The K-5m does not need to be lofted in the traditional sense in that there is no need to fair the lines or deduct the planking thickness as this has already been done on the computer model. I could have easily printed out full size mylar patterns for all the frames, station molds, bulkheads, etc and skipped lofting altogether. But I chose to draw the control lines to the inside of the planking for all the fabricated parts full size on the loft floor so I could have permanent lines that will not be move during the process of laminating frames and deck beams.

The first thing I did was to plot the hull lines at the largest scale that would fit on an E-size sheet, which is 1:8. At 1:8 I could verify the fairness of the hull lines by eye and be sure the 3D modeling software was not putting any unwanted bumps or hollows in the hull surface.

I assembled the loft floor frame as shown in the Shop Drawing I prepared for that purpose. The lumber used is cheap furring strips from the Home Depot. The store label said they are 1 3/8" square, but they measured 1 7/16" to 1 1/2" square, and they were not all that straight. The metal brackets on the corners of the frame are temporary supports to keep the frame square during assembly.

The loft floor itself is made from 2 ft x 4 ft x 3/4" MDF panels which is a deviation from the Shop Drawing. I used the small MDF panels to avoid having to manhandle 8 ft x 4 ft sheets by myself. I got the MDF at Home Depot. The HD website listed them as 24 in x 48 in, the store label said they are 47 3/4 in x 23 in, and they actually measured 24 in x 49 in +/- 1/8 in. Of the six panels I bought two were square, so I was able to get one good straight edge on the loft floor to help lay out the grid.

The floor is painted with two coats of drywall primer. The K-5m is small enough for me to use my spline weights and splines from the old hand drafting days to draw the body plan.

Clicking on the above photo shows the completed lines, which include the body plan, deck camber, stem, and stern piece control lines. They look very faint in the photograph.

Next, Building the Deck Beams >>>