A few days of nice weather over Christmas provided the window needed to shape and install the rafters that will support the hard top. Jim cut these cross pieces from 2 x 6 fir boards on the bandsaw, then shaped them to fit. Each one was different:
The rafters were fastened to the fiberglass structure of the boat with thickened epoxy and stainless steel screws. Note the notches (kerfs) in the rafter just aft of the windshield. These relief cuts allowed us to bend the rafter forward to match the curve on the Albin cabin top. Looking aft to the last cross member, please notice the mounting blocks in the back corners. These will receive the rail assembly that will hold the framework up.
I moved that H-shaped rail assembly into place yesterday. Some adjustment is needed, but the rail stanchions took up the weight of the framework in a very solid fashion. I stood on the cabintop and tried to push the whole structure from side to side. It wouldn't move. This is good.
The quality of Jim's framework joinery is a major contributor to this stability. This closeup shows how the aft cross member meets a stringer:
The last two days have been devoted to carefully shaping the rafter arches to assure they are all the same height, both side-to-side and front-to-back. Jim got really intent about this important work. He used a straight-edged 10-foot 2x4 as a guide.
Dia made a cameo appearance near the day's end to contribute some perfecting adjustments.
And here's the finished structure:
The next step is to make patterns from the framework on the boat to guide the shape and final dimensions of the plywood top. After that, the work will move inside to begin building, shaping and fiberglassing Ms. Bettencourt's new top.
John,
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic. Ya'll are doing a wonderful job which makes building a hardtop look like a simple project. The skeleton structure looks great. Keep up the good work. You must be really proud at this point.
Hira