thoughts for the floorboards?

[kng]

Hi I would like to know what do you think of building the floorboards taking the frames curvature or to build them straight... if I made this way I lose 5" or 6" in the centerline...

what do you think ?? in Iain´s plans at the keel version there is a drawin where shows the floorboards landing on the frames curvature... but I would like to know your opinion... thanks.
cheers.
Emiliano.

[Pete Dorr]

Do you mean by following the frames curvature that you will end up with a spoon shaped bottom ?

If so I'd say that might be annoying if there were no flat space at all on the floor.

Maybe a compromise where you have a decent amount of flat floor and then a little bit follows the curve up on each side.

[kng]

Yes Pete that´s what I was asking... you have to think that there are 31" more or less of space between the berths... and the 5" or 6" that I would lose would be at the center line... maybe it is not worthwhile to make a curved floor, I really don´t know what to do... I think the curved floor will be easy to build.. and will not have breaks along the center line because of the natural curve of the keel..
do you think that 5" or 6" inches at middle aren´t too necesary ?
thank you !!
Emiliano.

[Pete Dorr]

it would be pretty easy to mock up the flat floor with some 1x stock and a piece of ply or two.

Try that and see how it looks/feels.

[Don Kurylko]

How about lowering the floor beams so that you have 12 to 18 inches of flat cabin sole along the centre line, and then filling out the remaining area with floor boards (ceiling) lying along the frames? That way, you still have plenty of horizontal surface for “walking” about on at 0 degrees of heel and an inclined surface for bracing yourself on when she’s sailing on her ear. Might be a good compromise.

However, if you have no standing headroom at all, then following the frames is probably best, as Ian intended. You won’t even miss the horizontal sole, if you can’t walk upright on it in the first place.

[kng]

Thanks Pete and Don... I think I will go with the curved floor... as you say I won´t walk inside and when the boat is sailing at an angle I will still have that surface you were talking about Don...
thank you very much !!
Emiliano.

[chuckm]

Greeting Emiliano; Has any one else built the Keel version. You may be the first? Your method of transfering the slotted lines' needed for additional floors, directly off the clinker hull was ingenous. You then cut with solid wood, no need to laminate, correct? Thanks again Chuck

[OEX]

I sail a similar size boat. A flat floor is better in my opinion since it allows you to keep things on the floor without everything settling to low point. You may say you will not have things on the floor, but I think that changes, especially with single-handed sailing. Maybe look into a stepped floor, i.e the middle a bit deeper and the edges have a small step running fore-aft. Also consider your feet and ankle angle. A bit of a pain to have your feet pointing down relative to you ankle/leg line. These might be minor points though. Either way I would build it so you could go back to flat if you wished---keep your options open....

Much more to the point I think is where will you put you wine and beer if you take the 5" away :( That would worry me to no end :D

Cheers, Bruce
WBRF Admin

[ 01-20-2006, 06:13 PM: Message edited by: OEX ]

[kng]

Hi !! thanks Bruce... the beer is a good point!! smile.gif but you are right... about the things on the floor... also while at the marina without movement may be it´s important to have a flat surface inside... I will keep on thinking and trying in place and I will see if there is too much difference... but all the advices help me figure out diferent things... thank you very much !!
Chuckm how are you?? yes you are right I had made the additional frames from 3 glued layers of 3/4" plywood... glued vertical if the term is right.. it is not a very pure building but it´s ok for me..whit more work you could laminate them without trouble.. or made from solid wood as you say but that way I don´t know very well how they will work, thinking about the strength of the veneers.
I really don´t know if I will be the first building the keel version... by internet I hadn´t found an other... it will be wonderful to hear from other Grey Seal´s, in the future I will try to translate my web site... maybe this way I will catch the atention of other builders.. because I have visitors from all the world... but very poor feedback or comunication with them...

thanks again !!
cheers.
Emiliano.

[OEX]

Emiliano, I love the boat your building and language is not n issue to anyone that speaks "boat", but I am wondering how many of these designs are being built and of those how many are on-line. Sometimes it seems you have to get a bit vocal on this forum to get more notice. Maybe if you started a club website, or....? You are welcome to post your progress on my site (Wooden Boat Rescue Foundation), but you already have people (me) looking at your work.

I am starting to see more clearly that the world of wooden boats is no mystery and the image of the old salt is just not real. -------Build it, as you need it--- as it seems logical to you. Who will be sailing it; you will. In the end it does not matter outside of that.

I error on the side of over building in hopes that that will cover my inexperience and the lack of help that I cannot get from others. Just think what boat building information exchange was like before the telephone or post or….--- boats around the world worked and those builders never spoke to one another….common human logic or trail and error, or evolution...? Call it what you want.

Cheers and I cannot wait for more pix. I think of building Grey Seal or Enu Mara all the time.

Bruce