Fitting the Upper Hull Sides Alone
I’m fitting the upper hull sides on my own, with sheer stringers making the job easier than the lower hulls. I’ve also learned to dry-fit large pieces, check other people’s work, and cut only when I’m sure.
If you wondered how the he@ll am I able to fit hull sides on my own… that means you’re not following this build for long 😀
And seriously- it is the same thing as with lower hull sides. Just easier. No, seriously, it is actually easier! Yes, I do need to lift pieces of plywood over my head, get hold them with one of my hands while the other is shortening the strap and third is looking for a screw while fourth is reaching for the drill. The fifth is holding the other end of the plywood at the same time, while sixth is fixing the second strap.
It may seem like that at some points but actually the upper hull sides have one huge advantage. And one small.
The huge one is - there is a sheer stringer on the top and the stringer on the bottom. So there are some points of reference which allow for quick and accurate fitting of the plywood.
And the small one is rather obvious. I’ve been here before! I’ve fitted lower hull sides on my own and I have learned thing or two since then. Some of you may notice that I’m putting one sheet at the time - well, that’s one thing I learnt hard way.
I of course messed up a little bit already - cutting the second sheet in place forgetting that this ply joint is only marked there for information… but I allowed for that, my stern piece is actually prepared a bit longer (15 cm longer) so I can deal with that easily. And I didn’t cut the stern piece yet - that’s another thing I learned from hard won experience- dry fit as big piece as possible. Then cut. (If you remember I had hull sides for the bottom cut out and connected into long pieces before I started fitting them… eh, naivety… 😂).
I also discovered WHAT EXACTLY caused all my problems with the lower hulls and their hull sides and for some time I had quite murderous thoughts… in short, there is another lesson here for me: if you give someone a job to do, make sure they understand it, and check their job. One place where I didn’t check - came back with (huge and nasty) vengeance.
And you surprised I do it alone??? 😂😂
#tiki38 #theseanation #buildingwharram #allelectricboat
