I have the 17. It seems like there is a sketch or table in the manual that locates the deck beam measurement from the bow. I'll check when I get to the shop.

   Hi Grumpy,

Thanks for the effort. Quick too.

This is what I can find in the manual:

- page 89 (Fitting the bulkheads):

the manual states measurements for the bulkheads (64" & 124" from the bow)and the deckbeam (back edge 93" from the bow) for the Chesapeake 17.

- page 80 (table 3)

This table gives maximum beam measurements measured from bow. For the Chesapeake 16 the maximum beam is 23 1/2" measured @ 104" from the bow.

As I read this table, I just read measurements refering to the basic shape of the hull; NOT deckbeam position, or am I mistaken?

Kind regards,

Hendrik Jan Ledeboer

Zutphen, the Netherlands

   The manual I recieved with my Chesapeake 17 kit lists several boat lengths. I think we were looking at the Cheasapeak 16 and wondering where the deck beam went.......In my book the C16 is shown in plan view page 170 in the "Apendix" section.  Note there are two deck beams with 16" radius. Dimensions to deck beams and bulkheads from the bow are as follows.......

1st deck beam.......20"

1st builkhead.........63"

deck beam...........85 1/2"

aft bulkhead (less radius)........118"

DP

Dear Grumpy,

Thanks for your reply. I fear the kit I have is quite old since the manual dates from 8-2002: Version 2.1...

No plan views in the Appendix-section either...

Thanks again for the numbers, exactly what I need! Wh

en I start the project I'll post the complete build from start to finish. 

Cheers,

HJ

   a couple other notes on some things that changed around that time and not sure where your kit year is relative to these changes:

- current kits include fibreglass for the deck.  if you don't have it, easy to buy some additional cloth....but makes the deck much more durable.

- current kits have something called a hatch rim (sits on the deck and is a little lip around the hatch openings) makes the hatch more water-proof and strong.  prior to that change...no hatch rim.  (note....rims are not needed if you end up wanting to do flush hatches)

good luck with your 'rescue'

   Cloth for the deck is 4 oz.

Dear Grumpy, dear Hspira,

Thank you for your replies; it's very helpful.

I got the kit including fiberglass resins and such. 

My friend imported the kit from the States without it since he wasn't alowed to take the chemicals on the plane.

He did an exellent job putting the fiberglass kit together here in Europe; everything is accounted for.

My C16 kit does come with hatch rim halves included, so that's okay.

Grumpy, those measurements you gave earlier, they are all from bow to forward face of the bulkheads and deck beam, correct? I ask since the manual speaks of measurements from bow to forward face of bulkheads, and aft face of deck beam for the C17...(it's a little bit confusing, the manual probably underwent alot of improvements over the years I'm sure!)

Thanks again for the replies.

HJ

   It appears that the measurements in the diagram might be to the aft face of the beams. I'm not real sure that forward or aft face it makes much  difference.. Seems like if the tollerances were that fine there would be more bulkheads and beams to hold radius shapes.

Okay thanks Grumpy.

I was thinking I don't know how much space is available to enter the cockpit, and leaning on the coaming rim to get in and out; dont know how much support by the beam is really needed. (half an inch can make quite a difference, aspecially if you want the boat to be a bit fool-proof ;-)

Like you say, it probably doesn't matter much, but I would hate to have built a boat which I cannot enjoy myself...

On that matter, I was thinking of laminating the complete inside-hull using 4 oz cloth for extra stiffness in one go before putting the bulkheads in. This should add alot more stifness and strength to the hull. (I weigh in @ around 200 lbs; a bit more than the C16 is calculated for). Do you guys think I could get away with doing this, plus the underside of the decks aswell, or would that be too much of a good thing?  

Thanks again for the measurements, I'll keep you guys posted this winter on my progress.

Cheers,

HJ

Dear all,

I've just received the part of the plan I was missing from John Harris. So I have all the measurements I need to get started.

Cheers John!

HJ

I would not do that.  I think glassing before installing the bulkhead is a bad idea......... .....

