There may be trouble ahead

I need better kneepads. And knees. A better pair of eyes wouldnt go amiss either.
Ive spent the day dancing around my lofting floor in on oddly contorted waltz.

Fairs fair

Today I finished the lofting grid and set out the profile lines. I can now see exactly how big (small) the boat will be. 10 feet really is a very small boat. The next time I put this much love into something Ill want more to show for it.

As I loft some of the skill of the designer becomes apparent.

The book Im using explains in details how to loft a keel that changes in width over the length of the boat. Gartsides dinghy has 1 1/2 keel all the way along. Much easier to loft and then to build. Similarly he makes the stem and transom far easier to draw and build than they mights be yet achieves a really pretty shape.

However some of the niceties of the process still puzzle me. After the profile lines Im supposed to set out the rabbet line. No problem at the stem: Gartside gives loads of measurements for that. At the keel however the table of offsets reads "Follows top of keel" for the rabbet. No problem - a look at the construction drawing shows that the rabbet line is one plank width below the top of the keel. However because the planking meets the keel at an angle which changes over its length the rabbet line is not a measurable and consistent distance down from the top of the keel. In order to plot it on the lofting I have to "develop" it from the lofting. But I havent drawn the body plan lines which will tell me the angles yet. Its a bit of a catch 22/32.

I need the position of the rabbet because Im supposed to plot it into other views.

No matter, while theres sunshine, and music....

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