Then glued and screwed all the cleats in their respective spots - I did this over a couple days to keep the tedium level down also. Then, all of the approx 100 screw holes needed to be filled with thickened epoxy - per the SCAMP instruction manual, I placed scotch tape over the filled hole to make cleanup easier. I also found that filling the holes with a small syringe was much easier and controlled than other methods. The syringes can be reused many times, if you clean the rubber end of the plunger after use. Finally, all of the filled screw holes have to be scraped and sanded - I am almost done with this.
The transom was also glued in place. The outside edges of the transom were a little too aft (transom had an aftward bow on the sides), so I installed the cleats to it first, then placed a single screw from the seat tops (temporarily in place) to pull the sides forward while the epoxy cured.
Seat top cleats on the side of the centerboard case are clamped rather than screwed.
I want to work next on things that will be much easier to do without planks installed. First is the centerboard pin installation. I started by gluing the full length SS bolt to its retaining cap, seen to left. I inserted the bolt into the trunk and applied pressure to the cap to hold it at the correct angle while the epoxy cured.
Then I marked the spot for cutting the bolt at the inboard edge of the bearings.
Next, glued the inboard cap to the ballast tank side of the trunk (right below). I inserted the full length bolt, the end of which was slathered with toilet seal wax, into the bearings against the inner side of the cap while the epoxy was curing. This kept the epoxy from running into the area of the bearing.
Next, the SS bolt needs to be cut to the length marked above. SS is very hard, and I don't have any particular metal working skills or tools. I decided to use a similar technique I used to cut the bronze CB pin bushings - that is, heavy duty cutoff wheels on my dremmel tool.
I used the setup below left - the dremmel is clamped to a vice and the bolt/cap assembly is held by a 2x4 loosely held with a clamp to the end of the vise (note - I had to rough cut the end of the bolt to get to this point - it was too long otherwise). With this setup, I could apply cutting oil to the bolt, and rotate it with my left hand while slowly easing it down onto the cutting wheel. The result is at right, after beveling the end with a file. You can see a recess in the cap for an 1/8" thick o-ring. I will be adding a neoprene gasket between the cap and the trunk to take up the space between them due to the o-ring thickness.
Finally, I drilled out the screw holes in the cap, used these as guides to mark pilot holes in the trunk side, drilled out 3/8" holes roughly half way into the trunk ( through the doubler layer ), filled those holes with thickened epoxy, and then drilled pilot holes for the #8 3/4" screws (sorry - no pix for this part).
Then added two coats of epoxy mixed with graphite powder ( this is on top of 3 coats of clear epoxy that were applied before the panels were assembled ). These were added in one day to avoid sanding between. The general thought is that, in addition to having the two additional coats of epoxy for waterproofing, the graphite powder will inhibit the attachment of water borne critters and slimy stuff.
After the epoxy cured, the drain plug was installed. The doubler is 9mm ply, and with the plug body let-in so that it is flush with the doubler, it is about 1mm or so shy of the outside of the hull bottom. I used the recommended WM garboard drain plug, listed in the build manual.
A recent post on the SCA SCAMP forum indicated that more weight (22# I think) was needed in the centerboard than originally thought. Well, my board is built, and has about 17-18# of lead in it, so fooey. I am not keen on the idea of ripping into it to add weight, so I decided to add provisions for a downhaul, since it is relatively easy to do now. This involved adding a copper tube from the cabin area into the trunk down as low as possible. A 4mm line will connect to the forward side of the board, below the pivot, and to an auto-release cleat in the cabin. Since this line will not be under a lot of tension, and very little when tensioning it, I convinced myself that the right angle turns it makes when entering and exiting the tubing will be ok.
The downhaul will be helpful if, in fact, my board is too svelte. But, it also will be helpful in keeping the board from retracting in case of a turtle.
I used the same technique as installing the uphaul tubing, annealing the forward end of the copper tubing, then starting the flare with the plumb bob (at right), and finishing with a ball peen hammer.
Here is the pump installed between BH6 and BH7. You can see the inlet just forward of BH7, extending into the starboard sump area, and the outlet at the top of the centerboard trunk.
I plan to make the area below the port seat, between BH7 and BH8, a wet locker, similar to Keith Nasman's in ZEPHYR. I plan to store one anchor rode and chain there, but probably not the anchor. I am going to put an Armstrong 8" deck plate for access, though it will likely be normally not installed. Keith indicated that one problem with the locker in ZEPHYR, is that bilge water enters it through the limber hole at the bottom, keeping the rode wet. So, I plan to put a transom drain plug in the limber hole, which I will open only when the locker needs to be drained.
In the meantime, I am getting planks 1 and 2 ready. Here they are being glued, and some of the joint cleanup is done. I am going to install planks 3 later, so have not glued them yet - it is easier to store them in pieces in my somewhat cramped boat shop.