I was lucky to be unhampered by bad weather throughout the fall, but knowing what was coming, I installed a 5,000 watt ceiling mounted electric heater in the shop. Previously, I got by with two small electric/oil radiator type heaters, not adequate when the outside temperature is below 25 degrees. The new heater works great and will allow me to keep the shop at the right temp when I glass the hull.
I glued the last two strips in place on Christmas eve and toasted the occasion with friends, family, and some very stiff eggnog. A hull at last! Christmas morning was spent drinking coffee and planing my next move. I decided the hull will be easier to glass before I apply the skeg. Later on, after the centerboard trunk is installed, I have to flip the boat again to glass the joint. I'll apply the skeg, bottom rub rail, and outer stem at that time.
Fairing the hull
While boat building is new to me, shaping wood is not. I was a professional cabinet maker and luthier for many years, and I've turned a lot of wood to dust. Weather you are building furniture, guitars, or boats, the process of preparing the product for finish is basically the same. I want to be as efficient as possible and use the tool that allows me to remove the most material in a controlled way. Starting with hand planes and spokeshaves and ending with scrapers and sandpaper. I don't advocate the use of electric sanders for fairing the hull. It can be done if you're careful, but it is easy to create dips or ripples that will show up later, after the glass is applied.
I worked my way along, starting at the transom and switching sides periodically, being careful to remove material evenly. It is important to constantly feel the surface for high spots and waves, keeping an eye on the symmetry. The key is to keep moving and not fixate on one area.
The cabinet scraper is a great tool if you know how to sharpen it. Lots of folks spend way too much time sanding when they could be using a scraper. For me, scraping is preferable to sanding and, if done properly, leaves a glass like finish. I keep a variety of scrapers in different shapes and thicknesses. The scraper is the perfect tool for dealing with curves.
I'm currently at about 80% with the fairing. Since I began the planking process in October the mahogany has darkened considerably, making it very easy to see the low spots. The emerging hull is an amazing thing, graceful, with sweeping curves and a distinct fish like quality. I love it!
Hi Tim, really nice mellonseed your building. I too am a guitar builder who is currently building a boat.
ReplyDeleteHave a look if you like. http://sailboatforme.blogspot.com/