Lackey Sailing | Lyra Phase 2-2

December 27, 2021

Lyra Phase 2-2

Monday

The owner had built a wooden sea hood for the companionway, for all the reasons one might want one but also specifically to provide a fixed landing point for a new dodger, construction of which was to begin this very week–this very day, initially (but rescheduled for Tuesday). However, he ran out of time before the boat was delivered to the shop, and couldn’t complete the woodwork, so the sea hood was still in a rough, just-glued-up condition. To prepare for accurate dodger patterning, I needed to do some minor work to the sea hood, though I kept my involvement to an absolute minimum so that the owner could have his intended pleasure of finishing the new construction and finishing himself during the winter.

The top overhung the sided by small amounts in some areas, so my first step was to use a router and a straight bit to trim these flush with the sides. Then, I used a 1/2″ roundover bit to create a smooth edge, which I finished up as minimally as possible with some light sanding to create a decent profile. I left the bulk of the surface prep and smoothing for the owner; I did only that which I felt was needed for the dodger work to come.

I positioned the sea hood as needed above the companionway, then made some reference marks so I could drill a fastener hole on each side, through the deck and to accept a pair of screws from below that would secure the sea hood for now. Final installation, when it happened, would continue in this way with additional screws all around, but the pair near the aft end was sufficient to hold the sea hood in position for the dodger patterning to come.

When Jason called to reschedule the patterning for the next day, I continued with some other preparatory work on board. The cockpit, which I’d repaired and repainted the year before as part of a limited scope project at the time, had some dirt and leaves from when the boat was stored outdoors before she arrived at the shop several weeks back, so I began by cleaning that up enough so I could mask off all the seating and stepping surfaces with diamond plate plastic sheeting for protection throughout the project. I covered the cockpit lockers separately, as I’d need to lift these lids to access some of the adjacent deck hardware that I’d soon be removing as I prepared the remainder of the decks for paint.