More Progress photes

[Barry Pyeatt]

Some more progress photos after Spantex non-skid applied along with top coat to cover entire deck and cabin top. It becomes a one piece self-vulcanized coating to totally seal the deck and cabin top. Expected life is minimum of 15 years. Cabin sides and the rest of the vertical surfaces are being painted with polyurethane.

[Jim Stumpf]

Looks Good Barry, Masking off the non skid make for a neat professional look. It is all in the details.

Jim

[Barnacle Jim]

Ahoy Barry,

What a beautiful job! The boat looks fantastic and is coming along nicely. In no time, you'll have her launched and be out on the water.

Am I the only one to notice how you modified the seats? Looks as if you've had a sore back once or twice. Angled seats sound like serious comfort to me.

[Barry Pyeatt]

After being in storage for nearly 3 years, I decided that the main hatch cover needed to have the dents and dings taken out of it. So...I refinished it. Since the top surface was made from some reclaimed white cedar from fench boards laminated to the undelying 1/4" Marine Ply, I decided to add a little character to it and make it more interesting.

It now has 4 coats of spar varnish over it, two more to go and it will be ready for service. Getting anxious to get all the bits and pieces attached.

[jmack]

Wow I'm in awe. Your work looks terrific! I hope when I start my Weekender my work looks half as good as yours What a great place to learn from some real pros.

[capt jake]

Looking good Barry!

[Barnacle Jim]

Ahoy!

What a boat! What a hatch!

Good job, Barry, good job.

The wood looks beautiful.

[Guest Oyster]

Very nice work, indeed. You are getting there. Keep paddling.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Thanks for the nice comments. As much as I want to launch this summer, the reality is that it probably won't happen. Too many things to do, too little time to get them done. I will be going in for another eye surgery mid Sept. and don't know just how long I will be unable to do things on the boat to finish it. So it will get as far along as I can in the next couple weeks and then get tarped up on the trailer to set until next spring. If the weather holds into late Oct. I may be able to get more of the small things done.

I may be able to do some of the rigging but don't expect that I will be able to do a whole lot that requires much in the way of sanding or stressful lifting or bending, etc. Fortunately most of the sanding is finished. Hopefully all but the inside of the cabin top will be finished by then as well as all of the exterior.

Been a long time getting here and I'm a patience kind of guy. Vision is getting better, going to go with what is working and has helped so far. :wink:

Besides, the build is really a very satisfying part of this entire project for me. Lots of opportunities to get on the water and sailing with friends, it will get done.

[capt jake]

Bummer about not being able to make the launch this year. I know you were really looking forward to it.

May be we can get out again down here. Maybe we can get Noel to come down as well and try for Hope Island??

[umop_apisdn]

My rudder-box has had it for the season. It should have been replaced when I bought the boat. I sort of patched it up last summer and managed to get a year-plus out of it. But it has all kinds of play it, and I am glad it didn't fall apart on me yesterday. The currents beat it up pretty bad.

So I think I am done for the season. I'm going to make a new rudder box, a boom crutch, cover the deck in non-skid, and a few other things over the winter, and try for an early start next spring.

Maybe I will have it ready in time for Barry's launch.

Noel

[JeffM]

Just out of curiosity, Barry, why no ports in that cabin?

[Barry Pyeatt]

Well Jeff, it's like this. I finished up the cabin and in particular the sides, with the location of the portlights established. Wasn't in any hurry to cut the holes out before finishing the sides. (A lot easier to do a reasonably nice finish if it doesn't have a couple large holes cut into it first.) :roll:

Same with the rear deck which now has access ports in it. Portlight holes are now in one side, the other side comes tomorrow if all goes the way I planned it...or not. :wink: I may just finish up the trim rings for all of them as well as the main hatch first. Depends a lot on how foggy it is in the morning when I start. Might get that coat of varnish on before I start on things. Varnish work is generally the first thing that happens in the morning and the last thing that happens before I leave at night.

Noel,

Was a bit surprised that the rudder box lasted this long. I'm sure you will have a fine new box ready for Spring. Non-skid will be a good addition as well. I still have some hope of launching yet this Fall. But I just won't push it. My vision is too important for me to blow it now. But I would love to have you out on the water to sail with me when I launch.

Looking forward to seeing if we can find enough interest to get some of the other builders out on the water together one of these days. They are spread out pretty well, but there are a few in our neighborhood (Seattle Metroplex).

[Barry Pyeatt]

Some more progress photos as I was getting finished up with the seat modifications and the installation of the coamings and backrests. Fairing in the backrests to the main bulkhead.

