Seat backs installed

Time now to install the seat backs.  I didn't have any clamps that would work for this job (though I am thinking I will make some of the deep-reach cam clamps in the latest WoodenBoat magazine for future jobs like this), so I resorted to using screws.  This worked pretty well,

though it left a bunch of screw holes to fill.

With the seat backs in place I cut and installed the little triangle transition pieces.  The ones included with the kit didn't fit quite right, so I cut my own from scrap.  Masking tape holds the part while the epoxy cures. 

I then rounded the outer edge and filleted the inner curve and appliet a bit of fiberglass cloth.  I like the way the cloth shifts to cover complex shapes like this without the need of cutting any darts or anything.

I saturated that with epoxy.

and put a piece on the inside, too. 

And also took this opportunity to put fiberglass tape along the deck/cabin side joint. 

Here's my first pass with the fairing mixture.  It sagged a little on the vertical surface.

And here's after a bit of sanding.  This still has a ways to go before I'm done.

I then turned my attention to the reinforcing rail on the seat back.  I made this from two thin strips, so I was able to clamp them in place without steam bending.  

I first laminated them  in place on the seat back, but not glued to the seat back.  After the epoxy cured I then took the lamination off and cleaned up the bottom edge, tapered it toward the rear end, and rounded over the bottom corner with the router.  Then I took the result and glued it in place on the seat back.

I cut and fit the return on the front edge,

And trimmed the back to length. 

A little bit of sanding finished it off.

I plan to install a cap on top of this about 1/2" thick.  That will cover the exposed edge of the plywood and allow me to put a nice generous round over on to make it more comfortable to have an arm resting against.  I may also add a wider section if I find that I like to sit up on the rail.  I didn't know where the best place for that would be at this point, so that's a future item.

More hull panels and a Whoops!

I have continued to install more hull panels, and it's been rewarding to start to get a more complete feel of what this boat will look like.  

After applying a panel I come back about a day later and hit the edges of the fiberglass tape with a scraper to smooth off the rough edge.  The tape has a little structure at the edge that sticks up and is rough, and one edge is worse than the other.  The scraper made quick work of it.

And after vacuuming up the shavings we see this.  I don't intend to attempt to further smooth this out.  It's inside the storage area, and all I care about is that there are no rough edges to snag anything I store in there.  the inside of the hull panel and fiberglass tape will get one more coat of epoxy to ensure all is sealed, and then two coats Rustoleum Gloss White to finish it off.

I found that the front of the garboard panel curved across the center line due to the keel from the bow transom down to the bottom of the hull having a slight curve.  

I used a plane to trim that panel back to the center line so that it would not interfere with the panel on the starboard side.

I then took a look at where the material was removed, and how much was taken, and got out the spokeshave to make the other side look the same

After installing the panel, the front edges meet up nicely. 

Moving on to panel number two, things got a little more difficult.  The bottom hull panel rested against the hull bottom, but panel 2 doesn't have that luxury.  I ended up suspending the panel with some thin nylon straps to get it roughly into position, and then wired it on in a few places.

I then took out some wires and loosened others.

This left the hull panel hanging loose enough so that I could get under there to apply thickened epoxy to the lap joint and then tighten things up again.

So, current status is four hull panels installed, filleted, and taped.

And it's looking like a boat!

But alas, all is not perfect.  I got so into getting hull panels installed that I forgot I needed to use the seats to align the bulkheads.  I've had some issues with this plywood in that the pieces tend to warp and twist somewhat.  Not sure why that is, but the net result in this case is that all the bulkheads no longer line up with the slots in the seats.  Whoops! 

This is the worst one.  Looks like I'll need to open up the slot on one side, and fill it in with epoxy (wood flour fillet mixture) on the other.  Should not be a big deal, and the hull panel shape looks good.

My wife consoled me, saying that no one would ever notice as long as I didn't blab it all over the internet or something :-)

First panel filleted and taped - home made pastry bag

Today I got the first hull panel filleted and taped.  I decided to push the wire ties down into the crease and run my fillets over the top.  After the epoxy has cured I will snip them flush on the outside and the remainder of the wire remains in the joint.  This speeds the process because I don't have to install 'tack' fillets and then take a second pass to pull the wires, complete the fillets and apply the fiberglass tape.

I decided to use the 2-inch wide tape that that spanned the joint just fine.  There are a couple different ways to handle the application of the tape - what I did was to cut it to length before starting any epoxy and set it aside.  After the filled was run I laid the tape on top dry and smoothed it out with my fingers.  It sticks to the fillet, so you need to get it in the right place the first time.  I then wet it out with unthickened epoxy using one of the little metal handled acid brushes pictured in a previous post.  That was a little slow but allowed for good control

And the end result is clean and neat -

Even in the hard to access forward-most joint -

To get the epoxy right down in the joint where it needs to be I use a home-made pastry type bag made from a gallon zip-loc.  I fold it as shown, and tape it across the middle and along the edge.

Then turn it partway inside out and put it in a container that holds it up for filling.

I mix up my fillet mixture (here 6 pumps of epoxy, 2 plastic spoons of silica thickener, and about 4 spoons of wood flour)

And put it in the bag.

Use some type of roller to smoosh it to the corner, zip the top closed, and snip off the corner with a scissors.  Don't cut too much of the tip off!

I can refill this several times before it's too messy and I switch to a new bag.  To refill, I open the top a bit, blow it up like a balloon to separate the sides, fold over the tip and hold it with a clothespin, and then put it in the container ready to refill.

First hull panel wired!

I think this is exciting - tonight I got the first hull panel wired on and ready to epoxy!

I used a few copper wire ties, one clamp, and some bracing on the forward end to hold in in place, and it fit very nicely.  

The front end of the panel took quite a bit of force to get into position.  In this photo you can see I've got two braces running up and left against the wall to keep the bow from being pushed off to the side.  The larger C-clamp and its partially hidden twin are holding a piece of 3/4" pine against the keel plywood to keep that from flexing.  

Barely visible running off to the lower right is the brace bearing against the hull panel.  Its lower end is kept from sliding out by being against a pipe clamp that runs back to the building jig base. 

A nice fair curve is what we're looking for here...

.

Here's a close up of one of the wire ties, secured through 1/16" holes and twisted with an aviation pliers, which is made for doing just this kind of thing.

I ran out of time before I could epoxy, so that's next.  I have two different widths of fiberglass tape on hand, 2" and 3", and I need to figure out which to use.  I believe the narrower is what is recommended, but it seems very narrow compared to my previous builds, which all used the 3" tape.  I just need to double check on that before going ahead, as this is applied over the fresh fillet and wet out, all in one session.