PK78 Construction Questions

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 12:31 am

Today I spent a peaceful afternoon drawing PK78 parts on plywood. I chose to draw them from measurements instead of tracing the patterns. This is how I do it when I build furninture from other people´s plans, and I find it helps me understand the design better. I built a paper model on Thursday, complete with hot melt glue "fillets". The paper model only took an hour, and it was *so cool* how all those bits turned magically into a mouse boat! 1. In the "PK78 Building Instructions" in the "Epoxy Seams" section it says, "... in the sailing version, the forward seat is raised to the deck level." I´ve looked through all the drawings and instructions, and browsed the old and new forums, and I still cannot figure out what this means. The height of the forward seat seems to be the same in all Web pictures of the PK78, whether rigged for sailing or rowing. I am at a loss. 2. The curve on the skeg is a little less clear than the other drawings. Does it make sense to wait until the hull is together and scribe it to the hull, or am I missing something? 3. Is a 3/8 inch skeg strong enough, or should it be doubled? (I´m sure the right answer is that it is strong enough. It just seems so thin.) 4. In the "Frames" section of the building instruction, it calls for stitch holes every 4". Elsewhere, I´ve seen references to needing only a couple of stitches over some much larger area. What is the best way to figure this out? 5. Just a note. Even if you draw the parts from the measurements, the full-sized plans still make a handy tool to measure some of the diagonals as a double-check. Measure 9 times, cut once! 6. I like the pictures I´ve seen of the middle seat frame partially cut out in advance for the dagger board trunk. Should the measurements for these be on the plans? They are only shown in the photos on the Web site. It took me a little while to figure out how the middle seat frame and dagger board trunk go together. All in all, the plans are very nice. Thursday night, it turns into a boat. Rick

Post by **jacquesmm** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 9:13 am

1. theye are all the same level now: we are updating the written notes. Just follwo the dimensions. 2. As designed, it will fit but as you say, it´s premature to worry abotu that now. 3. whatever you prefer but since we designed it as 3/8, it means that we believe it is fine that way . . . 4. see the pictures in our basic tutorial, it is a PK78. 6. the measurements are on the plans, look again.

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