Opening Up the Bow

[Victor]

The 1/4" mahogany-veneer sheet that covers my bow has always been rough. I finally realized it would be dust before it really looked good, what with all the old CPES and varnish in deep crevices. So I got the bright idea of removing the two sheets that cover the bow with the idea of reversing and inverting them. It might work, we'll see. If not, I can go back to the original finish or buy some new sheets and use the old ones as templates. But I want to keep the boat as original as possible.

There are 5 transverse ribs - thwarts? - from the bow to the helm. In the middle of all this is a hatch opening. This opening is in a very useful spot, but the only way to get to it is to crawl awkwardly under the two rearmost thwarts, one of which has a decorative mahogany dashboard on it.

One thing leads to another. I want more access to that opening. I could remove the two rearmost thwarts and move the helm forward. Or I could cut the centers of the two rearmost ones and the decorative piece. If I do that, what is the best way to support the remaining sections? How bout running a stringer under them?

This boat always did flex, and this would probably make it flex more, but I really don't think these are critical to its hull integrity. I think they're just there for the deck.

Please don't be condescending unless you have a real reason against doing this. That just demonstrates lack of character.

[ 06-25-2005, 10:11 PM: Message edited by: Victor ]

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

What kind of boat is it?
any photos you can post will help.

[Victor]

Oh I'm glad you responded. It's a Chetek, sold through the Montgomery Ward catalogue as the poor man's Lyman or Thompson, but this one at least has aged very well. The Land O Lakes Chapter of the ACBS is restoring one, last I heard. I'm just not sure how critical lateral rigidity is. If it were, I should think there'd be more thwarts, but there are none except in the bow.

[ 06-25-2005, 07:45 PM: Message edited by: Victor ]

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

Ah yes I've seen them at boat shows here in Ohio.
Very nice boats built much like a Lyman. :cool:

Your's must be larger than this 1959 14 footer if it has a bow hatch...no?

http://www.antiqueboat.com/boats/images/paku14-3.jpg

http://www.antiqueboat.com/boats/images/paku14-4.jpg

[ 06-25-2005, 08:17 PM: Message edited by: Mr. Know It All ]

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

must be about like this one, although they made a 17 footer called I think, a Dutchess.

http://www.acbs-bslol.com/Boatbuilders/images/2chitek4_small.jpg

[Paul Scheuer]

One of the cool things about working on old stuff is that connection I get to the original guy. Sometimes it’s the guy who did the work, and I let my mind wander into what he was thinking as he did the work, what decisions he made when he discovered a little problem, or perhaps what he felt when everything fit perfectly. What’s more instructional is what the designer was thinking, the tradeoffs he made and why.

In your case, I’d say that it occurred to the designer that the hatch would be hard to reach, but might be better than no hatch. My guess is that he also realized the need for framing aft of the opening. There’s some real magic in balancing the structures that are designed to flex. Or he may have been simply been committed to a really cool instrument panel.

I’d leave the framing as designed. Didn’t you say that you wanted to keep as much of the original as possible. In my opinion, that would include design first, materials second and actual parts third.

[Victor]

Actually I meant keeping the original wood more than modifying the layout. I removed the entire windshield assembly and never did put it back. I like her better without it. There's some rot in those thwarts so they would have to be replaced anyway. The decking trapped water beneath it.

That hatch was totally useless, although the original piece was nicely made. From that spot you can do things at the bow such as secure lines, that you just can't do from farther back.

I'm not above making some modifications, especially if they can be reversed.

That 14-footer is cute. I guess mine's 17 feet at the waterline. LOA is just under 19.

[ 06-26-2005, 11:53 AM: Message edited by: Victor ]

[Victor]

BTW I flipped over half the deck, sanded the hell out of it, then CPES'd and Bristol'd it and it came out NICE!

[Victor]

PS I actually got in touch with the old guy who made the brightwork. To him it was just a job, but after 45 years it looks like art, esp. compared to those incredibly expensive bathtubs they have at the shows. Why in the world would anyone pay that kind of money for two pieces of plastic with a coupla seats and an engine!?

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

Chetek made an 18 foot model called "Contessa".
Sounds like what you have.
Any idea what year you're boat is?

[Victor]

1960