I gave myself an easy day yesterday as I find that working over the weekend without a break seems to make me more tired during the week. That isn’t to say that I did nothing on the Shoal Waters project, just no physical work.
But, I resolved to get the part of the template task that is bugging me fixed.
It’s this part. The bit at the bottom corner of the template really should be pointed, but it’s that shape now as I’ve not been able to get the last pieces of the original plywood out. It’s in an awkward position and one in which the rest of the boat restricts how far I can use a chisel. The only direction that I can get a blade in further than I have now is from the front of the pointed end but kneeling on the cockpit trying to work under the bridge deck.
In the end I just gritted my teeth and just scraped away at the last bit of glue and plywood until I got it all out. Took about an hour and frankly, this was the hardest part of the work I’ve done so far. Of course, keeping my right leg far enough away from the business end of the sharp chisel doesn’t make it any easier, but I have no wish to stab myself in the thigh with a sharp pointy thing.
And here’s the result. You can see the lip at the bottom of the slot and the aft block and the 1/4″ groove in the keel and the block.
Here is is from a slightly different angle.
And finally a close up of the pointed bit, albeit a little out of focus.
I’ll still need to tidy that up a bit with sandpaper but now that the old plywood has been removed that will not be quite so difficult. I’ll wrap a strip of sandpaper around a 6mm piece of plywood and run it into the slot a few times. It doesn’t have to be perfect as it’s going to be slathered in a marine adhesive, but it needs to be better than it is now.
Oddly, the other side should be a little easier since the other side of the case will have been removed by then, so the access will be a little easier. that and the fact that I know where the end of the pointy bit is, so I won’t be guessing how far in the slot reaches.
The last last if the tea break was to measure the pivot bolt as that needs to be replaced. This measured at 3/8″ in diameter and 4″ in length.
Time for a cup of tea.