Tag: Palm Beach 22

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Using the boat as a form–Laminating the chine

Laminating the chine
Laminating the forward portion of the chine using the frames of the boat as a form.

I’m back at work on the Palm Beach 22 mahogany runabout and glad to be making progress again.   Today I want to talk a little about using the boat itself (or what we have of it at this point) as a form to make more parts for the boat.  We’ve got all the frames in place, so now we can use that to make some of the parts for the boat.

The chine is a continuous piece that runs the length of the boat.  It has curve and twist to it, so it used to be made to fit in a wooden boat by steam bending.  But we’re laminating pieces together to make that curved chine log.  The forward section presents a particular problem in that it has considerable curve and twist. Continue reading “Using the boat as a form–Laminating the chine”

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Laminating the Stem

Laminating the stem of the Palm Beach 22 to a very tight curve requires many layers.
You can never have too many clamps!  Laminating the stem of the Palm Beach 22.  Notice the plastic sheet over the lofting board to keep glue from dropping on it.

In my last post I said I would tell you more about making the hatch in the waterproof bulkhead, and finishing it.  Well, I’m still waiting for some of the hardware, so it’s time to move on and we’ll come back to the hatch later.

Time to build the Stem of the boat!  I decided to laminate this stem because it’s easier and stronger than the traditional method of sawing it out of solid lumber pieces and bolting them together.  Laminating is just gluing together multiple layers to produce a larger piece.  It’s also used as an alternative to steam bending wood.  We’re going to do a lot of laminating on this boat.  So let’s get started.

Continue reading “Laminating the Stem”

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Building a Hatch Opening

Framed hatch and opening, almost ready to be installed.

The water-tight bulkhead forward of the engine compartment needs a hatch opening so you can access the area forward of frame 3.  We have to cut an opening and frame it and the hatch.  We’ll have to design the frame for both pieces, determine proper placement of the hinges and opening hardware, and make it waterproof. Continue reading “Building a Hatch Opening”

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Assembling the Transom Frame

Aft view
Assembled transom frame viewed from aft.

We’ve been talking about making all the pieces for the transom of our Palm Beach 22.  If you missed that part of the discussion, you can check it out at making the Transom Cheeks and Making the Transom Bows.  Now it’s time to put these parts together into a unified whole.  We need some guideposts, something to tell us how this piece should look when we’ve put it together successfully. Continue reading “Assembling the Transom Frame”

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Making the Transom Bows

Shaving to the line
Shaving the upper transom bow to the line of the deck camber.

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”

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Cutting the Transom Cheeks on the Palm Beach 22

Palm Beach 22 transom cheek
The profile view of the transom cheek.

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.

Transom cheek blank
I checked the curve of the blanks to the lofting board. If you look closely you can see the line for station 10 hugging the piece, just inside the line for station 9.

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”

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Framing the Transom of the Palm Beach 22

Transom framing for Palm Beach 22
Transom framing view from the front. The red arrow points to the transom “cheek” we’re going to build.

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”

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Just When You Think You Know What You’re Doing…

Awlwood Red stain bleed results in dark bumps that must be sanded away.

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…”

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Picking a Color for the Boat

Making a Stain Test Strip

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”

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Setting up the Palm Beach 22

Laying a batten across the frames shows high and low spots

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”