Since this boat has a motor it needs a shaft to move the propeller. The shaft in this design goes through the keel. That section of the keel is called the shaft log. I used two 3" by 8" clear Douglas-fir planks which will be hollowed out and put together. Sandwiched between the two, making the shaft alley, will be a Vernatube made of fiberglass which I purchased from Centek Industries. To hollow out the shaft alley I ran the each plank through the table saw working from the center, out and lowering the blade with each pass. Its easy if you do both pieces and both sides before you adjust the blade and move the fence. After the cutting I put a large key hole saw in the drill and ran it back and forth the length of the shaft alley making it smooth. Pictured is both parts of the shaft log coated with epoxy and the Vernatube in place just before they where clamped together. Note I have already drilled the keel bolts on both sides of the shaft alley. More on those buggers later.
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