Getting Exciting!

This thing is starting to get exciting. With only the side benches left on the interior (except for the detail work, of course), you start dreaming of splashing your baby. 

I finished gluing in all the aft pieces with the exception of gluing the tops down. Here is the boat as she was of a couple days ago.

Since the last post, I glued in the stern posts. I did my best to make sure that the flotation chambers on each side would be sealed from water intrusion should the boat capsize. 

I also cut out the tank tops using the scrap ply/tickler stick method. I did let the part that hits the bulkhead overhang and then marked and cut that edge. They fit very nicely. 

I cut out the deck plates and the rings that go under them. I decided that I needed bigger rings than the first ones I cut. I figured I need more room for the bolts to catch. When I cut out the second ones, I absent-mindedly set the radius incorrectly. I cut it to the same dimension as the plate which, of course, would give the plate nothing to sit on! I had to cut them again (which made 3 times - ugh!). But I did get them and glued them on yesterday.

 

I marked the line where the side benches will go. I used the "stick" method. I laid two straight boards across the seats and took a third to mark points on the hull where the benches will go. Then I took a batten and drew a line through those points to know where to locate the cleats.

Yesterday I glued up everything: the rings, cleats for the side benches, cleat on the bulkhead for the floor, and had enough epoxy left over the glue up the daggerboard support. Here's that pic. Notice the rail on top of the work bench. That's sitting on top of two rings. The paint can and weight are on top of the third.

I started to put cleats all the way across the hull between the two seats. Then I remembered that the from portion of the bench is drawn up to be removable. This is to allow for the crew to sit on the floor if they so choose (which keeps the center of gravity lower). I had already clamped down 6 cleats on one side. I simply had to removed two of them to leave room for the removable portion. 

Now it's on to cutting out and installing the side benches. I have a big enough piece of the cheap, scrap ply left to make a template using tickler sticks. 

Addendum: clamps off, rings installed, plates sitting in place

One additional note: when I took the clamps off this morning, it looks like I may have installed the cleats on the starboard side a bit high - eek! I'll have to look at it closer later.