More Deck Strips.

 

The cockpit is starting to take shape - with some imagination.

Maybe my sketchy sketch helps.  Or maybe it doesn't.

Progress continues  - I ran out of the good green tape so down to the reserve  - the blue does not stick very well to the wood and has often lifted when I come back to the job after allowing time for the glue to dry.

The Centre row of strips is getting wider. And the edges are closing in.

Shot from the Bow.

At this point there are no full length strips left.  One of the strips had a dodgy cove but has been glued on making it interesting to find a way to get the next strip on...

Also out of masking tape and glue and need some 80 grit but we are still in stage four covid lockdown here so might be time to do an online order.

Filling in the Deck and changing the strip pattern.

A light sand on the top of the bow gives some indication of the way she might look.  

Look closely here on the side of the bow and you can see some filler strips....

I also filles some of the larger gaps with offcuts shaped as graving pieces at this point.

 

Templates for the Cockpit and Hatches were cut out from the paper image supplied with the plans and glued to hardwood ply as a template, then the template was traced onto 3mm ply and duplicated to produce what you see here.

These templates give a really good idea of what the finished product might look like.  More importantly the cockpit template allows the planking to be done efficiently by stopping the planks just inside the cockpit area.  The hatches will not be cut out of the boat until after she is glassed.

Now that the strips have come up the sides to the height of the cockpit we change from straight strips coming up from the waterline to a 'herringbone pattern with a strip added to the centre pieces and then one on the 'outside' alternately.

First Herringbone strip.

And the second

And the stern.  Keeping the twist while the glue dries. :)

More of the deck

Originally posted 17th July 2020

Stern

Bow port side.  I have made a mistake here.   The first three strips under the decorative strips turn in too early and they will require some patch work.  - More to follow on that later.

Bow, Starboard side.  There is a slight bow on this side with the first and second strips not tight on the form, accentuating the issue on the other side.  So this side it 'fat' and the other side 'skinny'.  I may be able to correct this later.

It doesnt look like it but there are six stips on the top half here.