Sunday, 17 March 2024

 Transom cap and final things before glassing


Today I added the hardwood cap on the transom, a good piece of Sapele, just needs some rounding over -pity it will be under the glass,







added the final parts of the filleting to the inside of the hatches so they can be glassed at the same time as the hull




and checked the hull for any little depressions that needed filling before the deck and cockpit glassing begins. If you catch these at the right stage in the epoxy cure cycle, they can be cut clean with a chisel, most requiring almost no sanding






Tuesday, 12 March 2024

 Hard Dodger and hatch idea finalised


The companionway and dodger concept has been finalised, it worked out extremely well, so well in fact that I can use my  original mock up as a final item with a slight modification,The hatch will be secured to the boat with a piece of dyneema and use a small low friction ring that I am not using somewhere else on the boat to allow  it to be tethered to the boat while still allowing it to move easily. The curved frame of the companionway entrance will allow a relatively comfortable seat with no sharp edges while I am sitting under the dodger, I am thinking of 2 eyes on the front of the dodger and also a skylight in the roof of the dodger that will allow light to pass thru the skylight, and through a portlight in the companionway hatch and thru portlight in the part of the deck (under the hatch) when the hatch is stowed under the dodger. When the companionway hatch is closed light will come into thebnoat thru the port on the hatch, and also thru the portlight in the deck (under the dodger). I am not going to put any openings for portlights in the hullsides, in fact I may not put the portlights in the deck and in the roof of the dodger - Originally my thinking was only a portlight in the companionway hatch and one in the front of the dodger - I may revert to this original idea - I do not like windows in boats as from experience they invariably leak, even when using the correct sika and the correct sika primers(, and also any window in a hullside or coachroof compromises strength).
The Dodger will have a hand grabrail that is the same profile as the companionway rim  -which has proved to be a really comfortable and secure handgrip



























 NMEA connections and the low power interior lights Just some futher pictures from the last few weeks all the NMEA connections are contained...