Thursday 19 September 2019

Fitting The Lower Breasthook

With all the fibreglass and epoxy work complete in the bow compartment, the time had come to fit the lower breasthook.

I was initially a bit wary of this activity.

It was obvious that the breasthook would not be a perfect first fit and would need to be bevelled to sit cleanly against the sides of the hull.

And it would require a powerful clamp to pull it into place and to push the sides of the hull outwards to accommodate it. This was the bit I was nervous about - I was concerned that something might break if it required excessive force to pull the breasthook into place.

The task of bevelling was straightforward and quickly achieved with the jack plane.

When it was a good fit I clamped it in place for the dry test fit. The hull sides creaked a little as they expanded outwards, but all went well.

Here it is sitting snugly in place. Note the predrilled and countersunk holes for screws, and the block over the stem to support the clamp.


When I was happy with the fit I glued it in permanently with thickened epoxy, which actually helped it slide smoothly into position.

Here it is, glued and screwed in place.


The build manual says to use a couple of screws but I chose to use three to be sure. They are 8 gauge 1 1/2" silicon bronze wood screws.

Job done!

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