FS 17 - Raised Sheer

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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by topwater »

I used Silver tip products exclusively on my build , good stuff.
Novi 23 finally launched !

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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by remedy32 »

Hi Joe,

A little late in adding a few thoughts but do hope they help.

When I built my FS17 I was up in the air about how much to raise the sheer. I initially built the transom 4" higher than plan and assembled the basic big panels of the boat. The height of the clamping area has to be in line with the OB shaft length as JM pointed out. It looked like this....Image.
I cut an 8" bulwark extension with the plan to overlay by 50%. I realized as I looked a the hull that my biggest concern was to raise the sheer more toward the bow. I decided to "rock" the extension panel so that the freeboard was raised about 3" at the transom and about 5" at the bow. You can see it here....Image

The transom was trimmed to match the sides after the hull was flipped. BTW, there's no need to carry the full layers of ply all the way to the top of the transom like I did. My dumb mistake just adds weight.

Just to add that if your travels take you into eastern Connecticut you're welcome to have a look at my boat for reference. Good luck and enjoy the project.

Bill

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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by joe2700 »

Ok so for the transom I need to raise both ends to match the raised sheer but keep the middle the correct height for the shaft length which makes sense. Can I leave the clamping boards exactly as designed through? I had assumed the ends of those would need to be raised to match the transom. I can't quite picture how it would look or work if they stopped short of the transom on the inside.

I'd love to save the weight and plywood if I can keep those smaller though.

Bob - I'm building the boat on the Cape at parents house and will be mostly using it out there. One of the advantages of the boat for me was the light weight though, so I can tow it behind my car without issue. I plan to explore around Boston which is where I live more that I have been able to in the past.

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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by jacquesmm »

That is the correct way to do it, thank you for posting those pictures. I don't have the plans in front of me but I think they show such an optional bulwark about 6" high. You can make it higher or lower.
Keep in mind that a higher freeboard will raise the VCG and the boat will be less stable. The boat will also be more sensitive to wind. The boat will be heavier. Since most want to raise the freeboard for more "safety", the result may be the opposite of what they intend to achieve.
A 6" higher side is the maximum I would raise it. It put the rail at about the same height than in the Simmons Sea Skiff which I find very high.
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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by joe2700 »

Thanks Jacques,

It's really a comfort thing not a safety thing. As far as not sinking or swamping I trust it's optimal as designed but I prefer to be a bit more "in" the boat when not driving for the sake of wind and spray. Just a personal preference. I'll be going with either 6" or 8" but I understand you don't recommend more than 6". I also considered raising it that much at the bow but less at the stern but I'm not sure I really want to take on altering the lines in that way so I probably won't.

I want to clear up what everyone is saying about the clamping board.
Imgur Album
The black lines are the transom and clamping board as drawn in the plans. Since I'm raising the sheer I know I need to cut the transom taller at the sides as shown with the blue line. I thought I needed to make the same change to the clamping boards to match the transom as shown in red. It sounds like people are saying that isn't necessary and would just add weight. If that is the case and only the transom itself needs to be raised couldn't I cut the clamping boards straight across as shown in blue instead of cutting curves that no longer line up with the transom?

I think it would look better to be straight across if it won't rise to the full height of the transom anyway. Thoughts?

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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by jacquesmm »

That is the way to do it: the clamping board has to stay at the same level than in the original design.
Your sides will match the sides but for the top, you can do what you want, straight or rounded.

The building notes show how to raise the side with a bulwark, there are couple of drawings.
In this case, a bulwark is panel added to the top of the side, the drawings are clear and show as an example, a 6" panel.
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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by joe2700 »

Yea other than this one question I found the instructions for adding the bulwark totally clear and will be doing it as you describe.

Bill - I've been reading through the FS17 build threads one at a time and just got through yours. I'm now considering using the bulwark to prevent the bow droop, I am in the northeast after all. Perhaps I'll go with 5 or 6 inches raised side for most of the length but cut it so it continues to rise at the bow. I think I might be happy with a slightly shorter bulwark if I make that change and I do prefer that look.

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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by remedy32 »

Joe-Like I said, I found the added freeboard of about 5" at the bow to be just about right. Making the entire side taller would also make it a bit more difficult to get on and off. This boat is so light and draws do little water that it begs go into the skinny water areas and beach her for a swim or lunch. To avoid the bow droop it's important to get the temporary bow mold right. This pulls the top of the bow aft spreading the sides in the area about 2' back. If I did it again I'd make sure that I was completely happy before decking the bow area. I'd also put a spreader in across the top in that 2' area to make sure that the sides don"t push IN which exaggerates to drooped look. The hull has a lot of flare in this area and maintaining that flare creates a better looking profile view IMO. My preferred sheer would be something close the this Eastern 18, a personal favorite.
Image

Bill

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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by joe2700 »

Got cut off a day early last weekend unfortunately but back at in now. Created a album of my progress so far.
Imgur Album
Taking a late lunch now. Goal is to get all the 3/8" panels drawn and cut today plus draw the molds on mdf. Then tomorrow cut and assemble the molds.

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Re: FS 17 - Raised Sheer

Post by joe2700 »

Just finished adjusting transom measurements for the raised sheer and am going to cut it and the clamping boards. Going to the the clamping boards straight across at the top and bottom as mentioned earlier.

I see it marked as 10 7/8" on the drawing but I could make it go down to the baseline without using extra wood since I'm not matching the shape of the transom at the top. If I do that should I go all the way to the baseline or do I need to leave a small gap for any parts to fit in?

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