The diagram in the manual form the Chesapeake 16LT places the location of the deck beam at 20” from the bow. However, I have to physically hold it in place at that location since the inside angle of the shear clamp cutout leaves a gap. I can move the beam forward until it grips the edge clamp and without expanding the bow. Should I place it at the 20” mark and fill the gaps with thickened epoxy or move it forward a bit until it grips the shear clamps and stays in place?
Moving it forward worked fine on my boats that had that problem. The other would have been fine, too, but too much fiddling around. Just make sure you have a fair deck curve at the beam before putting on the deck.
Laszlo
Laszlo,
What it meant by a “fair deck curve at the beam?”
Rob
Laszlo,
I took some new photos. The one I sent had the beam at the stern! Anyway, does the ends of the curve on the beam need to be even with the clamps? Or do they rise above? The placement at the bow is even further away from the 20” marks. It’s about 22 7/8.
Rob
Just to confirm that we are talking about the forward-most deck beam and that the foreward and aft bulkheads are already in place as is the deck beam that aligns with the forward part of the cockpit…
if that’s the case, i would put the forward deck beam in a position that is snug but not deforming (e.g., causing a bulge) in the sides (i.e, if you pushed it forward with a lot of force you will see the sides clearly bending around the deck beam).
you will then need to cut the deck beam top down to be flush with the shear clamps. in the picture i show a black arc that roughly follows the curve of the deck beam and shows how you would have to cut it down flush to the shear clamps:
what laszlo was saying in so many words is just in your test fitting, make sure your placement does not result in bulge or depression (i..e., “not fair”). “Fair” simply means a smooth curve – perfectly smooth, continuous, and completely free of any accidental bumps, kinks, wiggles, or hollows…pleasing to the eye. when you check for fairness its not only the sides of the boat, but the bottom and the deck. since the sides and deck are shaped around the bulkheads, deck forms, etc, if they get significantly out of place, they can impact what is fair.
in these boats, some of the measurement locations are key and have very little tolerance for not being pretty much right on where the designer tells you they need to be. for me that’s the rear bulkhead and the deck beam adjacent to the front of the cockpit and the forward bulkhead – becuase if they are misplaced then you may not be able to put the cockpit where the designer intended or your deck won’t fit becuase it can’t cover the aft bulkhead or you would have to cut through the deckbeam when installing the cockpit…or your body won’t fit into the cockpit becuase the aft and forward bulkheads are too close to one another…
but the forward deck beam, is less crtical and you tend to move it back or forth to be snug but not deform the structure in an unpleasant manner.
anyway, hope that helps
h
Howard,
Thanks. I thought that is what is meant by “fair.” But I wanted to make sure. I have a band saw so that will make it easier to cut (outside the line). And then sand for a “fair” curve. The manual doesn’t really go over this in much detail. It is just a paragraph buried to the “End Pours” section.
Rob
What Howard said. Also, keep in mind that the bandsaw may not be necessary if you can move the beam up and down as well as forward and back.
Laszlo
Laszlo,
Yes, of course. I guess I was looking for an excuse to use my band saw. I’ll save for the wooden toggles. Thanks.