Chuck Box finish

(Edited)
Back to the Chuck Box. This crate will be hauled around Newfoundland next summer and tossed upon the rocks and beaches to serve up meals fit for a king (Provided he has a cast iron stomach) With the parts all glued and varnish applied the hinges and other components were installed using rivets instead of screws.The Latch bolt fits into a hole in the underside of the top.I didn't like where the original latch was installed and it works better in this spot. The shelves had the brackets riveted on as well.This is what fits inside the Chuck box, all the necessary gear for short trips to a remote cove or a weekend.
More gear can be stored in the box, this is just what the normal load will be. The side shelves remove and are stored inside. The shelves will serve as a work space while cooking and eating area once done. Everything packs inside neatly with room to spare. Fully loaded, the chuck box weighs in at just under 47 lb. A shoulder strap makes it a little easier to carry by myself if the need ever arises.

I have attached the basic plan for anyone who would dare build it. It's basic but beats cooking right off the beach and I don't have to wonder what I left home on the counter anymore.

Frank Cashin, boatbuilder

I met Frank Cashin a few weeks ago through a mutual friend. (Maxwell Patten) and He gave us a tour of his boat shop in Mount Pearl. Frank is one of those craftsman who makes nearly as many tools as he buys. He's in the beginning stages of building his own wooden sailboat designed by Paul Cartside from BC. The plans are on the wall and he's laying out the lines and lofting the frames. Jessie is a 15ft long centerboard sloop with 2 layers of planking. It has beautiful lines and will be completely built in traditional fashion with belaying pins and cast brass fittings. He even plans to make "dead eyes" for the shrouds instead of turnbuckles.

The Ducks on the floor were cast by him and has adjustments on the ends for the hold down pins. As I said he makes as much as he buys.

We discussed at length the fun of building you own boat and what places he intends to visit once he's finished building. He fully plans to sleep aboard and have a boom tent to keep off the rain. It will be quite a site to see both our boats sailing into a small harbor for the night. I'd rather see a dozen but 2 will do for now.

I'll be dropping in on him from time to time and marvel at his progress. He's retired so it won't be long before he's got frames stacked in the corner of his shop.

Chuck Box construction

Refer to previous post regarding the chuck box and its intended use.

The Christmas holiday gave me enough spare time to start building the chuck box for Pikake. The plans have been drawn up as much as I dared and there was bound to be some changes made along the way. I picked up some wood from a local building supply store for the construction of the chuck box with a gift card I received from my brother for Christmas. The ¼” plywood left over from the boat build was not suitable for this so 5/16” ply was used for a majority of the box. ½” birch ply was used for the top, doors and small support areas. 1/8” merianti plywood was used for the drawer’s sides and the drawer support. Its A mish mash of wood sizes but no big deal, whatever is lying around and suits the task. All the parts were cut to size with small adjustments for the revised thickness.

A rim of pine was glued to the underside of the top as a joint section for the back and sides. The rest was glued and tacked together with brad nails until the epoxy kicked off.

The drawer bottoms and ends were constructed of 3/8” thick pine and the merianti glued to it.
The front doors which still are not ideal, opens like a cabinet hinged from the sides. The shelves and inside parts were also held by brad nails until the epoxy set and a fillet of glue epoxy was added to the sides for strength since there were no supports under or behind the plywood pieces. This was done to keep the weight down as much as possible while still keeping it strong enough to sit on or heaven forbid, drop. The epoxy was left to cure.
End pieces were cut out for where the rope handles pass through.

More to come...