Not much to report

Things have slowed up over the last couple of weeks, but I try and move along with a few odds and ends as I grab some spare time. When it came to fitting the aft floor divider I found I did not have a suitable sized piece of lumber, so I am currently awaiting delivery of some more wood so that I can continue with the bottom fitting. In the meantime I have roughly cut the bottom panel to size and secured it using a few sheet rock screws.

I'm also pondering over the easiest method of fitting the chine runners; either before fitting the bottom or after. I'll update when there's something more constructive to report!

Bottom Panel scarfed

Well the cutting of the bottom panel scarfs turned out to be a beast of job. I got new blades for my electric plane and they are all now ready for scrap! I lost count of the number of times I had to regrind my hand planes, I'm sure my block plane iron is at least 10mm shorter than it was this time last week! As the plywood I have is sold as Far Eastern Ply, I have now nicknamed the bottom panel the "Beast from the East". I took advantage of the dry sunny weather we have been having to glue the panel up, as this had to be done outdoors due to lack of any other suitable space. I'm pleased to say that the panel is now glued together and now awaiting fixing.

Panels cut ready for glue

Panels glued and clamped

Fairing

I spent several hours this weekend fairing the chine logs and bulkhead floors in preparation for the fitting of the bottom. Quite a lot of material was removed, in fact I have a large bin liner full of shavings. The chines are looking nice and I just need to fair the tank dividers now and we'll be ready for the bottom.

Talking of the bottom, I decided to make a start at cutting the scarf for the bottom panel. No dimensions are given for the scarf so I decided on a 200mm overlap giving a generous 11:1 ratio. I've made a start at planning, but I see this is going to be quite a mammoth job to do by hand. During the week I hope to use my electric plane to shift a large majority of the scarf, unfortunately I discovered I had snapped a blade on it, so I need to get a replacement before I can continue. If all works out I'll be able to get the panel scarfed at the weekend end which should allow me to fit it the following weekend after it's fully cured. That all depends on the progress with the plane......