Big Boat

The 5ft wide, 8ft long 1/4 inch thick ~440lb plates of steel, as delivered by the rollback wrecker truck. The green is privacy screen tarp (to keep the neighbors from standing about watching me) hung on the fence (to keep the dogs away). This pile is well away from where i need them,, and they are terribly in the way, being in the driveway.

So i used a winch to drag them around, closer to where they belong. Leaving a few laying there made for a slicker drag surface than the irregular (textured for grip) concrete.

The first rib off the form. The steel is tacked together on the assembly form, and welded up inside later. While outside, i can cut and weld and grind, while keeping an eye on the bandsaw. When it's inside, i can do the continuous beads out of the weather, perhaps when it's not possible to work outside. The process is here.

Some more ribs. The one in the background is in a roller, so i can run beads all the way around. Bulkhead on the left. No, it won't stand any pressure to speak of, but it will control flooding.

Two 5ft sections of hull, one bulkhead in place, unwelded.

Two ribs in place, none welded.

Side view, unwelded.

First version of pulling the plating up to the ribs.

Second version, after the first blew up. This one has more pressure too.

Tacking where it's pulled up, every 6 inches at most. Later on in the evening, when i can't do noisey things, i can quietly weld continuous beads between and over the tacks. The next day, when they have cooled all night, i can do noisey cleanup and fix any goofs.

Here's several things going on to align and join 5ft sections. I set in a rib, then marked the plate. Next, i drilled holes in both 5ft sections, where the rib install hydraulics will pull the plate to the ribs later. First, i use those holes and a rib section to pull both plates to the same arc, while comealongs and hydraulic ram hold the plates together on edge. Once fully aligned edge-to-edge and tacked, i run full beads inside and outside at 130amps using 7018 rod. Then i grind the beads flat, inside and out, put the rib back in place, and pull the plate up to it as previously shown.

A view under the hull, showing how it's set on rollers i made, so i can rotate the hull and avoid overhead welding. That end bulkhead there isn't welded in, and will be removed for cleaning prior to weldup.

See? it rotates. This is 90° over.

Fitting a hatch opening. I can fit thru them, but i plan on using the small hulls for storage only. In a pinch, they can be slept in.

Side view of hatch fitting. The holes where the bolts went thru for pullup will be filled with steel rod and welded up.