MOTOR WELL – We figured that building the motor well right off the bat would give us an anchor from which to attach the other ribs. We chose a rear motor well, (though the plans also offer a mid-engine version) and so the transom gave us the starting place.

This part of the plans are fairly vague and so we had to do a fair bit of talking and waving our hands to get a shared vision of what we were building. Bob struggled to remember the scribing tricks for fitting the longitudinal elements but by the fourth one we had a pretty good approach and the fit was clean, glue covers the learning curve on the others. Another confusing element was the plan’s instructions for a free-floating frame 1. We went with the solid elements of the transom and frame 2 and built based on these. Though the question of how to fit frame 1 was nagging at us. The motor well supports the weight of the motor and absorbs the thrust from it. Accordingly, it needs to be a robust structure. We will skin the interior of the well with 3/4 inch plywood and fiberglass it along with the rest of the hull.

The next push was to situate the frames along the strongback at their correct locations and heights. This boat has some rocker, which means it curves between the bow and stern. We had to shim a couple of frames to level but the rest fell naturally. We were both surprised that they came together so easily.

This session was more challenging for both of us. It was hot and humid. Patty was suffering from a bad case of poison ivy. And the plans were a little vague at spots. We had moments of frustration with communication. Not so much with each other but with ourselves trying to say what we meant. Taking breaks and cooling off in the pool helped and checking in on the crabby level regulary kept it fun. However, in the end, we could see the boat taking shape. Bob had an epiphany that helped us with a plan for situating frame 1. In George Buehler’s book BuildingBackyard Boats, he describes a boat he saw being built in a 3rd world country. The builders set the transom, and the stem, and a couple of mid-ship frames. They then inlet the chine log and sheer clamp. Only then did they go back and build the remaining frames to fit the natural curve the wood took. So, once we have the chine and sheer in place we will go back and custom fit frame 1 based on those reference points.