Day 2 began at 10 30 AM and ended at 3 30 with a lunch break of course

Today, I laid out the bottom panels on both sheets one and two and cut out the plywood for frames 2, 4, and 9
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batten in place and lines marked for cutting.

All the lines that were marked were cut out with the circular saw.  I find it best not to set the saw too deep.

saw is set to cut no more than 1.5 teeth deep.

???? ??The next step involves cutting out one half and using it as a template for the other half.  After cutting the lines are faired up with a small block plane and a Stanley surform.  This makes short work of it and keeps the operator warm on a winters day (its 20 degrees Farenheit today). 

The same process is used on the next piece of plywood to get out the forward halves of the bottom. 

One more piece of plywood left.  We start by ripping it down the middle and marking our straight edges from which we will be measuring.    From this piece we will get the sides, the transom, and one half of frame 6.   I will cut these out next weekend if time allows. 

panels in the workshop waiting for the sides to join them.  It is much warmer in here and thus better for gluing.

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How it all began A quick sidenote

Dave, doing what he does best
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Ive been asked quite a few times "What made Greg decide to build a houseboat, and what kind of massochist are you for volunteering to help?" This picture may help explain it. We love the water. Greg, our friend Darin, and I have been water rats since we earned our canoeing merit badge in Boy Scouts together, over 20 years ago. For over a decade, weve had at least one annual trip where the the three of us and another friend, Sonny, go on an extended canoeing or whitewater kayaking trip. Others have come and gone, but the "core four" of us are always on these trips. So love for the water is one of the driving forces behind building this boat.

Greg is a Mechanical Engineer, and loves to design and build things. Hes been that way for as long as Ive known him. Ive always liked building things too, but Ive never had quite the knack that Greg has for complex projects. Once I can conceptualize the basic process of a task, I can frequently find ways to improve or streamline an existing process, but Greg is the visionary. (Im great at reverse engineering.) So Gregs desire to design/ build and my desire to see the inner workings (how does this work, and how can I make it work better?) is the other major driving force.

And of course theres the friendship factor... hanging out with a friend, drinking a few beers. But Ive already covered that aspect in another post.

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An Invitation to look at my Other Blog

This blog about the houseboat isnt my only blog. If youre interested in seeing my other blog, which discusses about everything except this project, go to my other blog.

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