In my previous post, I discussed how the lap joints work for the planking at the chine, sheer, and at the transom. I also talked about why I decided to vacuum bag each strake individually along the sides (a very time-consuming process).
I first made myself some “cheek blocks” I could attach to the sides along the edges of the transom. This let me run the plank end past the edge of the transom and screw it securely to hold it. I covered the blocks with packing tape so they would be easy to remove after the glue cured. Then saw away the plank ends and sand flush.
I was able to attach the cheeks to a temporary block screwed into the bottom of the chine (top in the picture) and one screw in the flange along the sheer that will be cut away when the deck joint is made.
With the transom, I was able to fit and glue all of the planks in one go. The shape of the transom is what allowed me to do this. The transom of this boat is simply a section of a cylinder. There are no compound curves in it. It’s a plane with one simple curve to it. That means the edges of all the planks are straight–not the case with the compound curves of the sides. The simplicity of the plank shapes, their short run, and an easy way to secure the ends of the planks during the dry fit, is what allowed me to get it all done with one glue up.
Cutting and sanding the ends flush reveals an eye sweet curve. That’s what we live for!
Looks pretty cool Tim. Next time I’m up in the Charleston area I’ll stop in and take a look. Definitely want to see it when it’s complete.
Thanks Monti. Yes, definitely drop by when you can. I hope your boat is performing well for you. I certainly enjoyed restoring it for you.