[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Whiskey plank installed, back to fairing.

 

 

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Here's the project beginning to look very boaty.  First layer completed on the hull sides .  Had to celebrate but thought it would be sacrilegious to bring out the whisky so I fired up the blender for a couple of frozen mudslides.  Sat out on the west lawn (backyard) with wife and dad and basked in the success and alcohol.  I'll need to start shopping for my captains cap and a blue blazer soon.

 

 

 

Here's the second layer started, just dry fitted.  Yes I'm doing double diagonal... and I know the B and B guys recommend Ashcroft but I just couldn't do it.  This is the way I learned and sometimes I'm slow to make a change.  The next one I will try Ashcroft.  

 

The first layer consumed 6.25 sheets with the quarter sheet being sourced from the bottom plating drop.  had .375 of a sheet left over that was not needed. The second layer is ~60 degrees from the first and seems to be laying out needing a bit less manipulation of the stock for optimum use in that the forth and subsequent planks (heading aft) were less than 48" long (actually 49", I'm using metric sheets that are ~98.375 long) to the middle of the miter. 

 

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Second layer of ply on the bottom, chine flats installed, fairing the aft topsides, fitting the shear clamp.  True to my normal process, I am spending a bunch of time with the clamp knowing how important the shape is to the appearance of the finished boat.

 

 

 

 

[Aussie Open OB-20 #26]

I've had the same thoughts about my anchor locker, but I plan to install one hatch in the center. My expectation at this point, is to install deck beams one fore and aft of the cutout and probably leave out the carlins, but install the fore/aft sections of the king plank. This gives me support and shape for the deck and the hatch, while providing full access to the locker.

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

First layer of plating on the bottom.  Starting to look like a boat instead of a wire frame model.

 

 

[Aussie Open OB-20 #26]

Nice work on your hull so far.  While you might not like sanding, any imperfection that you knowingly ignore will be staring you right in the face for life.  It's a terrible thing to walk by your work and be haunted.

 

On your seat configuration, I say looks good if that's the way you'll use the boat.  IT's the greatest part of a custom boat build.  You do it your way.

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Looks good, how has it been getting the jig lined up fair?

It wasn't bad getting it faired, I installed all the stations/frames back to front with a laser level and plumb bob/center line shooting down the whole assembly using the wl on the stem as an initial elevation.  After I installed the stringers and bracket, I went back and re-leveled all the stations and corrected any hook (thwart) in the stem/keel/stations.   It was all within ~1/16, so only small corrections where needed, followed by diagonal bracing to hold the positions.  Then I threw that piece of 6 mil up there to get a feeling for gross fairness.  It looked good so I started hanging longitudinals.  

 

The largest road block to progress is my incessant need for precision.  I will fret for hours before making some cuts or part installations trying to foresee anything that will come back to bite me later or worrying that it won't be perfect.

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Here's some photos from today.  I have been gluing ribbands, log and sole ledger up to this point.  It has been going slower than predicted between scarfing all the longitudinals and having only enough clamps to do one part per side per gluing session.  Getting bored with that, so I went out tonight and picked up enough clamps to double my reach.

 

So much for starting the planking this week.  I love lying to myself.

 

 

Ply on starboard bottom is some left over 4mm from another project that I was using to get a feeling for fairness.  It has no application in this build.

 

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Looking good. Are you still dry fitting or are the frames glued together?

The photos above show dry fitting.  I have moved on to installing them permanently.  

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

A little progress in the last 2 weeks.

 

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Fold tab A into slot B and poof there's boat Jig.

 

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Hi smccormick,  did you say "wood geek?"  Could be worse. www.talaricohardwoods.com/woodporn.htm.

(Despite the title, it's safe.)  Now, back to the shop.

 

Bob

Great stuff, spent way too much time looking over their selection.

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Made a small amount of progress.  Have my ribband stock on hand, fabricated the keel/stem assembly, all the stations/frames cut and fine tuned, jig assembled, leveled and staked.  Stringers need to be completed and keel/stem need to be bearded then it's off to standing up frames.

