At last the hull planking was finished. Some good, some bad. The worst spot is at the bow, where it was difficult to hold the planks firmly in place, even when the planks were pre-bent.
Virginia 1819 build log – Part 11
Virginia 1819 build log – Part 10
More pieces for the deck. This time it’s the cargo hatch. Once again, there was some challenge getting the first parts to fit together at perfect 90 degree angles.
Virginia 1819 build log – Part 9
More pictures of planking progress. It’s not as bad as I feared, and not as good as I wanted. I hope things will look a lot better once this first planking layer is sanded down smooth. The hardest part has been finding ways to firmly hold the wet planks in place while they dry into shape.
Virginia 1819 build log – Part 8
Planking the hull is going slow. My procedure is to soak and clamp into place one plank on each side in the morning. Then in the evening, when the planks are dry and bent into shape, I taper them as necessary and glue them into place. This means I can complete one strake on each side per day.
In the meantime, I have been working on the deck furniture. Here is my record of assembling the companionway. In putting the frame together, it was a little tricky to make sure that each corner was 90 degrees. I saw in another build log that someone added a support, and I thought it prudent to do the same.
Continue reading “Virginia 1819 build log – Part 8”
Virginia 1819 build log – Part 7
At last it’s time for the hull planking.
The instructions call for first marking the start of the planking 5mm under the line of the deck, then planking from that point down by securing each plank in place with the kit-supplied pins. It wants you to insert the pins part way, then clip off the heads and sand down the pins when the first layer of planking is complete. As an experiment, I tried doing this with one strake. Multiple issues were immediately evident. First, there is little flexibility to the planks. Second, if the pins are not driven all the way in, there is not enough friction to keep the plank from sliding back up the pin. Third, the sheer of the deck will be difficult to match, as that requires the plank to bend up.
Continue reading “Virginia 1819 build log – Part 7”