I ended up holding off on epoxying the joints this weekend. Because I wanted to see if I could get any feedback on the above, whether the joints up against the transoms seem good enough to move to the next step. As I said, my sense is that there's enough epoxy is applied where the transoms meet the planks that it should be fine. But I would hate to find out I'm wrong after the epoxy cures!
Any guidance, advice much appreciated.
Josh
Josh,
The quarter-inch rule described in the manual is probably a good guideline.
My only stitch-and-glue build was a Peeler Skiff, a much simpler hull form. When I built a lapstrake Amesbury Skiff in the early 1980s, it was traditional construction and not applicable to your situation.
From your pictures, it looks pretty fair and symetrical to me. I would go ahead and epoxy the joints if no one comes up with a reason not to in the next few hours. The only issue I can see is where you're going to finish the boat bright and whether the filler might be unsightly to you. I like paint for that reason---it's opaque and protects wood better than varnish.
Cheers!
OK, I've done a Sassafras canoe and now a Skerry, so both of those are double enders which don't have the transom issue, but my thoughts would be to get the planks' rabbets and matching edges nicely snugged together first, then worry about adjusting to the transoms. You will be using the syringe to deliver thinner mix into those rabbet joints, then later applying thicker fillet epoxy at the transom. The "seam epoxy" will run and dribble all over if you don't have those joints pretty well matched. I'd loosen the ties to the transom and adjust the plank to plank ties to be nicely together, then snug in the transom, but not too hard.
I assume this is a kit? I know from my experience w/ my Skerry that the CNC machine can make errors, but they aren't too likely. If there's a plank that's just too wide to make sense, well, a sanding block w/ 60 grit or a couple of passes with a plane might be needed. I followed (mostly) directions for "scary sharp" honing of my plane blade and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the okume plywood planed. The Skerry kit actually has some gains to be planed so it was good to sort that out. For this, if you needed to adjust a width, sanding would do.
Hey Josh,
Great feedback above. Sorry about not getting back to you sooner. In one aspect, you are correct that the large, structural fillets will make up for any shortcoming now. On the other hand, the faux "lap" the rabbet forms is very important for the reasons stated above. You need that "V" all the way to the transom(s).
Looking back, other than flipping the boat, the only time I really needed help was wrestling the side panels and the transoms while wiring them together. That required some pretty serious torque to get it to align close enough to twist the wire to hold it in its correct, final position. Twisting the wire does not pull the joint together.
Also, if you're finishing the interior bright like I did, the radius on the seams along the length of the garboard and the angle of the two panels intersecting will definitely contribute to causing a boo boo to show.
Bottom line, you really need that rabbet to seat properly on the transom. Hope that helps.
I think the anonymous poster above probably has it right. The rabbets absolutely must overlap the next plank and therefore it would make sense to make sure they are right and when they are then fit the transom. I've looked at all the pictures of Eastports I can find that show the transoms and in all of them the rabbets perfectly overlap the edge of the next plank. The way those planks fit together and with the transom is the most noticeable part of the boat. I think it would look better to make the transom fit the planks than make the planks fit the transom. As long as everything is even on both sides.
Hmmm. Okay, thanks for the feedback, all. Trying to make sure I understand what everyone is recommending. The only place the lap really does not fit in is on the port stern side of plank 1. Everywhere else the lap joints fit snug. At least I think that's the case. If anyone is seeing something different in the pictures, please tell me. The problem is that it's not a matter of the planks not being in the right place or not arced enough. There's basically not enough plank or more likely too much transom for it to fit around. So if I nudged it tighter to the bottom panel, it would leave a gap against the second plank etc.
I think what this must mean is that I cut the transom slightly too large. And that small oversize around the whole semi-circle is adding up and creating this gap at the base, though I'm not totally clear how it would have happened that way since the bottom and 1st plank get connected up first. In any case, it seems like the transom must be cut too large.
So I think what makes sense is to fully disconnect the transom, check it again against the plans and plane it down to the correct size as necessary. Then tighten the bottom planks with the transom off. Then reattach the transom.
I think this is what folks are suggesting. If it turns out that the transom is sized correctly against the plans, I'll just have to wing it and try to trim it proportionally.
It sounds a bit like major surgery at this point to fully remove the transom since that's a structural component holding the whole thing together. But I assume we think that the wires in place will hold everything together and then I can just reattach the slightly resized transom.
Sorry for all the questions. Just want to make sure I understand the advice I'm getting before I take the plunge. I can't do any of this until Friday. So if folks can tell me if I've understand this correctly here, I'd be greatly in your debt.
Thanks, all!
You mentioned that "There's basically not enough plank" or that the transom is too big. Is the opposite plank the same width? Are the port and starboard sides of the transom, measured from the middle, exactly the same? Anyhow, when you remove the transom everything will basically stay in shape, just maybe spread out a little. That's what I would do, make the transom fit the boat, making sure both right and left sides of the transom are the same and opposite planks are the same width. If the opposite planks aren't the same width you will have to remake one.
Wow! This had turned out to be a happenening thread! Usually the EP's don't get as much love on here...
So Josh, when I lofted my parts out, I made masonite templates of each piece so I never have to go through the nails & batten thing again and I can also rough cut and use a router to sweeten up the parts. I grabbed the template for the forward transom and measured it.
From panel #4 to panel #4 across (not including the little bump outs that fit over the outwales, it's 20 13/16"
From the bottom panel to the top of the transom (above the grab handle cutout) is 13 11/16".
I hope those measurements help with your situation. I can measure the stern transom if you need it.
FYI, when I stitched my boat together, the planks fit into their notches as if it had been cutout by a CNC, which made me extremely happy after sweating it out for those first few days of the build. To make it even more interesting, I built my transoms out of two pieces of laminated 1/4" plywood, so there was an extra variable in there.
Good luck Friday!
I was the "anonymous" poster above. I think I took too long to submit my message and the system lost my login somehow.
Anyway, if you have made this one from plans, then I would definitely double check the transom. A small difference there explains a lot of this. If you have nice fair curves of the planks relative to each other and symmetric side to side, then you have the planks and rabbets nicely cut, so don't mess with that for the sake of the transom. The way these planks "develop" a 3D shape when they are tied together means they will closely define the right shape. You will have to pull the ends down for the final joint at the transom, but again it should be symmetric and not violate the plank/rabbet joints.