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Weekender Trolley Finished


Ken_StJohn

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Good progress so far Ken! I like your comment about how tough it is to not become obsessed with the little details; every one of these boats comes out a bit different due to variations from build to build.

The one critical dimension you want to remember, a few months from now, is the angle of the front bulkhead, as it determines the angle of the mast. The angle of the mast also determines how much weather helm the boat has, so its one of the few times you have to be as close as possible!

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Thanks, Frank. I notice the plans fix the angle from a point 5" in front of the bulkhead for measurement of the angle. If you or anyone else has any clarification on this, I would appreciate an explanation. I'm guessing each leg of their angle guage happened to be 5" long and when the vertex was put at the bulkhead/bottom panel joint its bottom leg end ended up 5" away from the bulkhead. Would be great to have some other opinions on this so I can worry about that that some more too!!

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Thanks for sharing Ken. Sites like yours help everyone get over the jitters about starting a project and help immensely during the building process. The narrative is informative and the pictures illustrate the narrative very well. I can hardly wait to see the finished product. I know its going to be a great looking boat.

Larry

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Ken, I suspect the reason that the angle was measured at the front of the mast box has more to do with when, during the construction of the original boat, it got measured. My suggestion is to make a block that can stand in for the mast box and clamp it to the bulkhead when you are installing it. That will give you the ability to measure the angle at the proper point along the bottom panel.

You might find it worthwhile to cut a scrap of plywood to act as an alignment jig. It would help orient the bulkhead while it is being installed.

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Here's a very quick sketch to illustrate what I have in mind for the alignment jig. There is a notch on the bottom so it doesn't contact the bottom of the boat except forward of where the mastbox will be. I added a couple of "ears" to allow you to clamp the jig to the bulkhead.

th_bulkhead.jpg

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Larry:

Thanks for the kind words! I think it's equally important to include the wrong approaches as well as the correct ones. As the others who have gone before me are commenting on my efforts and making valuable suggestions, I intend to include the revisions in the sequence as well. Hopefully this education I'm going through will be valuable to the next guy in some way.

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Dave:

The dummy block is a fantastic idea and a great rendering too.

I've also been pondering your comments on cutting back the vertical stabilizers ( a little airplane talk there for a change! ) that steady the keel. I'm thinking I may just remove them until the keel to bottom panel joining is done. I had a mental image of glue running down them and the aftermath was not a good one. Again, saved from catastrophe by you - thanks!

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Thanks Ken.

Instead of removing the vertical stabs, why not wrap them in clear packing tape? The glue (plastic resin or epoxy) won't stick to the tape so you won't have to sail the boat with the trolley attached. Of course if you did, it would be amphibious. You could sail across the parking lot, down the ramp and into the water. You wouldn't need a trailer or even a tow vehicle. :D

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Looking good Ken! Nice progress photos and documentation. Good points brought out in your documentation about really reading ahead, watching the video and asking questions before you get there. Saves a lot of frustration that way.

Your trolly should be fine but for one little thing that you will probably want to add at this point. You need support for the deck crosswise, even with the top edge of the keel. So when you are attaching the deck to the keel it is square and can't shift either up or down on either side. A simple piece of that extra 1/2" plywood cut to the right height will take care of that. One placed about at the front bulkhead point and another further aft on either side will do the job nicely. It will support the deck and the rest of the assembly without putting lateral strain and stress on the keel braces.

It is also good so that you keep the entire assembly level and square as you continue to add assemblies to it. I found that it then gave me a good constant reference to prevent any twist or dimensional errors. It makes measuring up from the floor a constant to check one side against the other.

I would suggest a jig or reference also on the mast box. simply cut a strip of that scrap 1/2" plywood the width (5") and set it against the front of the front bulkhead rather than a wider one with a notch in the bottom. This allows you to set your angle keeper directly on the bottom and against the front edge of the strip and measure the angle at the location you need. This is a critical measurement.

You may find that with the longer length of the bottom by 3/4" with a deeper notch cut into the stem to compensate that the bottom of the front bulkhead will now be the wrong width to set where it should to get that angle and have the bulkhead fit correctly width wise.

The difference in length is most likely a station 13 error. IT happens to a lot of builders and can be confusing. There have been a number of posts about this challenge. The corrected drawing is posted in the FAQ section of the Weekender site here.

This is a good time to correct for this, before you get things further along and glued and screwed together. This is the most problematic point in the initial cutting and assembly and one that will make the most frustrating time of fixing it later on.

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Barry:

The bottom panel is the correct overall length. You're right about the staion #13 issue, though. In fact, if you watch the video when Paul lofts the curve, he even falls into the trap! His partner in crime tries to tell him by asking "...what are these two nails for?". Later, just before he cuts the stern curve, the closeup view picks up the erasing of the old line and the new one mysteriously in its place! I had to look at this several times before I figured out what happened. I figured if the designer of the boat made the error then my having trouble correlating the video with the drawing wasn't just brain freeze on my part!

