PeterP

Actually, fresh batch Joubert stickers will peel off real easy. I normally wipe the area with acetone just to be safe. If the sticker is on there fast I just sand it off followed by acetone. Never had problems with epoxy adhering. I don't know about A/B sides with Joubert - I go by grain pattern since both sides are so close in quality - in fact most times it is impossible to tell. The Chinese stuff Graham got into while back the A/B was really obvious- the B was hardly sanded at all. Great pity since the veneer is so thin. But since most of my plywood will be painted I did not care.Peter P

Scott, it would take an army to get my Princes to the meet. On top of being a natural born slowpoke I scraped my knee and got a nasty bug in it. So I haven't done much last 2 weeks. Sometimes I get the feeling this boat is going to be the end of me. But that is just fine with me - boat building is as good a way to go as any I guess.You're always welcome to drop in for an inspection. PeterP

Great stuff Joe and Sally!

Not at all. Yep -that sanding. I used to have a nightmare with the Grim Reaper coming to fetch me holding a 3 ft longboard in one hand and 9in B&D sander in the other. To paraphrase Marlowe: Sanding is hell nor am I ever out of it.

Scott, normally,I like to wet out first, but in this case I draped the whole side of the boat with the cloth dry on dry. It was easier to arrange things single handed this way. I had little nail tabs holding the glass in place so it would not slide around while squeegeeing epoxy. I did epoxy in vertical strips 4-5ft wide -wet out - keep rolling with bubble buster until it starts to tack then move over for another strip. My thinking was - if things screwed up I would make a vertical cut (60in - rather than 28 ft horizontal) let it set up and tie back into it another day. For that very same reason I had a 2 ft extra cloth at the bow end. ( I started wet out from the back). Don't worry about dry spots you will see them. The cloth is pretty transparent. You will get little milky white islands that look like dry spots but they are just clumps of glass fluff. Make sure the slick side is out on the cloth - less sanding later. Also, I had two kinds of bubble busters: plastic and aluminum. I ended up liking the aluminum better. If I forget to cleanup I can run a propane torch over the metal roller and wire brush it clean in five min. The plastic takes forever . Don't stress-especially if your brother helps - one guy wetting out one guy rolling bubbles you'll be done in a few hours. By the way the nail tabs mentioned above are 1in square pieces of 1/4 in ply with a brad in the middle. Sort of souped up thumb tack.Good luck PeterP

Brent, there isn't really that much space under the cockpit sole - which is only 26in wide. The front will have the water lift and some drain plumbing -much of it will be just about inaccessible other than a small window aft to let me get to the strut bolts and the c/pit drain and exhaust through hulls. My two 20gal water tanks straddle the centreboard under settees in the salon. Batteries and 15 gal diesel tank are inside the c/pit seats starboard and port respectively hugging the Beta diesel. Peterp

Wes, thanks for the suggestion. I do have something in mind actually, which I think is going to do the trick: two thumb screws through each of the side rails that will put pressure on the wedge and when tight should stop them from popping out. I want to see how your pipe bending adventure goes as I have plans for a tubular bowsprit. Keep the pictures coming. PeterP

Like David says I need some kind of toggle - I'm sorta toying with a thumbscrew something at the moment - Garry what was your suggestion -screen hook just for the screens or do you have an idea for something that will hold the Lexan in place more securely?

The curvature over 5x12" is negligible. I walked around and pressed the test 5x12 against the cabin side - it looked real tight in all the places where my 'holes need to go. I don't have a gasket lined up yet but there is a slew of RV gaskets out there that will work - I am sure. PeterP

David, I think about that one a lot. I'll have something up in time. That and the fact that my companionway is offset way to s/board. If that boat gets knocked down the wrong way my whole day could be a giant mess. (or the rest of my life). PeterP

They have been around for eons - Winthrop Warner, Francis Herreshoff vintage. Chuck put them in his Princes recently. Why they never took of -who knows - too cheap to be "marine"? I love the fact that I can make and repair them myself. And they are VERY inexpensive to make. How well they work remains to be seen. PeterP

