Squirt in Manitoba

[TomB]

If Glen L is out then I would go to Noahs or TenderCraft http://www.tendercraftboats.com/catalogue_fasteners.pdf http://www.noahsmarine.com/sbrn_silicon ... group.html

[Two8nine]

TomB -- Noah's is who I am looking at, but they don't appear to have the nail specified in the plans.

That was the source of the original question -- should I go with what they do have, being #14 nails at the right length, or the specified #12 nails, although they are 1/2 inch too long? Not sure if the extra thickness would make much difference given the strength comes from the glue, but was looking for some opinions. Could always chop off all the protruding tips.

[TomB]

TenderCraft shows both #12 and #14 x 1" . I am more concerned about driving the SB nails than their holding power/strength. I would prefer to drive lighter gauge than cut/blunted ends. Pre-drilling may be needed to get them in. Tom

[Two8nine]

Ok thanks for the response. I went with the #14 so we'll see how it goes.

I will be drilling for all regardless, chines are df so I'm worried about splitting.

[hoodman]

I found pre-drilling was required for the SB ring shank nails. I experimented with a few sizes of bits before settling on the right sizes for each nail. The holding power of those nails is really impressive. Make sure the parts are where you want them before you start nailing. It's a one-way process.

[Two8nine]

For better or worse the first side is on.

Not perfect, but seems pretty smooth.

I used #14 SB boat nails from Noah's, and 1-1/4 Stainless Screws for the transom/stem connection.

One thing I'm a little leery of -- how thick would you normally have the epoxy? I used West System epoxy with a bit of their cotton powder filler to give it a kind of Ketchup consistency, but found it tended to just clump up when rolled on. Got it on, but it was more like wet paint than a thick layer, not too much squeezing out when clamped or nailed. Still seems strong, but unclear how much is the glue and how much is the fasteners.

Note: if you are running firefox the images seem to right themselves when clicked, regardless of thumbnail orientation. Not sure for other browsers.

[JimmY]

Hi,

You should want consistent squeeze out all along the joint, since you don't want any air pockets in the joint. If you are using fillers, I think the proper way to use them is to mix the epoxy, apply the un-thickened epoxy to both surfaces, then mix in the filler and apply that to one surface, then join and fasten the two surfaces. You may want to go over the sheer/side joint with some un-thichen epoxy now before you add the bottom. And you can do the same with the side/chine joint once it is flipped.

I've worked with the cotton fibers (flox) before, and it does tend to clump a lot. You might try some other methods of applying it, or switch to micro balloons or silica fillers. I used Poxy-Grip for my structural joints, and while it is pain to pour and mix it stays put. I understand you have shipping issues to Canada, so you might look at another pre-thickened epoxy like T-88 that may be available locally.

[Bill Edmundson]

You might look at Jamestown Thixo or West Six10. Not cheap. But sure easy.

Bill

[hoodman]

Wood flour works great and is really cheap. It's also wood colored.

[Two8nine]

Have the second side on, and am getting the bottom ready.

Curious how you all manage to cut it out to fit properly, finding it difficult to get any accurate markings done with how tight everything is up front.

Thought of masking up most of it, getting it close and just spraypainting the gap, but that seems kind of barbaric. Do you just do it iteratively?

[Evan]

I used a crayon to mark the cut for the bottom.

I marked(heavy) the front edge of the side panel that was already mounted and tacked the bottom in place and then brought it down on the marked edge which marked where the cut needed to be.

It was either in my instructions or the book.

[Two8nine]

Thanks, not sure how I missed that in the book.

Is it perfect? No.
Is it on? Yes.

[Biss]

Making those bends and cuts at the bow is not easy! Looks good.

[Two8nine]

Thanks, I was surprised with how (relatively) smoothly it went, I found this bend to be vastly easier to manage than the side plank, which still has a bit of a gap up front as I couldn't get it to make the bend very well. Didn't even need hot water, just hand pressure.

Surprised with how concave it gets up front too, looks nice.

[JimmY]

Looks fine to me. A little filler, a little sanding, and fiberglass over the top and it will be perfect.

Are you doing butt blocks to join the aft plywood?