Dry fit continues

Warm weather in Jackson has allowed me to get back outside and push on assembly. I've been working on dry fitting the deck panels in the rear. My back deck got screwed up when I first glassed it so i had to split it into pieces to make it all fit. This left a pretty sizable gap between the deck and the side panel. I glued corecell strips to fill the gap. I also glued 3/4 coosa

board cleats along the side panels to cut the span in half.

Dry fit of rear coamings and supports.

Front deck dry fit

Starting to look like a boat with all these pieces mocked up.

Gluing in the front coaming supports. They were far down the side panel so I had to get creative with the clamping.

Back  coamings glued up with cleats in place

Glueing the rear most deck segment and supports for the next piece. Using my old world clamping method to weigh it all down.

Rear deck segments all dry fit and mocked up with hatch lids for dry fit

Dry fit mostly complete. Just a little more assembly to go.

Since it's so cold I need to get creative with the temperature control. I can only keep the kerosene heater going for so long before it starts getting expensive so I use it to heat while I work, then use cardboard and plastic to make a little make shift hot box over my area with a space heater inside

Planning for breast hook, transom knees, and gunwales!

Getting there!

Inside transom glass

I got the transom mostly done this week. 

I had a slight twis in the back. It was 1/8-1/4" out of square with the back deck at the transom. I built an elaborate strap system that allowed me the pull one side forward with my Prussik rope. Bolted to the wall in the back, so I could run a Prussik rope to pull that corner back. In ran a 20' nrs strap thru that bow loop pulling off anchor points in the floor to keep the boat where it was. I ran a side pull strap to the corner that had to go forward. Sideways pull helped align the transom  with the panel along the side panel joint. Lastly, I bolted a few pieces off wood to the ceiling joists to allow me to use spreader claps to push the transom corner down. Worked good. I got it pretty darn close. 

Weather in the high 20s allowed me to heat the shop and get this final layup done on the hull. The transom was originally made with joined 5/8 corecell. With only glass on one side it still seemed flexy. I don't know if ill ever hang a motor off the back but I decided to just build it so I could down the line. Cored the bottom transom with a smaller 3/4" coosa board piece. This creats a ledge that the back deck sits on for support. The top got a full width piece of coosa. I noticed all the commercial drift boat companies really beef up the transom tops to allow a good mounting point for a motor. I thought about hollowing sections to core with plascore for weight savings, but decided the small pieces wouldent save much in weight but would take a lot of time. 

Layup on the bottom of transom is s glass scraps between coosa and foam. Over top it's 12oz biax tape at side panel transom joint/s glass/12oz biax/10oz

On the top of transom is 6 oz between coosa and foam. Over top it's 12oz biax tape at side panel transom joint/10oz/12oz biax/6oz. The transom may get some 1/2 hardwood plates too. Haven't decided. There definatly will be a nice grab handle at the top of the transom. And a nice arc cut in the top.

Boat strapped in to square for last hull layup

Back deck dry fit on lower coosa  board support acting as a cleat

Clamping the top piece of coosa board in

Top layup in the bag.

Hull glass is done with the exception of a 6 oz layer to cover my mess up on the one side panel. That's probably a spring project. Well see...

Brr.

Its been cold here but construction has been ongoing. Here's more pics less talk

Bagging foam core for coring coamings and supports

Fitting decks, gutters and coamings

Dry boxes mostly assembled. Notice the grey strip of coosa board to mount hinges into

Fillet and taping drybox deck segments

Restored and sold my wooden drift boat. New paint and oil and lots of little fixes

Goodbye old friend

Then right back to building. Parts are stacking up everywhere but slowly finding homes

Gluing in rowers footwell floors and supports

Fitting back coamings with bulkhead in. Coamings are glued together. The footwell drybox has a removeable lid with a removeable level floor. Trying to establish a straight deck line that slopes gradually to the center of the boat.

Made one last small coaming for the front flyspeck drybox. All the other hatches were too big

Then I got bored and routed holes in the boat

Gluing in the rowers footwell

I need more clamps

Completed rowers footwell glued up with gutters and coamings

Now that it's -10 outside I had to move into the wood fired shop for a bit. Used my vacuum bag to core the hatch lids 2 at a time. Notice the coosa board coring to mount piano hinges into. Still no wood used on the boat. Top glass next, and hopefully the weather mellows so I can glass the transom inside and assemble the rest of the front and rear of the boat. The rest may have to wait for better weather in the spring. Running out of parts to make here so the end is in sight

Coamings and lids

I've been away but I've been busy in the shop. Here some more shots of molding hatch lid coamings. More dirtbag cheap molds from melamine and 2x4 covered in packing tape

Small hatch skin the mold under vacuum

Small hatch mold

Small hatch skin

Parts are literally stacking up everywhere

Skins and cores cut. Extra foam trimmed foam coamings and gutters.

If u put all the parts in place it looks like a dory

Coaming mold for small hatches. Notice the 3/8" fillet in the front trim that defines the roundover at the front of the hatch opening. Gives a nice thing for your fingertips to catch to pull the hatch open.

Epic sunset in the snake river canyon after a great lunch counter surf session

Garden is growing