I haven't cut any wood for the hull yet, but in the process of making two models (one at 3/4":1', the other 1":1'), the hull bottom has come out a couple inches too long both times. Studying my copy of the plans (drawing 4) I read that the overall bottom length is 155-3/4", but adding up the dimensions from the drawing itself, I get 157" which is 1-1/4" over. Including the 3/8" transom thickness makes it even longer.
Adding to my confusion, I read in drawing 3 that the distance along the keel where the hull bottom attaches is supposed to be 154-3/8". Adding the 1-3/4" notch in the stem brings the dimension to 156-1/8". I believe this would work fine for the 155-3/4" dimension, but how should I compensate for the extra length in the drawing measurements? I would really like to have this figured out before I fire up my saw. Thanks.
http://kingsfoldsailboat.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Dave. That definitely answers my question. Now it is back to my drawing board...
I ran into the same type of problem when building the Triad. I ended up cutting the notch for the stem deeper then what the plans called for to adjust. If I had built according to plans the rake for the mast and angle of the front bulkhead would have been to severe. In the end it turned out just fine. I have been told many times that "boats are designed by engineers but built be craftsmen" which is not to say anything negative about engineers. I am married to an engineer. They are an interesting lot but tend to sweat the small stuff more then the rest of us.
Thanks, Terry.
Do you remember by how much you deepened the notch? Or did you set the 93 degree angle and then position the hull bottom as deeply into the stem as needed to protect the angle?
Did your change significantly affect how the hull side panels fit?
Thanks again,
Gill
Gill: Size the notch to the dimensions of the hull bottom. The front of the bottom is not critical, and being off by 1-1/2" is not going to affect the mast rake angle or the sailing characteristics of the boat. As to the side panels, you'll build to what you have: the panels are sized to the exact dimensions of YOUR BOAT, the plans are simply a rough approximation. I used 1/4" masonite to make mockups of the side panels, cut them to proper size, made sure they fit properly then transferred their outlines to the marine plywood. Worked great and also allowed me to glass the side panels before installing.
Dave
Gill,
I built a Triad not a Weekender so the mast rake might not be effected the same on your boat as mine. It would have been off by a noticable amount in my case. I set the bottom, two bulkheads and deck up with clamps then placed the mast and the difference was close to two feet at the top and the mast looked like it was a gaff. I was worried about the sail center being moved to far aft on such a small boat, the angle on the front bulkhead was also wrong if I used the planned notch cut and it looked silly so I changed it. I deepened the notch until the angle of the front bulkhead matched the plans. It changed the amount the front stem that stuck out in front of the deck and so the angle of the sides between the bottom and top of the stem. I posted, even though our boats are different, because I think you will find that sometimes things on boat plans are off a bit, drawn or printed so they are vague or just not quite to your liking but in the final analysis you as the builder have to make a decision and build the boat. To misquote Alexander Pope... "to err is human, building a boat is devine".
Terry,
Thanks for the clarification. I glibly assumed Triad was the name, not the type, of boat. My awareness of Stevenson designs is mostly limited to the Weekender/Vacationer/Pocket Cruiser collection. And I appreciate your posts.
Dave,
Thanks also to you. I really like your masonite suggestion, and that of glassing the sides ahead of time.
I hear the message from both of you that I not sweat level of precision in the plans. At the same time, I am building these models, and asking these questions, so that I have the best understanding of the plans possible (This thread resulted from my mis-reading them, not for the first time either.) And by hashing these questions out now, ahead of time, I anticipate a much smoother, and hopefully shorter construction time once I acquire the resources to buy marine plywood, epoxy resin, etc.
I painted the inside of the nose, glassed and painted the sides before attaching them also. I left a strip of bar wood for the epoxy to penetrate on the sides to get a good seal but painted the viewable areas so I didn't have to crawl into the nose area and paint. I assemble the bulkheads, bottom and deck with clamps to make sure they fit right, glued and screwed them then painted the bulkheads, bottom and deck bottom in the nose and aft compartment. After that cured I clamped on the side panels and transom, which had been steam bent to match the curve, then drew lines which let me paint the correct areas on the panels when they were unclamped laying flat. It worked out ok on that small of a boat I am not sure how well that would work on a larger one. I think if I had to do it again I would have sprayed the interiors rather then brushing and rolling them but only because they were sure cramped spaces with lots of corners and seems. Still the Interlus Brightside looks smooth as is so I shouldn't complain.
One of the more important aspects of boat building, as with most forms of construction is to "build to the work". By this I mean you will naturally have very slight deviations from the dimensions given on the plans. These could be mistakes, but also can be just as simple as the thickness of a pencil line, multiplied several times across a panel or assembly of pieces.
Lets say you made 3 measurements on a part/assembly or plywood panel, making 3 tick marks from a tape measure each time. You were as precise as practical, but each mark is a 32nd of an inch thick, so technically the end mark is 3/32" longer then the actual dimension should be. This is normal and why most boat plans, only offer dimensions down to the nearest 1/8". I take my plans down to the nearest 1/16", but it's difficult to be this precise with circular and jig saws. All these little bits of 32nd and 16th's of an inch, add up and the work has to become the plans, not what's printed on paper. This is building to the work.
An example might be the plans say the side panel should be 112" long, but after a butt joint and trimming to the line on each end of the panel, itl might actually be 112 1/8" or 112 3/16". This means if if you precut the panel to 112", you're tad short and there's a gap. The solution is to build to the work (build to what you've got), so always assume the panels need to be "fitted" and try not to be clever and precut too much. This simply means take your actual measurements from the boat and see how close they are to what the plans say. If the plans are well arranged and you've been fairly precise, than the the two should be pretty close. If not, you've probably made a mistake some place and should look around for it, but don't go insane, because sometimes you just have to live with things and continue on.
I've built boats that were several inches different, than what the plans said it's total length should be. Oops. Get over it and push on, to the next major headache, you'll have more, trust me.