How to measure the angle

[Bad Obsession]

I have this brilliant idea for a cabinet in my Compac 23. It will go against the bulkhead by the companionway, starboard side. I will put a mirror on it because I also need a mirror too. It will be something like a small medicine cabinet.

With that being said, I can't figure out the angle that the bulkhead sits. I want the shelves to be relatively level.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I can get the angle of the bulkhead so I can make the shelves level?

 

[kloudie1]

http://www.harborfreight.com/dial-gauge-angle-finder-34214.html
Probably want the shelves to be parallel to other flat surfaces nearby, not necessarily level.. so measure nearby flat surfaces and make the shelves the same or very close..

 

[kito]

Drop a plumb bob from top of the bulkhead and use an angle finder or protractor to find the angle between bulkhead and string.

 

[Siamese]

Let's say your cabinet will be 18" high. Take an 18" stick of wood, and hold it where you plan to put the cabinet. The top end of the stick will be touching the bulkhead. Put a small level on the stick, and use it to get the stick plumb. Then, use a ruler to measure the distance from the bottom of the stick to the bulkhead.

You won't have the angle, but you won't need it, either.

 

[RoyS]

I would first throw the plumb bob overboard. Next root about your tools for a level and cast that over the side as well. Now begin.

 

[Padrone]

Such negativity is totally uncalled for when someone is seeking assistance and solutions are being offered.
Joking or otherwise !!!@!

 

[Bad Obsession]

The plumb bob and the protractor is a good idea. I could get the angle at the top and I would know 2 of the 3 angles so I would know all three angles since it has to add up to 180 degrees.

I could probably make a plumb bob with a piece of twine and a heavy nut.

This is why I posted this, for ideas.

 

[woodster]

Such negativity is totally uncalled for when someone is seeking assistance and solutions are being offered.
Joking or otherwise !!!@!

you are correct and it was given in the through your plumb bob away...first of all this can only be done with these tools when you are on the hard and perfectly level if you are on the water you have to work with the 6,8,and 10 rule or other wise you will build the leaning tower of pisa/ or fido's a$$ (for those who have never been to Italy) in your boat

 

[kito]

The plumb bob and the protractor is a good idea. I could get the angle at the top and I would know 2 of the 3 angles so I would know all three angles since it has to add up to 180 degrees.

I could probably make a plumb bob with a piece of twine and a heavy nut.

This is why I posted this, for ideas.

I forgot to ask, is your boat on a trailer while doing this?. If so, the plumb bob may not be the way to do it since you would want it plumb bobbed perpendicular to the water and not how it is sitting on your trailer. I am having this problem myself during my H30 renovation. I keep forgetting that it's on jackstands so the boats "level" position in the water will be way different than it's sitting on stands.

 

[Bad Obsession]

I am on my trailer right now. I probably won't get to this until the boat is in the water though. I am splashing soon and I will be in my slip.

Compac 23 is a trailerable boat but not a trailer sailor. I have to plan the launch around the tide since I have a fixed keel and the mast takes a bit of rigging to get up and set. It is a couple hours to set it up all the way with sails etc.

 

[rgranger]

You can scribe an exact fit by taking a piece of cardboard and a geometric compass (not a navigational compass see pic). With the cardboard's edge plumb, lay one point of the compass against the hull and poke a hole in the cardboard with the other end.... move the compass up a half inch and poke another hole. Keep doing this until you have a series of holes poked in the cardboard that map out the ark of the hull. Now cut the cardboard along the series of holes and check to see that it exactly fits the curvature of your hull. Now use that as a jig to cut your shelf brackets and they should fit snugly against the hull.

 

[centerline]

dont go thinking that cabinet makers for boats use complicated formulas to get the shapes they want to fit a particular space..
use a piece of cardboard and cut a template.... you can use a regular torpedo level to measure vertical, and then trim the angle of the cardboard against the bulkhead til you get it where you want it... if you cut the template for depth and height as well, you can take the template home, along with the measurement for width, and cut your patterns from it...

 

[Siamese]

Silly me. I assumed you'd want to do this the easy and accurate way.

 

[centerline]

Silly me. I assumed you'd want to do this the easy and accurate way.

the exact reason for making a template rather than using a stick...

with the stick, level and tape measure method, one can determine where the lines will intersect, but it will be difficult to be exact without two levels and more hands.... by using a properly fitted template, the shape required will be recorded exactly for future use.... also, the stick method cannot take into account any required curvature or interferences that a template can allow for, and it will take less effort and hands to make the measurements.

 

[BlowMeAway]

I totally agree with rgranger about the template creation. Simply prepare a "rough" outline of the hull arc and desired height of cabinet (verify level port to starboard and aft to bow) from some corrugated cardboard... But rather than poking holes, assuming you can use an architectural compass in the tight space, get a cheap compass that can hold a pen or sharpie, and trace out the entire length of the side panel(s) on to the cardboard. It's then simply a matter of retracing the template onto the cabinet box and making the cuts with a jig saw or similar tool. Some fine tuning (sanding) may be necessary. You would follow an identical process, and include the interior deck if you need to determine the arc or angle of that.

 

[BlowMeAway]

Architectural Compass...they come in grade school models with pencils for about $2.00.

 

[Bill Roosa]

forget the level. forget the compass with no pencil. Use a compass with pencil and make a line not a bunch of punched holes. Also consider a witness stick for horizontal and vertical control. Google it! Super simple technology that still works after 1000+ years
The level will absolutely NOT work either in or out of the water for a variety of reasons most of them centering around the fact that the boat is not ever level for more than an instant in the water and never level when out of the water. levels are for land lover cabinet makers.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

A really great tool is a digital level. You can get them in 6", 2' or 4' length at H.D. or Lowe's. For this project, a 6" level may suit just fine and will be least expensive. I use my 2' level exclusively, never going back to the bubble level. These have the bubble as well, if you feel uncomfortable about technology. Anyway, set it to measure angles in degrees and you can measure any angle you want. They can be set to measure angles in degrees (0 to 90), by slope angle (X/Y) (for the engineers), or even inch per foot (for the architects). Canadians will appreciate that it can be set for the metric system, as well. It's a multi-function tool that will come in handy, I guarantee (I'll buy it from you if you don't like it! ).

I'd do it with the boat in the water, too. Scribing the interior side of the bulkhead is also a necessity, if you have variable curves.

 

[Siamese]

Okay, enough with the templates. The companionway bulkheads in a Compac 23 are flat. The only template you need is a stick. With a stick of the same length as the height of the intended cabinet, hold the stick vertically, and place it against the the bulkhead. Then put a small level vertically on the stick. Now pull the bottom of the stick away until the level reads plumb. Then measure the distance from the bottom of the stick to the bulkhead. Done.

 

[centerline]

forget the level. forget the compass with no pencil. Use a compass with pencil and make a line not a bunch of punched holes. Also consider a witness stick for horizontal and vertical control. Google it! Super simple technology that still works after 1000+ years
The level will absolutely NOT work either in or out of the water for a variety of reasons most of them centering around the fact that the boat is not ever level for more than an instant in the water and never level when out of the water. levels are for land lover cabinet makers.

Bill, I will agree for the most part, except for the part about a witness stick, as jehovah has nothing to do with... yet...

I suppose using a traditional bubble level could be out of the question for some people, but the digital level as Scott T-Bird mentions, a quality one like this will be the level to use....
the cabinets should be level with the rest of the counters and cabinetry in the boat, regardless of the list or attitude of the hull, in the water or on the trailer.... the digital level will read close enough to keep everything as square as it should be.