Fits and Starts

BoatWithSides1
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

After what seems like an eternity without doing anything on the boat, Greg and I finally got some time to work on it -- not much, but in such a major undertaking, every little bit counts. The biggest obstacle right now is the heat. Gregs garags isnt climate controlled, so with the latest heat wave weve been having, its easily over 100 degrees in the garage until late in the evening. This, naturally, slows the progress.

On Saturday evening, we finally test-fitted the sides of the boat. Though the photo doesnt show it well, the bottom of the boat sticks out a little bit over the sides, so were going to have to do a little trimming before we can stitch the hull together.

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More Painting

Last night we applied our first coat of white paint. This is the paint that uses a cross-linker, and has a high-gloss finish, as opposed to the copper-infused stuff I mentioned previously. We applied the paint to the bottom, figuring that its an area nobody will ever see, which allows us more latitude for mistakes. The roll and tip method seems to work well, but we ended up with a couple of runs. We noticed the runs after the paint had started setting, so we decided to let it completely set and see how well it sands. Wish us luck.

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Mounting the transom to the frame

Transom mounts
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.


Rear Transom Mounted
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Last weekend we mounted the rear transom to the working frame. We started by constructing the vertical frame mounts. The vertical frame mounts were built from the bottom up, using 2x4s screwed to the 2x6 frame on the floor, and then screwing the two angle-cut 2x6s to the 2x4s. The angle-cut 2x6s are cut to the same angle as the stringers where they attach to the transom. This is shown in the first picture.

Next, we mounted the rear transom to the angle cut frame piece with screws. When you put the transom on the frame, make sure its level and that the angle cut mounts are placed an equal distance from the center, and in a place that wont interfere with construction.

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SandedHull

SandedHull
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

All of the seams are now sanded and rounded. Weve got a procedural question in to the gurus about taping the corners. Apparently, some people plane the hull where the seams are, and the result is a lot less sanding. Well let you know when we find out.

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More Flaws in the Plans

Rear Transom Overhang
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

This is a picture of where the hull and rear transom come together. If you look, you can see that the hull extends past the transom. In addition to this, weve discovered that the rear transom was also too wide, and weve had to shave some width from the port and starboard sides of the rear transom.

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No More Sanding

Thats not exactly true, but it feels good so say it and mean it... at least in this context. Yes folks, Greg finally said "good enough" and decided it was time to paint. In a desire to support this decision (and get a coat of paint on the boat before he changed his mind), we did a rare Saturday session. Between the final round of sanding (a quick but thorough sanding of both transoms and sides with 220-grit sandpaper), prepping the surface, mixing the paint, and the roll and tip process, we put in roughly four hours.

We had the little Ozzlet there to help us out. Shes a great little photographer, and she also helped us prep the surface, paint a little of the hull (rolling, not tipping) and she watched Gregs girls.

On Tuesday (our regularly scheduled boatbuilding day), we will do some light sanding as needed and apply a second coat of paint. Were planning to flip the boat sometime between late November and mid-December.

I know well be doing some touch-up sanding between coats, and I understand that well be doing another round of sanding and fairing when we build the deck and cabin, but it shouldnt be quite as long and arduous as the hull. I cant describe how gratifying it is to be out of sanding and fairing hell.

I have several more pictures here...

Or, you can view the slideshow here.

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More Boat Work Sort Of

Greg and I have had a second session of boat work. Okay, it wasnt really, directly, actually working on the boat itself, but were making progress toward getting back at the task of constructing the boat.

Yesterday, I helped him mount his air compressor to the floor in the garage. Hes been there over a year now, and is just now getting around to this task. That should help you all understand why and how such a long hiatus occurred in the first place.

The next thing you need to understand is that the boats shell has become a sort of storage container. Specifically, he stored a canoe, a touring kayak, and many, many aluminum pop and beer cans in the hull of his yet-to-be-named watercraft-in-the-making. After mounting the air compressor, we hung some pulleys from the ceiling, which allowed Greg to hang the canoe and kayak, thus allowing us to resume our project.

