CS17MkIII Hull 25: Spoonbill

[R Johnson]

The parts are back in the boat. There was some fiddling to get it all to fit right, but it is mostly there.  I'll spend more time today. 

[meester]

Hi Richard,

 

I'm curious about something i see in the photo.  Over the center line, under the cockpit sole, it looks like a series of hand-sized holes in maybe an A-frame structure.  What's that structure?   Is this area part of the water ballast tank, or sealed-off bouyancy?  Or ... a wine cellar?

[R Johnson]

Meester,   Good afternoon.  Unfortunately not the wine cellar.  There are two floor support pieces leaning against each other to keep from falling over.   They should be vertical and will be before the cockpit floor gets installed.  That is an area which is floatation. It is a compartment that is behind the water ballast tank.   B&B cut out the holes so that, I believe, when the hatch is open there will be air circulation to all the areas of the compartment.  On my last boat I put in a cleanout for each section for air circulation in this compartment.  Access and air is important. 

 

[R Johnson]

In the past I have struggled with glassing fillets due to the strings at the corners of the glass strips and having three pieces of glass merging into one corner.  I did a few experiments and found that rounding the end of the piece of glass eliminated the strings and made for neater better epoxied corners.  It does add about a minute of work to each strip in total. But I think it saves a lot of time fussing with the corners and or sanding later.    For me this seems better. 

[R Johnson]

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kGtAXIKuSYyQsaLPVHl5Yb1wxD8LmQTE?usp=sharing

 

a quick update 

 

 

[meester]

Rounding the corners is a neat trick.  Thumbs up.

[PadrePoint]

On 12/8/2024 at 11:30 AM, R Johnson said:

On my last boat I put in a cleanout for each section for air circulation in this compartment.  Access and air is important. 

And, I really appreciate those access ports in the sole of the cockpit.  A few cups of water get into the compartments during a season but I’m easily able to sop the water out by reaching in with a rag. I leave the ports open during winter storage. 

[R Johnson]

I did a dry fit on the cockpit deck today.  Things line up pretty well.  I plan to glass the top of the panels before install.  All horizontal surfaces will be glassed. The cabin top will be glassed in place.   My goal is to flip the boat Memorial Day weekend.  There is a lot to do by then. 

[Don Silsbe]

You’re moving right along.  Keep at it.  I can’t wait to see her at the messabout.

[R Johnson]

It's been a while.   I got delayed by a few things, but this is where we're at.  I'll take a few weeks off then back to it.  All time lines are out the window at this point. Sheer strip is dry fitted.  Will let it stay there until boat is flipped.  I'll mark the screw holes then re-install once bottom of boat is glassed. 

[R Johnson]

[R Johnson]

[R Johnson]

[R Johnson]

Last coat of epoxy over glass.  Let is set for a week before barrier coat.

[R Johnson]

It is barrier coated which is kind of redundant.  The good news is that after the bailers are installed and few other items get taken care of then it will be ready to flip next Tuesday.  Then install the hatch, and tabernacles.  I will then install all the rigging hardware, then remove it, then properly dress the holes.  Then prime the boat for final painting. 

 

The bad news is that although the white looks wonderful, it does make some flaws evident, ie slight undulations in the chine up forward  where it keys in.  I thought I had it properly planed and sanded but even with excellent light I could not see it. It will be OK the water won't mind.  

[Steve W]

Skeena had a similar reaction to the very light Grey, almost white paint I used on her. But when I got her in the water, all was forgotten.  Your boat looks great.

 

I remember being where you are and someone said I was 80% done with 80% to go, and while there was a lot of details, to me that was the fun stuff. One of my favorite memories of building was cleaning up my workspace at night and sitting in the cabin or cockpit and shop sailing. Seven years down the road from those moments and I'm literally living those dreams.

 

I can't wait to see her on the water.

[R Johnson]

Thank you. Me too.  I agree about the 80/80, in fact I'm not sure there ever really is a finish, but continual improvement. On to the next part. 

[R Johnson]

[R Johnson]

[AmosSwogger]

Looking great.  You've got the hardest parts of the build behind you.  Smooth sailing from here. Soon you'll be attaching hardware and rigging.