Waiting for Spring

It hasn't been a particularly cold winter so far, but I have found it harder this year than the past few winters to make it out to the garage to do boat work.  Maybe (certainly) it is a function of the aging process.  Namely, the older I get, the less I am inclined to do things I don't want to do.

Fortunately, there have been opportunities to work in the basement, where it is a bit warmer.  My major winter boat project has been the construction of the companionway hatch and rail assembly.  This took a bit of time, and that is what I had plenty of.  I used some mahogany cutoffs for the hatch frame, and two layers of 1/4 inch okoume plywood for the top.  The rails are mahogany, and will be finished bright.  Actually, I took the time to seal and varnish the rails, as well as the grab rails that fasten on top of the hatch.  I have three coats of varnish on, and will add a few more when I finally mount the rails on the cabin top.

Companionway hatch with grab rails.

From the forward end, you can see the hand holds cut in the rails.

The hatch slides on brass bars, 3/16 inch by 1 1/4 inch, mortised into the bottom edge of the hatch cover sides, and screwed in place.  The rails have a slot cut in the outside to receive the inner edge of the brass bar.  The whole thing slides pretty well, at least on the bench it does.

Brass strip mortised in and screwed to underside of hatch cover.

On warmer days, when it is possible to glue, I have been working on the cabin roof.  I pre-coated the inner surface of two 1/4 inch okoume plywood sheets with two coats of epoxy and sanded them before installation.  The first layer is applied across the cabin, perpendicular to the keel.  That is complete now, except for the forward most part, and it looks pretty fair.  The second 1/4 inch layer will be glued fore to aft, and butted at the centerline.

The first layer of cabin roof glued and clamped.

When I do the second layer, I will be within 6 inches of the overhead garage door, and since I plan to temporarily screw the top layer to the bottom, I had to find a way to swing my screw gun. Not wanting to spend a couple of hundred dollars on a very nice DeWalt angle driver, or buying 2 or 3 dozen bricks to lay on top while the glue dries (what do you do with them afterward?,) I got myself an angle attachment driver.  I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it ought to work.

My new angle driver attachment. 

Now that the cabin is covered, I can keep the inside as warm as I wish with my propane heater.  That has given me a chance to start work on the galley.  So far, I have installed under braces for the 11 gallon fresh water tank which will be located on the port side beneath the galley.  Next will be a bit of cabinet work to build drawers, a front, and a top for the galley.  I ordered a hand pump, but have not yet picked out a sink.

11 gallon Vitus water tank partially installed in galley, framing underway.