Aaron_G

thanks for the feedback. I just got back from Home Depot with some casters and 2x4s for the cradle. Looking at the position of the waterline in the plans, it looks like if I build one support at the aft bulkhead, one support at the front bulkhead, and a support exactly between them, that the middle support will need to be 2" lower than the fore and aft supports. Does this number sound reasonable for a CS 17?

I've read in past posts that when stitching the hull together, having good support in the center is essential in order to get the right amount of rocker. What do you guys think: is it better to wire the boat in a cradle, or on the ground, transfering to a cradle when the stitches are good and secure? I thought I've read (but now can't find) posts saying that stitching on the ground works fine. If the dimensions of all of my pieces are close to the plans (for example, no error greater than 1/16"), does it matter where the wiring is done--i.e. will the bulkheads/sides/bottom all pull themselves into the proper position? I'm getting pretty psyched: my CS 17 #125 is nearing the point of stitching together.

Here is a picture of the scarfing jig I made for my circular saw. It makes 12:1 scarf cuts for my 1x2 s. [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

Great articles. I also liked the one posted on the main forum discussion--here's the link: http://www.tracyobrien.com/article.asp?a=show&id=2 I think I am going to build a jig for my circular saw. If I succeed and still have all of my fingers left, I will post a picture.

I can't get ahold of 18' pieces of 1x2 for the seat stringer, inwales, etc. so I will need to make these long pieces from several small pieces. Is this normal? Any suggestions on how to do this?

Joe: I live in NE Portland. BTW, I did notice that several--in fact, most--of the sheets of Aquatek didn't seem to have voids. Of course, I was only examining one edge. The crosssection of the voids that I could see on the edges seemed to average between 1/8 to 3/8 inch across. On the worst piece I saw there were roughly 6 voids that I could see on one edge.

My outer plys seem slightly thinner than the inner ones, but it could be an optical illusion. Each sheet has "BS 1088 Okoume throughout" stamped on it. I am building hull #125 of a CS 17. Recieved plans a couple of weeks ago. I will start building next week.

FYI I paid $42.75 for 1/4" Okoume. I purchased from Crosscut Hardwoods in Portland, Oregon. https://www.emersonhardwood.com/cchw/product.asp?cID=805465456014

In case anyone is interested...I wound up buying all Okume. It was only about $180 more for the whole project. The Aquatek (6566 Meranti) had a noticeably thinner veneer and noticable voids. Being my first boat project, I have no idea if those voids are significant...but i decided to err on the side of lighter weight and less voids.

I've looked at past posts regarding the Meranti vs Okume. It seems like people have satisfactory results using Aquatek. Any late-breaking opinions about Aquatek before I lay down my $$ tomorrow? I am thinking of using Aquatek for the hull and seats, and Okume for the deck. I am going to glass over the hull. (p.s. I am building a CS 17 -- hull # 125).