Six Metre Sailing
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      • Doug Tomlinson Vase 29th June 2019
      • Introduction to the 2019 National Championship
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      • Report Fleetwood Open 14th April 2019
      • Notice of Race, Fleetwood
      • Results and Notice of Race, SW District 6m Championship
      • Report Shearwater Trophy 5th May 2019
      • Notice of Race Shearwater Trophy 2019
    • 2018 Competitions >
      • 6th May 2018 Shearwater Trophy, Broads RYC
      • 2nd June 2018 Dartmoor SWD R6m Championship
      • 30th June 2018 Tomlinson Vase, Harwich & Dovercourt MBC
      • 1st/2nd September National Championship 2018, Bournville RS&MBC
      • 4th November, Sextant Trophy, Lee Valley MYC
    • 2017 Competitions >
      • 28th October 2017 - Midlands District Championship >
        • MDC Entry Form
      • 23rd September Open - Abington Park MYC
      • 19th August Two Islands Open Report
      • 16th July Sextant Trophy, 2002T R2 Lee Valley MYC
      • 17th June Dartmoor Open
      • 13th/14th May 2017 Six Metre National Championship
      • 16th April Shearwater Trophy Broads RYC
      • 25th March Two Islands RYC
      • 25th February APMYC @ Hollowell SC Open
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      • 26th & 27th March MYA National
      • 12th November Hollowell SC Open
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      • MYA National Championship 2015
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      • A picture guide to measurement
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Overview
Introduction
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
INTRODUCTION TO PLANKING - PART FOUR
Rudder Tube

With the fin epoxy coated and bonded into place. Drill out the hole for the rudder tube and glue into position using 5 minute epoxy, ensuring that this is correctly aligned in relation to the centre line of the hull and fin.

Painting

Finally, the author chooses to paint to the water-line prior to removal of the hull from the jig as this is easier with the hull rigidly held in a level attitude. To mark the water-line correctly, make up some blocks of wood with a long pencil set on top to the correct height. This height is the obtained from the plan, and is the total thickness of your building board, plus the measurement from the datum-line to the water-line. With the building board on a flat surface, bring the marker assembly up to the hull and mark at about 2 inch (5cm) increments. Using masking tape follow the marks around the hull. Cover the top-sides with newspaper, and commence painting and flatting back. When all is to your satisfaction, increase the height of the marking blocks by the width that you require for the boot-topping. Repeat the marking process, mask and paint as required. Do not make the boot-topping too wide as it looks awful when the hull heels on the water. 1/2 an inch (1.3cm)is probably a good point of reference, remembering what happens at the bow and stern to the upper part of the boot-topping as it extends. When all the paint work is thoroughly hardened, move on.

You can now carefully remove the hull from the jig by unscrewing the shadow mounting pieces; you did attach them from underneath didn't you?. A few taps will remove any shadows that might be stuck with stray glue and you are now ready for the final fitting out process.

Fitting Out

With the removal of the hull from the jig, work can now begin on the final fitting out stage, which although straightforward always tends to take longer than one expects. The first job is to install the extra inwales, which is easily accomplished using a couple of the remaining planks and plenty of clothes pegs. At this stage insert a couple of temporary beams to stop the hull from distorting.

With the inwales inserted the inside of the hull can be cleaned up of glue blobs, and the fin reinforcement fitted. Now is the time to coat the inside of the hull, as previously discussed.

Deck Beams

It was decided that a traditional oblong hatch arrangement with all the radio equipment below decks on a removable plate, and the receiver in a radio pot also beneath the hatch, would best suit. After deciding on the sheeting arrangement and the location of all the necessary fittings, the deck beams can be installed by notching into the inwales. All the deck beams were constructed from two or three laminations of cedar planking; this has the advantage of strength and lightness plus all those odd pieces remaining after planking can be put to good use. A king plank, with partners for the sliding mast fitting, was installed from the bow to the main beam ( attached to the lead fixing rod ). The author prefers a sliding mast because it facilitates finer final tuning. With all the deck beams in place these can then be varnished or epoxy coated on all except the top surface, also at this stage the mast step should be fitted as this is a lot easier minus the deck.

Transom

The transom is now fitted by glueing on a small block of cedar, after carefully cutting the stern planks to the correct angle, and then shaping it to fit whilst actually on the boat. An alternative method would be to let the transom inside the planking, but having looked at several transoms It was decided to use the first approach which gives a nice shapely transom as shown on the original drawing. This method has the added advantage of covering the plank ends.

Deck

Before fitting the deck run a strip of masking tape around the hull at deck level. This serves the dual purpose of keeping any excess glue off the hull and you can mark the position of all the deck beams so you know where to make the holes for hatches and fittings!

For the decking, marine 1.5mm waterproof 3 ply varnished is probably the best. The deck should be bonded on with a view to subsequent removal, in the hopefully distant future, and as such 'Thixofix' is; an excellent adhesive. ( You can still find it if you look hard enough ) With the deck in place and all the hatches cut out. Glue some spare pieces of plank on the inside of hatch so they act as coamings ensuring that they are proud of the deck. Make the hatch a good tight fit over and around them for good water proofing. It will stop all the water that is always on the deck, getting inside the hull onto the electrics. The authors preference is to line the marine ply deck to immitate deck planking, including picking out any hatch surrounds and having a highlighted centre plank. This is done after painting the decking material. The scale of unpainted ply sheet markings does not lend itself to varnishing after lining.

