Preparing the Hull for the Keel Cap

Hi folk's

Well I've started to plane the flat I have to make to bond the keel cap onto. The keel cap will cover the end grain of the veneers. I started with my power plane to rough out the shape then finished up with hand planes.

Once I have finished planing the hull I need to prep the two planks I bought for the keel cap. They need planing up and scarf joining to make a 20' plank which will then be marked out with the keel cap profile.

Keel cap

Hi guy's,

the timber I ordered for the keel and the gunnel's has arrived also the micro spheres so I can give the rough spots a quick skim.

I have marked out the width of the keel cap on the hull 2 1/2" around the centre plate tapering to 2" at stern. Going forward to the stem from the plate case I have tapered down to 2" but this will get narrower. So I will plane down until I just touch the top of the keel and try to and keep an even gap between the marked lines. I keep checking the keel for a fair curve using a batten but mainly just check by eye.

I ordered the timber sawn to save on cost so I'll plane it up by hand, it will take a bit longer but saved me about £25 that will probably buy two deck beams.

Hull patched.

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the comment you left Andrew.

I have patched the hull but the finish is just not good enough for a bright finish. I have a couple of small low spots but I'm afraid I'll sand through if I go on sanding. So I have ordered some west system filler to give these areas a light skim. It only needs a light skim where the grain is a bit coarse.

I have also ordered the timber I need to cap the keel. I ordered it sawn not planed because I'm watching the costs credit crunch and that.

I'm just going to epoxy coat the the hull and paint it red well they say red cars are faster. I'll clear finish the decks and interior.

Getting close to removing the boat from the mould now, not sure what to do with the mould. I have to move with my job at end of the year would be a shame to break it up, maybe somebody could give it a good home learn from my mistakes and build another jollyboat.

End in Sight.

hi folks,

Haven't posted for a while. Mainly still sanding but now the hull is close to fair now. That took longer than I thought it would. Still got some sanding to do but only a couple of weeks worth at the most. Then I will patch the voids using scarf jointed patches.

I will post some photos when I can.

No Clear finish.

Hi Guy's,

Well I've blown it I have found two more voids one right on the transom. These are full of epoxy but the areas of coarse grain are still there so it must go right through the veneer. Overall this side of the hull is fair still a couple of low spots but they are quite small. So I am going to use West System Micro balloons as a filler to final fair the hull.

I am disappointed but I made compromises early on mainly due to cost, time and inexperience that I am paying for now. Well I'll know next time. The one good point is I won't have so much varnishing to do though I wood still like to have a clear finish on the decks and interior.

I'll know for the next one I build.

Still no luck finding a trailer.

Well onward.

Bargain.

Hi folks,

What can I say it’s a small world? I have been looking for a band saw for a while can’t really afford a new one want to spend most of my money on what goes into the boat. Anyway I have been checking the classifieds in the Cornish Guardian which are really good by the way, you can pick up some good bargains I picked up three Stanley wood planes last year No4, No5 and No6 all in their original packaging for £50. This time I saw a Dewalt band saw for £30 it turned out the guy selling it called Duncan lived in the next street was a member of the CVDRA and had been following my boat build on the net. The saw only needs a new blade and a couple of guide bearing which cost about £5 each, also a bit of rewiring the earth bonding had pulled out in the contactor box sorted now.

Still sanding the boat almost fair on the side I’m doing have broke through all three voids now but most of the coarse areas of grain are sanded down now. The areas I don’t think I can sand down without taking too much timber off I will fill using west system micro balloons as a stopper.

All this sanding is at lease doing me some good my shoulders are toning up quite nicely just like doing press-ups for a couple of hours.

Anyway that’s all I think, onward.

Voids.

Hi folks,

Well I have run into problems. I have found three areas which have voids where the epoxy has not bonded the two layers of veneer. To be honest I knew I was going to have a problem here they are on the midships area right on the turn of the bilge. The veneer is being asked to bend in three directions at once around some very tight curves and basically what happened was that once I had stapled down the veneer and had gone home the tension on it popped the staple out and it lifted up a 1/16" of an inch just in and area of 2 inches of the joint.

I had used more epoxy than I had needed so I thought that it had filled the void I was wrong. For the most part they are only and inch in diameter and the Gougeons brothers book said I shouldn't need to sand more that a 1/16" off to get the hull fair and apart from these three areas I haven't. Anyway I almost have this side of the hull fair but I have broke through one of these voids and I still have some sanding to do to get it fair.

I still want to clear finish the hull so this leaves me with a problem. Do I rout out the affected areas and fit a scarf jointed patch or fit a batten and rout out a 2" rebate along the full lenght of the veneer and bond in a 2" spline. Either way it'll show, this needs a bit of thought.