Sheerclamps

The first order of business today was to create some more clamps that would be used in attaching sheerclamps to the sheerstrake. The length of the boat would require more clamps than I had on hand, even after building a Passagemaker dinghy. To supplement my supply, I used a tip from the CLC page, and made clamps from 4" Schedule 40 PVC pipe. The pipe was cut in 1.5" segments, which were then split to create an inexpensive yet useful clamp. In about an hour, I was able to turn out about 30 additional clamps.

The bottom panel was scarfed together, using the same technique as described yesterday for the side panels. The panel was masked on either side of the joint with clear packing tape, then the scarf joint was coated with silica-thickened epoxy. The two pieces of the panel were joined and the panel aligned before being weighted with 2-1/2 gallons of Eipersbräu minikegs.

Next, the sheerclamps were attached to the sheer panel. Careful consultation of the instruction manual was required to make sure the sheerclamp was attached to the correct edge of each panel. The edge was coated with thickened epoxy, the clamps placed and aligned, then clamped down and epoxy drips were wiped up. This completes the prep work of hull parts; stitching of the hull is the next task. Total hours 3.50.