the deck on my Pearson Ensign

It looks, in a word,"sleek", like a long, lean, racing machine. All in all, I think it looks pretty classy. I like the clean uncluttered look, and I'm only losing 8" of headroom in the center of the former cabin space. The area above the v-berth, which was never large, remains almost unchanged (basically sleeping or storage space). A foredeck hatch would provide light and ventilation, coupled with either hatch boards or cabinet style doors in the rear foredeck bulkhead, and I'm considering opening up the forepeak by using a ring frame instead of a solid bulkhead at the forward end of the v-berth. I carried the same 4" crown from bow to stern, including the cockpit side decks, but decreased it slightly at the transom so that the rear deck slopes a little for drainage. I'll try to get some pictures and post them. Unfortunately my hard drive crashed this weekend, and I think I've lost most of the pictures of the boat that were stored on it.

 

Ouch, I know the pain of hard drive crashes, though it's been a decade. Sounds Like you've got it figured out. The ring frame is a good idea. Make the "depth" of the frame 3" (minimum) and at least a 1/2" thick or better if two layers of 3/8". If using multiple layers of plywood to make this ring frame, then cant them in relationship to each others grain, say about 20 degrees. They still mount with the long grain athwartship, just splayed a touch for added strength.

 

Didn't mean to sound like I was tooting my horn here, but rather, applying some of the methods, excellent suggestions, and advice I've gleaned from the knowledgable folks on this forum who have been kind enough to share their wisdom and experience with me. I'm having a lot of fun dreaming, planning, and actually getting things done. I'm making progress, and hopefully the finished boat will be sturdy, functional, nice to look at, and most of all, enjoyable to sail and teach others to sail. If it does, it will certainly meet expectations.

 

Actually, it did sound like you where tooting away, rather hard in fact. Okay, kidding aside, you have right to be proud and bragging a bit, not that your were, it wouldn't be a bad thing. You have what most would walk away from. With some nearly anonymous text, from hundreds of miles away, some many thousands, you've gotten some ideas and hope. You implemented one of them, made some adjustments, then presto and ****, damn if it didn't look pretty good! Nothing to be apologizing for, you did what many only dream of. The hard part is coming so keep the fire in your belly, you'll need this support later when you've scratched yourself bald and are cursing in your sleep.

 

Thanks, I really appreciate the encouragement. I'm sure I'll need it when I'm on my knees in the bilge replacing the mast step supports.

I have another question. (Surprise!) I need to determine deck beam spacing, in anticipation of replacing the existing 1" X 2" horizontal wooden sheer stringer. My plan is to install vertical white or yellow pine 1" X 4" sheer stringers (I could make them 2" X 4" if I laminated them) at the deck flange level, with notches for the deck beams. The stringers would be glued (and possibly screwed) to the hull, and the deck beams would be glued and screwed to the stringers using epoxy and stainless steel screws. Deck beams would be 1-1/2" X 1-1/2" laminated from two layers of 3/4" pine (either white or yellow) with a 4" or 5" crown. At the mast partners, I would use laminated oak. There would be a 6" wide plywood king plank at the centerline of the deck, glued and screwed to the underside of the deck between beams. What beam spacing would you suggest for a deck of 1/4" marine mahogany or fir plywood overlaid with 6 oz. glass cloth laid in epoxy? What if I used 3/8" plywood? I intend on carrying the lip of the deck out to overlay the hull flange and gluing this joint, then wrapping the cloth over the joint and down the hull a few inches. Your thoughts, please.

 

Okay, lets talk apples and apples. The sheer stringer is the clamp, a sheer clamp and doesn't need to be massive, just a place for beams to land. a 1x2 will be just fine, glue and screwed to the hull shell. It should be be a fairly tough wood, like mahogany, oak or dense Douglas fir.

I'm not sure what your "vertical white or yellow pine 1" X 4" sheer stringers" are, but I'll assume these are hanging knees for the deck beams. You don't need these, as this isn't the USS Constitution, just and Ensign.

Your deck beams are also twice as big as they need to be. A 1x2 (.75" x 1.5") will do, though it'll have to be bent which is a pain in the butt, so laminate it instead. I'd use 5 layers of 3/8" stock for this deck beam lamination. You could increase their thickness to 1" if desired.

Beam spacing needs not be especially numerous, even with 1/4" decking. In fact if the deck was laminated from two layers of 1/8" plywood, you could get away with a deck beam at the bulkhead, two at the mast and a final one at the cockpit bulkhead.

If you elect to use a single skin of 1/4" plywood decking then space the beams on 16" centers. 24" centers if 3/8" decking. Personally, I'd think light as much as possible.

The 6" wide king plank is a good idea, but it should be continuous, not fitted between the beams, but fitted into beam notches.

