We secured the frames in place by sandwiching them between cleats which we screwed into the upper spreaders, and then we screwed through the cleats and into the center plywood portions of the frames. This should allow them to take the pressures that will come when the chine and sheer are placed and faired. We managed to get the centerboard trunk and frames # 2 and #3 in place without much of a problem, relatively speaking. The strap clamps really came in handy for that. The transom is currently clamped in place, but will be further secured once the keel gets glued and screwed in its final position.
So after getting all that done, we pre-beveled the keel (an arduous yet relatively smooth task, thanks largely to Mikey's willingness to get showered with mahogany dust) and cut a slot for the centerboard trunk. Once we traced the slot, we cut out the majority of it with the jigsaw (unfortunately I undercut it in the center on one side) and Mikey removed the rest of the material with his finish router. Once we did that, we put it in the steamer. The steamer was made from two 10' sections of 6" PVC, a 5-gallon gas can (holding the water) and a turkey fryer. The gas can was connected to the PVC with 1.25" flexible hose, and there's a 3/8" vent in the far end. The water is heated with the turkey fryer. (More importantly, now we've got a turkey fryer!) We steamed the keel for about an hour, which was sufficient, as the keel was pretty damn flexible to begin with. Here's what the steamer looked like:
After steaming it, we put it in place and clamped it down. Unfortunately there's a small crack extending from the forward port corner of the centerboard trunk slot, but Tom has assured me that it can be treated with epoxy. He properly reminded me that glue will make a boatbuilder out of anyone. Thank god. Here's what the whole thing looks like at this point (sorry for the slanty picture):
The next step is to glue and screw the keel in place. Maybe I can get Vince to help me this Sunday. Finally, here's a pic of me and Mikey. Thanks for the help Mikey - we got a lot of stuff done.
For those interested in food and beverage, we indulged in a bit of seasonal beer - a sixer of Leinie's Oktoberfest, which I would NOT recommend. (The first Leinie's beer I haven't really liked.) We also polished off some Sam Adams Oktoberfest, which was good as always. We smoked a couple slabs of baby back ribs in the smoker, and they turned out really well. I want to try them again with a lower temperature and a different kind of wood. (I used hickory and mesquite because that's all I've got, but they are both too harsh for pork in my opinion, esp. the mesquite. Not that I'm telling you something you don't already know.) Jen was kind enough to make us some mac & cheese and blue chip sandwiches for lunch. Good stuff.
