Outside stems and keel

[ticonderoga]

I am at the stage in my restoration of an Old Town 50#er where I need to attach the outside stems and keel. I have never done this before and have a few questions/concerns. First, how much should the keel overlap the inside stem in order to get a good bite when screwing in, or put another way, how long should the outside stems be. Second, how tight of a joint does the interface of the outside stem and canvas covered inside stem be ( right now I am at 1/16 or less ). And lastly, seeing the outside stem and keel will be painted, how paintable is the bedding compound joint going to be, because no matter how tight the joint or how well I clean the excess off, there will be a line of compound visible , at least by the outside stem. Thanks for any advise.

 

[shelldrake]

Ticonderoga;

I have attached a couple of photos of my 50# joint. It is about 28" on a straight line, back from the maximum curve of the outside stem. You can paint over Dolfinite, or a polysulfide caulk, but not over silicone.

Hope this helps.

Matt

 

[ticonderoga]

Matt, thanks for the info about the stem and painting. I really like the idea of a stained outside stem blending into the painted keel!