This is about as far as I will likely get this season, unless the fall weather is really good. I had eye surgery on my left eye for a cataract and some other complications on the 21st. Thrilled to report that I now have 20-30 vision in both eyes and it will likely get better as the healing progresses. The two eyes are not working together all the time as yet, but with some readers I'm doing extremely well. Just have to take it easy and not push thing for a few weeks and keep sanding dust, etc. out of my eye.

[capt jake]

I think that cockpit setup is going to work out great. I like the idea of the removable grated seats. More room when they are not needed.

[Brian Walters]

She's looking really awsome Barry, not too long now. Really great work.

Brian.

[kydocfrog]

Ohhh...I do like that cockpit.

Small lesson learned note. I've used short splash coamings similar to yours. Even though they are short, I'm considering removing them completely before next major paint renewal. They really get in the way when you want to sit up on the side deck and kind of drive you toward boarding the boat too far to the stern; more stable if you are coming in closer to the bulkhead.

DocA.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Thanks for the nice comments.

I've thought long and hard about how this cockpit should work and what I might be able to manage to do about the shortcomings I've felt with it in sailing with other builders. Capt. Jake's "Fire Escape" has some of the ideas in it that I copied from him. Primarily for the foot room under the seats. We both found that we could put a gas tank and a cooler or two easily beneath the seats along with fenders. I like the idea, comfort and practicality of slat seats vs. the solid seats. I like the cutout backrest so that my frame fits better on the seating with a little extra ...er, um, ah, .....butt room. That also makes placing mooring lines, fenders, paddle, other items close by and accessible so that when single handing I don't have to leave the cockpit when I need to get to them in a hurry. My electrical connections will be under the side deck so they are better protected from the elements.

My trolling motor will be on a removable side bracket rather than on the transom. That keeps the prop out of the rudder and doesn't present any issues with me as far as docking or maneuvering. I can pull the rudder and use the trolling motor when docking or retrieving the boat at the ramp. Done that with other small boats I've worked with in the past. I like that better than all the clutter on the transom.

Sat on a lot of side decks on a lot of different small boats. Decided after sitting a few Weekender side decks that I find I'm back a bit from the main bulkhead 90+ % of the time.

So ...DocA, Good tip and I agree with you for the most part. I kinda figured where I could reach if I convert to a tiller with a short extension on it. Then mocked it up with cardboard and a couple sticks. That is about where it comes out. There is a short 3/4" high extension from these coamings back past the lazarette edge to funnel any deck water aft and kinda help keep it out of the cockpit as well. But I've never had any problem sitting over that high an edging. I found I could sit a little further back on the side decks and handle the wheel and the main sheet from there too in the past.

I also figured if it was nasty weather I can sit closer to the main bulkhead and have some protection from the elements if I change to a tiller arrangement instead of the wheel. Used a wheel and a tiller both on various Weekenders and other small boats and totally open minded about both. Will work with the wheel first to see how I manage with this cockpit design.

My cam cleats for my jib set between the coamings and the side rail about 6" back from the main bulkhead so I wouldn't be sitting there anyway.

Also I do plan on sailing this in Puget Sound a fair bit. Been on the Sound in other Weekenders and other small boats. Quite often in brisk winds with the froth blowing off the tops of the waves. Always had a wet cockpit without coamings. Another consideration in this case was the backrest potential of the coamings for more comfortable "First Mate" seating.

On another note, I had so much fun :roll: fabricating these coamings I just couldn't go out without having them as a part of the over all scheme of things. :wink:

[Mike Pennington]

Really nice Barry,

But of course, I have been expecting one hot weekender out of you :wink:

I finally got to sail Mark G's Weekender, the Flyer, last summer on Harding Lake. I have to say, I had a good time. In fact, it was my favorite sail this year.

However, I do know what you mean by leg and bottom room which might be needed in a Weekender.

I found that I like the open-bench style seats, where I can store all my extras. Besides, enclosed, I would have never been able to get my big feet aboard :roll:

If I were to do a modification on my Vacationer, I would carve out some of the aft-port/starboard deck, so I could sit facing forward, either side of the wheel. Feet propped up, naturally.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Well the eye surgery went well. I can see again, 20-30 in both eyes and with readers I can see to do my computer work and continue to work on finishing up this project. Just have to take it really easy with a whole bunch of restrictions for a while.

Made some progress the last couple of days. Finished fairing in the backrests, glassed, primed and painted them. Applied a couple coats of Spantex non-skid to the cockpit sole. Sealed up the sole in the cabin so it is water tight.

A few more photos of the cockpit modifications and finish paint work.