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When I completed drawing down the keel to the stem by bolting and epoxying the keel forward of frame #2, the keel naturally humped up just aft of frame#2 where it was previously level. Several people have written about this, but I have not found a consensus of opinion.

Did you fair the keel to make it level between #2 and #1 again or did you leave the new bend in?

It appears to me that if I fair the keel level once again, I will remove too much wood, but if I don’t, perhaps the boat will not ride correctly.

What was your experience?

In these squirt pics in the customer photos the keel looks pretty flat to me. The bulge should fair out in my opinion. You might double check your frame alignment to make sure everything is still where it should be. On the Malahini I had the same thing and it faired out as well.













In this pic you can see a little hump but, again, I think this would fair out.

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Bill

I told my wife we needed a three-car garage for my projects...she told me to ask her for permission next time before I buy a house.
http://www.unitybuild.net

The bottom photo shows the bulge or bowing effect quite well, although mine is not nearly as prominent. I have not yet applied the chines or shears so I have yet to fair anything. I believe that your opinion that the keel will fair out is probably correct. I did re-check the frame alignments and they remain true.

Thank you for your help.

For disclaimer I am buiding a Zip. When I 'dry fitted' the stem to the keel it did pretty much what it sounds like yours did. The more disconcerting part was that it then created a 'dip' between frame 2 & 4 on the keel - the 'hump' I probably could have lived with but the dip or concavity worried me. I resolved this issue by epoxying on a strongback or stiffener to the top side of the keel before connecting the stem and keel to keep the keel striaght where I thought it important. The benefits of spending time dry fitting.

A 'hump' can probably be faired out but a dip would be a tad more difficult to work out.

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This is my first, last and only boat build.

http://www.gdzipbuild.blogspot.com

Interesting. I checked the level again and the transom to frame #1 is perfect. Frame #1 to #2 is very slightly high (maybe a fifth of a bubble) at #2, but I am quite sure that it will fair out....especially since I am aware of the slight hump and will make sure that it comes out as I fair for the bottom panel between #1 and #2.

Thanks for the help.

I recently completed my 1st boat a Flying Saucer, so Im no expert, but I believe when I installed my keel, I started at the stem, and I didnt have this problem. It sounded like you started at the transome, and I could see how the wood might get distorted a bit.
Good Luck with your build

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RetroMan
Built A Zip/Flying Saucer. I do my boating on South Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY
Documenting my build on YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/SuperUnknownMC

By looking at the others it appears it might be the angle of the cut that is cut into the stem to accept the keel. It is hard to tell but it looks as if that is where the keel starts it upward travel. Have you checked to make sure that cut is level as well?

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Why not is why!

It appears that both the keel and chine batten is showing a hook towards the transom. Check your transom angle and make sure the angle is enough. If the transom is sit too upright or less than designed, this will cause the small "U" shape in the horizontal alignment or the bulge as you describe it stemming from the transom being higher on the horizontal plane.

The more angle on the actual transom the less overall vertical height, which also drops the bottom of the transom which is now facing the sky down to more of the same plane, which will probably remove the hook or "gully" thats especially showing in the keel line.

You could check the level beween each frame and see if there is a discprepancy there. Also, take a straight edge and lay it on the length of the keel to see where high or low spots are.

The cut in the stem is EXACTLY as per the plan. It indeed starts the keel upward. Any builder following the plans would have to assume that this is intentional for one reason or another.....otherwise, why draw it that way? It would be quite easy to make it level.

Again, I believe that it will fair out.

I don't think the cut is the issue as much as if your transom is set up too upright. The keel and even any battens and chines will be pushed upward towards the sky if the transom is not set at the appropiate angle or even the correct height in the alignment portion of the setup. Few boats have hooks built into the bottom. And for sure adding back a lot of fill should not be part of the build and the work that goes into creating a fair line begins in the jig portion of the build and setup. If the transom is set per plans the take a good look at the other stations. I took a quick look at the builders photos section and found these jig skeletons. I do not see and hooks or dips in them. Take a look at the same photos and simular angles thats a good sampling of other builds that Bill posted if you missed them. The bottom appears to be fair in its building stage. The fondation of any boat and its performance issues begins at the building stage and is key to create a happy "camper" on the water.

Here are a few photos of my frame setup. My frames are perfectly level and the transom is set at 12 degrees (as I am extrememly anal!). As I mentioned, the keel was perfectly level prior to pulling it down to the stem. You will see that I added spacers below the keel at frames 1 and 2 so as to get it up a little higher in order to provide more material for fairing. (I cut the notches per plan, which turned out to be too deep.) This required adjustment with spacers at the transom, frame 1 & 2 to re-establish perfect level....which was achieved.

At any rate, you can see the bulge created at the stem, but the keel is still level between the transom and frame 1. The "bulge" is a little greater than it seems to be in these photos I think, but I believe that it will fair out. I do not believe that this could be avoided......unless I were to steam the keel first. I am not sure.

Then your issue could be at the junction of the side frame and the bottom frame in the station foward of the transom. If this angle is not quite true and less than drawn, this will throw the bottom framing on the foward station off.

See you have a hook in the chine line too. So this tells us that you have either cut the station foward of the transom incorrectly or the problem is at the transom for sure, no matter how much material you may have thats extra in the keel area, if I am reading you correctly. If you are dead set that the transom is 100 percent correct in all areas, then the problem is probably at that foward station from the transom.

I think that you are looking at someone else's photos that were posted far above these. The only photos that I have posted are these three of the frames before the sheers and chines have been added.

I do see a hook in the chines in the one photo (not mine) far above. Interesting! I am going to watch for this as I continue the build this week. My steamer is now set up ad ready to go.....I hope.