Clinch nail timing

[Gordon Hafner]

I'm moving along with my Washington County peapod. Building upside down; frames have been bent over ribbands and the garboards have been bedded and screwed. Looking ahead to the subsequent lapstrake planking, the plans call for rivets for plank to frames , and clench nails through the plank laps, two between each frame. Since there are 10 planks to a side , there's not much room for clinching on the inside, to say nothing of peening a rivet. I've receive several suggestions, including using screws for plank to frame and waiting till the boat's turned over to finish the clinching. Another was to remove segments of the ribbands to see if I can make enough room to work while it's upside down. And a third was to drill and drive in the clinch nails but wait until it's turned over to finish with the clinching iron (the image of a large porcupine comes to mind with the last one). I am very open to suggestions.

Thanks.

[Peerie Maa]

Re: Clinch nail timing

I'm moving along with my Washington County peapod. Building upside down; frames have been bent over ribbands and the garboards have been bedded and screwed. Looking ahead to the subsequent lapstrake planking, the plans call for rivets for plank to frames , and clench nails through the plank laps, two between each frame. Since there are 10 planks to a side , there's not much room for clinching on the inside, to say nothing of peening a rivet. I've receive several suggestions, including using screws for plank to frame and waiting till the boat's turned over to finish the clinching. Another was to remove segments of the ribbands to see if I can make enough room to work while it's upside down. And a third was to drill and drive in the clinch nails but wait until it's turned over to finish with the clinching iron (the image of a large porcupine comes to mind with the last one). I am very open to suggestions.

Thanks.

Clinker boats used to be built right side up by professional boat builders. Some clinked the nails as they planked up, others left it until the end. They used a sack well stuffed with straw to kneel on as they worked. The straw pad was plenty thick enough to cover the nails. What is the frame spacing? I cannot visualize it being so close as to make clinking difficult.

[Yeadon]

Re: Clinch nail timing

With the boat upside down, you should be able to get clench each bay as you go. You'll only be reaching a couple inches (the width of one plank) each time, if that makes sense. After you're all done, you may need a buddy to reach up and help tighten up a few nails.

Big Food Planking.jpg

[Gordon Hafner]

Re: Clinch nail timing

Thanks for the response . The frames are 9" apart, the molds are 12" apart.

[Peerie Maa]

Re: Clinch nail timing

Thanks for the response . The frames are 9" apart, the molds are 12" apart.

So the plank nails are at 3" spacing. Normally that would be easy peasy, but as you are building over ribands and framing out before hanging plank, you may be only able to get at half the nails. So clench those you can, then flip her and make a kneeling pad and get inside her to finish the clinking and clenching.

Living proof that reinventing the wheel is not always a good thing.

[Gordon Hafner]

Re: Clinch nail timing

awesome. thanks!

[heimlaga]

Re: Clinch nail timing

One learns by making misstakes. I am making misstakes and learning all the time.

A local retired boatbuilder taught me that normally 5 or at the very most 7 molds is as much as one can use in a 20 foot boat and still have room enough to work inside. Frames and ribs are always fitted after planking for this very reason. Ribbands are not used in traditional clinker building. They would only get in the way.

Now you have what you have. Follow Nick's advice and do your best.

I would suggest that when you have turned the boat right side up you drill a row of shallow holes in a 5-6 feet long hardwood 2x4 so your helper can put your dolly in a suitable placed hole and put one end of the 2x4 against the floor and lever the dolly hard against the nail you are workin on. With this solid backing you can use a softwood block some 2x2x4 inches and a light hammer to drive the planks together besides the nail before clenching/riveting it. Do that on every unclenched/unrivited nail. Otherwise the clench nails or rivets tend to become too loose to keep the boat tight when working in the wrong order. I learned this by making a mistake and asking the old boatbuilder how to sort it out.

[heimlaga]

Re: Clinch nail timing

By the way I really like the shape of the Washington county peapod.

[Bruce Brown]

Re: Clinch nail timing

It's going to be really tough to do the clinching alone. Have you considered converting to rivets? Then at least you could go the porcupine route.

[Eric Hvalsoe]

Re: Clinch nail timing

Clenching is naturally done solo and blind. Practice on some scrap. But - ribbands do get in the way. One of my lapstrake models was set up with ribbands. I never set up lapstrake that way again, but I've built several 13's from those molds. Planking from the keel to the sheer, I can remove/and or release and slide the ribbands down, as they get in the way of blind clenching. In this instance all the fastening are clench nails. For riveting the ribs, you might want to do the porcupine thing - drive the rivit and rove, peen later with a partner after pulling the hull off the molds.