Glen-L.com

I think what you have there will be fine. Draw a center-line on the strongback and fair the center-line out to the point of the bow using the slope of the strongback as a guide. You want to keep this slope in line with the natural slope the strong-back is taking, then just project it through the breasthook . Then you will fair the breasthook and shears to maintain the smooth transition back to frame 5 1/2. In fairing, it is easiest to fair small areas like frame junctures, then note the shape and fair into the areas while transitioning the angle so they all smoothly blend together. No humps or dips.

When I mentioned filling in a void at the end of your strongback, I was thinking you might have a small void when your projected center-line leaves the end of the strong-back to reach the breasthook. You blunted the end of your strongback where I cut mine to a sharp chisel edge. I did not want to fair the strongback so I could leave the natural slope of the wood transition right into the breasthook and fair the breasthook into the strongback. You're fine in how you did it, just has the potential for a slight void at the end of the strongback that you might want to fill. No big deal. Better to leave the small void and not try to fair too much off the breasthook and strongback leaving you with a hump in that area that will be difficult to fit the decking.

Test fitting a small piece of ply will help you see high and low spots that you need to smooth out to get a good deck fit. Again, this is slow going and don't get too aggressive.

Roberta

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Roberta
Built Zip "Oliver IV" and Super Spartan "Jimmy 70"

Looks good Jeff. In short, yes, you will fair the sides of the strongback a little. Kinda like fairing the keel but be careful not to take off too much material. I took the most off in the forward first foot then not much at all further aft maybe 1/8". I used the belt sander for this.

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My Zip build log...
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"Nothing screams poor craftsmanship like wrinkles in your duct tape."

I wonder how these boats got built before computor's and forums and digitial camera's
Thanks for all the help.

I think that if I ever build another boat I will devise a building jig that allows me to turn the boat over and finish all the frame work and fairing at once. Then do the planking. I have a friend at a place that I but wood from that is building a 1939 gentlemens racer.
That is what he did.
Jeff

The other thing is that I have not fastened anything down yet.
So I can reshape the strongback to a chisle point.
Jeff

I also added a small block under the strongback at the back of the breasthook to support the strongback because of the notch.

Roberta

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Roberta
Built Zip "Oliver IV" and Super Spartan "Jimmy 70"