Fastening Floorboards

[Ron Hotchin]

I'm looking for a simple way of fastening the floorboards on my Catbird 16 so they can be removed easily, but so they will be secure just in case my masts ever go horizontal (not that it would ever happen, of course!). The boards will be in four sections, each with transverse framing underneath joining the boards in each section. I'd rather not screw them into the boat frames if I can help it; some kind of a toggle system might be nice. I did a search of the forum, past issues of Woodenboat and the various books I have but didn't turn up anything. Any elegant ideas out there?

[mmd]

Yes.

[mmd]

My wife made me do that .. she's a s**t disturber. Actually, she's a school teacher and you know how fussy THEY are !!! :D

(Real answer to follow as soon as I finish my "chores" - gotta put the BBQ away.)

[ 07-06-2002, 08:43 PM: Message edited by: mmd ]

[mmd]

Ooops! Sorry about the delay - I got side-tracked. A slick floorboard holder-downer that I saw at a friend's boatshop was a simple toggle mounted on a screw. The toggle was of mahogany, as were the floorboards, and the screw passed thru the toggle and thru a small dowel and into the keelson on centreline. There were two per floorboard assembly, fore & aft. The four floorboards of the portable assembly were mounted on transverse rails with a gap between each plank for drainage. There were two floorboards permanently mounted P & S to the frames outboard of the floorboard assembly. The centre gap between floorboard planks was expanded in way of the toggle to allow the floorboards to lift up over the toggle when in the "unlocked" position. When in place, a 90 degree turn of the toggles locked the floorboard assembly in place. The toggles were located under the thwarts so they weren't toe-stabbers. The toggles themselves were shaped carefully to be easy to get purchase on top, but slightly rounded on the bottom. The real slick part was the mechanism to keep the toggle in place when "locked" - two lines of thickened epoxy were painted on (repeatedly, I think) to make ridges with a valley between into which the toggle fit. Once turned to fit in the "valley", the toggle didn't easily turn without human assistance, and when the ridges wear down, you just paint on another line of epoxy to bring it back up to proper height.

[Ron Hotchin]

Thanks, I appreciate the idea, especially since it came from just around the corner. I'm also considering small stainless steel plates fastened vertically on the side of the bedlogs, so they would poke through slots in the floorboards. Small hole drilled in the protruding part of the plate and secured with a keeper ring. The wooden toggles you suggest would be more in keeping with the character of the boat, though. In any case I plan on having the sections to the sides of the trunk overlap the sections forward and rearward to hold them down. Any more designs out there?

[TomRobb]

I'd avoid anything that sticks out/up very far. Trip hazard. :(
Nice wood or brass half-round turnbuttons are traditional, cheap, seamanlike.
Or if you're into techno-trick, how about Dzuse fasteners?

[ 07-13-2002, 02:45 PM: Message edited by: TomRobb ]

[reddog]

Ron;
I'm with mmd and Tom on the turnbuttons.Unless you are wearing steel toed sailing shoes anything that protrudes into the cockpit is guaranteed to stub a toe.Speaking from experience.Ouch!
All the best;Earl