The bottom of the boat is made up of two plies or layers. The inner was originally 3/32″ thick by 6 to 8-inch strips, followed by a layer of canvas impregnated with boatyard bedding compound, followed by 1/2″ longitudinal mahogany planks. This ended up being a 5/8″ thick bottom that did not need to soak up water and swell to a tight, leak-proof fit, like traditional wooden boats do.
We’re replacing the inner ply with 1/8″ marine plywood, then bedding the 1/2″ mahogany planks in epoxy, thereby eliminating the need for the canvas layer which would dry out in about 3-5 years anyway and start leaking. Our new bottom should have a life of about 30 years or longer if properly cared-for.
So the first step in that process is to fit the plywood to the bottom frame. Starting at the aft end, we lay an 8 foot piece up and cut it to the outside of the framework. As we get further forward, we’ll start laying in 6″ wide strips at a 45° angle to the keel to fit the curve of the forward bottom.
The edges of the forward strips are held adjacent to each other with the aid of the intermediate frames which we steam-bent to conform to the curve of the hull some time ago in Using the Boat as a Form.
After fitting, take it all off, seal the inner face and edges with CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer), and glue it in place with epoxy. I use 5200 instead of epoxy along the keel for its better elongation properties. All of this is held in place with monel (look it up–it’s a very corrosion-resistant metal) staples.
Coming along nicely, Mr Taylor. These updates are always a good vocabulary lesson, too!
Thank you Lisa! And I’m glad you’re enjoying the vocabulary.
Tim