Picking up where I had left off during the previous work session, this Saturday, September 6th, I set out to install (dry-fit) the boat's brightwork - custom teak components I fabricated for the sailing dinghy. I began with securing the bow thwart with #8 1 1/4" silicon bronze wood screws. I first pre-drilled for the fastener with a countersink bit so that the screw would sit flush with the boat's topside surface. Eventually, the boat's rub rail will cover the bronze screw heads. Shown below, the two #8 screws have been seated to secure the starboard side of the bow thwart. I repeated this exercise to port.
With the aft thwarts already in place, and the bow thwart newly secured, I turned my attention to the installation of the exterior, or outboard, rails (rub rails). I planned to space the #8 3/4" silicon bronze fasteners every 6 inches, and they would also be countersunk in order to hide their installation by the interior rail. So with this plan decided upon, I positioned and clamped both rub rails in place. You will notice that I left the top portion of the rail just proud of the boat's sheer line. This will be done with the interior rails as well; the "excess" material will then be brought down to match the boat's sheer line.
The installation of the rub rails followed that of the bow thwart: I pre-drilled with a countersink bit, and then secured the #8 3/4" bronze screws every 6 inches along the interior of the boat's sheer line. This type of installation would produce very few visible fasteners from outside the boat. The #8 screws were a tad too long for the rub rail once countersunk, so I removed roughly 1/8" from the tip of each screw just prior to installation.
After successfully installing the starboard rail, I repeated the exercise on the port side rail: clamping into position, pre-drilling with a countersink bit, correctly "sizing" the fasteners, and then securing the fastener.
Once the rub rails were in place, I came back to the bow and installed a total of four #6 1 1/4" stainless steel oval head screws with finish, or countersunk, washers.
With the stainless steel bow fasteners in place on the bow, I installed three #6 1 1/4" stainless steel fasteners with finish washers to secure the aft portion of the starboard rub rail to the aft thwart, and three for the port rub rail.
With the rub rails in their dry-fit stage, secured to the boat, I turned my attention to the interior rails. Again, I positioned and clamped the rails in place, and then prepared to secure them with fasteners to the boat. The installation of the interior rail required one less step - countersinking. I managed to hide the fasteners for the rub rail (exterior rail), but would have no such luxury for the interior rails. As I had done with the bow and aft portions of the rub rail, I used #6 stainless steel oval head screws for this installation. I had previously planned for a 1" screw here, but quickly realized I needed more length to sink into and grab the "meat" of the exterior rail. With that realization, I made a quick trip to the marine store to exchange the shorter 1" fasteners for what I needed.
The above and below shots show the dry-fit installation of the interior rail.
The bow showing the intersection of five brightwork components. It is easy to see that the fit is not finished in appearance, and will require additional fine-tuning and material removal to achieve a harmonious blending of the various pieces.
The final two installations that I made during the day was the two (port and starboard) transom accents, as well as the interior transom rail spanning the port and starboard aft thwarts. The interior rail was secured using #8 3/4" silicon bronze screws countersunk into the boat's transom. These bronze screws will be visible in the final assembly, but the fact that they are bronze will lend a great nautical look with their eventual patina. Some additional shaping of the brightwork prior to removal will be next, and will lead to prepping for paint.
Total Time: 7.5 Hrs
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