Here's the hull, after being assembled upside down, ready for rounding the chines, sheathing the bottom and making the keel patterns.
A FEW MICRO CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS
Click on the images and they'll take you to sharper, larger format pics. If you're building a Micro, the Keel Mold pics may be of help. Save them for future reference.
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Here's the hull, after being assembled upside down, ready for rounding the chines, sheathing the bottom and making the keel patterns. |
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Since every hull varies, it's best to make the pattern for the keel directly from the hull itself. Notice that the bottom has now been sheathed. |
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Here's the half completed lead keel mold. Since the keel happens to be 1-1/2" thick, one piece of 3/4" plywood is used for the base, and 3 pieces of 1/2" make up the mold. Notice how the lifting eyes (with nuts attached) have been let into the center layer. The whole assembly is held together with dry-wall screws. |
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This is the finished keel mold ready to take to the lead foundry. |
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Here's the ballast keel casting after the dry-wall screws were backed out and the disposable mold torn apart to free the casting. Now all you have to do is smooth the casting with wood working tools and it's ready to install. |
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The hull is turned halfway over and the sides are sheathed. Then the hull is turned the other way and the opposite side is sheathed. Especially when sheathing, it's always good to have gravity on your side. This hull is easy to turn, so don't be afraid to position it as required |
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One of the more difficult jobs is positioning, gluing and fastening the rub-rail in place. The reason why is because the rail has to twist in two directions. However, these temporary jig-clamps worked well and controlled the operation so you can glue and screw as you go slow and sure without any panic. |
AT LAST, FRESH OUT OF THE SHOP!
