New Keelson
Based on the constant exposure to water the new keelson is made out of white oak.Solid White Oak; 16 feet 4/4th
The piece barely fit in to the garage. Lets not talk about how I got it home from the store (http://www.hardwoodstore.com/) driving on the interstate.
Cutting the Shape
Since I have no band saw I used a saber-saw with a fresh blade. Just a bit tricky not to cut in one of the 4 saw horses.
Slot for Center Board
For the center board I drilled the ends of the slot 1st.
"Diving" Circular Saw
With a fine blade the circular saw works quite well to cut through 1 inch oak.
Cutting the Edges
After transferring the measures from the boat the problem was "how to cut the edges". Due to the lack of a hand planner a combination of the saw and the belt sander (with a 40 grit) did it.
Sealing with Epoxy
Using a penetrating epoxy the keelson is sealed outdoors and dried outside. The new piece should last longer than anything else on the boat.
Installed!
Now there is a picture... After cleaning the inside we glued the new keelson in place. Putting large bolts through into the keel. The heads will be covered by the ribs.
Before...
What can I say....
After...
That should hold...