Possible new project: choosing between two boats?

You are on the right track. Just clamp on some braces.
You will likely need to remove the planking along the keelson to access the crews that hold the keelson to the ribs.
I would pull the keelson, clean out the gunk, repair it or replace it, and reinstall it before doing ribs.

perfect, thanks Dave. good to get back to work on this!!
 
So decided to pull the screws for the middle section of the keelson to see what would happen. I had suspected the middle piece is a previous repair job. It popped right out and had no screws holding it in place from underneath. I'll get the bracing in place tomorrow and then pull the keel off to see what the bottom looks like.

IMG_2490.jpg IMG_2491.jpg IMG_2492.jpg IMG_2493.jpg
 
Didn't get to the point of flipping the boat over today, but got the keel off and pulled the rest of the fiberglass, then put the seat rails in and screwed in a single seat. Could use tips on what other braces/attachment points might be helpful. Seems to me that a couple of simple straps around the boat would help hold it together also. Where it stands tonight:

IMG_2501.jpg IMG_2499.jpg

on edit: here is what I've rigged for bracing, the straps seem to help the two halves stay tighter together. It occurs to me that figuring out the keelson replacement is a pretty high priority.

IMG_2504.jpg IMG_2514.jpg
 
Last edited:
Looking pretty much like I'll just pull the bottom two planks to access the two ends of the original keelson. Got the sternward section of the keelson out yesterday, as Dave said there are lots of hidden nails and screws. Gives me a better sense of how the boat was assembled and in what order. Still working on finding a mahogany strip for the keelson.
 

Attachments

  • knee brace keelson bolt.jpg
    knee brace keelson bolt.jpg
    216.1 KB · Views: 275
  • transom brace nut and bag.jpg
    transom brace nut and bag.jpg
    273.9 KB · Views: 286
  • transom brace screw 1.jpg
    transom brace screw 1.jpg
    294.5 KB · Views: 276
  • transom brace screw.jpg
    transom brace screw.jpg
    258.7 KB · Views: 287
  • keelson ring nails.jpg
    keelson ring nails.jpg
    197.8 KB · Views: 290
  • end of day July 28.jpg
    end of day July 28.jpg
    272.4 KB · Views: 305
  • end of day 2 July 28.jpg
    end of day 2 July 28.jpg
    280.5 KB · Views: 282
So the curveball yesterday was that the "front piece" of the keelson that I thought would be removable turned out to be the stem. Someone along the way had cut a kerf in the stem which threw me off--pics below to show what I mean. Just never occurred to me that that would be the case. (I need to get better at my wood identification, I assume the stem is oak?)

The good news is that I did find out that about 6-8 inches of the sternward section are dry rotted, so my plan is to lop off that section and replace the keelson up to around the point of the blue tape in the picture below.

With luck I'll have a piece of mahogany in hand next week to start fashioning the keelson. Between now and then I'll try to get the rib ends and remaining floor planking cleaned up.

bow stem from underneath.jpg dry rot from underneath.jpg dry rot 2.jpg stem kerf.jpg blue tape.jpg
 
The curveball from last week turned out to be a double curveball. I had messaged Dave Osborn who mentioned the half lap joint that would have been used originally between the keelson and the stem, so I went back with better light, some scrapers, and more patience, and found out he was right. So . . . here's where it stands today.

Went to PA yesterday to pick up the mahogany to make the replacement keelson--the three pieces I pulled from the boat are on top of the board. Turns out my estimated length was an inch short, but that shouldn't create a problem, I'll just tuck a small beveled piece of mahogany scrap up under the bow stem to fill the space (or else scarf a short extension to the keelson). So now it's on to fabrication.

Also got the wider board in the photos, which has some figure to it. Need to replace one of the corner braces, hope to find it in the wide piece. pics below.

keelson on mahogany board.jpg keelson bow end tip.jpg wide plank.jpg transom brace.jpg transom brace 2 busted.jpg

on edit: my hand planing skills leave a bit to be desired, but I think I found my corner brace

wide plank planed.jpg corner brace 1.jpg corner brace 2.jpg
 
Last edited:
Weekly update. Got the mahogany board planed on both sides, not the most stable workpiece setup ever, but it got the job done.

this goes in.jpg this goes in 2.jpg this comes out.jpg

I could use some advice on which line to cut through this piece of mahogany for the keelson. The board has a crook, and my thinking was to cut what I need along the outer edge to follow the taper of the keelson-to-be. I was also thinking that leaves me quite a lot of extra board leftover in case I need to do another one of these in the future. The photos show what this would look like.

But I'm wondering about the dimensional stability of the board--would it be better to go straight down the middle? or along some other cutting line given the grain pattern etc? just curious what folks think here. Ultimately I'm more concerned about the stability of the keelson than I am about waste. Also am I cutting it too close to the edge of the board?

keelson shaping 1.jpg keelson shaping 2.jpg keelson shaping 3.jpg keelson shaping 4.jpg keelson shaping 5.jpg keelson shaping 6.jpg
 
Back
Top