nzlance

A bit more progress on helm. hydro steering , trim tab controls and battery vsr installed. who ever invented the multi-tool should receive a knighthood. Also fitted flexi-hose to take pipes and wires to engine.

Yeah hokey, I think when it comes time to fitting keel strip keeping it simple is the best option. I looked at a 3m keelsheild but they cant be stuck onto boats that have rollers touching it. Latest pics. Trying to fit off as much as possible before boat goes off and has motor fitted. Seats will come back out so carpet can be fitted. Twin batterys go under cabin seats, not much room in transom locker plus didnt want all the weight in the stern. Anchor bollard will be fitted once I have anchor and chain to measure its exact position as bollard pin goes through chain link to secure it. (no windlas at this stage.) All in all things going pretty well. will get some decent pics as soon as the weather clears up and I can wheel her outside. Good ol kiwi springtime at the moment....sun, rain, wind, more rain, sun...........

Looking forward to seeing her underway Miyot. Graham has done a fantastic job of designing a great boat. Have you thought about going "express" for the cabin style? Doesnt give alot of headroom is the only problem, but with a 24 ft boat there will be more hight in the bow (maybe). The only reason I ask is that it is in keeping with that caroliner look, and alot easier to construct than a raised cabin. The 20 needed a cuddy for headroom but was a total headache to construct. Could of have gone horribly wrong in the looks department too. There were plenty of nights I had a sabre saw in my hands ready to take the whole lot off and go back to a centre consol. Good luck with her mate, Im sure you will do a brilliant job.

Thanks David, still alot to do before shes realeased into the briney. Fishish coating is proving impossible to do during the evening after work. The solvent in the paint seems to be a major attraction for flying bugs, combine that with some fluro lights and my carport seems to be the hottest ticket in town for anything with wings and multiple legs. Will try and get paint on during weekend-daytime. Shear band fender strip will be stainless steel, possibly 304 as apposed to 316 alot cheaper apparently..... is this a good idea? Also brass keel strip will be needed.. Now the boat is right way up , on a trailer and the keel is an absolute pig to get to seems like the perfect time to fit it. Anbody had much experiance with dipping screws in epoxy and drilling them into timber?

Hey thankyou scott. 20 feet is about as big as I ever want to go. The cost of materials...as you are probaly seeing yourself (27 gallons so far....unbeleivable!) And time spent working late into the night wear you down after a while. Especially in such a small workshop/carport. Ive hit my head on the roof rafters more times than i can remember and spent so long wearing a dust mask I know feel naked without it. Getting the thing outside and on a trailer makes all the rough times all worth while. My little son was mainly the reason for short (ish) build time. I wanna be taking him to school sports and fishing on weekends, not be locked away in shed on my own like some mad professor!

Thankyou very much lads. Still have to finish the exterior paint on cabin and topsides etc, but shes nearly there. Also gonna change trailer mudguards to some nice rounded stainless items. Stock items only giving 30mm clearance either side of hull and they look a touch 'agracultural'.

Had trailer arrive today and winched boat out into a beautiful late winters afternoon. First time I have been able to step back and look at the thing side on for over a year. I was pretty happy.

Started finish coats on interior.

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Yep Hokey .... barrier coat is #420. After applied 3 coats of Altex no.2 high build have been rolled on.

Every man is entitled to there own opinion. John Welsford has his....and why shouldnt he? Hes been designing and sailing boats for decades. Sure it is impossible to prove weather or not Scamp is "safer than any other small boat you will find" But at the end of the day this is not "outragious", "properganda" But one very experienced mans findings after sailing the boat. If you took the time to read other articals and books he has written you my find that his style of explination is just that. His own style. Picking apart certain statements because hes sailing a different yatch is ott.

Hey im with Gordy reguarding engine size. Yes the yamaha 60 is a 4 cyl. .... and yes it weighs more than a 40. But you are pushing an 18 ft boat. Remember a 60 will only just be cruising along returning outstanding fuel economy .... when a 40 will have to be worked a lot harder to return the same speed. I had a high thrust 60 on my last boat..... fuel economy wasnt even an issue. All day on one 25 litre tote tank, fuel injection ment it started first turn of the key any time....every time. Yamaha makes great engines..... but check out the reviews on the 60 , It is one of the best out there. You simply cant fault it. And for a boat of your size , having a wee bit of power left to spare is a good thing. Especially if you are fully loaded and the weather turns. Just my 2 cents worth. cheers Lance.

