So, I have finally worked out that going off and doing deliveries for other people does not get my boat finished, especially when I am helping Bill deliver a boat and neither of us is here. Last month I helped bring a boat up to Auckland from Wellington, then helped Bill bring a boat down from New Caledonia. Enough! I really need to sand!
Progress while I was away the first time was good, the aft cabin has really taken shape. Overall the layout is the same, with a hanging locker/cupboard space to starboard and storage to port, forward of the bunk. We have tried to keep it really simple, however Bill was scratching his head to work out how to put the port side locker together, it is a bit of a Lego kit. Looks good though.
We took a collective deep breath and cut the top opening for the new gas bottle locker. The weight of the section cut out is astounding, 10.5 kilos for the hole you see. This works out to 26 kg/m2, no wonder these boats don't bob around like a cork!
Very heartened to see that we haven't managed to kill the entire neighbourhood population of insects off with our nasty chemicals, here you have a weta (family Anostostomatidae) crawling over Weta.
I need more time!!! Bill has been working on another job for a bit and I have been holding off posting because there never seems enough to write about... Anyway, yet another year slips by and what are we up to? When is the boat ready? A recurring theme that I think about when I sit down to write is that stuff has been finished but there is nothing to show for it - well, the good news is that some stuff is finished and does not have to be removed again. This mass of piping is the fuel transfer system, located in the locker under the stairs. The actual pump sits in the engine room, you can see the pipework disappearing through the bulkhead to port.
Engine room doors are finished and painted. They are on lift-off hinges so will remain off until we are ready to close the door on the engine room - a little way off I think. The configuration is a double bi-fold door, so the center 2 sections fold back against the outer doors, which can also be opened to allow access. Any time serious work needs doing, we will lift the doors off and move them out of the way.
A few more finishing touches are appearing, here is the sliding door that covers the starboard side hanging locker in the aft cabin. Bill worked out some nice touches with some plastic sheet so when open or closed it will not flop sideways as we roll.
I installed the main gas line from the gas locker aft, right through to the engine room forward bulkhead. I used some proper rigid gas line so it should last quite a while. Terrostat was used to goo it up into the hull-deck join.
A very unsatisfying time, I must say. Sanding white paint off and painting white paint back on, I am starting to dream about white paint. In reality, it couldn't be much simpler as I have gone for a pretty simple plan. I got over my panic about brush marks and am just happy to have it looking clean and not-so-smooth. I have been rolling 3 coats of Interprotect on top of the epoxy sealer, then sanding that down smooth. The top 2 coats of Perfection Undercoat then get brushed on, within 3 days. So, in effect I am only sanding it once. If I could get self-sanding paint I would.
Bill has been on another job for the last two weeks, hence the focus on paint. I can't really paint while he is here so I have been putting it off.
The photos show the engine room painted out with brushable gelcoat. I have now bolted on a few items and won't be unbolting them - yippee! It is a little pathetic but it gives me a big boost to see things in their final place. One shot shows part of the exhaust system - stainless pipe that I had electro-polished to help against corrosion.
Another "OMG it's been nearly a month since I posted last"! I keep looking around for new things to write about and it is all a little uninspiring. We are very busy but the list of things to show is small. However, a number of items have been resolved, some finished and the end is definitely in sight! I rebuilt the back end of the boat shelter so we can access the transom area. The last section of the old cap rail has been removed, showing some large cracks in the join. If you look closely you will see a putty knife handle, the blade extends down into the fibreglass.
My fuel transfer system is basically complete, it should work...??!! I have since cut all the holes to allow hoses to pass through to the side tanks. It will look good I think.
This space just aft of the mast location will contain most of the pumps and seacocks associated with the head, sinks, watermaker and fresh water tanks. I get very frustrated with plumbing - why is everything a different size! My pile of spares is growing, as a result of visiting the plumbing shop nearly every day and buying the wrong stuff. I will be able to build another boat with what I have left over - on second thoughts there is no chance of that happening.
The steering flat is pretty much done, rudder stops have been fabricated and attached. Rudder line blocks have been bolted on for the last time (hopefully). I have worked out the exhaust run and await Bill's return from his Vanuatu delivery to finish that off.
