Chilly weather, other obligations, and a cold have kept me from doing much the last few days, but now I'm back on track. Before I can paint the inside of the boat it needs to be thoroughly sanded and all the screw holes and dings are to be filled and sanded. I cleaned out the boat and vacuumed it yesterday, and today I started the sanding. Some areas like the forepeak will never be seen once the boat is done, so the sanding is just to provide a good surface for protective paint. But most of the inside will be what I and my crew see all the time, so it will get more care. Preparation for the finish is not the time to be impatient.
One thing which has given me a headache is the forward deck piece. It is sharply crowned, which tests the ability of the plywood to bend without breaking. The first version broke, so I made a new one with outer grain running across the boat instead of fore and aft. I also cut grooves fore and aft on the underside, to allow it to bend more easily. My boatbuilding bible says to cut such grooves close together and not over 1/3 the thickness of the plywood. With the foolish thought that more is better, I cut the grooves deeper, and sure enough it broke along a groove line when I tried to bend it to fit. Sadder but wiser, I made another piece and cut sallower grooves. But it was still so stiff I doubted it would take the bend required. Soaking it in hot water and leaving it overnight with 50# of barbell weights pushing a bend into it didn't help. So I fashioned a clamp to press it into an even bend. That seems to work, and I'll leave it like that until I'm ready to attach it permanently. Then as I install it I'll smear epoxy putty into the underside grooves to give it strength and a good seal. After I took the picture below I added two more similar clamps to bend the piece throughout its length.
Next up: more sanding.
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