First dry fitting, and centerboard case work

With the jig done, it was time to fasten on the bottom of the hull. Lined up perfectly centered, the hull panel is held on with four screws through plywood pads and into two cross members on the jig.

I then squared up all the routed aligning indentations with a small chisel, and squared up the corresponding tabs on the bulkheads with a file, and then did a dry-fit of the parts.  That was pretty neat - I can really get a sense of the size and shape of the hull now!

Before gluing any of that in, I need to finalize the centerboard case.  I decided to epoxy the doublers on to the panels before installation.

The next pieces I need will be the solid stock for the ends of the case, and that's still getting epoxy coats, so is delaying the process.  But that gives me time to think about where I want hatches.  

And opportunity to keep applying fairing mix and smoothing that off the rudder and centerboard. With each iteration they get closer to done...

Dynel, Cleats, and Building Jig

Since last update I applied dynel fabric to the leading edge and bottom of the rudder and centerboard.  Dynel is reputed to have very good abrasion resistance, and I put several layers on the parts that will drag first when the water gets thin.  Shown here is the front corner of the centerboard.

I also cut, planed, and routed some stock for cleats to reinforce the joints where plywood pieces meet in the boat.  These are just plain pine boards from Menards.  I've got 80' prepared.  There are some knots in this #2 lumber, but I will just cut around those and work with the clear wood.  Yellow cedar is recommended, but not to be found around here.  I will precoat these pieces with three coats of epoxy on the sides that will not be glued to other pieces.

Then I got started assembling the building jig.  I set up the legs and started gathering pieces, 

And held them in place with some clamps, 

And spent quite a bit of time shimming and checking for level both lengthwise and crosswise.

Then I screwed the bottom to the legs, and screwed in cleats to hold the sides to the bottom.  It stiffened up very nicely and now feels sturdy.

And ended the night by placing the first boat part on the jig - the hull bottom.  I think the shop is going to start feeling pretty small soon...

Thinking about the jig

I've continued to work on the boat and thought I was getting close to starting to put some more pieces together, which means it was time to gather the jig parts and see how those fit together.

Looks like all the pieces are there.

But then I realized I didn't have lumber on hand for cleats to hold the parts together or for building legs to get the jig up off the floor to make it easier to work on the boat.  

So, I made a trip to Menards for some lumber.  I ripped some 2x4s into 2x2s for the cleats, and built some legs out of 2x6 stock.  In this photo they are stacked two high.

But at this point I reconsidered assembling the building jig right away.  I realized that it would replace my temporary bench in the best work area, and there were still some more pieces that need to be epoxy coated sooner or later, so I decided to do some more of that.  

Here the inside of the cabin roof and sides are coated.  I'm also doing the seats, cockpit sole, and sole doubler.

It's pretty comfortable working in the shop with a good fire in the stove.