cutting skeg slot in bottom hull

I  have cut a nice, tight-fitting slot in the deck for my PAX 20 skeg trunk. Any suggestions on how to mark and cut a matching slot in the bottom of the boat? I tried transilluminating with a bright light inside the hull, but no go. If I could shrink myself, I would get in the aft compartment with a little, itty bitty saber saw, but I don't see that happening.


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RE: cutting skeg slot in bottom hull

How about a long drill bit down the corners, then cut from outside with a bonsai saw?

Laszlo

 

RE: cutting skeg slot in bottom hull

   I placed the skeg box through the deck slot against the bottom.  Next, I used a pencil to trace around the skeg box inside the boat.  Then, I removed the box and drilled holes in the corners as Laslo suggests.  I cut just inside the line then clean widened the slot with a file as needed.  It is tight working in the aft compartment but it can be done with patience.

RE: cutting skeg slot in bottom hull

i take it from your question that the deck is already on the boat and you started with the deck side opening for the CLC skeg box which penetrates the deck and the hull and you have started with the deck side opening.....

so on the hull, you have two challenges now.  to create a slot on center with the deck and to create a slot that is aligned fore and aft on the boat to match up with the deck hatch.

assuming your deck slot is centerd port to starboard and the boat is true, i think you can reasonably trust that your skeg opening should be symetrical along the centerline of the boat....and you can make a cut like mark suggested above.  what i do when i have an aftermarket skeg is lay out the outline of the skeg box with masking tape...and use that to guide my cut with a jig saw with a very fine blade so i can work with a lot of control over the jig saw (the fine blade is not likely to catch/bind). 

now on your installation, the real challenge will be knowing where the ends of the skeg are both fore and aft.  so what i would do is cut the slot one inch short of the best guess at the fore and aft spots (so the slot is going to be short relative to the length of box).   once i have that, i can now put a ruler in the aft edge of the deck slot and against the aft edge of the recently opened bottom slot and now you can see/measure is it vertical or not. carefully extend the slot opening in the hull along the aft end until you have them lined up/verifical with the deck opening.  once you have that one end done, you can now transfer the length measurement of the box to determine where the front edge should be.

h

RE: cutting skeg slot in bottom hull

Here's how I did it with the daggerboard case already installed.

https://www.midnight-maker.com/single-post/2014/08/24/Eastport-Pram-Build-9-Is-That-a-Daggerboard-I-See-Before-Me

RE: cutting skeg slot in bottom hull

Thanks for the suggestions. I've hit upon a method which is idiot-proof, accurate, and simple. I'll post it separately as "Cutting matching deck and keel skeg slots."

 

 

 

RE: cutting skeg slot in bottom hull

   CaptainSkully, where did you get those nice weights? Are they lead? I had some weights from a scuba weight belt, but I left them behind when I moved. 

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