Year end....

Well, it's mid December and winter is here. It'll have to wait until spring for boat work again. A trip to the Sunnyland boat show in Tavares, FL is planned for the end of March. Lots of nice boats = kick in the rear to get started again on my own again.

Happy New Year!

Got wood.

Spent the morning at ML Condon Lumber in Stormville NY picking out wood for the bottom, sides and deck. 430 board feet of 6/4" Philippine mahogany that they will re-saw and plane down to 1/2" for me. Not a cheap service, but will save me a ton of time on my light industrial band saw and planer. Doing this my self will simply take forever and they will deliver to my door.

Fairly happy with the quality, there is alway that uncertainty on what to get once it's planed. Secured very nice ribbon grain wood for the transom, ceiling boards and possibly enough for the inner covering boards.

LOOK.... no clamps!

It's getting cold in the garage, and I reached my goal for the "fall work session". Forefoot/stem/keel is permanently assembled. New engine stringers are screwed and assembled with 3M5200 to the frames and the topside frames are done. The transom frame is re-made, assembled and mounted to the stringers. Chines are steam bent, shaped and the rabbets are routed. The frames are faired in and the boat is straight and true.

The only thing not permanently bolted in are the chines. They need to dry over the winter since I used "green wood" for them. I'll seal with CPES and assemble in the spring.

All ready for the new bottom planking next spring. I will go with diagonal 3/16" mahogany inner planking instead of plywood. This may be more work but it was the original way and will be just as good if you butt the planks with 3M5200, and seal the wood with CPES.

Off to buy mahogany planking.....

Fitting the engine stringers.

The engine stringers are now notched out, pre-drilled and fitted to the frames. Sealed with CPES and drying in the fall sun. Permanent installation with 5200 and final installation of the transom frame next week, and I'm about done before the winter arrives.

New stringers

Have the new engine stringers traced from one of the old ones. Used a jigsaw to cut one, hand plane and shape into the finished shape, and then using a copy router bit with a 2" cutting length to cut out the second one. This assure that you will get two identical pieces, since it's hard to get a get a perfect 90 dgr. cut, even from the best jigsaws.

Got some very nice Douglas Fir for the new stringers through The Woodery in Lunenburg MA. Not easy or cheap to find knot free, tight grained CVG Douglas Fir here in the Northeast, but that's what it calls for.

"With no string(er)s attached"

With the keel, stem/forefoot and chines bolted inn and the final fairing of the frames done, time has come to the engine stringers. Or keelsons as it's called in the old Chris Craft literature and drawings. The starboard side is rotted on the top, and the port is split the entire length.

Lifted the hull up 6" and it's now held up by 4 pcs. 2" x 4" clamped and screwed to the frames.

With the transom frame out, it's easy to just pull the stringers out the stern.

More routing.

Done routing the rabbet in both sides of the keel. Coming along quite well.

Just the two topside 1/2" deep chine rabbets left, then onto replacing the engine stringers.