Flooring on the cabin sole started!

 Another boat update... started the bow flooring... thanks to my dad for kerfing all the boards. I could never bend 3/4" white oak so they needed slight notches the width of a saw blade known as a kerf to make the bend in the bow. Maybe not a best practice... but 3/8" deep kerf on 3/4" still leaves a good 3/8" piece of meat on the bone which filled with thickened epoxy and with all the rest of my build.. I figure should be adequately strong..

The bow floor boards are epoxied in place with the spacers providing a 1/8 gap. Some are missing in picture but I placed them about 6-8 inches apart. I originally planned on clamps to apply pressure but bailed on the idea as I soon found myself in a thickened epoxy mess.

So to hell with it!! I went to tried and true small 18 guage galvanized finishing nails and my air-nailer to hold them down. I figured it would leave smaller holes then screws and then filling the holes when screws removed.. I will fill the gaps and the edges of kerfs half-way with epoxy for stength and then seal the gaps between the boards with Sikkaflex type deck caulking. The tops will be sanded and then divots filled. The edges filleted and possibly a molding applied.

Maybe not how everyone might do it.. but the end results so far has worked for me.

The flat boards will not need to be nailed and I will be able to apply clamping pressure..