Tammie Norrie comes to Coos Bay

[Hugh MacD]

You're welcome, Ken. Always happy to throw a monkey wrench in the works to slow people down to my pace I'll have to watch the Coots calendar and see when they're headed down your way. If it's ready I'll hook up my Mirror and meet you for a beer and a sailing lesson

[KenStocker]

Hugh, I would absolutely love that! Getting some hands-on experience would be invaluable, as well as just getting to meet in person and have a beer! Let me know what you find out!

Ken

[KenStocker]

My wife has Covid, so I quarantined for the week. No symptoms for me, so lots of projects finished and a little boat time. Mostly scraping epoxy, the pictures of which...I didn't feel the need to take! (Oddly enough!) I also traced out the floors, and then re-sawed the beautiful old growth fir that I (virtually) stole in preparation for making the floorboards. 52176226040_a3cc3bce82_c.jpg52176226045_f4eb477469_c.jpg 52176050040_dd6743aced_c.jpg 52175757226_a2f18e7afe_c.jpg
Making the boards on the left into the boards on the right. A little progress, mostly while my wife slept. For me, no symptoms, negative tests. Go figure!

Ken

[Steve TN 15]

That signifies the crest has been reached and now the carpentry begins.

I was a bit confused to start with because you were calling them floor boards but it looks like you're working on the "floors", the floor boards rest on the floors.

[KenStocker]

You're right Steve, I misspoke. Then it wouldn't let me edit. So I worked a bit on both the floors, tracing out the floors on tracing paper to make some patterns, and on re-sawing the 1-1/2" fir into 3/4" thick boards. These will be trued up on the thickness planer, resulting in the 5/8" (ish) floorboards. It looks like I may have miss-calculated the length on these, before taking out the last couple of forms. Floorboards stretch from just forward of station 3 to just aft of station 7. I had estimated that these 8' long boards would be too short, requiring me to scarf all of them to add just a tad in length. It almost looks like I could cheat both of the floors, 3 & 7, an inch or two toward the center of the boat to avoid that extra step. It would require re-shaping those two floors to match the hull shape, but no big deal. Thoughts?

Ken

[Steve TN 15]

Yeah mate it's doable, shouldn't be too hard to find the new shapes from the originals.

Just make sure you mark the original positions because there might be other items for which those points are datums

[neil.henderson]

Excuse me chaps but your floorboards are, I suggest, sole boards. Picky I know but I was castigated by a real expert boat builder when I started and he persuaded me never to use floor again unless I was referring to the port<->stbd timbers that support the sole.

Of course you can continue to call them whatever you like & I will just sit & stew.......................................:-)

If you are measuring out the length of the sole planks you might want to make some bilge access hatches in them which would possibly shorten the overall length required. I have screwed down the sole boards in my Gannet and I know that there at least 2 "lost" items lying in the bilges which I caan retrieve next time I unscrew the planks.

Stewing Regards Neil

[Steve TN 15]

Now now Neil, from memory Iain calls them floor boards in his book so that's good enough for me!
Then again I may be mistaken

[KenStocker]

Now now boys, this rookie barely knows what the definition of a boat is, let alone having multiple names for any one item. Sorry for the sit and stew Neil, but I'm gonna have to go with Steve on this one. I'll try to remember sole board description for when I forget what a floorboard is. As to the access to the lost bilge items, I had considered screwing down all but the center floorboards, which could be held in place with (toggles?) See what I mean about definitions? But to your point Neil, just a shorter removable section would solve the length problem. I'll have to take some time researching this, but having the floors done first will help in laying all of this.

Ken

[Steve TN 15]

Ken, all my floor boards are secured with toggles for easy removal

[Hugh MacD]

I'm a believer in toggles. Removable flooorboards (soles, deckplates...whatever) make cleaning the boat after an outing much easier and holding those subassemblies in with toggles eliminates the screws that would have to run into structural (hence; hard-to replace) components. Boat's looking great, Ken!

[KenStocker]

Thanks Hugh! Gets more and more fun as it goes.

All right you guys, pictures of those toggles? I want to see what you did, then I'll tell you what I have in mind as a possibility.

Ken

[KenStocker]

So here's what I have been considering for the toggles for the floorboards. I have some left-over 1/2 round from the keel and bilge-runners. Contemplating using that to make my toggles. Imagine I could round over the ends and have a pretty low profile piece that would also add a bit of "bling". Whatcha think?
52194172061_ebe0104d15_c.jpg
Ken

[Mike1902]

Perfect Ken.
Eric Hvalsoe used the same material for toggles in his article about removable floorboards in the February '22 issue of Small Boats magazine.
They are low profile enough not to catch to much, which also avoids cutting recesses into the sole boards.

Cheers,
Mike.

[Hugh MacD]

Waycool! I may do that on my Shearwater

[KenStocker]

Waycool! I may do that on my Shearwater

It seems like I saw this somewhere...so you can't steal from me what I stole fair and square from someone else.


Ken

[Steve TN 15]

Ken, you can't make it prettier than mine, my toggles are just hardwood!
One thing you might consider is that I can turn mine without loosening screws so it's easy to lift the boards. You won't be able to do that with these ones however it ain't gong to be much of an inconvenience.