Anyway, the bottom panel is the correct length but somehow when I take some guestamated measurements it appears that the length along the top of the keel with the deadwood in place is off by about 1/2" - too short. This means I have to cut the notch deeper into the stem.

I reasoned that cutting the stem notch 1/2" deeper wasn't going to hurt that much. But, I do have concerns with the bow gusset/hull sides attaching to the stem correctly. Any thoughts about the domino effect of the deeper notch here?

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Dave:

The dummy block is a fantastic idea and a great rendering too.

I've also been pondering your comments on cutting back the vertical stabilizers ( a little airplane talk there for a change! ) that steady the keel. I'm thinking I may just remove them until the keel to bottom panel joining is done. I had a mental image of glue running down them and the aftermath was not a good one. Again' date=' saved from catastrophe by you - thanks![/quote']

I like Dave's Alignment Block ™ very much! That would make it almost foolproof. It has been the one "gotcha" that doesn't really show up until you start sailing the boat.

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Barry:

The bottom panel is the correct overall length. You're right about the staion #13 issue' date=' though. In fact, if you watch the video when Paul lofts the curve, he even falls into the trap! His partner in crime tries to tell him by asking "...what are these two nails for?". Later, just before he cuts the stern curve, the closeup view picks up the erasing of the old line and the new one mysteriously in its place! I had to look at this several times before I figured out what happened. I figured if the designer of the boat made the error then my having trouble correlating the video with the drawing wasn't just brain freeze on my part!

Anyway, the bottom panel is the correct length but somehow when I take some guestamated measurements it appears that the length along the top of the keel with the deadwood in place is off by about 1/2" - too short. This means I have to cut the notch deeper into the stem.

I reasoned that cutting the stem notch 1/2" deeper wasn't going to hurt that much. But, I do have concerns with the bow gusset/hull sides attaching to the stem correctly. Any thoughts about the domino effect of the deeper notch here?[/quote']

You won't have a problem with the bow gusset/hull side area; by that time, you'll be used to "cutting to fit" each component and using the plans as a "guideline". Barry is right that you may find a problem with the front bulkhead. I think in the plans it is cut slightly undersized, and 1x material is used to make up the difference between it and the hull sides. You'll have to get the bottom and deck on before you'll know on that one.

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I like Dave's Alignment Block very much! That would make it almost foolproof. It has been the one "gotcha" that doesn't really show up until you start sailing the boat.

Thank's Frank. Maybe I should patent it. ;):D Actually, would there be any value in making a dimensioned drawing and posting it in the FAQ or something?

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Setting the bow gussets a half inch forward will make some difference (slight) in the fit of the side panels to the hull. You will need to add a slightly larger triangle of ply to get the top edge to fill correctly. Not a biggie at all.

I don't anticipate that you are going to have really major issues, just the typical little, "scratch the top of your head" type and then keep on going.

Since you are using ACX, you might consider one thought. A side vs. C side out. The ouside is going to get filled to fair it and is going to be sheathed with glass. The inside isn't in all probablility. Just painted.

One little trade secret that you might consider. Good side of the ply in where it is going to be painted. Lesser qualtiy side out where it will be glassed and then painted. Makes for just as sound a boat but one that is more easily maintained and will look better on the inside as well as the outside. Lots less hassle to finish the interior surfaces that way as well.

I've learned over the years that there is less possiblility of moisture incursion with painting an "A" panel than a "C" panel. Also with other surface issues. As far as glassing it doesn't make any difference just in a fill and fair period before glassing. And that isn't a big deal either.

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Well we all live and learn. Old Pennsylvania Dutch saying. "Too soon old, too late smart!"

You are going to glass the cockpit sole anyway where it is exposed to the weather, wouldn't be hard to just glass the cabin sole as well and the forepeak sole for better moisture prevention and it can be accomplished with little additional effort so no real loss there. You could just glass the entire bottom before you attach anything to it and be done with it. Certainly would eliminate a lot of potential issues. If you are using epoxys to assemble things adhesion won't be an issue if the bottom ends up being encaptulated. Certainly would eliminate a lot of long term moisture incursion potential. Just means a little out of sequence work and expense from the builder manual.

But then I'm a strong advocate of prefinishing sub assemblys before installing them. Amazing how quickly things come together when they are already finished. Particularly in doing as much interior finish work as possible before putting the side panels on. Prefinishing the side panels inside surface with contact points masked off. Lots easier than having to crawl around or get into too small and awkward places.

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Thanks Ken well put together 8)

I particularily like the trolly idea although if memory serves Alda had a triangle idea that was great too... gotta have the room to do the trolley though eh? And for me that will mean building yet another shed!!

Dave? Id appreciate that dimesion thing if you could please mate?

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