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Construction (1)
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Repair and Maintenance of a Drascombe Lugger

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Replacing the Wooden Floor Boards
(page 2 of 5)

This page begins a step by step guide to the construction of the new floorboards.

The project in summary

• Measure the existing boards and estimate the quantity of new timber required. If the original boards are not available, use the measurements on these pages as a starting point.
  
  
• Purchase the raw materials consisting of planed wooden planks, Epoxy for primary coating, stainless steel wood screws used with Epoxy plus glue additive filler for attaching the bracing boards, and polyurethane varnish for final coating.
  
  
• Carefully dismantle the existing floorboards so that each component can be used as a template for the new board. Do not mix the boards from the starboard set with those of the port set as there are differences in size - particularly with the curved outermost boards.
  
  
• Place each old board on top of its new counterpart and draw the outline on the new wood. It is also most important to mark the position of the original bracing boards as these must be positioned so that they are well clear of the GRP bearers in the boat on which the boards are supported.
  
  
• Use a jigsaw to cut the boards out.
  
  
• After cutting the longitudinal boards, place them in the boat with a gap of 12 mm between each, to ensure that they fit as planned. If necessary trim to final size.
  
  
• Construct the bracing boards and likewise try for size in the boat.
  
  
• Round off, by sanding, all the edges of the boards. This gives a better surface for the protective coatings to adhere to, reduces the risk of the wood splintering in use and also makes the boards much more pleasant to handle when removing or refitting into the boat.
  
  
• Before assembly, give each component two generous coats of Epoxy resin.
  
  
• Lay one set of boards upside down in on a flat surface and place the bracing boards in position on top.
  
  
• When all the boards are exactly in their correct alignment, temporarily screw the bracing boards in their final position.
  
  
• Place the assembled board set into its correct position in the boat to ensure that the longitudinal boards are correctly aligned and positioned by the bracing boards and that none of the bracing boards foul either the GRP bearers or the hull near the edges of the outermost curved board.
  
  
• Remove the board set and make any final adjustments before finally glueing and screwing the bracing boards in place.
  
  
• Repeat previous four stages for the second set of boards.
  
  
• Apply two coats of two-pot polyurethane varnish to both sets of assembled boards.
  
  
• Fit the completed board sets into the boat, ready for use.

Estimating the amount of timber required

This is most easily done by measuring the dismantled old boards. It was decided that the larger (longitudinal boards) would be the same size and thickness as the originals, that is 145 mm wide and 20 mm thick. The narrower longitudinal boards and all the bracing boards were constructed from planks 70 mm wide and 20 mm thick. The original bracing boards were thinner than this (15 mm), but the greater thickness makes a stronger structure. The quantities of Redwood Pine required for Sospiri's boards were as follow. Note that the measurements are rounded up slightly to allow for error).

• Two planks measuring 2,700 mm x 145 mm x 20 mm
  
• Two planks measuring 2,450 mm x 145 mm x 20 mm
  
• Two planks measuring 2,000 mm x 145 mm x 20 mm
  

And for the smaller longitudinal boards and the bracing (cross) boards:

• Four planks measuring 1,800 mm x 70 mm x 20 mm
  

If you are purchasing the wood from your local timber merchant then it is important to specify that the above measurements represent the finished sizes, otherwise the timber will end up, after machining, at a smaller size than specified.

Other materials required for coating and fastening the bracing boards in position were:

• 40 stainless steel countersunk head wood screws (NOT self tappers), size 10, length 32 mm (1.75")
• Epoxy resin (for coating and gluing). West Epoxy with standard hardner was used for Sospiri's boards.
• Adhesive additive powder for the Epoxy (West 404 powder additive was used which makes a powerful glue when added to the Epoxy)
• Polyurethane (marine grade) varnish used as a final (double) coating on the assembed boards to protect the underlying Epoxy from UV radiation in sunlight.

The MASTER PLAN of Sospiri's boards showing the exact measurements.

The sketch below is a linked to a series of plans and photographs which give the detailed measurements and positions of each floorboard. Note that apart from Board 8, detailed measurements are only given for the Port set of boards as the corresponding Starboard boards are a mirror image and will have nearly identical dimensions.

Lugger Floor Board Sketch Plans The main sketch shows the the two sets of floor boards located either side of the centreplate trunk. When viewing the main sketch it is possible to click on each board to display an enlarged sketch and photographs showing detailed dimensions. Click on 'Close Picture' below the main sketch to return to this page. (Click on image for larger view)

The Old and the New The old boards of the starboard set are shown next to the new redwood planks to be used for the replacement boards (Click on image for larger view)

	Sketch plans of board 8 This sketch shows the dimensions in millimetres of both the starboard and port curved floorboards. Note that the two boards are slightly different in size. The following instructions relate to the Starboard board. (Click on image for larger view)
	Marking out starboard board 8 The photograph shows the starboard curved outer board (No. 8) being marked up ready for cutting. The new timber has been placed on the work bench and the old board positioned above it. The straight edge of the old timber should be in exact alignment with one edge of the new board. Two G clamps are then used to hold the boards in position to enable a pencil line to be drawn round the curve of the old board. (Click on image for larger view)
	Cutting out starboard board 8 After using the old board as a template to mark up the profile on the new board, it is ready for cutting out. This picture shows a jig saw with a fine blade (to avoid splintering of the softwood), being used to cut out the new board. (Click on image for larger view)
	Finishing off starboard board 8 After cutting out the board, all the sharp edges were rounded off using a sanding block with Grade 80 grit. Note also that, unlike the original which had a sharp pointed anterior end (See first photo above), the replacement board has a squared off end. This smoothing off ensures that the Epoxy and varnish coatings will have a better key and there is less risk of splintering. (Click on image for larger view)

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