Literally, I have made a breakthrough and here is the proof. A hole in my hull. I spent a lot of time worrying about this step. How do you get the angle of the drill right when the plan gives you one fixed point outside of the hull and one other fixed point inside the hull? How do you make sure you are drilling absolutely along the centre of the keel when you can’t see where the hole is emerging?
The first step was to put the template of the deadwood in place and draw in the propshaft line.
I made my first attempt at a drilling Jig.
And screwed if down to the hull to hold in place.
I also chiselled out a surface I could drill into. However….. That jig was useless. The jig was too short to hold the drill in place while it was cutting wood. My drill was also too short to get the angle right.
So, new (very long) drills purchased and a new design of jig. This one can be lined up with the boat centreline using my laser light, and the angle of the drill adjusted to match the template and then clamped in place.
The actual drilling wasn’t particularly difficult. I drilled about half way with the final size 38 mm auger. Then, because I wasn’t sure that the exit hole would be dead centre, I drilled the rest with a 12 mm auger. I had set up moveable blocks in my jig to have both 12 and 38 mm holes. If my 12 mm hole had been off centre, I planned to drill from inside the hull to fix the problem. As it happens, the 12 mm hole came out nicely along the centreline. I then completed the drilling by running the 38 mm bit through the rest of the way.
Below, you can see the auger bits emerging – first the 12 mm and then the 38mm.
Worrying over. Now on to the next challenge!