July 6 1998 8.5 hour: Weld hatch frame to frame 2. Tack it an frame 1 in place. Cut mooring post hole in bow tube on port side.
July 7 1998 3 hour: Bend up door frames for frame 3. Trim interior of bow tube on port side.
July 8 1998 10.5 hour: Trim fram 1 and 2 in other hull. Fit and install bow eye. Install rest of deckbeams in port hull. Had a problem with the new grinder. Could not get the meataxe off to put on a grinder disk. Tried wd40 then heat and managed to bust three teeth on the meataxe. decided to dedicate the grinder to the meataxe ( no choice ). Works ok but rumbles a bit. May see it I can get the teeth repaired on the grinder. Preped fordeck for installation.
Cutout in bow tube for mooring post.
1/2" plate for bow eye.
July 9 1998 9 hour: place and weld in port fordeck. I weighted it down when welding in the sides and this seemed to help control distortion. There is only a bit on the stb hull where the sister deckbeams near the bow tube had not been installed before decking. In the afternoon the decks distort all over the place as they have not been stitched to the deck beams, when cool in the morning they lie down nicely. Should be ok when stitched down ( will do as part of hull and deck weldout. I fully welded the sides to keep the weather out of the hulls.
Pulling the foredeck into place using the new bow eyes.
Fordeck in place, welded out fully at side and floating on deckbeams.
July 10 1998 6 hour: Template port frame 3 and fab up from parts. Kinda neet the minimal waste as everything was put onto the plate layouts a year and a half ago.
July 11 1998 6.5 hour: Cut out port frame 3 and welded on door frame. Fabed up bits for stb frame 3 and put port frame 3 in hull when it started raining.
July 12 1998 6 hour: Tack in frame 3 in port hull and templated stb frame 3 and cut out.
July 13 1998 4.5 hour: Tack stb frame 3 into hull.
July 14 1998 2 hour: Pouring rain. Bent up the 3/8" barstock for frame 6. This was bent to a 2.5" radius using the same jig as for the door frames. I heat the 6061 T6 in the bend area to 650 degrees F checked with a heat marker pencil. Then quench it and bend it up. out.
July 16 1998 9.5 hour: Build port frame 6. This was made from the leftover sheet above transom area and wasted maybe 3 sq ft of 1/8" plate. This frame also has doublers at the lower section as it is so narrow.
Frame 6 gets made from this piece.
Frame 6 in progress, lots of clamps. This is wide enough for a standard queen size matress in the stateroom.
July 17 1998 6.5 hour: Tack in frame 6 in port hull and existing frame 7. Had a reminder to pay attention when using the meat axe. I had taken the handle off to get into a corner of the frame and it bound in there as it was the same radius as the blade. Anyway it jumped out of my hand and sat there hanging from its cord a couple of inches from my leg. Check for damage and fortunately none but a gouge in the hull plate. Dont think Ill make that mistake again on this project.
Meat Axe accident.
July 18 1998 10.5 hour: Build and tack in frame 6 stb hull and existing frame 7. Only two frames left to go before working on the side decks.
July 19 1998 7.5 hour: Pull two more plates and chunk up for cockpit sole, mid deck, cockpit lockers and both frame 5s. Bend up 1/4" x 3 1/2" barstock for companion way hatch. Split 10' of 9" OD pipe for two of four supports under bridgedeck.
Split 9" pipe for bridge beam.
July 20 1998 7.0 hour: Start tacking in deck beams to foredeck on port hull. Weld out foredeck to frame 3 as well. Cut and put ratholes into 3 bridge deck support Tbar for forward bridgedeck.
July 21 1998 6.5 hour: Cut notches in most frames for longitudinal stringers and put them up into place.
Birds view of foredecks in and tbar up on deck.
Yep thats a bunch of frames.
Copyright © 1997, 1998 Tony Bigras.