Drifter 17 Main Hull 4

1 1/2" x 2 1/2" spruce stringer for the bowsprit.




Layout and fit 1/4" plywood for the wing deck between the beams. Glass and sand the bottom before installing with bronze ring shank nails.




Temporary braces to support wing deck. Galley counter is made as part of the wing deck.




Foredeck framing installed and 1/8" ply bottom of deck overhang in place. Glass and sand this piece before installing.




Foredeck installed.




Fitting and installing the cabin sides. The lower panel is installed first, then the beveled cleat to joint the top and bottom pieces. Laminate the curved cleats for the top of the cabin, and install them, before cutting out the windows.







Installing the mast beam and hatch stringers.







Cabin top frames. Use long screws through the cabin side and hatch stringer.




Blocking for jib sail track.




Forward hatch framing.




Mast beam and forward cabin top with hatch frame.




Cabin front framing.








Fit and install cabin top and front.




Cockpit hatches.



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Beams

Layout the beams on a flat surface, using a long, flexible batten, and cover the lines with clear packing tape. Make the aft beam 1/2" shorter on each end than the forward beam. Use a hot glue gun to tack glue the blocks in place. I put screws into the blocks from under the bench so they can't come loose.





Double blocks at beam joint. Leave a small gap so you can saw them apart later (1/16").




Laminating the top and bottom layers to the blocks. The layers meet at the double block on the aft beam, so you don't need full length pieces. The forward beam is cut in the middle, so you can use one piece on each side.












Add blocking for the hinge and ss plates, and 1/2" square corner cleats.









Fair out the cleats and blocks so everything is flat. Scribe the 1/4" ply sides, and glue in place using narrow crown staples, or small bronze nails.




Gluing on one side.








Remove the screws from under the bench, and carefully pry the beam loose from the bench. Add the corner cleats to the other side, fair it out. Coat the inside with epoxy, and glue on the other side.


Forward beam lamination for beam cutout.



Forward beam ready for sides.



Forward beam with sides glued on. The front side of the cabin frame is shorter to allow for the cabin slope.









Top of beam is routed out, then filled with epoxy and filler, then routed to fit the hinges after glassing. The ends of the beams are beveled and filled with epoxy before glassing so there will be solid epoxy at the corner where the glass meets. Round off the corners with a 1/4"r router bit.



Glassing the beams. Glassing one side and around the corner first. Feather out the glass on the sides, then glass the other three sides at once. Trim the glass on the ends, and glass the ends of the hinge joint.




Pivoting mounts, so you can rotate the beams.








Installing the ss plates on the bottom of the beams, with the 1/8" spacer on the inboard side.







Beam hinge and ss plates.



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Drifter 17 Main hull 3

Centerboard with tubing for control lines.



Control line exit will end up inside cockpit locker.




Notching the frames for bunk stringers.




The frames in the interior are cut off 1/4" above the stringers, and a grooved frame cap is added.




Bunk stringers, and 1/4" plywood bunk sides are installed.



Bunk boards installed. 1/4" plywood with 1/2" x 3/4" cleats glued and screwed to the bottom.



Locating the beams. The forward beam is attached to the back of frame 2. The aft beam is located using spacers 1/4" shorter than the distance of the beam cut outs on the amas. Screw the spacers to the ends of the beams, to locate the aft beam. Level the main hull, and check that the beams are vertical with a level. This is important so that the amas will fold up without binding. Also check the diagonal measurements to the corner of the beams so the beams are installed in the hull square. Locate the aft beam frames, and epoxy and tape in place.



Beam spacer




Aft beam frames




Remove the outer part of the beams by pulling the hinge pins. Glue and screw the beams in place.




Add the aft frames to the forward beam, with a block at the bottom on the bunk.




Fit a 1/4" plywood frame under the forward edge of the aft beam. Screw and glue a 1/2" square cleat to the bottom of the beam, and glue the frame in place.




Add a 3/4" x 1 1/2" cleats to the front and back of the cockpit for the stringers, then notch the cleats, and frame for the stringers. Locate the outsides stringers where the bottom of the cockpit meets the sides.



Cut out for a drawer under the cockpit for galley storage, and install stringers to hold the drawer slides. Install the drawer before you finish the cockpit floor, as it will be hard to get to latter.




Fit and install the cockpit stringers.




Add cleats for the cockpit sides.



Installing cockpit floor and sides. These are pre-glassed, and sanded, except for the port side, which is notched around the centerboard trunk, and then glassed.




Framing for the aft cockpit, with hatch opening.




Framing for aft cockpit sides and deck.




Installing aft cockpit deck and sides. These pieces are pre-glassed, and sanded. The rounded corners are two layers of 1/8" mahogany veneer.










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