Building Shesha, a Hunter Valley GIS, Australia

[john goodman]

What a great job. You have some great suggestions for single handed boat building.

Your build is a few steps ahead of mine, as are others, and it is great to have other builders share there concerns and building tricks.

[john goodman]

Trouble is I don't know where the bulkheads are meant to sit relative to the bottom of the chine log. I guess the height of the bulkhead is important so I'm trying to get this right. I think Bob and others had this problem too but it only revealed itself during the assembly, and there was a gap between the BH and the bottom panel.

My troubles may have stemmed from measuring the cuts for the chine log AFTER I made the side bevels. This could have changed the placement of the lines I measured. But then the instructions do say to make the bevels before going on to mention the notches for the chine logs.

To try and solve the mess I've got myself into, I laid out a side panel which have the chine logs attached. Ignoring the frame, the bottom ply edge of the BH is about 5mm from the bottom edge of the chine log. Should I trim the notches to bring the BH's bottom ply edge down to the edge of the chine log? I'm not sure which edges need to match up with each other. Is it the ply edge or the frame edge?

Heeelp!

I have beveled 1st and will notch next.

However, I don't understand what you aligned. Is the bottom of the bulkhead ply aligning with the bottom of the side panel ply?

Also, how did you attach your chine logs, clamps or screws?

[woodeneye]

Great work!

You certainly ought to feel good after bringing Shesha to life. I'm glad it went so well for you.

What was Kim's reaction? When she went to work you had a collection of parts. When she came home you had a boat!

Bob, you are right, I should have mentioned her surprise. She's been a bit of a GIS widow this past month, ever since the ply arrived, and she hasn't been much impressed by the all the bits, ie. bulkheads and ply cut-outs. Yesterday was a turning point and she was genuinely excited. I even got a congratulatory kiss and hug!

[woodeneye]

I have beveled 1st and will notch next.

However, I don't understand what you aligned. Is the bottom of the bulkhead ply aligning with the bottom of the side panel ply?

Also, how did you attach your chine logs, clamps or screws?

Hi John.
Yes, spot on! The bottom of the bulkhead ply needs to align with the bottom edge of the side panel ply. Ignore where the framing sits. The plan measurements are an average. My confusion arose because I was tired and not thinking straight. I had made the bevels, and these change the height of the bulkhead relative to the bottom edge of the side panel, therefore they need some adjustment.

[jmk89]

Bruce

Great to hear that it all came together so well and relatively easily. A real inspiration!

[Boatmik]

I was quite happy with how things went. All up, the dry fit, corrections and glue up assembly took me 7 hours, which I thought was reasonable for a single-handed effort.

A walk around the hull confirms one thing, that this is another GIS! The relief that this part of the build is now done, is considerable.

Guess what else, I’m feeling pretty good too

CR@P - I missed this - I think I will put a link to this article in the plans - it is really good and well explained. It even feels right as you read it - sort of slow and methodical but with the hidden nervous energy!

Great bit of writing Bruce.

Michael

[woodeneye]

CR@P - I missed this - I think I will put a link to this article in the plans - it is really good and well explained. It even feels right as you read it - sort of slow and methodical but with the hidden nervous energy!

Great bit of writing Bruce.

Michael

I'm kind of slower these days Mick, but I think a lot steadier and more "measured" than I once was. I find myself thinking things through more, so that I anticipate problems and usually come up with a solution when they do occur. I find slow cure epoxy is much better for the heart too

Finding that the squareness of the hull was out by 75mm though did initially put the wind up me, because my first thought was that it had something to do with a bad mistake with a bulkhead measurement. However, as your plans say, this is quite easily corrected with a push and a shove in the right places, so all is well.

Of course when I flip the hull to install the bottom, I'll do another check and if necessary use spectra cord to hold the hull straight while the bottom is glued and screwed down.

Tonight I glued the bottom together and used a staple on the edges to hold the sheets together while the butt strap was fixed in place. This worked well, so there should be no surprises when the gravity clamps come off. (By the way, those $7 electric staple/nail guns that Aldi sell from time to time are gems)

I'm starting to think that I should have bought Paulownia for the gunwale timbers instead of Hoop pine. The Hoop I have is very dense and hard, but looks fantastic when planed. I've cut my spacers from Paulownia, but still, the combined weight of the 4 Hoop pine strakes for the gunwales and inwales is quite a lot more than the Paulownia. I'm worried that they will upset the balance of the boat and cause it to be top-heavy.

The Paulownia chine logs have hardened up a lot with the epoxy coating, so denting easily is not so much of a concern any more.

Alternatively, Bunnings have some ultra light 19X45 "Meranti" that is as straight as a die and knot free. When I picked it up it felt every bit as light as the Paulownia. The only downside is the colour of it which is a sort of gray/brown, but it might finish OK. I might have another look at it and see what it looks like when wet. Any thoughts about the meranti, or am I nuts to be considering this?

[MiddleAgesMan]

The 75mm discrepancy was the largest you'll likely see. From here on you'll find the diagonal numbers getting closer and closer. You have to be vigilant right up until you fit and secure the seat/tank tops. After that there isn't a whole lot you can do to bring the measurements together.

Congrates on reaching this milestone.

[woodeneye]

Thanks guys!

16 and 17 October 2010. This is the new date for the 2010 Sydney Classic and Wooden Boat Festival. I'm seriously thinking of taking Shesha down the highway for this event. It would be great if other forum members could make it for a blast around the Harbour!

[SimonLew]

Congrats on reaching a milestone and thanks for the great writeup. I'm approaching the same stage and will definitely borrow some of your assembly techniques.

[jboats]

Congrats! Great write-up and great milestone to reach. I look forward to the day I reach that point...

[woodeneye]

Thanks guys, I'll try to keep the flow going.

Attachment 131908
My apologies for this ordinary photo. I accidentally left the camera in macro mode. Her ar**end doesn’t look so big from the front!

No bottom on yet. Will flip it tonight and start on the chine/bulkhead bevels. Assuming all the bevels are done, how long does it take to install the bottom? I just need a guestimate as I’ll probably need to double it!

I’ve made up my mind that I’m no longer going to tackle big jobs in the evenings as I’ve learned the hard way what tricks a tired brain after a big day at the office can play.

[woodeneye]

If I widen the mid seat by approximately 25mm so that it extends to the rear of the centre case slot, are there any issues apart from 25mm less crew space?

[BobWes]

I don't know about that one... might upset the fore & aft balance of things.

[woodeneye]

Just to clarify, In the pic, the red line represents the seat as per plans. The blue line represents the extended seat. 25mm or approx 1" wider.

Attachment 132300