Poof, Another Year has Passed

September 2022 arrives to mark this project's fifth year.  The worldwide shipping slow down and lack of available lumber has stymied my ambition to move the hulls outside and make provisions to mount the cross beams.  This is a phase in the project I'm excited to experience as it will give a scale to the project's finished size.  The lack of materials from the late shipment has prevented the last portlight from being installed so the port hull is not yet weather tight.  I've been scrounging for smaller jobs that have been put off for a while as a means to continue progress and to add refinements.

The gally sink drain plumbing is now complete.

The wiring for the port 12 volt and USB outlets as well as the gooseneck lamp is completed.  Some challenges were imposed by the heavy #10 wire used throughout the vessel.  The wooden outlet enclosure was just deep enough to allow the heavy wires to make the backside connections and bend as required to follow the wire conduit.  Solar cell leads were also installed in the conduit run used by the lamp and outlet.  The solar cells dictated the #10 tinned wires used throughout.  The large wire minimizes the voltage drop/waisted energy going into or from the battery.

Finishes

All the bunk locker panels received a sanding and two coats of varnish.  The varnish was applied over two epoxy coats.  The varnish protects the epoxy from sun degradation.  Varnish is so much easier than topside paint.  Note the two panels in the right foreground.  These panels are marked with a P and an S to denote port and starboard.  These two panels can serve as interior tables spanning the respective hull's width.  The panels' geometry and mounting fixture's fit vary enough that these panels must be identified.  These are the two panels with corner embedded magnets to securely stole the panels when not in use. 

The main hatches and wash boards receive two coats of high build primer on interior surfaces.  A new round of sanding awaits.... In a few months, cooler temperatures should give better topside paint results on these interior surfaces.

Companion Way, Washboards and Hatches

Above is the aft edge of the companion way opening.  The house (cabin) top slopes forward and towards the outboard side.  Any water leaking past the closed companion way is likely to collect in the corner and leak into the interior.  A groove is cut into the opening to encourage water to flow downhill and drain the corner.

The elevated washboard has been fitted with tapered projections that fit into the grooves when fully closed.

With the washboard seated and the hatch closed. the grooves are nearly filled by the projections.  The idea is that surface tension in the narrow space remaining in the grooves will help wick the water away.  It remains to be seen if this arrangement has any merit.

The washboard is hanging across from the companion way opening, but the real foreground subjects are the new ears located near the opening's top.  The ears help align the washboard edges into the grooves on either opening side.  

The hatch track is stamped from sheet metal and had many razor sharp edges offering chances of severe cuts.  The tracks were removed, and the edges received a rounding over with a file and 220 grit sandpaper.  The tracks were permanently installed by coating the screw holes with penetrating epoxy before inserting the screws.  The numerous track screw holes did not receive the normal arrangement of threading into an oversized, cured epoxy filled hole.  

Paint pulled off with the track and compromised the painted protection underneath.  Penetrating epoxy was applied to these areas to protect the underlying wood from water.  I would say the hatches slide better now than ever!

Crossbeams

The crossbeams, fore and aft of the cockpit, received two primer coats.  The mast supporting crossbeam is shown upside down in the background.

The mast crossbeam now sports a dolphin striker.  The dolphin striker counteracts the mast compressive forces imposed on the beam.  Above, the green fishing line shows the path a cable would take to anchors near the crossbeam ends.  Tension in the cable creates an upward force counteracting the mast's downward force.

3/4" x 3/4" lumber strips are applied at the underside beam opening ends.  Theses openings now present a flat surface around each opening.  This enables the use of flat screens to exclude nesting insects.  Bees have already made an effort to take over my bathroom sink cabinet.  It is good to pare down things that may cause worry.

The aft trampoline crossbeam web is in the foreground with the forward crossbeam web and bottom flange in the background.  Progress on the forward crossbeam is limited to epoxying a 3/4" x 3/4" stringer along the curving bottom flange edge.  The lack of suitable lumber to complete these beams has thrown a roadblock in moving this project outside for assembly. 

Mast

The beginnings of a mast.  A subscale PVC pipe stands in for the mast to show the component's relative positions.  The four, hook like, mast cleats are located near the mast top.  They provide anchor points for stays that loop around the mast and anchor to the outboard hull cleats as well as the forward hull bridal.  

The hot dog bun shaped component is the gaff slider.  A gaff is a boom located at a sail's top or head.  The gaff slider slides along the mast as the gaff and sail is raised or lowered.  Leather is traditionally used on the sliding surfaces, but I used material cut from a plastic cutting board.  The plastic cutting board should provide a low friction surface and prevent scarring of a painted mast surface.  I've hung a sample of the cutting board material outside to test how it will endure the tropical sun for a year or so.  It remains to be seen if this is a good idea or not.

Step Ladder

In keeping with the desire to get this project outdoors, I built a step ladder for gaining access to the boat's interior and future cockpit.  In the foreground is a chair and a clamping worktable.  These items were my only means of obtaining boat interior access.  This arrangement has three steps to get to a level high enough to step inside.  The step ladder reduces the congestion at the narrowest point in the passage between the hulls.  I will not have to move my worktable and chair in and out of the weather in the future.

The top step received a modification to discourage its' use as an unstable step and to provide foot clearance when stepping into the hull.  The bulk of the step ladder's material is mahogany with scraps of my shipping crates thrown in.  The mahogany had too much undesirable sap wood to be used in the boat and took up floor space that I have reclaimed. 

I'm pleased to learn that the shipment departing Los Angeles August 8th should be in Corozal for distribution October 5th, hurricanes permitting.  There must have been problems along the way.