This first picture is the start of Stella and the first two strips being laid. The sheer strip is the first (dark) strip and it's very, very important that you place this strip exactly, as it will define the fair of your hull, along with how you've already set up your forms. Taking extra time and having patience in these first few steps are key!!
You'll notice all the spring clamps. This is because I'm doing a "stapleless build" with this boat. I'm using a combination of the spring clamps along with home-made "L" brackets made out of leftover 1/2" particle board to hold the strips to the forms. I just couldn't bear the thought of putting a bajillion holes in the beautiful wood with staples. It might be a little extra work, but well worth it in the end. I have seen boats that were built with the staple method, and although they were nice looking from a distance, up close you can see every hole and it looks awful! I am also using 1-1/2" painters tape in between the stations where I clamp to ensure a nice tight fit of the cove and bead joint. I rip the tape long and am able to re-use each piece several times, so I save on waste. The other thing I have done, was I made a trip down to a local bike shop and scavenged a bunch of old bicycle tubes and use them like giant rubber bands (particularly on the stern and bow) and you can't beat FREE!!! If it's free, it's me!
More of the same. As you continue stripping the hull, you'll develop your own technique as to how you like to do things. There is always more than one way to skin a cat. If you think of a better way, let me know!
Above is a shot of the bow after several strips have been laid. The bow and stern take a little extra time, but once you figure out how they go on, the strips lay in quite nicely. One thing I do while I'm laying strips, is I have a few damp rags spaced out along the form and wipe any excess glue squeeze-out while I clamp the strip into place. This will save you time later in your sanding as well. ALSO, don't forget to wipe the excess glue from the inside of your hull!Buildin a boat is incredibly fun, but it also takes patience....so when you find that you're running out of it, take a break, go for a ride and come back to it later! Then you won't have to fix stuff that went wrong while you were not so mentally stable!!!
A beautiful spring day in Montana! I'll continue with this another night! Caio!!!
1 comment:
ummm. Looks like not much has happened there for the last couple of weeks. Maybe you should get busy or all the water will be gone when you get around to trying to get those ladies wet!
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