| Bolero
Project |
Monday, June 9, 2008 I began the day with some necessary errands: I drove to the sailmaker to drop off the mainsail so slugs could be installed, and on the way back stopped by a glass shop to drop off a pattern that I made for the ports (laminated glass). I'd expected the glass to take a few days or a week, but in late afternoon the glass shop called to let me know that the blanks were complete--great service. I'd have to run back there sometime soon, but not right away. With a number of jobs on the boat all reaching critical stages of near-completion, my work during the next several days would concentrate on wrapping up the related loose ends and pre-installation requirements to bring the boat ever closer to something resembling completion. After the morning's errands, I got to work on the cabin beams: final installation. It was time to get the overhead underway, and the beams needed to go in now so I could create and head off the companionway opening and varnish the beams before installing the plywood overhead. After cleaning the raw wood as necessary, I installed the beams with epoxy adhesive and bronze screws. |
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During the beam mockup stage a week or two ago, I made some measurements for the plywood overhead: I planned to build the overhead from two layers of 9mm marine plywood laminated together in situ. Unfortunately, the coachroof was just a bit too large to get the entire overhead's width out of a single piece cut from a standard 4x8 sheet; the cabin trunk was just a bit longer than 4', and also just a bit wider at its maximum. So I needed to make the top in two pieces. To keep the structure strong and avoid a seam, I planned to join the two lower (visible from beneath) pieces at one of the beam locations--hence the measurements. Now, I cut one sheet of plywood into two pieces, first a smaller one for the forward section and then a larger one for the aft section. The joint would be over the second-from-aft cabin beam. Afterwards, I sanded the pieces smooth with 220 grit paper, cleaned them well, and applied a coat of white primer to begin the finishing process before installation. |
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I planned to build a solid cherry hatch to replace the old fiberglass one that had accessed the space beyond the forward bulkhead, so I glued up a blank from some cherry boards and set it aside to cure. While I was in the area, I also began to template for some cosmetic hanging knees for each side of the bulkhead, to cover some unsightly molded-in openings on each side. |
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Next, I cut some 1-3/4" tall pieces from a prefabricated sheet of 1/2" thick fiberglass, and epoxied them into a rectangular shape to build a mast collar that I'd later install permanently on deck to allow an efficient means of securing a mast boot or partner wedges. I set this aside to cure. |
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I'd picked up some tung oil during the morning's errands, and now I applied the first coat to the ceiling. |
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During what remained of the day, I applied a sealer coat of varnish to the raised sole platform/storage area between the v-berth (with the platform removed), and then sanded all the cockpit seat slats to prepare them for more varnish on their bottoms and sides before installation, setting them aside until tomorrow for varnish. |
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