110 Cookson Lane | Whitefield, ME 04353 | 207-232-7600 | tim@lackeysailing.com
Snow Lily | Monday, October 29, 2012
Completing the toerail at the stem was the last major item in the toerail installation. To begin, I trimmed the thick teak blank I glued up last time to remove the excess epoxy and bring the edges of the blank square and true.
Using the old stem/breasthook as a general guideline, I determined a rough position for the new piece, and made some reference marks on the deck and adjacent toerails as needed. With a line drawn perpendicular to the boat's centerline, I made another mark at 90°, demarking the line I'd cut through the toerails to allow the breasthook to slip between.
After making the cuts, I removed the two short forward sections of toerail, and the remaining sealant from the deck.
Next, I made a template of the breasthook using plywood and spacers. Minor asymmetry in the deck and toerails meant that the top and bottom surfaces of the new section had slightly different dimensions, and I found making the template to be helpful for a tight fit. I kept the simulated height just a bit high to allow for later trimming if needed, and also to eventually provide room to camber the top edge of the breasthook.
With the template complete, I transferred measurements to my teak blank and cut out the rough section required, leaving it overlong and extending over the stem.
Satisfied with the fit, I transferred the angle of the stem up onto the blank and made a couple cuts till the piece was the correct length to allow the stem chainplate to pass over as required. I used the chainplate to make some additional reference marks so I could trim and shape the breasthook to its final shape, transitioning between the toerails' forward ends and the required width at the chainplate end, and beginning to shape the curve of the top surface.
I left a little material on the top surface to shape the piece to its final dimensions in place, and made preparations to install it with three machine screws and sealant. Afterwards, I added a pair of screws through the forward ends of the toerail on each side to tie everything together, and bunged the screw holes.
Later, I completed the final shaping and sanding to smooth the cambered top surface of the breasthook into the toerails and complete the work.
Back at the taffrail, I trimmed off the overhanging ends of the toerails with a saw, keeping them flush with the edge of the new taffrail.
Then, I sanded and shaped the taffrail to its final shape, working through the grits and easing the top edges to match those of the toerails.
I pared away the protruding bungs from the toerails and other areas, and lightly sanded all toerail surfaces to prepare for upcoming varnish build coats.
Total Time on This Job Today: 7 hours
