Bow and bulkheads

Something I have learned early on in boatbuilding is that timelines quickly fall along the wayside. I had hoped to finish today everything needed in order to begin the epoxy-and-fiberglass tape gluing of the hull tomorrow. But after today, that looks like a day or two away.

I first fashioned a spacer to prop the hull at its widest spot to the proper beam of 33". Lacking a single piece of lumber long enough, I clamped two scraps from the sheer clamps together. This telescoping arrangement made it easy to make adjustments until the correct beam measurement was obtained.

Next, I ran a string from bow to stern, and used it to trim the bevels in the sheer clamps that would allow the pointed bow shape. Using a tip from the CLC web site, I ran a screw in the bow to hold things together temporarily. The string gave me a centerline along which to measure the positions for the bow and stern bulkheads. After placing them and making sure they were square to the bottom panel and the hull centerline, I drilled some holes and wired them into place. The stern bulkhead required some creative measuring, as it had a bit of "character", that is, a slight warp. But clamping a short piece of 1 x 4 straightened it out, and it was wired into place.

All this took longer than I expected. A light rain fell, which served only to make things more humid and unpleasant. So today's session was a relatively short one; more hull alignment, stitch tightening, and placement of the hanging knees next time. Since this is all a crucial part of getting a fair hull, there is no need to rush things. Total hours: 9.50.