Coaming question

Ryan Werden

Ryan Werden

Well-known member
Well I'm down to the last details on my broadbill build. One problem I'm having is getting the stern and bow coaming pieces to bend with the arc of the deck. Short of steaming are there any other options to bend the coaming? The sides went in no problem since your bending with the grain.

Thanks
Ryan
 
I used 2 strips of 3/8 okoume plywood. I screwed and epoxied in the first strip to gain my curve, then epoxied strip2 to #1, matted and epoxied the whole thing.
 
Ryan

I didn't have any problem with the coaming on my Broadbill. Now the shear clamps, that's another story. I have one rupture. That boat is decpetive in how tight the bends are.

On the coaming try leaving the front overhanging several feet. Attach the side coaming to the front piece with screws. Then add another temporary piece in front of the front coaming where you left the side pieces overhanging, clamp or screw the side coaming pieces to it. Now start at the front of the cockpit and start bending your coaming and screwing it from the underside of the decks. Leave a little plywood exposed to trim off with a router later. By the time you get about 1/2 way it will be easy. Having another person there to manipulate the coaming makes it a ton easier.
 
If you're using ply for the coaming, you can just heat it--you don't have to use steam. Get it hot enough for the glue to slip and it will bend easily. At least that's what Tom Scholberg did on his poleboat.
Rick
 
Thanks all for the replies.

I was kicking around an idea similar to that of Steve's. I went ahead an lofted the piece I needed on some 3/8 Okoume, cut out 4 pieces and epoxied them together so I had 2 solid pieces. I then screwed these into the side coaming which were ash.

The construction of the broadbill is officially done. I have to put a couple of coats of FME on the deck and mount some hardware, then some test runs. Wow it feels good to be just about done.
 
Ryan, Dude!?!?
How dare you come on here asking questions and making statements about being done..... AND NO PICTURES!?!?

hehe, Just razzing you a little. Congrats on your summer boat building and getting her ready to launch for this season.

How's your life with your son toddling around? Free time comes at a premium, aye?

Looking forward to seeing some pics of the boat!!

Best,

Brian F.
 
Hey Brian!

Come on bro, cut a fella some slack. You know the drill, free time is limited! I'll post some pics today when I get home from work. The wife and boy are visiting with the grandparents for a few days so it gave me a bit of free time to get this baby wrapped up. By the time I finished mounting the motor bracket and the coaming it was dark and I couldn't take the pics. I'll slap a coat of FME on her tonight and snap a few pics.

At some point we should have a broadbill get-together. Michigan and Ohio are easily do-able.

Here's a recent pic of Cal climbing through a tunnel at a camp ground we stayed at.
Cal.jpg

Your little one is on the move as well I suspect? Hope your family is well!

Ryan
 
Ryan, your son sure is a handsome little guy. Obviously your wife has a good and strong gene pool!! ;-)
Take advantage of that "Family's away" free time!! It doesn't happen all that often.

My youngest has officially been a bi-ped for nearly 5 months by now. She's trying her darndest to keep up with big sister, and big brother! There's never a dull moment (nor free moments) at my house!!

And yes, we absolutely need to get a Broadbill hunt set up!!
Looking forward to seeing your boat all painted!

Best,
Brian F.
 
moot point now, but another way is thin kerf saw cuts every 3/4 of an inch or so 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through the material for about a 10-15" section will curve that bend nicely too, then you just fill with thinned epoxy first, then thickened to fill the gaps. Very easy, no steam or heat (since you had issues with that method)
 
Brian - As the season gets a bit closer we can put something in the works.

Eric - Thanks for the response. In the end I think the bonded okoume will work out, although it would have been nice to be consistent and have ash all around.

Ryan
 
You can do the same with ash if you have access to a planer or the right materials. Use 6 - 1/8 thick strips of ash to make your curve. ( I use to be a woodworker in a former life).
 
Ryan,

Sounds like you got it, but for my Broadbill I cut slots every 4-6 inches or so (can not remember the specifics now) to relieve the stress on the wood (Doug fir) and screwed/epoxied it down. It took some real effort and mechanical leverage to bend the wood, and I'm luck the bulkhead ply held the screws as they were going into end grain. In this pic you can see the dark areas in the stern coaming where the cuts are filled with maple flour/epoxy mix. (This was an attempt similar to what Eric D. describes above)

oarlcockback.jpg

For my BB2, I decided to forgo the pain and cut the bow coaming piece in the shape of the deck. Traced the deck to establish the botton line, then made the high-tech/high-dollar jig pictured here to make the top line. Carefully cut the piece out with a sabre saw, hit the top with a 3/8 inch rollover router bit, and it looks fine in flat paint!


image0052.jpg

When are you going to float the new boat?

-Bill
 
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DOH! I should have read the original question more closely. I thought Ryan was asking about the side pieces when he clearly stated the bow and stern. The method Bill shows in the pic with the pencil trace is how I've always done it.
 
I talked with Joel, as I had called him in the middle of my attempts to bend the ash, and he told me that they normally do it the way Bill describes. This is very similar to the way I ended up doing it, I just did it on 3/8" okoume and bonded two pieces together. The only part I'm worried about is not having a hardwood for those pieces. The sides are ash and I suspect they'll take more of a beating than the bow/stern sections. Oh well, they're epoxied in place now.

Bill - I plan to float her as soon as I get the trailer ready. I took a used (needs lots of work) trailer that I had planned on using. After I saw Mark Rongers post that he is a dealer for EZ Loader, I'm thinking of giving him a call to find out a price on a trailer that will suit the BB. I suspect I may have about the same money into the used trailer when it's all said and done. I need to have it sandblasted, repaint, rewire, new tires, bearings and cut down to size. But it's a good heavy duty trailer. I'll see where the price comes in on a new one first.

Eric - Yeah, you had me confused a bit... :)

Ryan
 
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