Whoops

So I had some time between bids and appointments this mooring to glue up the final bulkhead and dimensional lumber and start playing with the bevels.  I bought Jim's book and read it, but didn't read it again before getting started on this build.  I wish I would have.  It would have been so much easier to put the bevels on the lumber before gluing and screwing to the plywood.  be that as it may, I kind of impressed myself with how well I free handed it through the table saw to put the bevels on the transom.

That is until i realized I cut the one on the bottom backwards.  I even KNEW that the transom was a special case where the ply side was actually smaller than the lumber side.  I got it right on the sides.  I rummaged around through the scrap pile, and without going and buying another sheet, i didn't have a piece of acceptable ply big enough to do a whole new transom.  Ah well.  I flipped the bevel on the bottom, and now my vertical dimension is 3/4" to short.  I was also getting kind of thin on meat at the bottom for nailing on the bottom ply and the lower rudder pintle.  No problem, I just sistered the bottom piece with another 3/4x1-1/2 on the inside of the ply, and i'll use screws long enough to get into the sistered piece from the bottom.  I'll raise the lower pintle @ 1" as well, not the end of the world.  Now I just need to glue on another 3/4" at the top so I come flush with the side for the deck.  Live and learn.

Center form came out beautiful and dead square when i measured the diagonals.  no bevels required on this baby.

I've also been reading about all of the fun ways to steam lumber.  I saw one pretty cool method where the actually steamed it in place by using a bag made out of clear bisqueen.  no time or distance wasted moving the piece to the boat when pulling it out of the box.  No building the box....

All that being said, we've all seen unsupported lumber take on a bend over time.  I've got quite a few days before i can even think about putting the bottom chines on.  there's a LOT of rocker to this bottom, and i really don't want to go to all of the trouble to laminate the chines on the boat.  So I set ups couple of horses at the ends of my 16' stock and hung a full 5-gallon bucket in the middle.  I ended up having to clamp the pieces together to keep them from rolling, but it looks like it just might work.  when the bucket shown hits the floor, I'll have @ a 13" bend in the stock.  the rocker on the boat is 11".  I've been wetting down the wood with a spray bottle every couple of hours.  Seeing as how i'm using PL Premium glue and it WANTS water to cure, it can only help if the woods a bit moist when I glue and screw to the sides.  The stuff is pretty idiot proof, doesn't require a lot of clamp pressure, and actually sets up in the @ 40 degree garage.  I'd either have to heat my garage or wait for warmer weather to use anything else right now.  Who wants to wait to build?

Tonight after walking the dog I get to play with bevels on the other bulkheads.  luckily ALL of those have the ply on the large side for all bevels, so less chance of a screwup.  We'll see :-)