The 18 Foot SeaSled

Yes all of the above is true but if drawn to full scale it wasn't actually that difficult as it became quite obvious when lofted full scale. Attaching photos for reference. The saving grace of this plan was that he provided for some very flat lines along the keel which allowed me to keep it square and plumb (things i could control) meaning that the other curves matched up pretty well. I am not endorsing the quality of the plans but i will say it was certainly "figure-out-able"

 

Not to Segway too much but I did some digital modeling of the bow area and yes the plans are confusing on second look. You definitely have to do a lot of interpreting the line paths. He did use common reference points.


In other news I started to work on the starboard side of the cabin and I am trying to get all of the glasswork complete on this side. Slow and steady I suppose but the idea really is to get the whole of the cabin glassed before it gets pulled out of the garage for the final work and painting. And I’m months f
From that.

 

Did a few small areas today. Added some glass to the cabin top then I’ll apply some filler and sand it fair.

 

I got some fairly good work done on the top of the cabin lots of fairing and fiberglass work there but it’s moving along at a steady clip. Big progress right now is I got a fair amount of glass on the entry to the cabin. I mainly just need to template the door/hatch opening. Add a bit more glass and then make a template for some hatch trim. I also test fit where I’m gonna put the shore water inlet so it’s at a comfortable height, but also close to the cabin door so I can keep an eye on it. This will be nice for hosing down the boat, washing the deck, etc. if I’m somewhere where I can attach a garden hose because I’m definitely not gonna have a lot of heavy tanks on board.

 

These aren’t the best photos but you can see the angle of the cabin starting to lay in. Trying to get the rest of the cabin roof stringers installed. Just finicky but it’ll get there eventually.

 

I’m not sure how many people are still following this thread, since the build has dragged on a bit—but I *am* still slowly making progress. Like most projects, things move in spurts. I’m always working on it in some form—it’s just that sometimes it’s hands-on building, and sometimes it’s design and planning.

Tonight, I spent some time adding fairing filler around the entrance to the cabin and filling in a few small gaps at the end of the galley protrusion on the port side of the walkway. I also removed one of the gussets from the framing. The plans originally called for them to be temporary, but I had left them in for added strength. At this point, though, removing some of them is necessary to get the deck laid out in a logical way. The gussets adjacent to bulkheads will stay, of course.

As you can see in the photos, I’ve also been glassing and sanding quite a bit of the transom area, trying to get everything ready for final glass layup. I’m hoping to start getting the deck panels down—or at least finalize their placement—but that means I need to make templates, which requires the stringers to be faired to the correct height and the underlying glasswork to be fully prepped.

One more thing I’m turning my attention to: **limber holes**. I need to start adding them soon, so I’ve been studying my drawings and thinking through the most sensible layout for drainage.

Slow and steady—but it's getting there.

 

From start to launch day stretched from November 11 2019, to August 22 2022. Far longer than I expected. So by my standard at least, you're on track.

 

Finally Figured Out the Deck Angle – Frame Trim and Adjustments


After spending a good bit of time pouring over my CAD models and the original plans, I think I’ve finally wrapped my head around the designer’s intent—particularly regarding the deck angle and how the floor should sit on the frames.


I ended up trimming about 1/2” off the frame circled in red. I always suspected it was sitting a bit too high, but wasn’t sure by how much. So I went back to the drawings, did scaled takeoffs from the plans, revised the CAD layout in AutoCAD, and after a bunch of iterations, I settled on that 1/2” cut.


Now the flooring should sit evenly across all the frames.


The areas marked in blue still need a small trim to match the rear frame height—should be a minor tweak. As for the yellow frame, I’m planning to remove it entirely. After lowering it, the height still wasn’t right, and at this point I think it’s easier to replace it with a properly sized stringer cap.


Once I get these adjustments wrapped up, I’ll finally be able to template the floor/deck.