Hi Matt, 

i have built a night-heron high deck strip built....and yes the cockpit area can be tricky.

my recommendation is to snap a picture to go with your question.  i ended up reaching out for help a lot....but found i got the best help when i attached a photo of the 'problem' i was having so people would really know what i was talking about.

as you point out...there are a lot of different approaches to how to attack this area depending on the pattern and the type of cockpit you are building....and i am sure we can help you sort it out.  but post a picture so we really understand the challenge you are describing.

all the best.

howard

   Hi Howard,

Thanks for the help! Yes, pictures would definitely make sense. However, now I need further help apparently. I see no way to upload pictures from my computer. The image button asks for a URL, which means that the photo must be on the internet right? Do I need to set up a public dropbox or something for people to be able to see the photos? I can't figure out how to upload otherwise.

Matt

   Matt,

Just above the "blue" highlighted comments in the builder forum is a paragraph that basically says click here if you want to post pictures.  click there.........and it will give you knowledge.

Matt,

Yes, you do have to have your images on a publically accessible server.  That's what the URL points to.

I have my own server and have never used a public one, but here are a few links to sites I know of:

• Google+ Photos
• Flickr
• SmugMug
• imgur
• 500px

I hope that this helps.

Cheers,

Dick

   I have always used photobucket for uploading to forums. No probs at all.

   I've also been able to click on a picture and then "copy" (control C) the image and paste it (control V) into the body of the builders forum message...doesnt always work but when it does it's easy for people to see it.

   Cutting a strip cockpit is difficult because the process of cutting, with the up and down motion of the saw, tends to tear up the strips or break the glued strips apart. And then, knowing where to cut is not exactly a piece of cake.

I had success by first taping the strips around where I was cutting. I taped a long straightedge down the center over the cockpit area, and then measured port and starboard out every inch to mark the outline. Then I used a flexible yardstick to fill in between. I then carefully put tape on either side of the line. This helped reduce tearout and helped me cut in the right place. I also took my time.

I found that a Japanese pull saw worked well making the cut. I held it at an angle to reduce the up and down stress in the strips. I still had a few places where it tore out, but those were hidden during the fiberglass phase.

This is one of those times when it pays to go slow.

Good luck.

Would an oscillating saw work (see linked pic)? FYI, I've never built a boat. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_23904.jpg

I've tried a jig saw, and it will work...but on unfiberglassed strips, if you let the jig saw lift off the surface, the wood will start vibrating up and down. The noise alone is unnerving. When I tried the jigsaw, it scared the living daylights out of me and I quickly switched to a hand saw. I thought I was going to tear my deck apart.

One issue I didn't mention while using a Japanese pull saw is when it gets to cutting tighter circles, it can be difficult to do with that saw because the blade is wide. You can always go to a hand held jig saw. Chisels and sandpaper can help in a few places. Whatever works.

Another approach to this problem is to strip a too-small hole, then glass both sides of the deck and use a jig saw to cut the exact opening on the much stronger glassed deck. It's easier and quicker, but if you make a mistake cutting the hole, it's much more difficult to fix.

 Anybody has any better ideas, chime in. I found Nick's videos very helpful, but I also found there were several times when I just had to do some problems solving. I have a friend who was an aerospace project manager, and he says the problem with building something the first time is, you don't really know how to build it until you're done. 

Good luck.

  While I'm thinking about this, here's another thing, since it sounds like you're close to finishing your stripping and getting ready to fiberglass. It's something that, when I built my Petrel a few years back, I didn't see in the literature.

When you put glass on the outside of your hull, when it cures it wants to pull the sides of your hull outward. When you glass the inside, it wants to pull the side in. In order to keep your hull shape as close as possible to the molds, you need to glass the outside and inside right after each other. The same with the deck. Don't glass the exterior, wait a week, and then do the interior.

One strategy is to glass the outside of your hull after the heat of the day has passed (to prevent off gassing), and then to put a second coat on the hull that evening. It will be dry ane hard in the morning. Flip the hull and glass the interior the next day, and as soon as the glass passes the fingernail test, put it back on the molds. That will help stabilize the hull as it cures. The same with the deck. I found that by getting the hull and deck back on the molds while everything cures (which, depending on temperature, can take weeks...see the FAQ page on your resin) will make life easier when it comes to taping the deck and hull together.

I'm near completion of a Shearwater Hybrid and had challenges with the cockpit also.  I used a brand new very sharp jig saw blade to make the curved cut but the cut also needs to be a compound cut with an angle to properly seat against the cockpit rim.  I use a small sanding disc on a dremel and it does the job very nicely.   

   If you look on you tube under nick's guillemot listings there is a video of fitting a panel for a recessed cockpit that might give you some ideas.

I think Ed is talking about this Nick Schrade video.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cvNvo5l1k8

All I can say is wow. Unfortunately, life got in the way, so I had to stop building for a few months, but I now have some time to devote again and I logged back on here and saw all of these reponses. I don't know if people get updates when someone responds to posts here, I never did, but if any of you do, I would just like to say thank you thank you for your advice. I'm a bit blown away by this community and how much help, and so quickly, that you all were volunteering. I think I see a way through with the jig saw and hand saw, I will just have to take it slow as was mentioned. So, again, if anyone sees this from above, thanks, the boat wouldn't have been finished without your help!

Sincerely,

Matt