Fairing and whatnot

I haven't made a post in a while, for two main reasons: 1.) since the middle of March, I've been busy with school and work, and 2.) fairing is a slow, iterative process that defies exciting description in most cases. It's enjoyable work, and I've learned a lot about using planes and working with mahogany and the importance of sharp blades, but all that effort is only noticeable once you apply the planking and see the hopefully graceful lines of the boat.

Having said that, I've been fairing when I've had the time, and was lucky enough to get some nice pictures (thanks to Vince) of the boat mid-fairing. So here are some pictures preceded by relevant descriptions.

Here's a picture illustrating what the chine looks like while being faired. To determine the profile of the chine, you project the angle of the frame down "through" the chine by creating a notch with a file and chisel(s). Once you do that for the transom and each frame, you simply fair between the notches until the chine is faired. In this picture, I haven't faired forward of this specific notch (I think this is frame # 3, port side).



Fairing involves a lot of this:



Note the frame overhang that will need to be faired:



Compare this unfaired chine (starboard) to the first picture (port):



Due to being new to boatbuilding, I cut the chine too short, and the result is that the chine meets the stem further aft than is desirable. Not a big deal, but not ideal:



Here at the transom, you can see that the port chine was especially short, and needed a block to extend it sufficiently:



It's a dirty job:



And finally, why god made clamps: