Build log · Phase 3, Hull planking

My own building cradle, and counter planking with the helm port

2 April 2018 · Problem and fix

According to Piet the kink in the bow will come right with the second planking. Once again I hadn’t thought of that.

Building cradle

Now that the first planking is really finished, I made a proper cradle straight away. The Caldercraft cradle was far too big. From the cut-out bulkhead offcuts I made a new one and lined it with fibre felt. Seems a bit safer for the hull.

The Caldercraft cradle, far too big
The Caldercraft cradle, far too big
The new cradle made from the bulkhead offcuts
The new cradle made from the bulkhead offcuts
The cradle lined with fibre felt
The cradle lined with fibre felt
The hull in the new cradle
The hull in the new cradle
The cradle from the side
The cradle from the side

Counter planking

The counter planking with the helm port is done. It wasn’t clear to me how high the planking should run, and the size of the helm port isn’t given anywhere. I just followed the profile of the keel; whether the rudder will fit remains to be seen. Later in the evening I found an earlier answer from Piet on the forum to exactly that question. Next weekend I’ll check whether I’ve done it right.

The counter planking with the helm port
The counter planking with the helm port
Piet's earlier answer about the counter planking
Piet's earlier answer about the counter planking

The long weekend is nearly over, so everything has to be tidied away. I did thoroughly wet the bulwark and clamp it up, so that it can dry over the coming week and hopefully keep its shape. Then I can glue it on easily. I’ve already removed the upstanding bulkhead extensions; that saves a lot of fiddling once everything is on.

The wetted bulwark clamped up to dry
The wetted bulwark clamped up to dry

Open rail

Piet told me that he made the quarterdeck bulwark quite differently from Caldercraft, namely with an open rail, and for that he adjusted the height of the bulwark and the top of the transom at this stage already. I’d actually like that too. He hasn’t kept exact measurements, but the rule is clear: the after end of the bulwark must come out exactly level with where the transom joins, whereas on the Caldercraft model it sticks up a fair way above the transom. That way the planksheer can continue onto the transom, and the rail as well. So I’ll first mount the transom dry fit, taped against the stern, see how far the bulwark sticks up and take that off along the whole length. Piet added a warning: only fix the transom for real after the second planking.

The manual mentions 1.5 x 5 mm lime several times, but that isn’t in the box. I only have 1.5 x 6 mm and used that for the low bulwark round the bow as well. According to Piet that is perfect for it.