Trying to pull it together- unwieldy hull seams

Once the hull and sides were stitched together I realized that I had a problem.  A 36" stretch just aft of the bow did not come tightly together.

This is a shot of the hull and side seam on the port side approximately 18" back from the bow.  There is a gap of about 3/8" between the pieces.  At the bow these 2 pieces touch and then there is a widening gap for about 3 feet and then the pieces approximate nicely the rest of the way to the stern.  I couldn't figure what went wrong or how to pull those pieces together (the starboard side has a similar gap but a bit wider at its widest at about 5/8"!). 

So I called CLC and Joey got on the phone.  Those guys are great.  Although, obviously, he has little experience building the pocketship, he has built boats.  So we brainstormed and we (O.K.- he) came up with a solution.  I drilled these 2 blocks onto either side of the widest area of the gap.

 This is a picture of the inside of the hull.  These are blocks that I drilled on the inside  to avoid rip out on the plywood.

I then put a C-clamp on and slowly tighened it down.  And sure enough it slowly came together!

This is shown partially tighened down but the gap is still present on the left.  This picture is a bit decieving.  The gap looks bigger than it actually is.  The dark line is actully the end edge of the hull piece.  The gap was approx. 1/16 " when finished but the edges did't line up exactly. so I needed more help.

 This picture shows the jig as suggested in the manual to pull the edges flush.  The pictures don't show it so well but the edges lined up nicely and are ready for filleting.  The starboard side will be a bit more of a challenge since its gap is wider.

The bulkheads and floors need to be finished and installed then I'll be ready to tackle the dreaded filleting.

Stay Tuned!

A Hull of A Week

Now that the hull panels are together I moved to the sides.  I'm not using a kit

and I tend to cut out pieces as I need them.  Here are a couple "floors" being epoxied.  Yes, that's my kitchen table.  It's been unusually cold here and somehow I talked my wife into letting me do these indoors one night since I was concerned about the curing time.  There is no smell so it was not obtrusive although we noticed that our goldfish and hamsters died mysteriously that night (just kidding).

 

Putting on the sides is definitely a job that would be easier with 2 people.  I was alone.  And trying to clamp the panel to the cradle while stitching was fruitless.  But it came together, with a little patience.

The bow took some wrestling put it slowly drew together and seems symmetrical.  Note the wires bent back on themselves.  My hands and arms look like I own a cat (I don't) from all the wire scratches and stabs.  I decided to bend back the ends after excessive blood loss.

This shows the inside edge of the starboard side towards the bow.  If you look closely you'll see the seam has not closed adequately yet.  I haven't yet figured out how to pull it together.  The wire doesn't seem strong enough at this point.  I've broken several overtightening.  I may need to recruit a strong neighbor.

This is floor 4 in place ready to be stitched

The view from the open stern.

Here she is peeking her nose out the garage

So now I need to cut, finish and install all "floors" and bulkheads.  Then I can work on the transom and begin filleting.  I'm amazed at each step how all of this is fitting together.  Things appear to be symmetrical and edgeds seem to be meeting the right edges.  It may sail yet!

Take a Bow

It's now time to join the fore edges of the hull panel.  A word of caution-  I tried to bend the bow pieces while dry (the wood was dry too) and while trying to be clever I clamped a C-clamp on the edge to use as a lever to bend the wood.  It was also easier to grip than the wood itself.  The edges became closer as I bent them and were just about touching when I heard a crack!  One of the sides got a small crack as I torqued it too much.  As it turns out, the crack was not critical but I cringed to think what I would have faced if I cracked the hull significanrtly.  So be gentle!  And that's why I then chose to wet the wood.

The manual suggests wetting the wood that needs to bend but doesn't mention how.  I just draped the wood in towels and poured hot water over them several times for 10-12 minutes.

 This is a closer look.  You can see the water dripping into the crease and keelson.  Luckily, my driveways is a slight incline, so the water dripped onto the driveway and out to the street.  If you use this technique, plan ahead with what to do with the dripping water.

 

The picture on the left (below) shows my first attempt after soaking the wood.  The edges got close but not there yet.  This is a job where another set of hands would have been very helpful.  I soaked the wood again and then tightened the wires and it pulled together nicely (picture on right).  The edges don't look like they're together but in fact the back corner edges are touching and the forward edges are not, as designed. I was pleased that the edges lined up nicely and the port edge was at the same height as the starboard edge.



This shows wet wood after towels.  It was over 75 degrees that day so it dried fast.



Below and right are pictures of the hull finally starting to look like a boat

You can see floor 4 in place in this picture but it has not been attached yet














I followed the advice of a few before me and put the cradle on wheels.  I had a furniture dolly
so I removed the wheels and attached them to the cradle.

 What a difference when moving the project.  I would recommend it to all.  I had mentioned that my driveway is on an incline and last week I moved the hull out on the driveway and it started moving on its own, downhill!  I was able to wrangle it with a little muscle but my boat almost took its first journey without me.

Okay- next is finishing the floors and bulkheads.  I hope to attach the sides this weekend.