You may notice that were now doing this every other weekend. This means that the boat will probably be finished in about two years -- assuming that we dont take any more sabbaticals. It also means that well probably be ready to actually work on the boat itself in approximately one month. Next week, we will finish shoring up the trailer, and finish wiring the air compressor -- if Greg hasnt completed that task by our next boat building session.

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Front Transom Overhang

Front Transom Overhang
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

The overhang on the front transom is more pronounced than the rear transom. Again, the hull extends past the front transom.

Though this makes for a bit more work, Id rather have the pieces measure too large than too small. Its a lot easier to cut away the excess than it is to build on a piece thats too short.

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More Bling

Despite my lack of posting, were still working on the boat. Okay, its mainly Greg who has been working on the boat. Between my busted leg and family commitments, I havent had the time, but the point is, a lack of updates doesnt necessarily mean a lack of work.

The biggest change is that Greg has decided to add a skeg. (Thats the aforementioned bling.) The skeg should help the boat track a little straighter, and add a little tip-resistance during turns. I really wish hed have decided this six months ago, though. We had the bottom completely ready for painting, and now that hes added the skeg, were looking at another ten hours or so of sanding and fairing before the finish meets Gregs stringent standards.

I also gave him some crap about continuing to use the quick fair. When we did our last session a few weeks back, we had decided that the starboard side was ready for paint, and that the port side was "close." Well, when I dropped over last night for a round of work, both sides had another round of quick fair added, with the intention of filling dozens of little pinholes in the pre-finish. Ive been telling Greg for months that we need to just lay the paint and find out if it will fill these pinholes. There is so much surface area that its virtually impossible to find and fill all of these pinholes, yet finish the boat before we retire.

I semi-jokingly told Greg that if he keeps doing this work when Im not around that Im going to make a "Keep off the Boat" sign and put it up when Im not there. Weve been "just about ready" to paint since June or so, but every time I go over there, Greg has done more crap that sets us back by a week or two.

It should be apparent that Im quite frustrated by this lack of progress. Greg and I have different approaches to this portion of the project. Greg wants things to be perfect before going to the next step. An immaculate finish is very important to him. I think that we should forge forward and see what happens, based on the law of diminishing returns. In ANY project, you can do a quick and sloppy job, or a perfect one. As you move closer to perfection, the amount of time you spend increases exponentially, and the payoff decreases exponentially. We are at the point where we need to quit looking for pinholes, fix the bottom (where we added the skeg) and paint the damn boat.

Now that Ive vented, I need to reiterate my position. I know my place in this project. I know that its Gregs baby and Im the free help. I also know that Greg listens to my input. The thing he needs to get though is that we need to be flipping this boat soon. Weve only got another month or so before it starts getting cold, and once the snow hits, itll be more difficult to get the boat flipped. We need to get the thing flipped before this winter, so we can continue working on the project during the snowy time of year.

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A little more progress

Our plan is that we do a little bit every week. So far, I think weve done something every weekend, but we havent posted after every weekends work, and the work definitely hasnt warranted a picture or video every week. This week is one where pictures, videos and long posts would definitely constitute overkill. Weve started building the construction frame, on which well actually set the boat frame and build the hull. Nothing too exciting. When the frame is completely constructed we will take more pics and do a video giving a thorough synopsis of whats been done and the labor involved. Stay tuned for further developments.

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Dammit! Two More Weeks of Lost Productivity

I was hoping that wed be able to spend Saturday or Sunday working on the boat, and that we could spend a marathon day over the 4th of July weekend. But alas, that wasnt in the cards.

Greg was out of town Saturday and most of Sunday last weekend, and hes got plans next weekend too. By the time we get back to the boat work, we will have gone six weeks with out any significant progress. While our goal was to put in one good day per week, and we realized that wed periodically miss a week here and there, I didnt expect that wed go this long without any progress. I sure want to get back to work.

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