| Bolero
Project |
Monday, May 5, 2008 I started the day with some woodworking projects. First, I cut the top section of the aft deck hatch to size and epoxied it to the frame that I made last week, and set it aside to cure. |
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Next, I worked on some cleats to support the cockpit seats. To begin, I had to do some layout in the cockpit. Previous discussions had led us eventually to the decision that the cockpit seat surface should be 17" from the cockpit sole, and the same discussions had also coalesced some of the decisions about the ultimate seat width--more complicated than it sounds considering the other factors at hand in the cockpit, such as the companionway width and height, the available width at the after end of the cockpit (particularly as pertained to the tiller clearance), and related issues. With all this information at hand, I marked level lines 16-1/4" up from the cockpit sole (to allow for the 3/4" thick seat slats) at the forward end. Next, I dropped a plumb line from the coamings and measured out about 14" towards centerline. This represented the maximum ideal seat width, one which we'd come up with not only for comfort but also because it was somewhat bounded by the companionway width. Using the 1-1/2" wide seat slat width, and the planned 1/4" spaces between slats, I calculated an exact seat width, including a planned trim piece at the inboard end, and marked this width on the bulkhead accordingly, accounting for any deduction for the trim piece, etc. Finally, I measured out from the hull to this mark; this was the length of the cleat I needed to support the forward end of the cockpit seats. I repeated the process on the aft bulkhead. In order to mark the bulkhead, I had to install the fiberglass hatch in the opening, since the only flat part of the cockpit sole was right in the center of the boat. I repeated the process as described above, though in this case I just ended the cleats an appropriate distance from the hatch opening. In order to fully support the seat while leaving room to open and remove the bulkhead hatch in the future, I'd have to fashion another support--perhaps right off the heavy bulkhead cleat--for some of the inner slats. But that would come in due course. From some 1-7/8" mahogany, I milled 1-1/2" wide cleats of the appropriate length. Test-fitting the pieces revealed a need for some angled cuts on their outboard ends to accommodate the hull curvature, so I made these cuts and other adjustments, and performed some milling operations and sanding on the pieces to prepare them for installation. Finally, I installed them with epoxy and bronze screws, plugging the screw holes afterwards. While I waited for the epoxy to cure, there was no more seat layout I could do for the moment. |
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I moved forward and continued work on the anchor locker. From inside the boat, I drilled pilot holes from the back lower corners of the locker for drain holes, and then enlarged the holes to 3/8"--large enough for reasonable drainage, but small enough to easily be covered by some bronze clamshells that the owner had. Later, I cut and installed a series of fiberglass cleats around the inside of the opening to support the hatch when installed. I made these from 1/4" thick pre-fab fiberglass, and epoxied them in place. Since the deck core ended partway through the deck area that had become the top of the locker, the variable deck thickness required staggered cleats along the sides. At the aft end, I'd originally planned to use an L-shaped bracket of fiberglass secured to the bulkhead, but realized that the deck camber would preclude this, as the cleat here would have to follow the camber--and the 1/4" angle was far too stiff to bend into this curve. So for now, I left this off and would address it otherwise in the near future. |
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Finally, using what time remained in the day, I wrapped up the day's work with more milling and sanding on the pile of cockpit seat slats. |
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