[KenStocker]

Worked on the patterns for the floors today, and it seems like this is harder than it should be. Got the patterns for station 4 done, and started on station 5. Couldn't figure out why they were way, way off, not near enough rocker on them. Went back and checked the pattern with the traced outline...matched. Went back and checked the traced outline to the plans...matched. It's clearly not rocket science to just shape it myself, but bugs me that it doesn't match. Did I miss the forms that much that the shape of the boat is that far off? So I dug the form out for station 5, and low and behold...
52220966166_a747314d7b_c.jpg 52220965826_50f0343994_c.jpg Not sure if the forms were off, or if I'm doing something wrong, or what. But at least I know that I have to fix it myself, and that I'm not crazy. (At least in this particular instance!)Took a batten, scribed around the form, and will go from there. Ran out of time today.

Ken

[Steve TN 15]

Ah yes, I was waiting to see if this would happen. I had the same problem!

I ended up laying a straight batten across the top over the station and measured vertically to the lands with a plumb line then plotted it out on the boards. I only used the plan patterns for the upper shape of the floors.

I did deliberately omit this detail for two reasons. I didn't think it worth you worrying about as it's easy to overcome and I wanted to see if it happened to you too so I know either the plans are wrong or the hull eases somewhat once it's off the molds.

[neil.henderson]

I marked out the floors for my CY by marking the shape off the mould frames before I laid the garboard planks on - I will cut & fit the floors after I have flipped the hull. We shall see if they fit!!

Doesn't really matter too much as long as the sole/floorboards end up looking ok.

Regards Neil

[KenStocker]

I marked out the floors for my CY by marking the shape off the mould frames before I laid the garboard planks on - I will cut & fit the floors after I have flipped the hull. We shall see if they fit!!

Doesn't really matter too much as long as the sole/floorboards end up looking ok.

Regards Neil

If I remember right, (no guarantee!) that's the way Geoff Kerr does it in his video on OCH. In fact, I think he even installs it then, which doesn't seem like a bad idea. (Says the rookie to the pro!) But your point about it looking right in the end is well taken. All too often it is good to be reminded that this is often not a matter of being sure it's not 1/16th" off from the plans, and more about looking right and being functional when all is said and done. So much different than cabinetry where that might be the difference between that drawer sticking, door not closing right, etc. Obviously there are areas where it matters, but it's often the old "fair curve" rule.
Got the patterns for station 4 & 5 done yesterday, the two that are split by the centerboard case, and I'm happy with them. Started on station 7 which is the first of the full length ones.
And Steve, holding out on me, huh? It was actually encouraging to find the problem on my own. It's a little hard as a newbie to find myself saying that the plans are wrong. Seemed presumptuous of me. But it simply wasn't working as drawn.
So, there's that!

Ken

[Edward Pearson]

To patthern for floors, as your boat now sits, just grab the cereal box from the kitchen and cut up some rectangles and fit them joggled in each plank space overlapping. Glue stick gun warmed up and at the ready. Job jobbed.

[Steve TN 15]

Well Ken, you've proven my theory that the plans don't match the hull so it works both ways.

As a side note the Lake Macquarie Classic Boat Assoc I have joined are building her more slender sister, an Acorn. The build team is making the floors now, taken off the molds before the planking started. It will be interesting to see how they fit once it's righted and molds removed.

[Edward Pearson]

Do you see why Herreshoff planked over ribs?

[KenStocker]

Finished roughing in the floors today. Still need to sand and shape a little more, but not a ton. Pretty happy with the result, especially since I was once again using material I had on hand. Not sure what it is. Had a friend that is pretty savy try to identify it, but he wasn't sure either. I wonder if it is madrone. Pretty dense (broke one band saw blade)but pretty stuff about the color of mahogany.
52241938275_ac53dabb24_c.jpg 52240467657_2ffca2073c_c.jpg

Also, just couldn't help myself...
"When building a boat, I find it helpful to label individual pieces so that they are correctly oriented. As you may notice, results often vary dramatically."
52241738509_6cd0437978_c.jpg52240467407_a752c7de3f_c.jpg
I'll show myself out...

Ken

[Steve TN 15]

I've got Barbara Streisand singing one of her greats in the back of my mind looking at those pics!

[KenStocker]

I've got Barbara Streisand singing one of her greats in the back of my mind looking at those pics!

Send in the clowns?

[Toxophilite]

Isn't it rich, Isn't it grand?
Did you use tick sticks to get your floor profiles?
That will be a handsome boat, Tammie Norrie's are beautiful

[KenStocker]

I actually used the original forms. Used a batten over that for the basic shape. Then cut proud of the line on the band saw, before sneaking up on it with the belt/disk sander. Actually worked out easier than I expected.

[Mike1902]

Hi Ken
Check out posts #378 and #379 in my thread regarding making patterns for the inner hull profile.
Hull construction shown is a battened seam but the principles are the same.
Using the hot glued tab method allows for an accurate starting point.

Cheers,
Mike.

[KenStocker]

Hi Ken
Check out posts #378 and #379 in my thread regarding making patterns for the inner hull profile.
Hull construction shown is a battened seam but the principles are the same.
Using the hot glued tab method allows for an accurate starting point.

Cheers,
Mike.

Ah, I like that! I have seen it done vertically, and somehow, probably because I'd never done it, that seemed cumbersome to me. I really like how you laid them horizontally, gives you a really precise line to follow. I think I'm past that now, but always like seeing other techniques. BTW, have been following your build closely. You are one of those guys that I turn to when I start to get a big head...you do amazing work. Thanks for posting, I've enjoyed it immensely!

Ken

[Mike1902]

Thanks Ken, glad you enjoy the thread.

Cheers,
Mike.