Hello all I have but another question, I am fixing to cut my sheerline this weekend after I install my roof(finally). I plan on leaving them higher in the front than in the plans somthing like three to four inches, so I can install two Hawes holes for my anchor lines and just because it will look good to me.
My question is what is it that most folks do when triming the sheers. Slightly work them down to the transom points to keep the rubrail straight as possable?
Thank you.
Brian
"Winging it" on a sheer line is a very difficult thing to do well, especially for a novice.
I've done it many times, but the big key is to have enough room to view the boat from side (both), say at least 50'. This way you can eyeball the sheer and see the whole thing. View it from every angle you can and place marks where it's too high or low.
The best method is with a full length batten. Actually the batten should be a fewfeet longer then the boat at both ends to insure a sweet line. Use some spring clamps to hold it in position and stand way back for a look see. Eyeball from lots of different angles, as it will look fine from some, but show a "powder horn" look at other angles. Play with the position of the batten until it looks sweet and fair from every angle. This sounds easy (it is), but it takes a surprising amount of time to do.
Make the lowest point of the sheer between 2/3's to 3/4's aft of the bow. The actual low point is a matter of choice, but this will get it very close.
The sheer line itself is usually a fairly straight line from the bow back about 30% toward the stern, then a pretty sweeping curve takes it down to the low point and back up until it lands on the transom. On a boat with as much style as the Vacationer or Weekender, you'll want more up sweep at the bow, then seems usual. The transom height at the sheer is usualy 25% to 30% more then the difference between the bow height and the low point. In other words, if the difference between the bow and the low point is 10", the the transom corner will usualy be about 2.5 to 3" higher then the low point.
The biggest mistakes I see when someone tries this are: the low point is too far forward or aft, a powder horn look, the bow or stern flattens out objectionably because the batten wasn't longer then the boat, humps or hollows in the line and lastly a reverse curve, usually just aft of the bow. This is why it's a tedious task of adjusting repeatedly, until it looks right.
It's the most important line on the boat visually. It's the line the eye is first drawn to. It's the edge that makes a boat look extra salty or just "okay". The great designers have spent literally hours drawing sheer after sheer, until it looks right.
A hawser is generally done two ways, open top and as a hole. Open top is much easier to live with and use, the hole more secure. On a boat as small as these, it'll ship a fair amount of water in plunging seas or a healthy chop. They do look cool and offer a functionality.
Make sure you seal the edge very well as it's a common source for leaks and rot. Small trim rings can be had, but they aren't cheap if bronze.
Thank you Paul That's exactly what I needed to hear, ok first off after I get the roof on today I will find or make a batton longer than my boat. Thank you again mate.
One other thing I forgot to mention, support the batten ends that are past the bow and stern of the boat with sticks, so they don't droop, which will affect the line. A length of 1x2 will do and clamp the batten to it, so it too can be adjusted. Also, use as few of the clamp as you can to get the shape you want. It's much easier to find a sweet curve with fewer clamps on the batten.
Paul, do you think I could use, the longest lengths of 1x2's I can get, using as few clamps as possable,
clamp them end to end on the hull side using your methods you stated above, to obtain the sweet line?
The reason I ask is that I am trying to grasp finding or making a batton The length of this boat, And using it as the rubrail. I will probably end up using it as the bottom rail. but funds are tight at this time as I got Laid off a while back, and it would be nice to use it as both a batton for top and bottom rubrails and as the bottom rubrail ??? ;D.
Hey did I mention that I fixed my roof dilema, it was horrable, I have been sweating that for like a year.
I finnaly got fed up with worrying about it, and I did a bunch of other stuff that needed to be done to the boat, and Bam it came to me. Well I finally implemented it. I made the Parts, Cut the old stringers out and installed the new ones. I have been saving all my sander dust from the boat which is epoxy and merenti dust mixed. I have been adding it to fir wood flour.
When I mixed my epoxy, I added some of that dust to the mix and thickened it up a bit, it matches the plywood color almost perfectly, it looks as though it will be super strong. I will be installing my roof today, I would have yesterday but My services were needed elsewhere.
Wish me luck.
Brian
A batten for that job (springing a sheer line) needs to be fairly stiff, but not overly so. I'd use a 3/4" square piece of straight grained wood. I have a number of Douglas fir battens I made several years ago. They're 25' long and suit most of my needs. The smallest is 1/2" square, the largest is 1" square.
Thicker dimensions will make holding the batten more then an average spring clamp can handle, especially amidship where the curve is "quickest".
If you want to use this piece for something else, you could incorporate into a laminated rub rail or trim piece.