keel bearers drilled, cut, and shaped

The keel bearers have been drilled cut and shaped, they are made from Afzelia/ Doussie

Janka hardness 8050N 

modulus of rupture 122.3MPa

elastic modulus 14.44GPa

crushing strength 74.1 MPa

average dried weight 805Kg/cubic m

shrinkage -  radial 2.3%  - tangential 3.9% -  volumetric 6.3% -  T/R ratio 1.7

Rot Resistance Rated as very durable Moderately resistant to termites and marine borers

used for docks, boatbuilding, etc

instead of Oak (I could not source the required good oak)

the best Oak for boats is White Oak, NOT red Oak

Janka hardness 5990N 

modulus of rupture 102.3MPa

elastic modulus 12.15GPa

crushing strength 50.8 MPa

average dried weight 755Kg/cubic m

shrinkage -  radial 5.6% -  tangential 10.5%  - volumetric 16.3% - T/R ratio 1.9

Rated as very durable  frequently used in boatbuilding and tight cooperage

Why white oak and not red oak?, 

Red Oak has a grain structure that looks like little drinking straws and when you put it in water the little straws suck up water, that is why white oak is used for cooperage, if you had barrels made of red oak all the contents would soak the wood and leak out -  Also Red oak is commonly used for cabinetry, furniture, interior trim and is rated as non-durable to perishable with poor insect resistance -  it is also quite hard to tell which is red oak and which is white oak, you can test by putting it in water and seeing if it sucks up liquid through the grain straws, or use sodium, nitrite solution- google it - 

The mast support is made from a really nice piece of Sapele Mahogany

Janka hardness 6060N 

modulus of rupture 110.9MPa

elastic modulus 12.35GPa

crushing strength 58.9 MPa

average dried weight 665Kg/cubic m

shrinkage -  radial 5.2% -  tangential 7.2%  - volumetric 12.9% - T/R ratio 1.4

Rot Resistance heartwood ranges from Moderately durable to very durable in regard to decay resistance Moderate insect/borer resistance

used for docks, boatbuilding, etc

the  Afzelia for the keel bearers were available in a size that would allow a  finished 5cm thick piece so they will have an extra piece laminated onto the to make up the the thickness as specified in the plans, though even at 5cm thick the specs say to me they are more than strong enough

the extra piece laminated to the keel bearer will have a cut out to countersink the nut see the test piece

if you are interested in wood and timber and the specific qualities of wood 

 - have a look at the website

 wood-database.com

 the interior build begins - keel bearers

All the waterlines and centerlines were kept in place throughout the build so that it is simple to construct from them, rather than having to remark them as they get sanded off, even the waterline on the hull was remarked each time, and at the moment it is on the outside of the hull waiting till it is needed again.

The keel bearers are being measured and cut and fitted, you can see the centerlines on the bulkheads and the floor and also the makings for the bunk level and mast bulkhead cut outs as well , all these were thought about and roughly marked while the boat was upside down, now they need to be finalized. You can also see where the screw holes were filled with small dowels after removing the screws for gluing the hull bottom plates together, some holes were epoxy relief holes to allow excess epoxy to escape during the gluing process, this is also a good idea, because any air can escape and it also serves as an indicator that the whole panel is bonded (glue comes through the relief holes) and no "dry" or hollow areas are in between the panels. The keel bearers will be drilled for the mounting bolts and then glued in, using the centrelines, afterwards a template will be made for the keel plate mount, using the hull outside centreline (also drawn on under the boat) and these holes. IMHO the small amount of time to maintain these lines is a huge time and hassle saver as the build continues.

You can see the stern view of the boat, and also the new workshop rafters that were installed to support the roof for the hull turning. There was originally a strong beam that spanned the shop, it was removed so that the hull could be flipped with the strongback still in place (the strong back automatically leveled the hull athwartships and it just needed tweaking to level it fore and aft), if the beam was in place there was not enough clearance to flip the hull, so new rafters had to be installed and also the shop had to have the wiring re routed because all the electrical socket were under the strong beam, the siting of the electrical sockets under the beam was so that all power tools could be plugged in to the socket overhead and this allowed the shop to be free of trailing extension cords - now it is just off center with the vacuum dust collector above them.

 The cagarro has landed

Today the boat was turned, using some ratchet straps,
John  thank you for the loan of the straps.

It all went quite smoothly, now the exciting stuff starts!