into place.

A little weigh required to hold parts tight while epoxy sets up

Mast trunk sealed, assembled, 2" fibreglass cloth added to edges for strength and epoxy fillets applied to inside and base.

Big enough clamps?

Inside fillets

Epoxy fillets applied to bulkheads and longitudinals.  Duckworks fillet mixture worked great in conjunction with my modified (1/2" radius and angled) plastic spreader.  I just glopped it on with a mixing stick and spread it in on motion.

Reenactment on dried fillet

Cleats glued and screwed to bulkheads.

Cleats fitted, counter sinks drilled, glued, clamped and screwed

Bow bulkhead and transom edges beveled for plank attachment

Block plane and sanding block work

Checking the bevel

Decided to glass the bow and transom while these pieces are horizontal

To be knife trimmed when semi set

Epoxied the mast trunk to bulkhead three

such a snug fit, no clamps required

Dry fit then ;permanent fit stem and bulkhead two and three.  Fillets all around.

Camera angle makes bulkheads look out of plumb but they are not

Dry fit the water tank doublers and marked out the drain location.  Bronze fitting flange fits perfectly into a 2" holesaw hole and the neck fits perfectly into a 1" one.  First drill pilot hole through both doubler and hull with doubler in place.  Drill the 2" and 1" with hole saws using the pilot hole so everything lines up.

Drilling pilot hole

2" doubler hole using drill press

Nice

Glued and filleted the ballast tank doublers.

Beams - cabin and deck.  I had some lovely fir 1 x 2 that was intended for rub rails on my last boat and has been in the corner of my garage for the past 15 years.  Re-purposed for study beams.  Dry fit only because I realized the veranda floor will not fit in with beams in place.

Glued a 9 mm plywood spacer for added strength to deck beams

Cabin beams notched to fit

Foot well dilemma - the plans call for an 18" long foot well and a bulkhead is supplied for this.  If the floor is extended back to the bulkhead six the foot well becomes 26".  I am leaning towards the longer version for comfort (captain and crew 6'1 and 6'2" respectively) and I think it looks more natural also.  I installed the seat and climbed aboard with both versions and confirmed larger seems better for me. 

Decided to go with the longer foot well so ripped a bit off the bulkhead so it could be doubled onto bulkhead six.  For access and ventilation of this chamber I will be installing a 4" 'pry out' style hatch onto the forward fall of bulkhead.

Dry fit

Two sealing coats of epoxy

Installing doubler - what an eclectic clamp collection 

Gluing up the transom doubler (after routing a radius on edges).