With temperatures in the 40s and thunderstorms promised later, it's not a good day to...
Houseboat update, Tuesday, April 9, 2019 -- With temperatures in the 40s and thunderstorms promised later, it's not a good day to start gluing things up. But I can still check parts for fit and make necessary adjustments and alignments. Here are the aft cabin door posts, looking out toward the aft deck. I can see that their alignment abeam is perfect, but I need to make an adjustment in the cutout at the top for the cabin roof riser, so it lines up with the aft deck roof post and other roof posts going forward. First, I lay the two posts on a pair of sawhorses, so the notches where they will rest on the hull’s “sheer clamps” – the timbers that the deck will fasten into – are even with each other. Then, I mark where the new notch at the top will start, lining it up with the notch that I need to match. Then, with the blade of a circular saw set at ¾-inch, I make a series of cuts across the area that I want to eliminate. Using a chisel and hammer, I clean it up – crudely, but well enough to glue in the riser that will support the center roof beams.
The long-term nature of a project like this has its frustrations, to be sure, but it...
Houseboat update, Part 2, Tuesday, April 9, 2019 – The long-term nature of a project like this has its frustrations, to be sure, but it has benefits as well. For one thing, it affords me the opportunity to make a somewhat contemplative life for myself. As I’m plodding slowly forward I find I have time to think about things, things that may or may not have anything to do with the construction of Jersey Girl. Today, it does. See that void under the aft deck? It’s going to house a retractable stair system, two steps high, to be pulled out when necessary to allow easier access from the aft deck down into the cabin. But wait, there’s more, as the late night TV pitchmen like to say: Each of the two treads in the little stair system will be hinged, allowing storage inside. Today’s mind-wander has led to a neat innovation. By the way, the nautical term for a stair leading from one deck to another is a “companionway.” I rather like that word.
So, what's this box have to do with Jersey girl?
Houseboat update, Friday, April 12, 2019 -- So, what's this box have to do with Jersey girl? It's a temporary framing jig. After my friend Steve helps me lift it up to Jersey Girl's sheer clamp (where the gunwales -- pronounced gunnels -- would be if this were an open boat), I will screw it down and I hope it will help me clamp, glue and screw the roof posts into square and plumb orientation with the hull. Just an idea I came up with when I couldn't sleep a couple of nights ago. It happens to people as a consequence of boat-brain. The second picture shows the framing jig in place. I find I need to make a few tweaks to make it serve as intended. Par for the course.Finally, Jersey Girl is all tucked in for the night. Tomorrow, if weather cooperates, I will install the first four -- possibly six -- of her roof support posts.
The rain came to an end and the sun emerged later in the afternoon, so I took...
Houseboat update Part 2, Monday, April 15, 2019 -- The rain came to an end and the sun emerged later in the afternoon, so I took advantage of the break in the weather to clamp Jersey Girl's aft roof support posts into their final position. There's no such thing as having too many clamps for a job like this. I used 28! It suddenly occurred to me that she looks awfully tall on her trailer, and I wanted to keep her under 11 feet on the road to allow plenty of clearance for highway overpasses and the like. So, I measured, and she'll be 10-foot-2 tall on the trailer when the roof is on. What a relief! Exceptionally strong wind gusts made me a little nervous about spending so much time on the ladder, so I called a halt for the day. Tomorrow, I expect to make some progress gluing and screwing the posts into place.
Free at last, the jig is gone, and Jersey Girl's aft deck roof posts are straight and...
Houseboat update, Wednesday, April 17, 2019 -- Free at last, the jig is gone, and Jersey Girl's aft deck roof posts are straight and strong! I have four more to make and install, the aft cabin posts, and then I will be able to start roofing the aft deck.
