It seems this is going to go down as the boat building year where I put in a ton of hours, but things don’t look that different from where it was last season. I do have a lot of things checked off the list, but when I went looking for pictures of it all, it’s not that different.
I’ll just go with a list of a few things I’ve done this season:
-prepped and coated the bottoms with a copper epoxy mix. There’s a lot of debate about the usefulness of such a coating, so it’s likely I’ll regret that decision, but I can still overcoat it with something later. I’m not afraid to frequently go over the side and clean the bottom if it doesn’t work well.
-prepped the topsides for paint. All I need to do now is tape off the water line and paint. That will be a good day.
-built the transom steps from foam and glass. In the picture, the outsides are not glassed yet. I’ll do that when I turn them over.
 |
| From summer 2011 |
-built and installed the rudder tube/bearing assembly. Here’s uncle John turning my rudder bearings on his lathe. They fit perfectly into the G10 tubes which in turn are heavily glassed to the transom. One day in the not too near future, the rudder stock will shoot out of here and steer the boat.
 |
| From summer 2011 |
 |
| From summer 2011 |
 |
| From summer 2011 |
-I Started to turn the hulls over. When I got them half way over and the bracing removed, I realized how much easier it would be to build out some of the interior while they were still suspended from the ceiling, so I left them hanging there and I’ve been cleaning up the insides and cutting the bunks to fit. Also note the way the shop looks like a complete disaster area. I did clean it up right after this shot.
 |
| From summer 2011 |
It won’t be long and the hulls will be fully upright!
Stay tuned for an update on the cuddy interior. Wires, Batteries, Inverters, and Sinks, oh my!
July 27, 2011 at 7:26 pm |
Rock! It all looks awesome to me.
“It seems this is going to go down as the boat building year where I put in a ton of hours, but things don’t look that different from where it was last season.”
Ha! Welcome to my world. Though, this might actually be the year that things around the house look magnificently different. :-D
January 10, 2012 at 4:46 pm |
With the snow outside and the wind blowing, having gone brain dead from studying, I went out to the shop and wandered down the long hall to where the boat took shape. Jeff and I loaded out the separate hulls last fall and he moved them to Minneapolis for final assembly. The huge empty space where the boat used to be startled me, as the rest of the shop is packed solid with machinery and other good stuff. My hand found a broom handle and I pushed it around for a while, with no intention of doing a thorough job of it. All the small scraps of core material, fiberglass chunks, pieces of rope, a few clamps, loose screws, a pile of recycled plastic cups used for fiberglass mixing, and a hundred other clues of how MUCH work was put into getting those hulls to where they are now. I am truly amazed at the progress and results. Congrats Jeff, Heather, and Ethan
Uncle John
January 10, 2012 at 5:05 pm |
Thanks for the comment, John. I often have this Thursday night reaction that it’s time to pack up the car to head north and I look forward to decompressing/procrastinating with you, a good fire, and an almond/date/kale smoothie. I am often sad that our trip won’t be starting up there, but I have no doubt we will make it back there the long way around.