The next step was turning over the boat to install the top ribs. I unscrewed the molds from the strongback and flipped the boat over. I left in 3 molds to prevent the sides from bending inwards.
I made a master deck crown curve to the 4' 9'' radius called out on the plan. I also made a template for the cockpit coming. Rib gussets were also cut out.
Using the template I roughed out ribs with a bandsaw. This could be cut with a jig saw. Each rib was fit to the needed angle. I started with the midship's rib since any errors meant I could reuse the rib at a narrower location on the hull. This already happened twice making up the ribs.
I used double sided tape to attach the master curve to the rib and finish with a template bit in my router table. To prevent the router from lifting the wood I ran the ribs through 2 times, flipping and reattaching the master curve to the other side. The pattern bit I am using has a 1" cutting length so I needed to flip part to get the curve completely cut. I ran a string line to help with the rib alignment.
I installed 3 ribs to allow removal of the molds. I am holding off installing the other ribs while I finish the interior of the boat.
Rick
I made a master deck crown curve to the 4' 9'' radius called out on the plan. I also made a template for the cockpit coming. Rib gussets were also cut out.
Using the template I roughed out ribs with a bandsaw. This could be cut with a jig saw. Each rib was fit to the needed angle. I started with the midship's rib since any errors meant I could reuse the rib at a narrower location on the hull. This already happened twice making up the ribs.
I used double sided tape to attach the master curve to the rib and finish with a template bit in my router table. To prevent the router from lifting the wood I ran the ribs through 2 times, flipping and reattaching the master curve to the other side. The pattern bit I am using has a 1" cutting length so I needed to flip part to get the curve completely cut. I ran a string line to help with the rib alignment.
I installed 3 ribs to allow removal of the molds. I am holding off installing the other ribs while I finish the interior of the boat.
Rick
