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Thread: Traditional Centerboard and Case – Part I - The Board

  1. #1

    Traditional Centerboard and Case – Part I - The Board

    Whether a new boat or a retrofit, the board and case are best made as a complete, stand-alone functioning unit before installation into the hull.



    5/4 Q-Sawn White Oak planed, jointed and laid out completely with all hardware before any assembly:



    Bronze drifts installed after glueup:



    End cleats fitted…



    ….and assembled using Red Lead paste followed by non-adhesive bedding compound and 20D copper nails:



    Assembled board checked for twist with winding sticks one last time before final shaping:



    Exposed section of board tapered from 15/16” to 11/16” in the direction of water flow:





    Continued…
    “Perhaps then, you will say, ‘But where can one have a boat like that built today?’ And I will tell you that there are still some honest men who can sharpen a saw, plane, or adze...men (who) live and work in out of the way places, but that is lucky, for they can acquire materials for one third of city prices. Best, some of these gentlemen’s boatshops are in places where nothing but the occasional honk of a wild goose will distract them from their work.” -- L Francis Herreshoff

  2. #2
    Undercut double through-mortise for lead weight is cut, the wood primed with Red Lead…



    …and the weight is poured…the lead was still boiling when the shutter snapped:





    Lead hammered into mortise undercuts after it cools and shrinks:



    Lifting handle strap is heated and bent over a form…:



    …the board end of the lifting handle is formed over a length of pipe and brazed…



    ….and the strap is installed in its mortises with epoxy and 16D copper rivets:



    The handle will be cut to length and finished after the centerboard case is assembled….and the first coat of porch and deck enamel is applied:



    Images not my own are from John Gardner’s The Dory Book.
    “Perhaps then, you will say, ‘But where can one have a boat like that built today?’ And I will tell you that there are still some honest men who can sharpen a saw, plane, or adze...men (who) live and work in out of the way places, but that is lucky, for they can acquire materials for one third of city prices. Best, some of these gentlemen’s boatshops are in places where nothing but the occasional honk of a wild goose will distract them from their work.” -- L Francis Herreshoff

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    San Jose, Middle California
    Posts
    636
    Bob

    Give me a 420# lead keel any day. No puny boards for me.

    I had the joy of replacing my keel bolts on an 18' Mercury - sailed very stiff afterwards.

    Nice job on the centerboard by the way.
    Michael in San Jose
    Non confundar in aeternam

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Grand Marais, MN. A transplant from Minneapolis
    Posts
    5,513
    Another day in school!

    Thanks Bob!
    TJH
    Live Like You Mean It.



    http://www.northhouse.org/

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Pacific, Mo.
    Posts
    2,835
    Such craftsmanship! I enjoy your threads like I like watching loml getting ready to go out for the evening And that's a very high compliment!

    Jim

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Lake Leelanau, MI
    Posts
    2,630
    Bob,

    As always, very interesting and informative. Good job and I'll look forward to more.

    John

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    N Illinois
    Posts
    4,602

    Bob WOW!

    Bob, you are truly, a gifted and skilled craftsman doing extraordinary work!! I just simply enjoy reading your posts and by the way, I learn immensely from your examples. I'm awfully glad you're part of this forum...Thanks for your posts!!
    Jerry

  8. #8
    Bronze or galvanized are used because unlike wood or brass, they are stiff and aid the board in preventing deflection.

    No glue in those long drifts....they are bedded in red lead. Glue would be a mistake just like it would be for the end cleats because it'd crack the board in seasonal movement. The drifts were nicked with a chisel along their lengths so they pound in but won't back out with seasonal movement.

    The old way is to drive it all together with white lead and no glue at all, then drill out and pound in any angled drifts.

    I prefer to lay the boards up with epoxy, first, using alignment dowels if required and drill/drive the long drifts in from the outside after it's all cured. That way there's no danger of pounding two boards together that won't meet because the drift is either a tad too long or hung up.

    Here's the pin....designed to the board won't flop around in the case:



    The bushing is .750.

    I turned the pin down to .725.

    I'll turn two laminated White Oak caps bored and epoxy bedded for the pin ends to be screwed into the bed logs with sealant to capture the pin.
    “Perhaps then, you will say, ‘But where can one have a boat like that built today?’ And I will tell you that there are still some honest men who can sharpen a saw, plane, or adze...men (who) live and work in out of the way places, but that is lucky, for they can acquire materials for one third of city prices. Best, some of these gentlemen’s boatshops are in places where nothing but the occasional honk of a wild goose will distract them from their work.” -- L Francis Herreshoff

  9. #9
    Bob, another great lesson. I very much enjoy reading your tutorials. Thanks

  10. #10
    Moving to Boat Building Forum...
    Glenn Clabo
    Michigan

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