 

Here's a picture of keel material.  It's just beautiful ~20 rings to the inch on the right side of the plank.  I just want to varnish it and hang it on the wall.  Yes I'm a wood geek.

 

Stem glue up.

 

Keel assembly dry fit

 

Keel glue up.

 

Keel and a couple stations erected.

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

After all the excitement and hope about 5/4 clear pine, I arrived at the yard only to get the "tilted head, confused dog look" from the guys from behind the counter.  "who did you talk to?  We don't have that, only in knotty, Oh I'll bet it was Ben.  Managed to NOT blow a gasket.  Moved the conversation along and they found out they could source it, but at a 50% premium over the knotty, of course.  Normally, I wouldn't have given them the business, because they wasted my time, but a this point..

 

The stock should be in on Tuesday.

 

At least the trip wasn't a complete waste of time, skiing was great.

 

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

While not the real reason for my lack of progress, I have spent an inordinate amount of time looking for 5/4 clear pine (5/4 anything) in this area.  I started looking for this material while in BC this past summer and contacted every lumber yard along the I5 corridor from there to Sacramento.  Since this corridor is known for it's timber, I believed my task would be simple.  I had picked up hard to find lumber in Wash. and Ore. before, but this time, nothing.  

 

This past week I had pretty much given up hope.  The project needed to move on, I was going to be laminating 4/4 for all the ribbands, clamp and log.  While my search was taking its last dying breaths, I thought hey, everything in Tahoe is covered with mill finished clear, lets give a yard up there a call.  Lo and behold, there was a place with it in stock and reasonably priced!  While the yard is a two hour drive away, it just happens to be five minutes out of the way from the mountain I ski at and this time of year I ski a couple days a week.  So this week I'll be staying an extra day and doing a bit of man shopping at the local yard.  Problem solved and surprisingly convenient. 

 

All the frames were glued up this week.  While I was in the process of laying out all the parts I realized that I was wasting a ton of time detailing every part, when in most cases, I could detail one or two per frame, then use it as a template for the rest.  So I glued up blanks as doublers then ran a flush trim bit around.  So much easier.

 

Spent a good portion of my time checking my parts against the drawings and fine tuning.

 

 

Part accuracy is looking pretty good, but certainly not the <.001" that I would prefer.

 

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

Hey there smccormick,

What part of California are you in? I'm considering building a 256 and if I do, I'd love to see your build.

Thanks

Sacramento area.  If you're in the area and do build, I may have a transom jig you can borrow.

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

So I haven't put a lot of effort moving this forward in the last month (life got in the way), just refining shapes and comparing parts to drawings.  Today I was ready to glue some frame parts together and spent the afternoon doing just that.  Afterward I was walking through parts checking on alignment before they started to kick and for some reason grabbed the hardener and started reading the label.  Hey look there, that fast hardener is 1 to 4 not 1 to 2.  Fook.  What a waste of a day, came in the house to sulk.  This is far from my first rodeo and I know better.

 

Spent the better part of the next day taking everything apart and cleaning the mess, wasn't that special.

[Ocracoke 256 hull #2 Build]

I received the plan package for Ocracoke 256 hull #2 about a month ago.  After about 2 weeks of studying and materials gathering, I began cutting frames.  The temp frames are all cut and edge sanded, the transom is glued up and the permanent frames are all rough cut with about 30% +/- edge sanded.  Here's some photos of the progress.  A link to all the project photos going forward will be here

 

Laying out nests

 

Temp frames cut and edge sanded

 

Transom Jig, I thought I should put a little effort into lofting

 

 

 

Dad helping out

 

 

[Ocracoke 256 First Build]

Alan, Thanks.  I logged in through the picasa interface and it was as straight forward as gphotos should be..

[Ocracoke 256 First Build]

Alan, how are you getting permalinks/direct link to the photos displayed above?  Are you using the older drive or gphotos?  After way too much time researching I cannot find a way to get a reference to the photo file in gphotos.