Let's do that again

Time for some Deja vu.

It was good to dust off the second set of bulkheads which I made about 18 months ago. And clear some space to set them up.

In this pic you can see I had to shift the base just a little bit to give me enough room to work beside the finished hull.

Then it was a case of "How did I do this last time?". Oh yeah. That's right.

Laser level and being careful, measuring twice and all that.
It is a nice feeling to be working on the second half of the boat. :)

Rudder Housings

While I still have some room in the garage I decided to make a start on the rudder housings.

The first stage is to use each rudder as a mold for creating the sleeve of the housing out of fibreglass.
In this picture you can see the first one still wet with many layers of cloth and epoxy wrapped around it.

Once cured the sleeves are removed from the mold and cut to shape.

That is part 1 done. Next step for these will be the addition of some ply and carbon fibre.

Hull 1 done

Well, done enough, for now.

When I started building I was not sure where I would put the first hull while I built the second one, I thought I might have to keep it outside. Recently I realised I had just enough room in my garage to store it in there while I build hull 2 which also meant I could get away with not completely finishing it with regards to fittings, windows, hatches etc. So I have moved it aside to set up for the starboard hull.

I managed to do the move by myself with a little help from a skateboard and some tie downs.

It was quite easy to shift it around, but I took my time. I was worried about it falling over.

Using a tie down here to stop it falling over while the wing support was removed.

And here it is in it's new spot. While it waits for it's twin. :)

Non Skid

Non slip surfaces on boats are essential. There are a few ways you can achieve this, I have chosen to use this painted method. Basically it is just very thick paint and using a rough roller the idea is to create a rough lumpy paint finish, which is a nice change to normal painting where you want the opposite.

I am very happy with how much grip the finished surface has and how easy it was to apply. It should be fairly easy to maintain also.

Painting Topsides

After changing my mind about a colour scheme more times than I can remember, you can now see what I settled on.

It took some planning to have time available for re coating and masking within the recommended time frames. It is a two part paint system which I applied with a roller and brush tip off. I have not put top coat on areas of the deck which are yet to have non skid paint applied. Overall the job of painting is quite rewarding as after all the hours of prep, a short time spent painting and the hull suddenly looks almost finished!

Finding the waterline

It doesn't take long before one gets sick of sanding so that's when you realise you're not building a super yacht, so just start painting already. I guess I should choose a colour.

Here is a shot showing the laser level lighting up where the water line is.

Here is the bottle jack being used to lift the bow so I can place more wood under the forward support to level it up.

Then mask along waterline and apply primer.
What colour will it be? Not long now.

Sliding Hatch

I have been working on the sliding hatch as I want to get all items ready for painting at the same time as the hull.

In this photo you can see how I am enlarging the piece I cut out of the cabin top. This way it has the same curve as the cabin and will have the necessary overhang to mount the sliding rails to.

Then, glue the rails onto the cabin and check hatch for fit.

 

Making a leak guard. I might end up needing more than this but will do for now.

Here is the hatch almost ready for painting. It has been fibreglassed in the same way as the rest of the boat. You can just see the rails glued on the underside of the hatch. I will use plastic or vinyl strips on the sliding surface to make the action smooth. I also will add mahogany trim to the front at a later stage.