It only makes good sense to carry the plywood decking out over the hull shell flange. Naturally you'll want to epoxy the plywood to the flange. I'd use Douglas fir plywood because it's lighter and less costly then mahogany.

Instead of beams, I'd be inclined to use the two bulkheads as supports for longitudinal stringers instead. You don't need as much athwart stiffness as longitudinal, so orienting structural elements to this direction also just makes good sense.

Also consider all fasteners temporary (even if they stay in place) until the epoxy cures. Epoxy will hold the boat without a single fastener, but fasteners can make the heart feel better.

 

Excellent information! Just what I was looking for. The 1X4 sheer stringers that I referred to would be the new sheer clamps, not knees. (please pardon my terminology) If I ran deck stringers longitudinally, what should they consist of, and spaced how far apart? I assume these would attach to the sheer clamps somewhere at the bow, or should I laminate and install a deck beam close to the bow of the boat to support their ends. I assume that the cockpit carlins and the sheer clamps would support the 9" wide cockpit side decks.

I like the idea of the nearly beamless laminated deck, but I don't know where to find 1/8" fir plywood. I've never seen any around here. I believe there is some 3/16" mahogany available, which would laminate to a 3/8" deck. By the way, I raised the deck crown to 5" and it still looks good. This gives a little more headroom in the cabin/storage area, but the deck profile is still lower than that the original cabin and coaming set-up of the Ensign. After all the feedback, it seems that it's either build a knock-off of the original deck and cabin (more complicated and costly) or build something simpler and one of a kind. I choose the latter.

 

Yes, the sheer clamp doesn't need to be a 1x4, a 1x3 is over kill, so use a 1x2. The deck stringers would land on the sheer clamp at one end and the cockpit bulkhead at the other.

If 1/8" plywood isn't around, you can just build a convention deck, with 1/4". Can you post some pictures of your mock up, maybe a drawing?

I'd make to two heavy oak beams at the mast (1x2 actual size) and the aft one of these would have the chain plate fall on it. I have a 1x2 (.75x1.5) Douglas fir beam at the forward ring frame and the same at the cockpit bulkhead. Notched into this would be 4 equally spaced 1x2 stringers running fore and aft with a 1x4 king plank down the centerline. Where the mast goes through the king plank I'd add scabs to each side to take it out to about 8" for 12" on either side of the mast hole. This will serve to pick up the turning blocks, cleats etc. as well as stiffen the partner area. All glued and screwed. Each stringer/beam/king plank intersection with a healthy heavy silica/wood flour fillet.

The longitudinal stringers might need to be laminated if you have a compound curve blister deck. See if this sketch helps you out any. It shows the king plank (though not the localized partner reinforcement) and the port side stringers, the ring frame, sheer clamps, etc. A fair bit of detail isn't shown, such as the deck beams on the bulkheads, etc., but should give you a head start.

 

Great sketch and explanation of the longitudinal stringers. Combined with the bulkheads, deck beams, and the curve in the decking created by the crown, it should be light and strong.

I have attached a sketch of the deck and cockpit layout. (1st thumbnail) Pictures of the deck mock-up are forthcoming. I kept the curved cockpit seats, and added one across the rear of the cockpit by way of the rudder post, similar to the original Ensign design. It should be a nice place to sit, leaning against the aft bulkhead, with the tiller tucked under one arm. The forward curve in the coaming straightens out at the foredeck to allow for an opening and hopefully doesn't eat up too much cockpit seating area.

The next sketch (2nd thumbnail - please excuse the poor quality) shows more detail and what I'm also considering. That is, adding a hatch (roughly 16" long x 28" wide) at the forward cockpit bulkhead that would hinge forward onto the foredeck, combined with 2 or 3 hatch boards for a companionway. This would eliminate the complication of a sliding hatch, and still create a fair sized opening for access to the v-berth. I could remove one or more of the hatch boards for ventilation and leave the deck hatch closed to keep out spray or rain, or on pleasant days open everything up.

I took some measurements today, and the height from the cabin sole to the crown of the foredeck is 39", the height from the cabin sole to the top of the v-berth is 18", and the height from the companionway threshhold to the deck crown is 29".

I also added a hatch in the rear deck, for access to the rear chain plate, outboard motor bracket mounting hardware, etc., and included a boot top stripe and a cove stripe, just for fun. The hatches, hatch boards, coamings, and cockpit sole could probably be epoxy and varnish coated natural wood, with a transom veneer to match. Your thoughts and/or suggestions, please.

 

The hatch could also flip to the side, instead of forward, offering more available depth.

The usual seating position for two in this boat is the skipper a little forward of the end of the tiller and the crew further forward and used as trim (moves fore and aft as required and point of sail demand). This is the primary reason the originals just had the side benches.

Lastly make sure you don't rob too much cockpit space. This is where 99% of the boats use will take place. Having a dry spot to dive into, when a rain squall passes through is great, but not if the cockpit is crowded. A boom tent makes for a much more comfortable overnight accommodation then a cuddy cabin. I'd also put even more crown in the deck then you have shown.

