A November to Remember

I thought we had escaped our brush with the "Frankenstorm" Sandy, when we learned that some close relatives had been evacuated from their home at the New Jersey shore.  The river that runs past their condominium community had overflowed by about 10 feet in a storm surge, wiping out the first floors (heat, hot water, etc.) of all residences.  Naturally, we took them in for the duration, which turned out to be about a week and a half.  This is, after all, why we have family, right?  Sociability, which is not one of my strongest skills, nevertheless occupied much of my boat building time during that period.  Thankfully, by Thanksgiving, their electricity had been restored, a new heater and hot water heater had been installed, they were able to return home, and I was able to return to my boatbuilding.  Or so I thought.

Not two days later, our home's ancient sewer main collapsed (presumably from old age and the infiltration of tree roots) with predictable results.  We spent the next week shuttling between a nearby motel room where we performed our ablutions, and home, where I stood in solemn contemplation while two gentlemen with jackhammers proceeded to destroy my workshop floor.  Another perfectly good week of boat building lost to the vagaries of life on Earth.

I am back in business now, though, and trying to make up for lost time.  I have been using the warmer days to continue gluing out in the garage.  I installed the side panels in the cockpit, gluing and filleting, and they turned out pretty well.

Cockpit side panel.  Storage access will be under benches.

Side panels butted to bulkhead. Trim will cover tops.

I am getting ready to install the cabin roof beams.  I installed the clamps at the top of the cabin side panels, and beveled them to the same curve as the roof, which is the same curve as the aft cabin bulkhead.  I used African mahogany for the trim and clamp, as I plan (as of now) to finish the inside cabin sides bright.

Port cabin side with trim on bottom and clamp on top.

The cabin, looking forward (obviously.)

Beveled clamp and cabin side panel, ready for roof beams.

Meanwhile, when weather is not suitable for gluing outside, I have been getting the roof beams ready.  They are laminated Douglas fir, prepared  in the manner specified by Oughtred, with 3 lams of 3/8 inches, plus a stouter beam for the location of the mast.  

Cabin beams.  Top one is mast support and has yet to be finished.

Cabin beam detail showing roundover on lower surface.

Other cold day tasks include preparation of furniture.  All my cockpit bench parts are now sanded and sealed with two coats of Interlux sealer.  I turned center supports for the benches, which I think will look very classy.

Bench parts and porthole trim getting sealed.  All are African mahogany.

I also had a chance to make the compression post which will go beneath the mast and carry its weight to the keel.  I made it extra long to allow for trimming upon installation.  It, too, is African mahogany.

Compression post has a really nice figure, I think.