Attaching chine, sheer; then fairing

The sheer clamp and the chine  are the longitudinal strips that connect the frames, long pieces of oak. I expoxied and screw these in place, and then did a lot of 'fairing' – planing and sanding to take out any bumps or dips before put it on the hull.

More progress

Aligning frames

The next step in the process is lining up all the frames along the centerline, and attaching all the frames to the building form. I checked this several different ways, with both a string, as well as a laser leveler.

The centerboard box

This is the big area where I took some liberty with the plans. My first sailboat, the Glen-L 15, is a similar boat with similar lines, albeit 2 feet shorter, with a wooden, weighted center board. It was rather tender, and from things I've read about this boat it is as well. In attempt to make it more stiff when sailing, I modified the centerboard and will make it out if 1" thick steel. To accommodate that, I modified the shape of the centerboard box, and beefed it up and made it out of three quarter-inch marine grade plywood, instead of the 3/8 inch thick plywood that the blueprint suggested.

I fiberglassed the inside, and put Kevlar on the lower third because of the heavier centerboard, so that will withstand the abrasions from the steel.

I went ahead and sealed and painted the box, and also put on some mahogany trim.

This is test fitting it into the area on the keel that I've alteady cut to receive it.

More work on forms

Stem, transom knee

The stem and the transom knee will attach to the front and rear ends of the keel, respectively. Both are made out of three-quarter inch marine grade plywood, double thickness.  I went ahead and sealed and painted them, except for the areas that will epoxy to the hull and the keel.

Building the stand

The hull is constructed upside down, with the frames resting on a stand. The frame is built out of 2 x 4 and 2 x 6 material.  It doesn't have to look nice, it just has to be sturdy, stable, and level with the ground.