By Dan Beard
Fig. 169
Top View of Rough and Ready
with Tiller Stick
The brace may now be removed by carefully drawing the rails, so that a bottom plank trimmed to fit the bow and the stern can be securely nailed in place (Fig. 169). Cut a notch in your brace to fit tightly over the bottom plank just laid. Plane off the top of the brace so that when in the boat the top of the brace will be four inches below the top of the side boards. Replace the brace and securely nail it. Next cut two small cross-pieces (F, G, Fig. 163) and place them near the bow, four inches below the top of the sides of the boat. Drive the nails from the outside through the side boards into the end of F and G, the cross-brace. Cut out a bow-piece to fit from the middle of G to the bow and nail it in place, driving the nails from the outside into the edge of the bow-piece. Fasten a small cleat along the boat from the solid board brace to F on each side and deck the space over with light lumber.
Of the same material make a trapdoor to fit in between the braces F and G. This door should be big enough for a boy to creep through, for this compartment is intended as a safe place to store cooking utensils, foods, etc., as well as a watertight compartment. At a point five feet from the stern put another cross-brace, similar to the ones in the bow, four inches below the top of the sides. At the same level nail a cleat on the stern-piece and make a stern seat by boarding over between the cross-piece and the cleat.
When your boat is resting securely on the floor or level ground rig a temporary seat, then take an oar and by experiment find just where the rowlock will be most convenient and mark the spot. Also mark the spot best suited for the seat. On each side of the spot marked for the rowlock cut two notches in the side-boards two inches deep, one and a half inches wide, and three inches apart. Saw two more notches exactly like these upon the opposite side of your boat. These will make the rowlocks when the side strips are nailed on (Fig. 169).
The side strips should each be made of one-inch plank three inches wide and a few inches longer than the side boards. Nail the strips on the outside of the boat flush with the top of the side boards. Make your thole pins of some hard wood, and make two sets of them while you are at it, "one set to use and one set to lose." Screw a hardwood cleat on the inside of your boat over each pair of row-locks, as shown in Fig. 169.
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