110 Cookson Lane | Whitefield, ME 04353 | 207-232-7600 | tim@lackeysailing.com
The next step for the cockpit locker lids was to install coring and bottom layers of fiberglass as needed. Using the layout lines demarking the edges of the actual locker openings, I cut pieces of balsa core to fit two of the lids--the starboard locker and the lazarette, then pre-cut fiberglass to encapsulate the coring once installed. On the lazarette lid, which was thicker than the others, I'd planned for the bottom layer to extend all the way to the hatch edges, which would bring the hatch even with the adjacent seats; the other two hatches were already the correct height, so the bottom layer over the coring would stop short of the edges of the lid itself.
The icebox hatch required insulation against heat transfer, which I cut from a 2" block of blue styrofoam. One of the problems leading to the demise of the original icebox hatch had been that the foam insulation had essentially been used as coring, and couldn't stand up to the weight and abuse that a cockpit seat is subjected to; ergo, it became crushed and led to the cracking of the fiberglass. To reinforce the seat, I cut a piece of 1/4" prefabricated fiberglass (shown before preparing the surface) to install between the foam and the lid itself.
Later, after a mid-day appointment, I secured the core and insulation to the hatch lids with epoxy adhesive and left it to cure before continuing.
Back inside the boat, I cut fiberglass tabbing for most of the remaining bulkheads and other areas that required it, including in the head, hanging locker, and forward cabin, so those areas would be ready to install as soon as time allowed.
Then, I applied epoxy fillets to several remaining dividers and bulkheads in the main cabin and galley, areas I'd not been able to complete during the last round of work here since I'd run short of epoxy. With the fillets partially cured as needed, I installed biaxial tabbing over all areas.
Total Time on This Job Today: 5.75 hours
