Sea Sled madness. It’s in my brain.

I had considered plywood, but closing the loops with 2x4 instead should do the same job. Have to do half lap joints at the intersections to transfer loads better, but probably still less work than scribing and fitting plywood in all those awkward loacations.

 

Just make some pads from 2x4 offcuts. Like 1.5" bottom 3/8 angle 3/8 thick or some such to your liking

something like this..

 

I just got off a research binge on Hickman and his designs. Heck of a story, and very impressive that the Sea Sled is still considered a darn good design even a century later.

 

Crude treads, but less exhausting than climbing.

 

Now you can tread heavily!

That's where my sliding T-bevel went!
The only tool I couldn't identify in grade 7 shop class.

 

Dayum! I reckoned you wouldn't miss it...

 

I consider Hickman one of my heroes, like Burt Rutan, or Malcolm Reynolds, but I think somebody would have invented the sea sled form and the rest, eventually anyway. Still, it is as you say, a hell of a story.

 

True. The sign of brilliance is coming up with something independently far ahead of everyone else. I think his downhill slide started when he spent more time fighting to promote and protect his idea than coming up with the next one.

 

Exactly. Like an old Professor Emeritus angry about every new advance in his field that pushed his own contribution further into the past. He should have worked on the next thing, or kept his time, money, and energy, instead of exhausting all 3 on a fight against the world.

 

Nice fiddling!

 

It's a lot of fiddling! I've decided the rest of the boat will be a featureless box....

 

Looking great DG had you thought about the bottom two steps being removable to give more level floor space.

 

Thanks Stofferaus. I had originally thought of that, but those stairs cover the apex of the tunnel where it comes above the cockpit sole. If it wasn't covered, I'd worry about it being damaged by cargo.

 

You likely said somewhere, but can you show a close-up of one of those joints?
(Joist to frame)