Just been sanding, sanding and more bloody sanding. Going pretty well though. Once glassing was finished and filled it was out with the west systems 411. This stuff sands down beautifully. Back half of the boat nearly complete. Cabin... both inside and out need more work. From here its coat the entire topside with resin mixed with white pigment to provide a barrier coat and colour base. Then high build primer, then undercoats. All this will be applied by hand.... carport is way to small to use spray equipment. Then the boat will be sent away to have the topsides professionally sprayed with finish coats. The surface area of the inside is way to vast to keep a wet edge when putting on top coats with roller. I put in a pic of my little Hitachi finishing sander..... if anyone out there is contemplating purchasing a new finish sander , this thing gets my vote. It absolutley rips. Plenty of power... quiet(ish). Great for tight spots but can still be used on large areas with great results... and the finish it brings up is superb. no swirl marks. I know there are alot of different brands of these things on the market... especially in the USA, you are spoilt for choice, The hitachi is really good value for money, over here its $100.00 cheaper than the competing Makita.... The makita has a tad more power though.........

Hey thankyou very much David. I managed to finish the glassing over the weekend. So cold here in Auckland at the moment I just about had to stand on my west system pump to get resin out of it! Atleast the pot life is quite long befor it kicks. From here its filler coat then onto microballon and resin trowl filling, fairing and sanding. Dying to see how this thing goes with 115 on back. Its only temporey though, plan to put 150 4 stroke next year. Putting a cabin on has deffinatly added weight, I think all up around 80-100 kgs. The screen and foward hatch are quite heavy, The hatch especially- 10mm thick glass surrounded by alot of alloy = dead weight. Hopefully it wont have to much affect on the boats performance. I know the design is based on being lite but this boat will spend its life getting a real hiding...... Im sure a bit of extra glass in critical areas will pay off. Tandem axel braked multi roller trailer has been ordered, should be ready 4 to 6 weeks. If all goes to plan painting should be done by then , ready for fit up.

Doing a bit of work on anchor well over last weekend. Brought nice stainless self-launching bow roller which will look quite nice stuck out front. Nearly finished glassing.Just cabin sides and front hatch to go.

Glassed transom and gunnels, finished instrument pod. The cabin and topsides will be glassed next. currently working on anchor well. Once that is complete that is more or less all the timber construction done.

Hey thanks alot Dad. Good to see you are back online. If you get bored of retired life, fishing, cafes etc there is hours of fun to be had here with a sander. And thankyou Peter, but dunno about meditation while sanding..... I just keep sanding!

Ok heres a couple of pics with screen and forward hatch dry fitted. Building the cabin has been bloody difficult to say the least. It didnt help that I changed my mind on windscreen shape after cabin was formed, only to have to chop back into it with multi-tool and change the curve to suit better (more expensive) screen. All up though it has come up really good. I have nearly finshed all timber construction. Storage pockets to be formed on cabin side wings, finish anchor well/ bow sprit. Then on to weeks of glassing, fairing and sanding. God - I cant wait.

Transom nearly complete. Lots of filleting and sanding before glass though. The outboard well is going to be a live bait tank. Have to glass in a sloping top on it and cut in an acrylic hatch (apparently light helps de-stress the fish. Who the hell would ever know? ) Tank first has to be faired and coated before all this can happen. Walk through is nearly done. A pull out 12mm panel will slot into the recess created. Tinted wrap-around wind sheild turns up this week. Once I place it into position I will be able to trim the side wings to a matching curve and complete the cabin.

Hey look at that .....it works. Thankyou Frank. Nearly complete "ransom locker" and portifino stern. Have to form sump for bilge pump. Transom itself is over 2 inchs of solid timber , glassed twice inside.

Computer will no longer allow me to upload pictures.... why? I dont know, works fine everywhere else. Any Ideas Graham?

You are right Mike.... it would certainly help fund the build!

Stupid computer... it is surposed to read "transom" will post more pics when this thing will upload them.

Transom locker.

Floor and side shelves glassed.