BLUFF RATTY v0.1 21 Jan 21 Bow...or Transom...

 21 Jan 21:

I was going to put a little rake on the bow and transom, but those bevels got complicated fast. So I retreated back to plan, and made a plumb cut on the sheer and garboard down to the bottom panel. We'll need to fasten the sheer plank before we can trim the bow...or is it the transom...on both sides to fit.

Sounds simple, right. Above is the Reader's Digest version. I had already neatly trimmed 2 inches off of each end of the bottom panel and cut the rake on one end of the planking. That's when it dawned on me that the beveling and fitting would take forever to get one piece made to pattern, and to do the bevels consistently for the other 4 corners I'd need to pull out the sliding bevel radial arm saw, not something that a lot of folks have. And the boat will be 4 inches shorter now. So in retreating back to the original 12 Dollar Boat plan, I marked one corner plumb, hard to do when there is a big lap in the planking from sheer to garboard. I used a small circular saw to make the vertical cut, kind of hard to manipulate and cut straight, so I ended up with a not plumb cut. And I cut too far and cut through the bottom plank. And I didn't cut enough off for the 3/4 inch bow/transom to fit over the newly butchered bottom plank. 

Moaning Chair time. 

Definition: The "Moaning Chair" is described by Howard Chappelle as an essential tool to have, the place where you sit and ponder what you have either just screwed up or are about to screw up with all of your other tools. Moaning chairs come in all shapes and sizes and can be found next to favorite beverages. Moaning chairs should be available for all of the "usual visitors" as well so they can point out any mistakes the builder might have missed.

I don't know why the call it The Moaning Chair when it should be called The Swearing Chair...Our usual visitors are sometimes present in spirit, Capn Jack, my brother Kirk, Lt Hunter, Elta, Joe and Pierre, laughing at me usually and calling for others to "come watch, quick!"

This meant I needed to remark a new plumb line about a 1/4 inch in and trim to that line. I thought I'd be smart and pull out the super sharp Japanese pull saw and trim to line with that. While trying to stabilize the wiggly end piece I managed to lightly saw more of my middle finger than the boat. Wandered past The Swearing Chair to the Bandaid Chair, triaged with some Neosporin and a tiny BandAid. Skipper would've just rubbed some dirt on it. Maybe I should have been wearing some Bernie mittens.

Back to the boat, cut the line with the circulars saw, stopped shy of the bottom and trimmed the rest of the way with the oscillating multitool, with a bi metal blade, handy because it sawed through a silicone bronze fastener along the way. Then I did the final fitting, shaving the edge to good-enough-for-government-work straightness with a random orbital sander, THIXO can fill any gaps I may or may not have left behind.

Log og BLUFF RATTY v0.1