Before totally committing to building a boat in the basement, one needs some kind of proof its not going to be Noahs ark waiting for the basement to flood to get some use. While the tape measure said it would make it out...I wasnt sure that I wasnt another idiot building a big project that was stuck in the basement. I have to make a slight turn at the top of the stairs to clear the kitchen cabinets, so its not a straight shot out of the top of the stairwell.
My first plan was to temporarily set up the frames, transom, stem and keel and then fashion some temporary plywood sheers and take the clamped together skeleton on a trial run. But my son Bill said maybe a tricked up 4x8 sheet of plywood would suffice. Not wanting to remove frames from my set-up form it sounded like a good idea. So some temporary plywood strips were used to simulate the shape of the shears, traced onto scrap plywood and cut to shape. These were screwed to the stem and breasthook assembly which was screwed/clamped to a 4x8. The stem and various bar clamps were used to simulate full beam width of the boat and depth of the boat. The trial run into the stairwell and out at the top went with no issues. I took some clearance measurements at the tight spots and I have some room for more length, beam, and depth....but not enough to change plans to a bigger boat and start all over!
The kitchen in the background was a major project of a few years back. My son and I built all the cabinets, doors, drawers, etc. Maybe it will be another blog someday.
Heres the moving crew: my son Bill, fellow boatbuilder Ted, me, friend Rick (who stopped in for a visit from out of town and got roped into this) and my daughters boyfriend Brett.
After numerous inquiries about whether I was sure this boat would be able to be taken out of the basement, I was no longer sure. After some discussions with my friend Ted, the only sure way to know was to take the boat out of the basement. Since I didnt want to move it to the garage yet and lose my garage for the winter, the plan was to bring it up and take it back down. At this stage of the build, the boat does not have decking and is easier to handle and at least 30 pounds lighter than it will be finished. The back of the boat weighs in at 120 lb. and the front 82 lb. for a total of 202 lbs. at this point. The problem area is at the top of the stairs where the kitchen starts about 4 from the door opening. You can see this angled cupboard that is protected by a movers blanket. My mock-up done before I started the boat construction made it out OK, so now it was time for the real thing.
The boat emerged out of the top of the stairs and made it into the kitchen! Just like I planned it....never a doubt.
