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My garage is too small


Noklin

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I just realized today that my garage is too small for the CS 20 that I am trying to build.

Before starting, I measured the garage at 21 ft long by 18.5 ft wide. A tight fit, but big enough for a 20 foot boat, right! Only today did I figure out that the side panels are 250 inches long according to the plans. That is 20 feet 10 inches. 2 inches to spare. Just to be sure I re measured the garage. Guess what, the 21 feet in length included a 3 inch recessed area. 1 inch short.

Long enough to assemble the panels but I will have to have the door open to turn the panels over or to cut them out. Its 30 degrees F outside with a wind chill of 25 degrees F. Opening the door to work is not something I am looking forward to.

Since I am renting, doing any modifications to the garage or door is out of the question. I may just wait until spring and warm weather. Just venting, its really my fault since I have had the plans for 2 years. I just never did the math until today. I guess that I can work on the centerboard or rudder until warm weather.

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Don't get too depressed yet - I'm building CS17 #121 on a screened-in porch that measures 18x18 and a good quarter of that space is taken up by other stuff. There are other folks who have built or are building CS17's in less space. My first choice was the CS20 but I went with the CS17 due to space considerations. I think that if I had decided to build a 20 I would (barely) be able to do it in the space I have but as it is I'm happy with my CS17.

Your 21x18.5 garage has a diagonal measurement of almost 28 feet (336 inches). When you're starting to scarf and cut the sides and bottom you'll have the whole garage at your disposal - It's only later that things will start to get cramped. And when you've got a 20 foot boat hull laid out diagonally in your garage you'll have two corners of the garage left for tools.

I've been puttering about on the boat lately with this strangely warm winter we've been having (I'm in North Carolina) so remember that you can cut wood when it's cold out - You just have to wait for reasonable temps to do epoxy work.

Go for it! :) and enjoy.

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The thing to really worry about is whether you'll have the rental long enough to get the boat to a moveable condition. It doesn't have to be finished, just finished enough not to fall apart on its way to a new workshop. If you'll be there through the summer I still say go for it...

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Why not build the boat in two sections. You can join them at a later date with a bit of structual parts, reinforcing the two sections with builkheads, and structual glass. You may indeed stay longer than you plan, or you can place a temporary bulkhead jig at each opening end for moving the parts. Many boats of modern era are built with butt blocks to stretch the full sheets of plywood. You can also add battens along the seat faces, to add longitual reinforcing to it in the finish staging and not really notice it. Just my .02 worth. Confer with Grahamn of course.

All it takes is building it full size, in the initial layup, which can either stick out a bit for a weekend of taping or on a diagonal, as suggested, and can still be cut in half after placing the temporary jigs in place.

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You can do it!

I built my CS 20 in a 20' 7" by 18' 10" garage. The panels fit diagonally. Once the boat was stitched it fit lengthwise. My son and I stitched her together, set her on some picnic tables and away we went.

I did do most of the cutting on the deck in the backyard. It was December in Colorado. I used a space heater to get the garage warm enough to epoxy.

We have sailed three seasons and she hasn't fallen apart so I think it worked.

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Quite a few years ago I joined Graham and a couple other guys in a project to build a racing trimaran. The first job he gave me was to build a 40 foot wing mast. This required scarfing five panels together in a school shop where the thing had to be put away each night. I used 3mm ply and rolled the completed sections up as they were completed.

You can't roll 6mm as easily as that but you should be able to join the first two sheets and then bend them enough to have room to do the other joint. You can lay out the patterns and cut in partial sections the same way.

Of course, the proper thing to do is move into a house with a bigger boatshop :D

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I came to the same realization recently, but I think it will work. Eventually I will get started on a CS17 (I am now building a small stitch and glue boat to test the process). I framed my awning and installed clear plastic walls to make a weather-proof shop. I had to add a 1' extension to make it exactly 17'. I figured if I positioned the boat diagonally, I'll have enough room to work on it while it's in the shop.

Then I looked at the plans again recently and noticed the side panels won't fit if they are flat. Boy did I feel silly. But then I thought about it: First of all, I can gain some space by working diagonally, as others have pointed out. Also, the panels won't be flat on the boat, so they don't need to be flat in my shop. So if I need to, I could have them curved while I join the pieces together or touch up the edges or whatever I need to do to them. Only the part that I am working on needs to be flat. The rest can curve up to the ceiling. Once the hull goes 3d, then everything will be 17' long so it will fit.

Charles

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