There are two styles of deck lining. The first is with parallel straight fore-and-aft lines, but this is not used for the best work. The best decks are laid in narrow planks running parallel with the deck edge. These curved lines can be very difficult to put in nicely unless the proper method is employed. Use a draughtmans ruling pen. Arrange a marking gauge to hold the pen, and using the deck edge as a guide, the planks can be put in without any undue difficulty. When the deck is laid in this manner it has a king plank running down the centre, which if painted as teak or mahogany makes for a nice finish. After the lining is dry a couple of light coats of varnish provides all of the protection needed. Lining the deck in the same manner while it is in position on the hull is the same procedure. There is an alternative lining method, which requires that a template in light ply is taken from the deck edge.This is the used to mark the deck from the outer curve plank progressing to the inner curve plank, by carefull incremental realignment each time a line is completed. When one half of the deck is completed, turn the template over and repeat the operation for the other half. Deck
lining for best work, is completed by using covering boards or capping rails.
Picture
Picture

With the hull completed it now remains to attach all the deck hardware and complete the rig, ( consult the Class rule ). A standard 2 - channel radio installation is still the most popular amongst most of the skippers in this class.

Testing

You are now ready for an initial floatation test. This can be carried out in the Armitage Shanks test tank (bath)  with a compensating weight placed on deck for the absent rig and sails. First attach the unfinished lead ballast. Remember that the total minimum displacement of this boat including rig is 26.58 Imperial Ibs. ( you should be able to calculate the Metric for yourself by now ). The ballast position and/or weight should be adjusted to ensure the boat floats exactly to its designed water line without any heel to port or starboard. Use a small spirit level to check this. Unless you have built in deck camber, which then makes this part all the more fun. With this accomplished it is sound advice for any builder to have the boat officially measured before permanently attaching the ballast keel and painting it.

With the boat measured ( using a borrowed set of sails ), the sails can be ordered from your favourite sail maker to the exact dimensions allowed after measurement. Then back to the Measurer for the sails to be measured, and you will now be the proud possessor of a valid certificate.

2014 update from Henry Farley

It is not permissible to use borrowed sails in the way he describes as that would be contrary to the rules.
The boat must be measured with its own sails when measuring for the purposes of getting a certificate.
Whilst it is useful to check a boat with borrowed sails ( I keep some for that purpose) it only establishes what can be fitted to the boat.
Once the proper sails are made the boat must then be measured with the proper sails.
Tedious but true and has certainly always been my practice.
If you would like your Six Metre added to the boatography contact the webmaster with a picture and details.
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  • Home
    • News @ Six
  • About
    • History
    • Radio Sailing
    • Free Sailing
    • Boatography
  • Six Competitions/Reports/Results
    • 2021 Competitions
    • 2020 Competitions >
      • Report Fleetwood Open 26/1/20
    • 2019 Competitions >
      • NOR Sextant Trophy 2019
      • Report 2019 National Championship, 7th and 8th September 2019 Dartmoor MBC
      • Report Fleetwood Open 25/8/2019
      • Fleetwood Open Meeting 25th August 2019
      • Report Midland League Series R3
      • Doug Tomlinson Vase 29th June 2019
      • Introduction to the 2019 National Championship
      • Report Midland League Series R2
      • Report Midland League Series R1
      • Report Fleetwood Open 14th April 2019
      • Notice of Race, Fleetwood
      • Results and Notice of Race, SW District 6m Championship
      • Report Shearwater Trophy 5th May 2019
      • Notice of Race Shearwater Trophy 2019
    • 2018 Competitions >
      • 6th May 2018 Shearwater Trophy, Broads RYC
      • 2nd June 2018 Dartmoor SWD R6m Championship
      • 30th June 2018 Tomlinson Vase, Harwich & Dovercourt MBC
      • 1st/2nd September National Championship 2018, Bournville RS&MBC
      • 4th November, Sextant Trophy, Lee Valley MYC
    • 2017 Competitions >
      • 28th October 2017 - Midlands District Championship >
        • MDC Entry Form
      • 23rd September Open - Abington Park MYC
      • 19th August Two Islands Open Report
      • 16th July Sextant Trophy, 2002T R2 Lee Valley MYC
      • 17th June Dartmoor Open
      • 13th/14th May 2017 Six Metre National Championship
      • 16th April Shearwater Trophy Broads RYC
      • 25th March Two Islands RYC
      • 25th February APMYC @ Hollowell SC Open
    • 2016 Competitions >
      • 26th & 27th March MYA National
      • 12th November Hollowell SC Open
    • 2015 Competitions >
      • MYA National Championship 2015
    • 2002 Trophy Series >
      • 2002 Trophy History
  • Rules
    • 2017 Proposed Rule Amendments
    • Measurement & Registration >
      • A picture guide to measurement
  • Design & Build
    • Available Plans
    • Planking >
      • Introduction
      • Part One
      • Part Two
      • Part Three
      • Part Four
    • John Lewis Designs
    • Graham Bantock Designs
    • Michel Selig II
    • Romanza Build Blog
  • Clubs
  • For Sale
  • Wanted
  • Contact
  • Suppliers
  • Forum
  • Link Page
  • Miscellaneous
    • UK Competition Update 2020
    • Average Windspeeds for previous Nationals venues