 

Good points and thanks for the feedback! I had considered more crown in the deck, but was afraid it would make the deck appear hogged and the sheer more more straight than it already is. But looking at the sketches and the boat, it appears that fear is unfounded. I'll try a couple of inches more, which would be great because it would provide more room under the deck. By way, the cockpit as shown is 9' long, the same as the Ensign. The rear seating area is something I enjoyed on a similar 21' Alberg design that I once owned.

I realize that it sounds like I'm trying to have a small cabin in a boat without creating a cabin, but I keep believing that there is a workable compromise. It may just be an opinion, but to me there is certain mystery to a boat with a cabin, albeit a small one, that makes me wonder what's down there. I'll certainly explore the boom tent option, since the v-berth area would probably be uninhabitable on a hot summer night here. I guess what I'm trying to achieve is what you mentioned, a dry spot to duck into during a rain squall, and store the outboard, sails, etc., but I certainly place cockpit space at a premium.

I was curious if any boats around used a hinged hatch, instead of a slide. I was pretty sure this had been tried before, but I've never seen one and wanted to bounce it off the experts, in case there was an obvious downside to this that I was overlooking ("Oh yeah, so and so tried that on a boat he built a few years ago and it was a disaster!"). I even considered attaching the deck hatch to the top companionway hatch board with a hinge so that I could just lift them out and fold them together, but haven't figured out how all that would seal off.

On a side note, someone donated some heavy duty axles and springs for the trailer, an electrician who restored his own Morgan 38 has offered to design and install a new electrical system for the boat, and a friend who used to work for a boatbulder in Florida has offered to make the deck beams and help with the epoxy and fiberglass. Thanks again to everyone for all the help with "Project Derelict Ensign".

 

You're welcome. We're fairly easy, just send beer . . .

 

What brand? Just kidding. How much should I raise the deck crown? In the sketches and the mock-up it is 5" high at the center (the maximum beam at the foredeck bulkhead is 82").

 

It's hard to just guess at, I'd go out to the boat with a light batten, then spring it from rail to rail at the bulkhead. I'd raise it up until it seemed as high as I think reasonable, then I'd lay another batten perpendicular to it on the centerline to the bow, which would give you an idea of the foredeck line. Stand back and look at this from several angles to see if you could live with it.

On a boat with just a deck, no cabin sticking up through it, you can get away with a lot of deck crown. You can get away with more deck crown if you mask it using hand rails, genoa tracks, hatches, etc., all of which tend to break up the height of the crown (meaning you can use even more).

The more crown you have, naturally the more cuddy volume you'll have and the more serviceable that space will be come, also the more protection you'll have from boarding seas, spray and the occasional sea monster.

Ultimately, it boils down to what you think looks good. You're the one that has to live with the ridicule, of butchering a iconic classic and the sacrilege of it's many modifications D). You and I understand the reasons and logic behind the changes and have no issue with them, but some will, because they don't know what you started with or are just anal purists that need their heads examined.

A tip I can provide is, once you are sure you've set the battens with as much crown as you think reasonable, add another inch. This is because when the deck is down and everything filled and fitted, it will visually look a little lower then you thought and the extra inch will just be an added bonus. Also try not to make the centerline of the deck a dead straight line. It should have a touch of sweep (like the sheer) to it, in order to look "just right". This is why you use the battens. They're easy to maneuver and cheap if you break one trying a little too much crown.

 

I agree. I tried in vain for months to locate an original deck for it, and even if I found one that didn't have core saturation problems, I would still have to replace all the bulkheads, the v-berth, the cabin and cockpit soles and the seats. By the time the rebuild is complete I doubt if anyone would recognize it as an Ensign anyway, especially if I replaced the reverse transom with a wood veneered counter stern. Besides, the boat was headed for the chop saw when I found it. The boatyard owner (who had hauled it off at the request of the previous owner) was going to cut the keel off and mount the hull on a trailer as a Mardi Gras parade float.

I got some further validation for continuing "Project Derelict Ensign" on Christmas Day, when my teenage niece came over and said that she had developed an interest in sailing and wanted to learn to sail. I had just finished the restoration of a 33 year old Hobie 16 (fiberglass repairs as needed, new paint, tramp lacing, jib sheets, etc.), so I showed her the shiny, bright yellow Hobie, thinking that it would attact her attention. She looked at the unfinished Ensign and said "I want to sail that one!"

Meanwhile, work is progressing. I've located some red oak for the sheer clamps and the oak mast partner beams, and some battens for the temporary deck beams. You are correct regarding the deck crown. I raised it to 9", put a slight sweep in it, and it still looks like it could use some more. It also gives the cockpit coamings a good place to terminate.