catspaw floorboards

[Dave L]

This is my first traditional boat (I have a little previous experience with "stitch & glue"). With the hull planked, caulked, payed and primed I congratulated myself on surviving that bunch of fun and started on the "furniture". I assumed that the rest would be child's pay. Alas! a snag of subtle proportions pops up.

Installing the floorboards gets one picture and cryptic advice in-the-how-to build book. The whole appeared to be quite simple. I started by lining off one side for the boards and stringer. The shapes (derived from a few cross-sections in the plans)appeared to be complicated so I elected to spile the boards. After spiling and cutting out a couple boards it appears that they take quite a bend and some twist and look to be quite recalcitrant about laying down in the boat.

The questions: should I steam the floorboards? If so how the $#%@& can I hold them to shape? I haven't even gotten to the cleats (which are called for to be steamed)-- how do you get their shape and hold it? Is there a normal way to proceed here?

First-time building finally a bit derailed

[Walcheren]

Yes I had a problem with the floor boards also. I believe the instructions said that you should steam some pieces to rest on the planking of the boat in between the frames and to accept the floorboards. I had no idea how to steam in the right curves. So I scribed pieces to fit between the frames and screwed the planks down on them. BUT the two assembled floor boards still take quite a bit of persuasion to get into place so bending the boards a bit by steaming could help but how to technically do that I am not sure. I have accepted the poor fit but am not entirely happy. Let us know what you decide to do. I am interested.

[Dave L]

OK, the floorboards are done. I steamed the cleats but not the floorboards. Steaming the cleats is actually simple. I re-built appropriate sections of the original mold (two station molds connected with a few ribands and a standin for the keel clamped on top. Then the cleats could be bend on this in the appropriate location. There is some springback but it isn't too bothersome. I reasoned that there is enough springback that steaming the boards is not very useful. I see the problem with getting them in and out. Ugly! But I did ease the problem in two ways: 1. I whittled down the tips of cleats with a little curvature on the bottom so they slip easily under the center floorboard (riding over the edge of the keel) 2. I put some shims between the neighboring frame and cleat so that once the panel was assembled and removed (along with the shims), the cleats were spaced a little ways from the frames and did not bind when the unit is put back in.

NOW FOR THE BIG HINDSIGHT. When one is building this boat it would be good to bend the floorboard cleats right on the mold as the next step after bending the frames and before planking! Then the cleats can be set aside for later use. ;)

[Walcheren]

Is there not a twist to the floorboards as well that needs to be overcome? Your hindsight idea sounds excellent. I have been away for 3 weeks so have a lot of catching up to do.