Cat Boat Updates

There are many Dell photos on Marty's website. Find the first half of the construction on the Cat Boat page and the second half on the Cat Boat Part II page.

Stay tuned to Marty's website this week for Cat Boat updates. A lot of progress has been made since our last update. Here is a photo of Dell's interior to whet your appetite.

I am closing up the planking on the cat boat today. One side is all done. I have the shudder plank half installed on the other side. It is a tricky plank because it has to fit between two planks snugly. All the other planks only had to fit on one edge. I am taking a short break now and will be back to work in a couple minutes. Good to take a break on a job like this otherwise you just keep hammering on the plank trying to force it in were it does not want to go. Will eat lunch when it is done and then roll the boat outside and flip it over with the help of the tractor.

I am just about done planking this catboat. Everyone who has ever planked one of these boats seems to have a story to tell. I know why now. I have been having my own adventure. This type of boat is short in length, but really wide in girth in the middle. This particular design seems to have a smaller transom. When I make a pattern for a plank, then take the pattern off the boat and lay it on the floor it looks like a rainbow. Funny thing on the topside planks is that because of all the twist in the plank (first at the stem, then at the stern) the planks go on with the curve facing one way but as the plank gets twisted the curve goes the other way. I really have to trust my patterns and go with it. When I first looked at the plans for this boat I thought cool I will be able to plank this boat with full length planks, no butts, no scarfs. Boy was I wrong. I would have needed lumber 14 feet long and 2 feet wide. Edge setting is not much of an option because of all the twist in the planks. I find that when edge setting planks if there is much of a twist the plank becomes unhappy, just ask Charles. I am down to just one plank, the shutter plank on either side to close the boat up. I have been able to get several full length planks on the boat which is nice.

Check out the updated catboat project page. We should be finished planking next week and hope to turn the boat over on Wednesday. Stay tuned for a video coming next week of the boat being turned right side up.

catboat

Here is a Picassa album of the planking process underway on the catboat. Click on the image to see the album.

Things are caught up around here so we are back to planking the boat. So far progress has been good. Now there are a total of 4 planks on the boat. The shop smells of cedar. The goal is to have the boat all planked up by the end of the month and turned right side up. I have the boat on wheels now so I can move it around while working on it.