Step 15: Cutting the Hatch Openings and Trimming the Deck
After the epoxy holding the deck to the hull was dry, it was time to trim off the excess. First I decided to cut the forward and aft hatch openings that allow access to the storage compartments. To do that I first made a copy of the shape of the opening from the plans onto a piece of newspaper. I did this by poking holes with a brad through the plans and into the newspaper that I had positioned underneath and then cutting it out:
Next I positioned this newspaper template as shown in the plans, traced around it, and cut it out with a saber saw:
Later I will make hatch covers out of larger pieces to cover the openings and seal the storage compartment.
After I had done both the forward and aft hatch openings and the epoxy was fully dry I trimmed off the excess from the deck with my saber saw being careful not to let the angle at which I was cutting allow the blade to cut into the hull:
I tried to cut it to within a quarter or an eighth of an inch and then shaved it off even closer with the block plane. Finally, I sanded it and rounded over the deck to hull joint. This whole procedure took quite a while but would have been even more time consuming without my random orbital sander which seems to be an essential tool for boat building.
My light bulb broke so here is a very poorly lit view of the nice rounded over edge:
This website is a labor of love and I never expected anything in return. But if you want to show your appreciation while also helping the environment, then click through this link here to get to amazon.com the next time you plan on shopping there anyway. I will get a commission of 2.5-10% through their "associates program" and will donate 50% of that to the Sierra Club. Thanks, Tim
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