Kathy Has A Sundeck!

 

The moment has finally come to cover up all those little mistakes with nice big chunks of plywood!! (shush...don't tell anyone!)

 

Some days I just have to remind myself that this IS an amateur project! I'm completely convinced that if you were a perfectionist with a build like this, you would NEVER finish it! You would keep remaking parts over and over again until you, plain and simple, ran out of gas. Maybe someone has the patience to take 10 years to build a 15-foot boat. I'm NOT that guy!  I just keep pluggin' away and do the best I can....

 

I can visualize the tanning lotion flowing already!



 



I've discovered something else. Shopping for parts has gotten more expensive since we turned the boat over. When it was upside down, a trip to Lowes was about all you needed to keep going. Now, I spend alot of time shopping at BOAT stores! Way more fun, but WAY more expensive! :)

 

Sail On...

 

Pirate

Sail Ho!!!!

 

After starting work on the topsides, I've discovered I'm back in that place where you spend all day working on the boat and if you're lucky, you might have just one or two pieces that you can actually add to the boat itself. It doesn't lend to many pictures to update our blog!

 

But Kathy comes to the rescue! The kit for our jib has been gathering dust, (sawdust actually!) and this week, with the help of my mother who is visiting from Montana, they launched into the effort. It took awhile to decipher the directions, but then they jumped right in...

 

Is it done yet?





The first panels have gone together very well. It's just another dimension  that adds so much fun to this project for both of us. It won't take very long to complete the sail I'm guessing. (Kathy may have a different opinion!) :)

 

Meanwhile, back in the garage, I've been building deck beams and preparing everything for the decking. Like I said earlier, some days are spent cuttin' and sandin' but nothing gets added to the vessel. Today, I finally got to pull the clamps back out and I got to mix up more glue...

 

 

I have to add, since we are now on the trailer, I have the opportunity to pull the boat out of the garage to work on it. With the heavy humidity that I've been fighting all summer in the garage, what a treat it is to at least add a breeze and some sunshine on my face to the daily project. 

 

Pirate



It's nice to be working on the TOP of the boat!

 

Following our successful "roll over" party, we had a very good opportunity to do a general reorganizing of the garage. Nothing major mind you, since we have a boat to build :), but it did provide us with the chance to move some things around a bit.

 

Mostly what we found was SAWDUST!  EVERYWHERE! That's when my train of thought took me back to my younger days and I just figured it'll all get sawdusty again, so might as well just get back to boat building....!

 

Maybe someday I'll be better about things like that......! (ya, right!)   

 

 

The first steps to accomplish on our now upright vessel, remove jagged edges and start building the deck structure. Can't "Swab the Deck" if you don't have one!!

 

Leftovers from the planking and fiberglass process

Installing the starboard side carling

 



When you install "curvy" boards like this, I guarantee you wish you were born with a third hand or had a helper. I found this out the hard way since Kathy wasn't available today. Sigh...

 

 

Pirate