CA Pocketship

[sean]

Just started on my pocketship last week here in Santa Barbara CA. I think I've spent more time buying new tools (routers, etc) as well as more clamps than actual building so far, but that is starting to change. Now I'm looking for a stove for melting the lead.

Feel free to check out my progress as I go:
http://buildingpocketship.wordpress.com/

[decurtis]

I found a 3 quart cast iron humidifier/kettle at the local home centre in their BBQ section. When I got home I found out it was exactly the same one shown being used in the Pocketship manual. Seven or eight melts on top of my turkey deep fryer burner was all it took to cast enough lead. You do not have to be too fussy sorting the lead weights from the other metals. The non-lead stuff just floats on top and with the cast iron kettle that stuff gets trapped at the spout and only the molten lead pours out of the spout.

[sean]

Dave, thanks for the suggestion on the cast iron kettle.

I have question for any PS builders out there - I have a slight curve in the keel housing, and wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions or if they had seen that before. During assembly, either the keel block was lifted up from the clamps or I pushed the nose cone and the keel side together too hard causing a slight bow of around 1/8" or so. I am in the process off making the keel now, so can then see if it sticks.

Not sure how to attached photos here yet... check out the blog for photos of this.

For example, will the keelson help straighten this out?

Thanks for any ideas.

[Donm1753]

From the photos it looks like the keel is straight along one side and curved along the other, as if the keel assembly was clamped flat during assembly. Is this the problem or are both sides of the centerboard case actually bowed? I had the latter problem which was caused by twisted plywood. I ended up cutting a second centerboard case side that bowed in the opposite direction, but because of the twist I still ended up with an opening about 1/16" narrower in the center of the opening than at the ends. I doesn't seem to interfere with the glued up but still unfaired centerboard. It also looks like there will be enough room for fiberglass and bottom paint. If I were you I would test fit the centerboard before fiberglassing it with maybe a 1/16" thick piece of cardboard to simulate the fiberglass and bottom paint. If it swings freely you should be ok. If not, you may need to extend the sanded edges farther inward to make a more streamlined airfoil shape. You may also need to place a plastic spacer or fender washer on one side of the centerboard pivot to keep the board away from the side that bows inward.

If one side of the centerboard case / keel is straight and the other side bows outward as the photo seems to show, you probably won't have any trouble with the centerboard. There may be a slight tendency to for the boat to round up faster on one tack than the other, but it probably won't be noticable. If you can push the skeg over to where the keel looks fair while you pour the lead, it may straighten out for you. Just a thought.
http://buildingpocketship.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/photo-e1285286135469.jpg