BYYB Forums

I am at the point on my weekender where I am about to attach the transom and deck. But . . .
I went to notch the stem of the keel for the deck and realized that I somehow misread a measurement early on and the bow portion of my stem is too short.javascript:emoticon('')
Sad
So I ripped a portion of it apart and laminated on the proper sized bow portion. (as you can see my boat/sailing lingo is not up to snuff yet)

After making such a basic error on the keel, I am beginning to question everything on the boat. So this is what I am not sure of now:
When I measure the deck and then measure the distance from the transom to the stem cut out, the deck is about an inch too short.
Is it normal to have to bend the transom forward (towards the bow) inorder to meet the deck?? Is it even possible to do that when there is already a curve in the plywood??

Thanks in advance,
Steven Goodman
New boat name ideas "Hunk of Junk", "Sails in Circles"
Feeling a little deflated at the moment.

I had a similar issue, maybe even the same. Check this link out, and see if it makes any sense. It is from the "other" forum, but I found the oversight.

http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewt...ght=#34143

Don't lose hope, I was "throwin' stuff" mad, but the boat is working out anyway. Chin up, move on. Let me know if this is close to what you're up against.

It's lind of like that old commercial "even if you cook it wrong it comes out right". Hang in there, make your fix and it will be alright. If all else fails - Bondo. :lol:

Well Steven,
It isn't hopeless! But close! :roll:

Ok, lets see where the problem actually originates.

It might be in the angle of the stern post to the keel. A couple of builders had errors there which laid the transom back at too great an angle. Not the end of the world. I would go back to the plans and check that the stern blocks were attached at the correct angle. Again a station 13 issue but on the lofting of the keel. http://www.messing-about.com/weekender/wkFAQ.html

Most likely it is in the lofting at station 13 at the rear of the deck. It can be confusing in that the measurements on the drawing are a little confusing to a lot of builders. You are not alone so don't feel like you are alone. End result is that the deck is one inch short overall.

So...what can you do about it?

Don't try to pull the transom forward to meet the deck.


First, relax a bit.

You could change the angle of the transom, which would be the easiest way to correct for it. Cut a wedge to attach to the front side of the stern post to bring the top of the transom forward enough to meet the deck after it is attached to the main bulkhead and forward bulkhead.

Assuming that all the other lofting is done correctly, and the angle of the front bulkhead is correct (93 degrees to the bottom), as measured at 5 1/2" forward of the front bulkhead, then straightening up the transom by moving the top edge 1" forward to correct for the difference would make sense. It would have the least amount of impact on any of the major (critical) angles involved in building the boat. The stem still remains the same angle, the stern post still remains the proper angle for mounting the rudder box, but most importantly the front bulkhead will be at the correct angle so you don't end up with too much rake or too little rake in the mast box.

It may involve making up the mast box now and placing on the forward side of the front bulkhead to check the angle to the bottom of the boat at that point. Or cutting a strip of plywood 5 1/2" wide and the shape of the mast box. If this is not as on the plans, then you will have a lot of other challenges to try to compansate for along the way and the boat will not handle as well as it could/should.

This is probably the most critical angle in the building of the boat.

By doing this with the transom, you are changing about the only thing that won't make a big difference in how it looks or handles. But I wouldn't try to pull it forward on its own. You will have to take it off and install the wedge before going any further.

OR....

Install an additional inch of panel to the length of the deck by adding onto the rear edge of the deck. A bit more complicated but it has been done before. I would consider placing a wider kerfed stringer on the front side of the transom that would accomodate a "laid in" section of plywood just an inch wide cut to the curve of the transom and deck. This is hidden under the deck and won't conflict with anything in the Lazerette with the steering. A 2X6, kerfed so it lays flat under the deck and cut to the angle and curve of the transom will do it. Less involved than removing the transom to change the angle. Then the deck will be the correct length and all should come out as designed otherwise.


But then there are bound to be other solutions brought up by some of the others too. :wink:

Here is a bit of clarification on the Station 13 question regarding deck length.

http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewt...station+13

This may not be the case for you, but it has happened to a number of other builders.

A friend of mine up here in Michigan had a similar problem. We're not really sure where the problem originated, but what we did to fix it was this:

We cut apart the deck at the cockpit area ... I believe it's where the aft pieces meet the mid pieces. Of course, if you haven't assembled yet, you don't need to break this joint. Anyway, once separated, we added back in the length missing from the front, with a hefty butt joint supported underneath the deck overlapping the two original pieces. These pieces were then trimmed to match the curve of the hull and cockpit so that you wouldn't notice the joint once all the sanding, bondo, fiberglass, and paint was applied. Of course, I don't really know how the boat turned out after this as the builder has stalled on his project, and last I heard it still needs the sides on. We did take extra care setting the forward bulkhead to match the angle to ensure that the mast rake is correct on his boat, even with the possible deck position change.

That reminds me, John R., if you're still lurking on the boards, chime in, we've got to get you on the water this summer on my boat so that we can get you moving on yours again.

Easier approach to lengthening the deck. 8) And a lot less work, but I would still check the angle of the stern block first if the transom isn't attached yet.

Thank you for the quick replies.
I am feeling a bit calmer now as a good night's sleep and a little time will do.
I definitely didn't get the station 13 measurement wrong. It is discussed very often here so I did get that one right.
I think my main error was in the measurement I took to double check I had everything right. I measured from the top of the transom (while I had it tacked on) and I forgot that I would be cutting 1 7/8" off of the top for the taffrail. So by the time I adjusted for that and took a more accurate measurement, it turns out I am less than 1/2 an inch short.
For my building skills, that's actually not bad.
I just panicked a little when I discovered that I made such a bonehead error on the stem tip.
I will take your advice Barry and not glue too much more together until I determine that I will have the mastbox at the right angle.
Thanks again,
Steven Goodman

Well, that is a relief isn't it?

I'm just a little concerned however that you may have missed an important step initially. And without it you may find more frustration levels than you need.

That would be the acquisition of a good "moaning chair" to have handy, right next to the small beverage refrigerator in the boat shed. Can't tell you how often over the years I've spent many an hour mentally working thru what I thought were irreversable errors, only to find that like your transom measurement, there wasn't any real mistake at all.

So...Keep on moving, got to get this pride of the Goodman Boatshed onto the water. :wink:

Barry, I think you hit the nail on the head.
I do have the beverage fridge located nearby, but I am lacking a good moaning chair. I find it odd that even though I am generally a very calm person, this boat building thing can keep me up at night.
The worst was when I had an inkling in the back of my mind that I had counted the wrong number of pumps when I was mixing my epoxy. I'm still not sure why I went ahead and used it anyway.
That was a long night wondering if it would set up.
It did.
I must have counted the right number of pumps after all.
Hmmm, seems to be a theme here of thinking I made a mistake and then I didn't.
I think a moaning chair is a definite need.
Steven Goodman.