The Dagger Board Box Debacle

When I built the center seat assembly, I used 6 clamps to assemble the dagger board box as shown in a picture in the PMD manual. The problem was that the plywood had a warp in both the side pieces. This sometimes is the case even in high quality plywood like Okoume. Humidity can be a factor in warping. I knew I had a warp, but I could hold the box assembly in a correct position with a little pressure. I figured the clamps would be about to hold the wood in a correct position and the epoxy would freeze the assembly in the correct position.

Note: Part of being a good carpenter is overcoming flaws in wood. Wood is natural and warps, bows twists and all mamner of deformations. I once watched a very expensive piece of solid mahogany twist and bow badly after it was cut to shape. The saw released some pressure in the grain and it was amazing to actually see it twist.

You can see the mast support in the right of the picture. Actually, It is not the one that came with the kit. I had a 4X8 sheet of 18 mm Okoume left over from replacing the rear bulkhead and deck house wall of my Chris Craft, so I used 18 mm for several pieces including the mast support, rudder, dagger board and a motor support structure that I will show you in a later post. It was not necessary, but as I had the material, I liked the idea of more substantial parts in load bearing places.

There were slight warps in the 12 mm rudder and dagger board parts in the kit. I did not want the rudder and dagger board "fighting" each other while sailing. Obsessive, I know but I am even using VC17 on the bottom for speed as well as the fact that I leave the dinghy in the water all season. I may even try some dinghy racing so speed could be a factor.

In the end, I though the clamps were sufficient and it looked OK when I applied the expoy. I was wrong, the clamps I used were too weak to hold the warp in the correct position . When I came down the next day, I found the assembly was warped in two directions. It was not too bad and I convinced myself it would be OK once I glued it down on to the rest of the seat assembly. I was in a hurry to get going and had my rose colored glasses on that day. So, I went ahead and completed the assembly. Once I put it in the boat for a fitting, I realized I had made a mistake. Here is the warp highlighted by the quick angles.

Sooo...I decided to replace the dagger board box and fix the twist. This was quite the project. I came to realize just how strong this method of construction is. If you do not have a multi tool, GET ONE! they are worth every penny. It made this job easy. It does a great job of detail sanding as well.

Here is what the seat looked like after I finished hacking it up! Don't worry, you can fix almost all if this...and it is underneath the seat so it is not visible unless the boat has capsized!

After a coat of epoxy it looks good as new. Well almost. I only damaged the veneer in two small places. I ordered two new pieces of 6 mm from CLC and they sent them right away. I would have cut them myself, but I do not have any 6 mm Okoume.

Here is the new box curing. I added three layers of glass to the cypress side pieces to widen the box a little to accommodate the 18 mm dagger board. This worked well.

Once assembled and fitted in the boat it looked great and was nice and straight!.