Jahazi: The Stem (bow)

Introduction

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea"
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

With that in mind one may think that anybody with a passion for the sea can build an ocean going yacht. But be warned! It is not something that can be taken lightly. It takes time and dedication.This project was started in 2004 with the purchase of plans for the Didi 34. Although almost finished, it is still ongoing.

Sunday, 30 April 2006

The Stem (bow)

The next stage in the building process was the lamination and installation of the stem. The stem piece was laminated from two 100x100 mm Meranti (Lauan, Philippine Mahogany) planks. That was the easy part! Next the stem had to be set up on center line and at the proper angle and distance from bulkhead A. The backbone then had to be connected. All had to come together so that the waterline, center line and final planking dimensions agreed to the plan scantling. The stem and backbone were then glued in position complete with knee. The backbone and transom were also connected with a knee. The knees where constructed out of 4 layers of 12 mm plywood. The stem was then planed to its final shape. This was done using temporary stringers as guidelines. The stem took 36 man-hours. In total I have spent 527 man-hours up to this stage.