Hi Everyone...
Thought the build was going great this week...finally glued up the keel pieces...built a boat cart...and then faired the laminated keel...
Then...lol...made comments on another line "Checking-in" blog and thought---hey...I should take a look at my keel...
I realized that my keel stem and keel are WRONG...I positioned and glued the keel/stem right on station 1 line---as opposed to position it one inch forward of the line...so in the least---I will have a boat shorter by one inch...but in the worst???
My worry is that this one mistake will throw EVERYTHING else off...
DaveR suggested that I extend the NOTCH one inch further into the stem...and the "notch" on top of the stem for the deck...this will affect the bulkheads but will work????
Here is the blog WITH LOTS of photos I wrote on my woodworking forum...please take a look and give me help/feedback...THANKS...
http://lumberjocks.com/matt1970/blog/16590
I have more parts ready to go---but dont want to glue anything else up until I hear from you guys...THANKS...
Matt
(07-02-2010, 09:30 AM)Matt Denney link Wrote: [ -> ]DaveR suggested that I extend the NOTCH one inch further into the stem...and the "notch" on top of the stem for the deck...this will affect the bulkheads but will work????
Yep - that's a good solution. There's lots of room on the stem for the sides to meet up 1 inch further forward. You just need to make sure that the notch on the stem that accepts the foredeck is also 1" farther forward.
As a hint/suggestion - hold off cutting that notch until you get to the point where you are dry-fitting the deck. The angle of the forward bulkhead determines the angle of the mast - and it tucks in on one side of the deck panel joiner. If the deck is properly aligned to give the right angle for the forward bulkhead, everything should work out well.
Matt;
 As a draftsman and builder of homes for many years the foundation of the structure, or project is the most important part and if the corner stones are not in place everything from there up compounds itself all the way to the top. With our Weekender's I believe the keel and the floor to be our corner stones and foundations to success.
   Alan
lol...Alan so am I "bleeped"...should I start over? not sure how to read your comment...
One of the key things about building your own boat is you can change things if you decide to or in this case are forced to. The critical part seems to be the mast angle not the overall length. Make sure the mast angle is correct. There may be other things effected so wait a day or so to see what other advice you get. I can appreciate Matt's advice but a few years ago I used to paint the inside of houses, to make a few extra dollars, and never found a house with a room with square walls, floor or ceiling in any of the ones I painted.
Some members of this forum have lengthened their boats, some have built the boat you are without a cabin, some have changed the keel and some have went with a tiller instead of the wheel. I am sure there are other changes, those are just some that come to mind. In my case I changed the stiffeners around the cockpit. It called for 3" boards under the cockpit opening edge and I went with a 2" stiffener under and a 1" coaming on top. The edge seems stiff, the coaming should cut down on water, which has splashed on deck, flowing into the cockpit and I modified the top edge of the top rubrail to match the coaming so it looks like it was part of the design.
Matt: Don't sweat it. THe boat will turn out. Make sure your bulkhead placements are accurate. An inch or two in length will affect nothing, and the difference is accounted for when installing the side panels, which are rough-cut oversized and fitted to the "skeleton" you have.
Dave
Yeah, I made a couple of errors, which I now refer to as "modifications". My boat turned out just fine, and so will yours. After all, Matt, it's just a pointy box that doesn't leak. If you make sure there are no holes in it once you are finished, it WILL sail. Just make the same mistakes on both sides to make sure it sails straight! Even if it doesn't, that's what the rudder is there for.
No two boats are the same in any dimension so don't sweat it. From a technical stand point (for Alan) the deadwood assembly isn't especially structural on these boats. Even if it was, it would be part of a beam "assembly". All boats built like this can be considered "beams" in construction, Â much like a steel trestle bridge. The deck is the top "flange", the bulkheads "webs" for triangulation and compression, the bottom planking the "lower flange", etc.
Matt, trim your deadwood assembly up and if you're "missing" some material in places, epoxy more stock into position and machine it to shape. Epoxy is the "wood butcher's" friend, make use of it's excellent physical attributes.
Boat building is about problem solving. You'll make many "decisions" during the build process, which may seem to veer off the plans or established procedures. The sooner you get over this fundamental fact, the quicker and easier a time you'll have with each temporary road block.
Ok thanks guys...one minute I am fine...I felt so good at the end of the day seeing the keel finally smooth and ready to go until i realized my "modification". I am fine with this being an original boat...maybe they will write books about me some day...
I keep hearing the bulk head placement being critical because of the mast angle...So my plan right now is to try and build the boat bottom today per the plans...and then take a look at everything...
I have heard the following ideas:
1) Extend the notch at the keel stem one inch further.
2) Same---1/2 an inch...
3) Change nothing but make sure bulkhead placement is same...
I am thinkng regardless of 1 &2 I need to make sure that where I put the bulkheads ends up being the same place it wound have been without the mistake...since the keel curves adjusting it forward or back would effect the angle...
Ok...on we go...nothing changes today...but I should have a boat bottom...and maybe will place short stringers on bulkheads since I can do all of that alone...
matt
One thing the plans don't mention as important - since it "just works out" - is that the width of the blunt end the bottom matches the width of the keel. That way when you install the sides, they'll go smoothly from the bottom to the keel.
Part of the purpose of the slot (as I see it) is to make sure the transition of the sides is on a "meaty" part of the keel that will hold fasteners.
I vote for option 1
Options 2 or 3 will mean that you'll have to trim off the aft end of the bottom - which shouldn't matter much either - it will just make your lazrette slightly smaller - or your cockpit slightly smaller.
With 16' of boat, and inch here or there doesn't make much difference.