The stitched hull ready to be returned to the building shed!
Subsequent construction . . .
May 23, 1999: This week, I installed the transom and motorboard, and made my first epoxy putty filets where the main hull plywood panels join. I've also started to install the plywood keel sections.
May 30th, 1999: The keel, battens and transom knee have been installed, and the long beams are being cut out and assembled.
June 6, 1999: Long beam construction has continued, and they should be installed tomorrow. I'm waiting for wood, which has slowed things down a little. I did some sanding, and cut out a few pieces to keep myself occupied.
June 13, 1999: I took my vacation week from work and got quite a bit done (almost 29 hours' worth). The long beams are installed, I've cut out and assembled the aft and partial bulkheads, and the keel upright. My mahogany arrived right at the perfect moment, and the inner sheers and breasthook have been installed. Some of the inner seams have been fiberglassed.
June 20, 1999: I didn't get as much done this week; there's a lot of sanding at this stage, and a little of that goes a long way! Anyway, fiberglassing of the interior seams, transom and long beams is finally completed, and the partial bulkhead and keel upright have been installed.
June 28, 1999: The forward crossbeams and strongback have been created and attached, and the aft sole cut out. I've also laid out the interior to get an idea of what the arrangement will look like. I have purchased my trailer.
July 4, 1999: A VERY slow week--only about three and a half hours. I made some fillets and fiberglassed them.
July 11, 1999: A VERY productive week! All under-flat/sole areas received their final coat of epoxy. All the under-sole electrical wiring has been completed, and the forward flats and the forward section of the sole have been installed.
July 18, 1999: The aft sole pieces and forward bulkhead are installed. Putty fillets and fiberglassing of sole joints is is proceeding.
July 25, 1999: The forward bulkhead and deck have been installed, and the hull has been turned over for exterior preparation and fiberglassing.
August 15, 1999: My father died three weeks ago, and responsibilities surrounding this loss have kept me away from my project, but now I am beginning to work on it again. I am continuing with preparing the exterior of the hull for fiberglassing.
August 29, 1999: I am adding the first bi-axial tapes on the exterior seams.
September 6, 1999: The exterior seams are still being taped in preparation for final fiberglass covering.
October 23, 1999: We're buying our own home in a new hometown, and this, combined with the onset of colder weather here in West Central Illinois, has put my construction on "hold" until Spring!
February 27, 2000: Early warm temperatures have thawed out my enthusiasm for my project. The partially completed hull was used for storing stuff when we moved, but now it has been cleaned out. I've also done some design work on my console.
March 5, 2000: I've cut out two sections of my console.
March 12, 2000: I worked a lot on my console, and like the way it is shaping up. Because I still have to fiberglass the bottom of the hull, I'm not going to actually install the console sections at this time, although I will install the box pedestals that the two bucket seats will be mounted on. By the way, I have obtained my seats and a battery. I purchased the battery now because it is going to be installed underneath the port seat, and I wanted to make sure I make the pedestal tall enough.
March 20, 2000: I'm continuing to work on my seat pedestal boxes. The weather has not been very cooperative, returning to more "seasonable" temperatures after our earlier stretch of warm days. Yesterday was the first anniversary of the arrival of my plans.
March 26, 2000: Patience is a virtue that I need to work a lot harder toward achieving; I went ahead and installed my console this week. It will probably make things a bit more difficult later, but I just had to see how it was going to turn out. I've continued to work on my seat pedestal boxes as well.
April 2, 2000: The seat pedestal boxes are just about finished (except for the tops).
April 9, 2000: Mostly "cosmetic" sanding this week on the console and seat pedestal boxes. I also cut and installed a 2x2 cross member athwart ship behind the main seats which will not only give me something solid to strap the portable fuel tanks to, but will also create a "pan" which will keep any accidentally-spilled fuel from going overboard before it can be cleaned up.
April 16, 2000: I put in over seven hours this week, with LOTS of sanding, but also installing the last of my biaxial fiberglass tapes on the interior seams, and cutting my instrument panel for main steering system components.
April 23, 2000: More sanding and puttying interior seams. I had my first epoxy "failure"--a batch that I used to attach a biaxial tape never really cured. I ended up having to sand it off and start over.
May 14, 2000: Lots of sanding, and the replacement of the tapes that didn't cure. One encouraging thing about the sanding is that I realize that some of it is the last sanding I'll have to do on the interior. There's light at the end of the tunnel!
May 30, 2000: Still sanding! Yesterday (Memorial Day), we went over to the Mississippi to look for a good place to launch when the time comes, and seeing all the boaters on the river really boosted my resolve to get my boat in the water as soon as possible.
April 15, 2001: Almost a year has passed since I last worked on the boat. I'm trying to "get going" on it now.
July 4, 2001: I've done some sanding on the hull exterior, and have rearranged my garage so I can turn the hull over to finish the bottom.
September 9, 2001: I'm still sanding the hull exterior, but I'm almost finished. I should be applying the fiberglass within the next week!
September 16, 2001: And fiberglass I did! The actual covering of the hull went at least as well, if not better, than I expected, and I'm generally pleased with the results. The Glen-L construction video was invaluable at this step.
November 5, 2001: I haven't made any entries lately, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been making progress. On the contrary!, I have finished the fiberglassing of the hull exterior, and have even painted it!
February 22, 2002: Even though it has been a while since I last posted an update, I've been making a great deal of progress indeed. I purchased a propane space heater for my garage which has permitted me to continue construction even during these winter months. The engine is now attached and hooked up, and the main seats are permanentnly installed. The electrical system is on board and operating. "Finish" work is continuing. She is just about ready to go in the water!
