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Hey Ken:

If you're trying to replicate a console for a particular model and year Whaler, let us all know so we know what we're trying to show you.

The techniques have been different for different boats, different years.

From a woodworker's perspective, the design of a piece of furniture should be such that the joints don't suffer stress, but that the joints serve merely to line up members which are designed to take up stress.

Example: instead of a 90 degree butt joint with screws into the abutting board, a proper furniture builder would cut a dado, insert the abutting board, with glue, THEN screw. Now the force is from abutting board to the dado "shelf", not all hanging on the screws relying on their sheer strength and the wood's unfailing ability to deal with sun, heat, cold, water, etc. In this example, the screws' purpose is only to hold the abutting board into the dado.

Many furniture techniques relying on great joint design and glue may be frustrated by the extreme conditions onboard a vessel. "Serious Woodworkers" try never to use screws, nails, etc, but only wood joints, wood dowels, etc. It might be belt and suspenders to design great joints AND secure with screws. On a boat ... that's not a bad philosophy. One caveat, however, is that you don't want a joint to fail, but you not know it because the screws are still holding.

Hope this helps, let us know what you're building for, and you'll get all the pics and advice you can stand ... and more ...


Bill