At long last; the nine inch deep bow fillets are completed and fiberglassed. These were the last major structural fillets to complete in the hulls. The lumber clamped inside the hull will later receive screws to mount chocks protecting anchor and docking lines from worrying against the shear (edge defined by the hull and deck intersection).
Above, the ventilation hatch mount subassembly is epoxied together in stages. This required clamping and installing the loose pieces in the hull and verifying the mount is properly located to extend through the hole previously cut in the deck sheathing. With the deck removed, c-clamps securing the mount on the longitudinal deck stringers; the short deck supports are epoxied to the mount's fore and aft sides. At the stage above, the short deck supports and one edge of the mount are epoxied to a longitudinal stringer. Clamped on legs support the assembly in position while epoxing on the remaining longitudinal stringer. This staged in situ approach allows the fit between mating parts to be checked and adjusted for correct alinement.
The boat will have modist electrical needs. I've estimated a 100 ampere hour battery will suit my purposes. I'm considering a lithium iron phosphate battery as apposed to a lead acid battery. For a long life; the lead battery can only be discharged to 50% of its' rated capacity where a lithium battery can go to 20%. The lithium battery is lighter at 30 pounds, endures a greater number of charge cycles, requires no maintenance, is free of flammable gases and acid, but comes with a hefty price. As I often say, "For every pleasure there is a pain".
A plywood mock up of the battery is shown in the above view aft along with the battery shelf and the locker areas where the paint is removed so the shelf can be epoxied in place. It was a real treat on a breezeless hot day, hanging over the bunk edge, blood pooling in the head while reaching down and back to remove the paint. I discovered late in this process that a sharp chisel is about the best tool to scrape away the paint. It also reaffirmed the lesson to mask off known painted areas subject to later gluing. Prior to building the battery mock up I considered placing the battery in the aft bunk compartment or a cockpit locker, but there were complicating negatives to these locations.
Here we see the "battery" resting on its' shelf and completely tucked away beneath the forward bunk overhang. The short battery cables will pass through a hole in the bulkhead behind and then up to an electrical distribution panel to be installed above and to the left in the companionway (entrance to the boat's interior) compartment aft. Short wire runs will complete electrical connections between the solar charge controllers and the battery. All of this with good battery access.
My focus is to complete all the interior work necessary to install the front and rear decks. To that end the forward locker, the bow and stern flotation chambers have received top side paint.
The starboard forward locker has received paint in the lower portion and a floor for the head. The white PVC pipe is electrical conduit to take power leads from lid mounted solar cells aft, through two compartments, to the companionway electrical distribution panel. A similar arrangement exists in the port hull.
The composting toilet covers the head floor hole. In the foreground are two latches that will secure the lid over the inner combing (elevated box surrounding the hatch opening). The rotating latch arms will be joined by a link that is pulled, by means of a hole in the bulkhead (lower right), to engage dogs on the lid underside. This provides a method to lock up the forward lockers from inside the boat without the need for locks or keys.
Space is limited in the open air head and I regret opting for the elongated seat. This seat could invite wet accidents as well as reducing the available footing room. It is an 18 inch step down from the combing lip to the head floor. This could make for failed entry and exit tales. A midway step seems wise.
Straight, level and square do not seem to be the character of a boat. This poses challenges in laying out and sizing new structures. The best that can be expected is flat as a reference surface to derive other locations needed for new fitments. Above, the step elevation is marked with blue tape at points along the bulkhead and hull as indicated by the pointed stick. This shaky set up can rest on the flat surface and reach out to the sloping hull sides to indicate the step elevation. It was easily checked against the first piece of tape applied to assure it indicated correctly.
The step is fitted to the bulkhead and hull. Underside cleats support the step that will be installed after painting an otherwise difficult to paint corner. It is held up by a prop rod used only for the purposes of making this image. The step features a toe stop to protect the electrical conduit. The step protrudes minimally into the space directly below the hatch opening.
The hatch lid will hinge on the same side as the step. The lid must be restrained in the open position by a locking linkages to prevent the wind from blowing the lid closed on an unfortunate occupant. These linkages are likely to attach midway on the fore aft inner combing ends. The best hope is that a person of short stature will not suffer a crotch to linkage impact when using the step. A locked linkage will enable the lid to be used as a steadying influence when entering or exiting in my best case scenarios.
The above image shows the deck and the forward house (cabin) bulkhead. In the lower right is a white piece of tape with a pencil mark. The pencil mark indicates where the forward bulkhead face should be, 7/8" aft of where it is. This mistake means that the length of a plywood sheet is too short to span the house length as intended. A crossbeam lands directly in front of this bulkhead and would require a much larger crossbeam to house gap on the starboard hull and a tapering gap on the port hull. This compounds into issues mounting the cockpit that are best avoided. It is embarrassing to make such a mistake and it is a wart that must be removed.
The tool above oscillates a fine kerf saw blade that cuts the bulkhead flush at the deck surface. I previously had a Porter Cable version of this tool I chose not to bring with me. The tool was big and heavy while providing great effort and frustration in changing out the oscillated tooling. This german Fien tool is a jewel in comparison. Flip a lever to drop a tool and just pop the next tool on.
A tapered shim spans the bulkhead width to correctly position the house bulkhead.
Above, the epoxy sets on the butt block joining the house bulkhead to the tapered shim. Happily this correction went exceptionally well with the bulkhead lining up on the marks.
I'm enjoying fitting out the interior that is not detailed in the plans. The most difficult part is anticipating what fixtures are necessary for living extended periods on a boat. Then comes the simplification and innovation necessary to achieve hopefully elegant solutions. Meanwhile, the backlog of parts requiring epoxy coating, sanding, painting, sanding and sanding continues to grow along with the piles of sand dust.
Scooter Blues
The long awaited scooter I received in February is still not legal for road operation. I've added turn, running and brake lights as well as a horn. The LED turn signal/running lights required a special flasher relay that recently arrived, but failed to produce the necessary blinking. I've read that load resistors are sometimes installed to make the flasher work. Not having load resistors, in a flash of brilliance (puns intended) I reasoned ordinary incandescent bulbs could be used to provide the necessary load. Sure enough the flasher operated the LED turn signals with the load bulb in the circuit, but the LED running lights, built onto the same circuit board as the turn LEDs, no longer operated. Presently, the scooter remains disassembled and unable to pass inspect for road operation. I await an adjustable LED flasher relay that may provide a solution to my scooter woes. It should arrive in about two months.
