Boat Repair, Restoration, Building
Building a Palm Beach 22 mahogany runabout designed by Nelson Zimmer
The transom bows are the curved top and bottom pieces that give you the shape of that beautiful transom you see on classic runabouts. Nelson Zimmer’s plan calls for a 5 foot radius curve. He also calls for a deck crown or “camber” of 2-1/2 inches at the transom.
So we’ve got two pieces to make, bent to a 5 foot radius. And the top one has to have a curve cut on top of it to support the crown of the deck as well. Continue reading “Making the Transom Bows”
It seems like forever since I talked about working on the Palm Beach 22 in this space. Intervening boat repairs do have a way of taking up time here at the boatworks! Anyway, when we left off I was talking about the plan for framing the transom. I had made up 2 blanks with the curve of the transom cheeks. You can read about it here.
You can see the blank laminated to the curve here. Now it’s time to cut the compound curve out of this blank. Remember this piece not only curves inboard, it also curves aft when you look at it from the side. Take a look at Zimmer’s drawing again. It’s at the top of this post. Continue reading “Cutting the Transom Cheeks on the Palm Beach 22”
We’ve got all the frames built and set up. But we’ve still got to frame the transom of the Palm Beach 22. We’ll build the framework and add it to our setup so we can begin planking. The picture above is a rendering of what our framework should look like. Note that I’ve pointed out a particular piece I call the transom “cheek”. You can see the transom curves inward at the top (called “Tumblehome”). This is part of the signature look of a mahogany runabout. Continue reading “Framing the Transom of the Palm Beach 22”
You find out there’s more to know.
Well, that’s often the case here at Ashley River Boatworks, anyway. In my last post, I talked about making a test strip to decide what stain and finish options to use in the Palm Beach 22 runabout we’re building. I wanted to test some conventional oil based stains next to a new staining system by Awlgrip that I used on a previous project–a restoration of a 1949 Chris Craft runabout. Continue reading “Just When You Think You Know What You’re Doing…”
It’s not too early to start thinking about the finishing program for this boat. I know, it seems ridiculous to be thinking about this at such an early stage, but I want to test several different options for varnishes and urethane clear coats for durability. Considering the effort that goes into finishing, it’s worth gathering a little empirical data to help make the decision. Continue reading “Picking a Color for the Boat”
Once you have the frames made, you have to set them up in the right position. Oddly enough, this process is called “Setting up”. (See, there are actually some terms in boatbuilding that are self-explanatory!) The primary thing is to get the frames secured exactly the correct distance from each other and at the proper level. You do this by using guidelines that you’ve transferred from your patterns and lofting to the frames themselves. For instance, you draw the center line on each frame, and align it under a string line on your strongback. Also, you can attach a cross spall to each frame at, say, the +24″ waterline. Then line these up as you erect the frames. Continue reading “Setting up the Palm Beach 22”
As you can see in the above picture, we’re starting to compile a nice set of frames for the Palm Beach 22. If you’ve forgotten what this boat is supposed to look like, you can check out the plans here. At any rate, you can see the frames have notches in them for battens that run the length of the hull. And as luck would have it, one of these notches is over the top of the 1-1/8″ wide x 6-1/2″ deep stringer. The frames are to be held fast to the stringers with 1/4″ carriage bolts. That means drilling and counter boring holes through the frames and the stringers. That presents us with two problems. The first is how to drill that long hole through both the frame and stringer. That’s a tough one to just eye-ball without accidentally coming out the side of the stringer. How would you do it? Continue reading “Solution to a Vexing Problem”
Now that we have corrected the patterns (see previous post), we’re ready to use them to cut out our frames for the boat. It’s a straightforward and repetitive process. Continue reading “Making the Frames”
I was able to get full size plans for the frames of this design from a fellow in New Zealand. Using his CAD files, I was able to use a CNC (computer numerical control) router to cut out patterns for me to use in cutting out the frames. Sounds like a nifty process, doesn’t it? Well nothing is ever as easy as it seems. Continue reading “Patterns for the Frames”
One of the problems any woodworker faces is the fact that wood can move on you. In the photo above, you can see how a “practice stringer” I cut curved like the dickens! I suspected it might do this, which is why I cut out the practice piece. You see, cutting a board will often release tension in the wood. That’s why a board can close up and pinch your saw sometimes causing it to buck. Continue reading “Wood Moves!–How to Cope”