The sheer strake on a boat is the topmost plank. It’s not always the last plank to fit – but in the case of Seapod, it is – and it has been a long time coming.
The boat was originally going to be planked completely in Alaskan Yellow Cedar – and completely carvel planked at that – but we ran into problems re-sawing the last few lengths of cedar needed to make up stock for the sheer strakes and had to countenance a day trip down to Stone’s Boatyard to get some more. This seemed excessive so I asked the question ‘What else is available?’. John, who looks after this end of things at the BBA, admitted that there might be enough Larch for a decent sheer strake (or two) at the bottom of the wood heap so he and Steve set to work and un-earthed a couple of planks with the most wonderful sweep to the grain. That will do nicely – thank you!
But, if the inside of the boat is to be finished bright what is a Larch sheer strake going to look like next to a cedar binder (the name for the the plank next to the sheer strake)? Not good – and why are we going to cover up all that lovely flowing grain on the outside of the sheer strake anyway? This was the point at which Gail suggested the idea of a clinker sheer strake – finished bright on the inside AND the outside of course. This solution solved lots of problems and was consistent with what was done to a lot of carvel peapods anyway. The sheer strake was seen as sacrificial and was attached ‘lapstrake’ (american for clinker) to facilitate changing it. Together with some donated rosehead nails left over from Gail’s Gardie Boat we had a new strategy. I was giving up one of my design principles (to build a small traditionally constructed craft without using copper nails) – but with only a single row of roves (copper rivet heads for the copper nails) the inside of the craft would still end up looking pretty uncluttered.
So, once I had finished the binders, I rough cut the larch planks, spiled the sheer strakes and clamped them on – with about 15mm spare on the top edge.
These seem to fit pretty well.
But all this took place in early April – so why the delay? What have I been doing for the last six weeks that it has taken me this long to get the sheer strakes on? After taking all the planks off, encapsulating three faces of them in flexible epoxy and re-attaching them back on I was, I thought, ready to attach the new sheer strakes. Very sensibly Mike Broome, one of our instructors, suggested that it would be sensible if I faired the boat before the sheer strake went on. I would then be able to plane diagonally across the topmost planks and would also not risk damaging the clinker sheer strake that would protrude from the rest of the hull. But before fairing the hull I wanted to fit all the floors to make sure that the planking did not move around after fairing – so the boat got turned over, the centreboard case and floors were fitted – and the spiled and cut out sheer strakes remained on the wood rack over the boat for quite a few extra weeks through April and May. Oh well, plans are made to be changed I guess.
With the hull faired and Seapod the right way up again I was ready to fit the sheer strakes and started fresh on Monday morning expecting to get them on in a day or so. After all they had already been spiled and I knew that the planks fitted fine. Humm – I had neglected to clamp up the planks on the wood rack and the ends had moved ‘up’ but about 30mm at each end. That’s quite a lot for a plank that has to fit ‘just right’. With some fine fettling, full use of the 15mm spare on the top edge, a couple of milimetres compromise with the land and a fair bit of edge set, I get them clamped on in place. But it’s late on Wednesday by this point and time is running out.
It’s time to quickly nail the plank in place before it moves again! I get out Gail’s rosehead nails (2″ #11), judge that the length is tight – but OK (to get through the plank, land and 20mm of oak timber) and drive the first nail. When fully driven I’m left with the point of the nail just visible through the rove – too short! It’s 8pm by now so I go home in disgust.
In the morning I resist the temptation to use ‘flatties’ (the copper nails that you generally see in wooden boats) and order some longer (2 1/2″, #10) roseheads from Davey & Company (express overnight delivery) to be delivered on Friday! I can’t remember what I did on Thursday but on Friday the nails duly arrive and a get them in together with the hood end screws and I then have, minus the rubbing strakes, the completed hull form in place.
This is what a rosehead nail looks like
And once nailed up – this is Seapod with her sheer strakes finally in place.
The week seems to have been recovered quite well. After lunch, Pete Willis from ClassicBoat comes in for a trip round the BBA and is quite polite about Seapod, I get the stock for my thwart risers, main thwarts and knees, John shows me how to machine up oblique halving joints using a dimension saw, I get the first couple of knees glued up (I’ve become a Balcotan bigot) , manage to bend a single (thinned) oak laminate round the front of the centreboard case and start planning for the seat risers and general internals. Things seem to be moving forward again.
