Jahazi: Side skin (2009)

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.

Friday, 31 July 2009

Side skin (2009)

I started on the side skin May 2009. As was suggested by the building guidelines, I started at the bow and worked aft. All my joints, as with the bottom skin panels, were scarfed at a 1:8 ratio. The sheets were all glued to all contact surfaces on the sheer clamp, stringers, tangent stringer, bulkheads and any joinery that was installed by this time. Stainless steel fasteners were also used at a spacing of 150 mm on the stringers. The front panel was larger than the plywood sheet size. Therefore I had to insert a piece doing a scarf joint. By the end of 2009 I was finished with the side skin after 114 man hours. Progress was slow this winter. For example, during August and September I could only work for 13 hours because of our winter rains.