The lofting process of the Matinicus has begun. Three sheets of plywood with lap-joints between make up the 4'x24' lofting floor. My friend Jeff, who arranged the workshop space, had some extra rigid foam insulation which I used to keep the floor off the cement and away from any water or moisture. Both sides were painted with a gallon of flat white interior paint. The lap joints have some shallow screws holding them together so the whole thing can be disassembled if need be.
Most boat loftings involve three views:
- Profile - Just like a police profile, looking at the boat from the side. No bail required.
- Half-Breadth - The boat from a fish-eye view, cut in half length-wise.
- Body Plan - Looking at the boat from bow or stern, with half cross-sections drawn at regular intervals.
An example of the three views below (not a Matinicus)
These three views allow for one to accurately draw a three-dimensional shape on a two-dimensional surface. Setting up the lofting surface is similar to creating a big, accurate, piece of graph paper. It involves making axis where points will be plotted. So far I'm just drawing the "graph paper" with no more than 1/16 of error. So no rushing or drinking allowed.
Below you can see the intersection of the baseline in the profile view, and the "AP" or aft perpendicular which will line up with the aft-end or stern of the boat. There will be many other vertical lines that intersect this horizontal line at 90deg. Pretty exciting.
The tools required aren't complicated: A string, nails to stretch the string across, sharp pencils, sharpener, good erasers, a straightedge, and some paper to keep track o' things.
Lofting and working from plans is a good review of middle/high-school math. Long division and geometry is handy. Drawing the lines with a square is a good start but checking them by measuring out a right triangle can ensure great accuracy. A 3:4:5 triangle is easiest, so measuring sides of 30 and 40 inches should result in a 50 hypotenuse. If not, time to erase and try again.
Now that I have the grid laid out I'll soon be able to start plotting points, bending wooden battens, and drawing the curves of the hull.