A. The bulkheads form the shape of the boat.

B. Given #A just how would you glass first and install bulkhead later?

C. Glassing before  you'd get a flat board section(s) that are too stiff to accept the bulkheads. Your plan view sides would be straight instead of curved to the beam. There is not a lot of curve but the foward bulkhead forms the sholders or fullness that sets up the cockpit. That fullness also provides some stability. You could install spreaders from gunwhale to gunwhale like at the main deck beam, but that does not solve the chine and keel area alignment problems.

D. How would you lock the bulkhead in place?  Currently the bulkhead is wired in,  fillits are installed and then the glass............  The glass is just between foward bulkhead and aft bulkhead.

E. In this boat series I think the glass cloth in the inside serves more for paddler wear and tear than stiffness. However the cockpit area is the widest and longest area some stiffness there might be achieved.  If it really needed stiffness I'd expect to see some  stringers or "chine log" members.  But neither are present in the design. I think the boat works on the lightness and bouyancy of the boat rather than the stiffness.

Oh yeah this too,

F. The deck is installed with wet epoxy on the underside so it is flexible enough to take on the curve, radius of the deck.  Trying to do that with glass in the wet epoxy would be difficult to avoid sliding the cloth and causing wrinkles, and voids. Doing it with epoxy and glass laminated on a bench, set up and then installed  would be impossible since the hard epoxy would not bend enough.  It is difficult enough bending the plywood.

DP

   Agree with Grumpy. When you filet in a bulkhead the epoxy material actually soaks into the wood giving you a much stronger bond than you would get applying an epoxy/filler mixture to already cured epoxy/fiberglass layup.  

Hi guys,

The idea would be to follow normal procedure for prepping the hull or filleting and laminating.

1st I would stitch all panels together. 

2nd I would position the bulkheads temporarily stitched in place.

3rd I would use timbers on both sides clamped on the shearclamps like normal, but increase the number; say 8 or 12 instead of 4, to fix the hull's shape, adding a couple close to the bulkheads positions. Next, true the hull like normal, and apply fillets.

4th step is to remove the bulkheads and lamin.te the insie of the complete hull.

Having prepped the bulkheads for taking the shape of the added fillets, I would then carefully fit them wet-in-wet, re-stitch them in position, and apply a small fillet and apply the glasstape to lock them in place.

This would mean I would have to work fast, but having a background in jachtconstruction I know I can do it. The result would be a sandwiched hull-bottom, which adds strength and stiffness  and increases durability. 

I'll explain why I want to do this; its to do with the concentrated weight of a heavy paddler like me (200+ lbs) and trying to spread that weight over the full area/construction of the hull. Adding cloth just in the cockpitt like normal is okay when the boat is used by people within the weight-class of the hull. If it were the C17 or 18 I would not consider doing this, but Its the C16 I have... adding glass up to the bulkheads creates a weak spot in my case; it creates a "hard" line in the play of forces throughout the hull. Having it run all the way from bow to stern will help alot with distributing the forces on the hull.

Cheers,

HJ

   Sorry guys,

the sequence should be different; offcourse the tempory fitted bilkheads should in case be removed prior to filletting..

Cheers,

HJ

   Sounds more like a conventional hull build sequence. Make a hull then install  bulkheads. Nothing says you can't do it that way.  As you probalby know it will be heavier and use more epoxy and glass. It will be interesting to see how you glass the inside of the deck.

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Sorry about that last post. Those darn mobile phones with their miniscule keys!!

Grumpy,

That's exactly it. And yes she will be a little heavier. That's also why I'm reluctant to do the decks aswell. Not only would it be a rediculous amount of extra work to get it right, but maybe the decks don't need to be laminated on the inside at all because they're already curved and bent which provides alot of potential strength and stiffness to the total structure of the hull in the first place.

So probably I won't go that far, and only laminate the full inside-surface of the lower part of the hull, right up to the sheer-clamps (just for a bit of peace of mind...)

Cheers,

HJ