Lackey Sailing | Calliope Girl 100

April 12, 2024

Calliope Girl 100

Friday

Anxious to have a flat surface in the boat once more, I wasted no time getting the cabin sole panels installed, using epoxy adhesive on the floors and cleats, along with screws to hold things securely. Once the side panels were installed, I cut and fit two hatches for the center to provide bilge access.

In the head, I repurposed the teak grate panel that had come out of the sole that had been there when the project started. Using the grate as a guide, I laid out and cut the large opening in the sole. The grate would rest upon the forward edge of the mast step platform, and portions of the forward two structural floors, though I had to add a 1-1/2″ thick cleat at the forward end to give the panel support, since the old mast step structure had extended a bit further forward than the replacement, which meant the forwardmost floor wasn’t exposed by the grate cutout. With this all worked out, I permanently installed the forward section with epoxy and screws. Later, once the epoxy was cured, I planned to create drain channels from the recessed mast step location towards the bilge just ahead, or possibly remove that entire small strip of plywood to the same effect.

Next, I filled the gap at the edges where the plywood met the hull with a thickened epoxy mixture, tying everything together and providing a consistent surface over which I’d later install the final teak facing for the sole, including on the exposed hull edges.

I chose to run the head sole a bit forward and beneath the removable step panel to the v-berth, and earlier I’d made a mark on the panel at the appropriate height so I could cut it to fit. Now I added 1/4″ to the mark and cut the panel that much shorter, and took a few moments to cut and fit the final teak step to fit in the recess.

In the afternoon, I finished up the installation of the foredeck padeye and water deck fill, along with the associated hoses for fill and vent. Access to the tip of the bow from inside was a challenge, so I was grateful once I had the 3/4″ backing plate and nuts and washers fully installed. For the hoses, I formed a loop from the vent fitting that extended up to deck level before the hose continued its run to the tank, to reduce the chance of water ingress. It wasn’t possible to get a good angle for photos of these hose runs, but I did what I could. I secured the fill and vent hoses out of the way as much as possible along the aft end of the locker.