I've just started my Peeler, so I'm far from doing the waterline. The building manual spells it out pretty well. It sounds like the hull has to be level for the back 1/3rd and a laser is used to run around the boat using their measurements. I've never done one, let us know if you come up with a easier method.

Thanks Klitz, I have the laser setup per the manual but the line just looks off...just wanted to see if there were some tips. I have the boat upside down for painting and as the laser line curves around the hull it just looks off...probably just strange view. Also, in the manual the spray rails are absent (later retrofitted)...

We floated our peeler once the motor was on and marked the waterline that way.  Worked well.

   I don't have a laser unit.  I am wondering.  If I set up the measurements fore and aft,  couldn't I run a chalk line or just a taut string from reference point forward  to reference point aft and then make my marks and use it as a reference for the other lines.  Seems rational but does it work?  Please let me know. 

Thank you

I too am getting ready to paint the hull of a Peeler and have been pondering how to lay out the waterline and last night I think I came up with an idea similiar to your string idea that makes some sense.  Let me know what you think.......

Lay out you reference points fore and aft..Duct tape a piece of fishing line (heavy mono) to the bow at the reference point.  Use a scrap piece of wood or wooden yard stick and duct tape it to the transom even with the reference point and let it stick out from the hull a couple of feet.  Take the other end of the fishing line and slide it across the upper side of the yardstick until it meets the hull at the transom.  Fasten this taught with some more duct tape or tie it off.  This should give you a perfect line.

Grab a can of spray paint and lay down a light coat of paint over the fishing line.  In theory you should end up with a perfect, fine line that you can run your tape along.  You could lightly sand away any excess paint once the tape is secure.

I'm goint to give it a go tomorrow.

 I just finished  my bottom paint on my NE Dory and used a Ryobi laser level.   This was my first time doing a waterline, so many of my points below came from others, but it came out real well.  I found the Ryobi laser level to be by far the least expensive one and has great features.   I used the light from the garage door opener and was able to see a very bright laser on all parts of the boat, turning it to the bow, stern, or middle of the boat.

• Mark the waterline per the CLC manual on the  bow, stern and midships with a sharpie on both sides of the boat.
• Find out from CLC if the waterline per the manual assumes a non loaded boat
• Decide how far up above the CLC unloaded waterline you want your bottom paint to come up above the water (I used 2")
• As an option, I took the boat to a boat ramp and had my Wife get in the boat to simulate gear that may be in the boat, got in the water, and used a Sharpie to mark the bow, stern and midships.  Fortunately these points were all equally above the CLC marks.
• Level the boat side to side and fore to aft.
• Mount the laser on a photographic tripod and position about 5' away from the boat in the middle of the boat, aiming the ato the bow, stern, or beam as needed.  Go back and forth with the tripod  from one side to the other to make sure the laser lines up with your desired waterline at both the bow and stern, adjust level as needed.
• With the boat still upside down, paint the primer and Brightside on the boat that will be above the waterline using the laser as a guide, paint to the CLC waterline marks (below the desired marks), leave no hard edges in the paint, no tape
• Wait a few days and blue tape to the desired waterline per the laser
• Sand the Brightside paint that you rolled on where the bottom paint will go
• Remove the blue tape, clean and apply 3M Fineline tape (again per the laser on the desired waterline)
• Paint the bottom, but keep the laser on even though you have a tape line to make sure nothing moves

Here are some pictures...then click "right" and there are other pictures using the laser...

Feel free to call

Curt Dennis
email:[email protected]
home:  830 997 8120
cell: 817 456 2878
Boat Build Photo Journal: https://picasaweb.google.com/114717787929554738224/BuildingWoodenBoatCLCNortheasterDory?authkey=Gv1sRgCKCBzczm_aKs2wE#

Forgot the link, sorry:

   https://picasaweb.google.com/114717787929554738224/BuildingWoodenBoatCLCNortheasterDory?authkey=Gv1sRgCKCBzczm_aKs2wE#6007379905178095010

   awe a laser, only way i have ever done a DWL is level the boat find it at the pointy end and the flat end run a string as such it does not touch the hull and use a level to make marks on the hull and then use a batten to mark. Ralph Stanley use to put a groove down the hull for future painting of the boot strip

Bruce

   But hard to make a groove when you glass and epoxy the hull, itjust fills in.

Bruce

>>   But hard to make a groove when you glass and epoxy the hull, itjust fills in.

On my schooner, I put a pencil line 2" in from the top and bottom edges of the side panels before glassing them. The lines became permanent reference markers. The top line was for placement of the rub rails, the bottom for the edge of the bottom glass overlap and the end of the bottom paint. Since the lines were put on while the wood was flat, the spacing was pretty near perfect.

When the time came to paint the bottom, I just put fine line tape along the pencil line and it painted away.

Of course, this is too late for folks who have already glassed their wood or assembled the hull, but for the next boat...

Laszlo

Building a Single-Handed Schooner

That's why the laser is so nice that you can recreate the waterline any time you want even if you have painted over the waterline...just paint or tape to the laser line...very accuate!  And the laser is only $34   

   or . . . if you have a flat(ish) floor in your work space mark the distance up at the three corners of the Peeler. (5-3/4" at the stern and 2-1/2" at the bow)

Set the boat up so those three points are the same height from the floor.

Make up a slide (horizontal bit of  2×4 and vertical bit of scrap ply) to hold a marker at that height.

Slide it around the boat.