Adding brightwork to the cuddy arch

[ctenidae]

So, we're seriously considering cutting down our coamings for comfort, and I figure if I'm doing woodwork, might as well do a lot of woodwork.

My cuddy has two cracks in the corners of the front face that I wasn't successful reinforcing from the inside. When lowering the sails, the halyards also drag along the edge of the cuddy, and have worn off paint in a few spots.

So, to stengthen the support from the front of the cuddy, and to provide a wear surface and perhaps a place to pount a couple of bullseyes for the halyards (and maybe barber haulers, a compass, etc etc), I'm thinking of installing a piece of wood, cut to curve, along the face of the cuddy, screwing into the fiberglass (and hopefully not destroying drill bits on the rebar).

Anybody ever seen or done this? Might be a nice touch of brightwork, as well as useful.

[Peterw11]

Here's a shot I found on Yahoo! (images) a while back.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ranchworld/3453921751/

I'm considering the same modification, but the curve of the cuddy edge is a good 5-6" in from each side, so bending the wood to fit the curve looks to be the best approach. The edge also tilts forward a good 10 degrees from vertical, if not more, so in order to fit correctly, a compound curve is more accurate.

It can be done, of course, by using steam bending, but it is rather involved, and a bit beyond my woodworking expertise.

I've also considered laminating 1/8" strips in order to achieve the correct curve, but again, a rather involved technique.

Probably would make a good winter project, assuming sufficient indoor work space

[Alan]

I was able to match the curve at the top of the cuddy opening on my DSII by cutting mahogany into 1/4-inch strips, then laminating them. The much tighter bend around the corners of the cuddy opening would be a much different story, I suspect.

[ctenidae]

I've got some 6 inch wide teak planks, so I think I've got enough width to cut the shape out. I think. The forward slant could be an issue, since what I've got for sure won't bend (deck planks). I wonder if I could taper the ends, or if the bend is flat enough to wedge it in. Not sure. Either way, the arch in the pictures is precisely what I'm thinking of.

[MrPlywood]

I was curious and Googled "steam bending wood teak" and found some interesting posts... looks like it's doable. Some say that teak is hard to work with because of the way that it's dried, but this guy seems to have the answer:

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/trim50/?xjMsgID=16620

[seandwyer]

Now that is pretty darn cool! I would have never thought to do something like that. I feel like bending something just to see if it works.

[K.C. Walker]

I really don't think this would be a problem to do. If you were to thickness this to half an inch, it should spring into place with clamps, I would think. I'm not familiar with the stiffness of teak but I do know that Honduras mahogany would easily spring into shape.

If you're 6 inch board isn't wide enough just epoxy some dog ears on the bottom end parts of the arch. If you use the wood that you cut from the arch, it should match and not shown much at all. The first time you clamp this into place to pencil in the arch it's going to feel a lot stiffer than after you cut most of it away.

I would be tempted to epoxy some backing blocks behind the lip of the cuddy to bolt through. If you could fit fender washers behind the lip it would probably be strong enough especially with the rebar. If you do happen to drill and touch the rebar be sure and seal it so that it doesn't rust.

[Peterw11]

I've got some mahogany planks left over from rebuilding our exterior deck and figured I might be able to use that to make up the cuddy trim. They're 5 1/2" wide by 1" thick. My brightwork is a mish-mash of mahogany and teak , so I think it'd be a decent match.

I've already made measurements of the curvature and inward cant of the cuddy roof in order to determine the dimensions of the lumber I'd need.
and IIRC, mine aren't quite wide enough to accomodate the full trim from a single plank. If you want the trim edges to continue down to the coamings, and cut it all from one piece of lumber, you need almost an 8" width.

If I were to make the effort, I'd like it to look as professional as possible.
Ideally, a bandsaw and joiner would be necessary to do the job correctly.
Alas, I've only got a small table saw, so I've got to have the cuts made at a better equipped shop.

I'm considering a combination of steam bending and laminating to accomodate the curve, and make it look as factory made as possible.

As far as bending technique goes, like just about anything else, Youtube has videos that are very helpful. Search "steam bending" or "wood bending" and you'll find them.