Thread: Florida Panhandle GIS Yawl

Looking good Rod. I like those gunwales!

Bruce, I have found such a huge variance in the time it takes to build a boat, and in my business I get asked the question daily. The answer is always a range. It is tricky for pro's too as they have a lot of distractions esp. if they are the boss...phone calls, visitors, and juggling multiple projects are examples. For beginners, uncertainty and not wanting to screw up are the main things that slow folks down.

I think Rod's decision to press on was just right. It is good to remember that this is a pretty big boat to build without any building jig. A building jig helps with accuracy but takes time to set up. It makes sense for repeated builds. If I had to build more then a couple GISs, I'd likely make a jig. The trade-off for the quick one-off job is that things slip out of alignment. I fussed a lot too...I think I pulled screws on BHD 1 and or 2 and reset them. In my case being accurate was important, so I took the extra time. The shape of the GIS is dramatic in way of Bhd 1 and 2 so these places offer the most trouble.

One key to remember is to let the bottom with accurate centerline align the hull sides. Try to get the CL's on BHDs to hit the bottom CL, and all is good. Also, really be sure there is no twist in the hull before attaching bottom. After the bottom is on, level the boat athwart ships from bow to stern, or sight down the boat with 'winding sticks' to "level" the boat. In the photo you can see some lead bags on the bottom left corner...pushing it down to take out some stubborn twist. My boat was quite wracked immediately in the rear...it took a while to figure out, eventually I just forced the twist out with this lead weight (50 lbs).


Bottom of GIS by Clint Chase Boatbuilder, on Flickr

Roddy, I notice you have all spring clamps for the rails. There is a lot of twist in the rails from the midship frame fwd. Your spring clamps will likely not be strong enough to twist the rails to hug the boat. You may need some bar clamps. It is also good to have a few choice screws to keep the rails from sliding up. Esp. with the rabbeted gunwales you have, it is important to make sure the gunwale is seated firmly on top of the sheer.