Ugly mistakes, and the miracles of thickened epoxy.

[Scott Dufour]

Ok, so about three weeks ago I made the classic mistake of rushing not one, but two gluing jobs because I was tired, and because I was busy talking to my dad on the phone while working.

When I scarfed the keel batten together, I carefully made sure everything was straight, but I think I bumped it with my hip as I slip past toward the exit. Instead of rechecking, I just turned out the lights and went to bed. Mistake number one. The next morning I had a batten with a kink in it about halfway down. I thought about recutting it and gluing it right, but tested it and figured I could "force" it straight when I set it in the boat. Mistake number two.

Then I carefully planed it to the recommended specifications and felt smug with my skill. When it came time to put it into the boat, I was surprised at how many little cups of epoxy it took to create an adequate bed of slush into which I could sink thebatten. By the time I had mixed up enough, I was beginning to worry about the first few cups kicking off before I got the batten in. So I hurried up, and slapped the keelson in. Quickly driving sheetrock screws into the batten tight enough to squeeze out a little epoxy, but not enought to dish the bottom. I congratulated myself on a job well done.

Of course, I forgot that I didn't have a straight piece of wood, and therefore forgot to force it straight. Result: a 3 1/2 inch keel batten that meets the centerline at the forward and aft bulkheads, but goes as far as 1 1/2 inches to the starboard side near the middle of the boat.

Once I realized how much this would throw off the alignment of the centerboard and the mizzenmast step I knew I would have to fix it somehow. There was no way I could rip it up, so I instead found the correct centerline, then fitted a narrow piece that, when installed, would make the port side of the batten a mirror image of the starboard side. I kind of "symmetricized the error". The result is a keel batten that is now 5 inches thick in the middle of the boat, and elegantly tapers down to 3 1/2 inches near the bulkheads. It reminds me of the trick the Greeks used on their columns to create the optical illusion of straightness.

Since I had also made the seat sides curve in near the forward end instead of going straight, everything looks like I planned it. In fact - I did plan it. Yeah, that's it. Let's just keep this a secret between us, ok?

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[Stump]

Good Job!!! :wink: That sounds like the kind of stuff I do...all the time :oops: I call it design enhancement.

[Charlie Jones]

Scot- I think you have the makings of becoming a professional

Ya just gotta learn to keep your mouth shut about the fixes

[Scott Dunsworth]

Scott I think it looks pretty dog gone GOOD!

[Joe Nelson CS#35]

I would mark an accurate centerline...make sure you get your centerboard case in square with the centerline. Once you get the case and thwart installed, its going to be hard to tell.

I would venture to guess that most of us have annomolies in our boats...that we may be the only ones who ever notice. Live and learn...move forward.

[Kudzu]

Ya just gotta learn to keep your mouth shut about the fixes

LOL so true!!

[Garry]

While completing Rosebud (28 ft fiberglass sloop), I was building a teak companionway ladder. Routing slots into the sides for the steps, I routed two of the slots on the wrong side of my guidelines. Two of the steps would have been sloped 3/4" so I was ready to scrap a nice piece of teak and make a new side piece.

The builder who sold me the hull and deck suggested that I widen all the slots to 1-1/2" and add a contrasting piece of light ash above the end of each step. This time I was careful to make sure I routed the slots correctly.

The result was a beautiful accent to the otherwise plain teak ladder. In an article about the builder, this accent was highly complimented as the kind of feature that could be found on a custom built boat.

So just think of your "improvement" as a custom feature that would not be found on any other boat.

[Scott Dufour]

I had read your story about the ladder in an earlier post, Garry, and I got to tell you - I think about it every time I go to make a cut. I measure, remeasure, and then think "Ah, what the hell. Just make the cut and if you screw it up, customize it like Gary did." There's nothing like giving yourself the right to make a mistake - and then correct it. You were an inspiration. By the way - that Rosebud was a beautiful job. Work to be proud of.

[Garry]

Thanks! The great thing about this site is learning from others. Many times that means learning from their mistakes. There is a great deal of expertise here. I'm glad to be able to contribute a little.

If your interested, there are some more photos and the complete article on my web-page at:

www.pbase.com/sailrosita

[Greg Luckett]

I agree Garry. This site is the best one I have found for learning and sharing our common interests: boat building. I would love to go to a school but they are too far and too expensive. The sharing we all do here is like a classroom. Frank has provided an excellent "vehicle" to enable this journey. We have professionals and designers helping us along the way too and we are worldwide. This is something we could rarely find in an actual classroom.

Thanks to all of you! :multi: