Winter, again

The return of cold weather has driven me back into the workshop, at least most mornings.  By noon or so, at least on sunny days, the garage gets warm enough so that, with the added support of my trusty propane heater, I can glue.  It requires a bit of coordinated project management so that I always have something to do, regardless of the temperature, but so far, so good.

My propane heater in the head-to-be doing its thing.

I got a couple of coats of primer on the cockpit sides and the bulkheads while it was still warm enough to paint.  It gives me a sense of completion (premature, though it may be.)  My wife's reaction was positive.  She says the project is actually beginning to look like a boat.  I think that shows a lack of imagination on her part, not having seen the resemblance sooner, but I have to acknowledge that paint does help a lot.

Actually, my main reason for painting was that I wanted to install the cockpit benches, which for the time being, I plan to finish bright, and I wanted to save some crawling and reaching with a paintbrush later.  I went ahead and installed the bench on the port side, without the middle support, which has no sole to sit upon yet.  I like the look, even with a mere two coats of sealer on the mahogany boards.  With 7 or 8 coats of varnish, it will look even better, I think.

Port cockpit bench, sans middle support and leg, for obvious reason.

Installing the bench end supports revealed a minor "oops."  I had mis-measured the space available for my lazarette opening, and needed to fashion a patch to reduce the width of the opening by three inches on each side.  Thanks to the virtues of plywood and epoxy, that was easily achieved, proving once again, that it is not the mistakes one makes, but rather how one backs out of them that defines one as a capable boat builder.

My "oops" nearly fully corrected.

 On cold days, I do as much of my work in the shop as I can.  There I have my tools at hand, comfortable temperatures, sufficient space, and my shop foreman, Bosco Brown to guide me.  I was able to fabricate the foredeck hatch, both frame and cover, fully in the shop.  After a couple of coats of primer, I installed the frame in the opening in the foredeck, and epoxied it in place.  I will run a fillet around the perimeter when I get a nice warm day.

Bosco on duty in the shop.

The hatch cover awaiting more coats of paint, and a bit of varnish as well.

The hatch frame mounted on the foredeck

I also had a chance to make the edging for the berths, which I installed on both sides.  I used traditional construction methods for that -- countersunk and bunged silicon bronze screws, and a bed of Dolphinite.  At least I didn't have to wait for a warm day for that.

Berths complete with their edging.  Good enough to finish bright, I  think.

I also began the somewhat daunting task of installing the cabin roof beams.  I spent a lot of time thinking about how to do this so they would be fair against one another and level from side to side.  Actually, I remade the beams because I was not satisfied with the curve of the first set I made.  I decided that, rather than take my curve off the standing bulkhead at the aft end of the cabin, I should have taken the curve from the plan, and "true up" the bulkhead should that be necessary, after the beams are installed.  I measured the length and height of the arc on the plan, calculated the radius of the arc using a formula I found on the web (which I should have known from my own school days, but alas, seemed to have forgotten.)  Then, I used the radius to scribe the arc on the floor, dug out my laminating clamps, and laminated a set of perfect beams.

I started my installation with the beam that sits atop the mast compression post, because that allows me to position it precisely over the mast step.

Deck beam notched into compression post stop.

Compression post in position, beam sitting above.

Roof beam end at cabin side clamp, ready for notching.

On another note, I heard from the shop that is rebuilding the engine I am going to install.  I should be able to pick it up in a week or so (assuming I can pay for it) and will be able to start lining things up for the shaft and propeller.  More on that soon, I hope.