I put up the last interior panel - coach roof. Hopefully, I have not left out anything bigger than the companionway opening. The template for it reminded me of old Polynesian "maps" they used to make out of sticks and twine for their voyages. How appropriate - I thought. Next, I prototyped a Warner/Herreshoff portlight. I think this is going to be great. I scored an excellent deal on some 3/8" lexan so the cost will be mind blowingly low. I can knock eight of them out for about 100 bucks ( yes one hundred) - versus $1400 to $1800 for marine store portlights. Graham told me he saw them once on an ocean going 50 footer. The question is : were they leaving or coming back. Big difference and I need to ask him that next time I see him. PeterP

I don't know about nasty ,evil stuff- Dolly Parton did really well with silicone PeterP

"If it be now 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now ; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all." I think you are ready! PeterP

I made some progress on the cockpit. Namely, figured out the propane locker and sized, bought and placed the diesel tank. As much as I like to build stuff so it can be accessed/ worked on the diesel tank is just a tad too big to come out of the locker. The seat gutters make the opening 1/2" too tight. It is movable inside the cavity but will not come out. Hopefully, it will last a lifetime. The propane box will be air- tight with a drain overboard. The s/board shot shows my battery box. Sized for two group 27 gell batteries plus a little bitty 35AH job to start the Kubota. It is designed to slide directly under the seat opening to make it easier to replace the batteries when necessary. The last shot shows the cockpit taking shape nicely. Stay cool - PeterP

Am I cross eyed with the heat or should that bow chock run the other way?

I have tied off to the mast quite often without any problems. Both anchor and mooring lines. PeterP

Good point about the water. I like a little weep hole in the step so water has a way of draining out. Good epoxy soak is a must. PeterP

Unless I am misreading the depth of the hole because of foreshortening in the photo I would guess the mast hole is too shallow. It should go right through to the top of the keel batten. If that is the case then you would just need new step with a deeper hole. That makes it simple -use the old one for a pattern. If you can cut along the CB case with out tearing it up you're halfway home. If you are not comfortable doing stuff like that cut back 1/4" from the case and clean up with a chisel. Go easy here - the case is probably 1/4" ply and a hole in that can be a pain to fix.The step bottom will come off easy - just find one of the ply veneers a bit off the bottom and drive a chisel into it. The whole step will pop right off - with a few licks. (Make sure the screws are out first) Sander will take care of the epoxy. Good luck PeterP

Scott, I did not glass the flange. It would have been an upside job. Not something I wanted to get into single handed. With 1/2" plywood deck plus glass on top I feel it's plenty strong. PeterP

Howard, good to hear from you . Still exploring the big boat I see. To answer your questions: beams are 3/4" x 1" wide on 9" centers. The roof consists of 1/4" plywood skins top and bottom with blueboard core. Even without the top skin the roof is amazingly stiff - I already crawled all over the sections that are done - when putting in the foam. Graham swears by it and I am beginning to see why. I never felt the blueboard is anything like balsa in mechanical properties but water will not touch it and at 12 bucks a 4x9 sheet it has a lot going for it. The roof camber is basically elliptical with a touch more crown to give my six-two a bit of a breathing room without the whole thing looking like a Conestoga wagon. I really appreciate the smooth ceiling skin - no exposed beams to crack your head on. The corner posts get cut off flush with the top roof skin glued over - to protect the end grain. Pretty much the whole boat will be glassed over apart from few bits and pieces - yes eyebrows, rub rail and few other touches. PeterP

Here are three pictures to get everyone up to speed with my progress- which has not been that spectacular lately. The coach roof turned to be a major pain - all beams were laminated and almost all were cut in when I realized things were not lining up so well. So I went back and shaved them and shimmed them. Push on this and pull on that. Tweak this down and something else would creep up. So I ended up tearing out about six biggest offenders and re-did the works. Very frustrating. But all that is behind us and other building adventures beckon. Started on the cockpit framing - trying to find the optimal lay out for the LP tank, diesel tank and batteries. Spending a lot of time on line looking up products, prices, sizes etc. PeterP

I don't know about Boss. The Nose more likely. She can tell a guy with a sandwich from a mile away.

If I didn't know any better I'd say this is your classic government job. One guy driving a tractor, one guy scratching a dog and three others hanging around waiting for lunch.

Well fitting boat cover will pay for itself in gas savings alone. I had to pull my cover-less Spindrift 10 last weekend and just could not get the slip stream right under 65MPH. At 55 it towed like a cow making me wish I had flipped the boat upside down. So it was go slow and take forever or go fast - save money on gas and spend it on a ticket. PeterP