Sunday, November 29, 2015

Starting to play with the windows

so a few posts back I showed some plexiglass that I found on Craig's list dirt cheap.  It was tinted bronze, 4'x5.5', 1/4" thick.  I got it for 20.00 per sheet.  I started measuring and cutting windows to shape.  Good thing I had some cheap material to practice on




Got that angle wrong :-)

I also played with polishing edges and trying to remove scratches.  There's also some kind of black silicone or some such residue along a lot of the edges.  Looks like this stuff is going to end up just being practice material for my first time ever playing with sheet acrylic, and I'll probably end up with some good patterns for tracing onto some stuff bought brand new.  Turns out I can buy what I need from TAP for @ $150.00 total.

I'm staying with the Acrylic, not going Lexan.  It's optically clearer, much more resistant to all the chemicals it could come into contact with, and scratches CAN be polished out.  I'd just need to polish every square inch of the stuff I've already bought.  Oh yeah, It's much cheaper than the Lexan.  Some will argue the Lexan is stronger, but honestly the Acrylic is plenty strong enough in the right thickness.  Here's the look from inside.



 I've been reading up on how different people have attached the windows.  I really don't want to look at lots of little bolts as well as try to keep them sealed and avoid cracking the Acrylic.  I saw a method using special 2 sided tape and silicone without any fasteners, but wasn't too enthused.  I've decided to frame them in on the exterior using a frame made of 2 layers of 1/4" marine ply.  the outer layer will be @ 1-1/2" wide, the inner layer will be 3/4" wide.  I'll put the windows up "temporarily" with the 2 sided tape, then install the framing on the exterior covering the edge of the Acrylic and shooting screws from the outside that will hit the dimensional lumber you can see on the interior above.  I'll leave room for the acrylic to expand and contract inside this framer.  I'll use latex caulk between farm and window, framer and boat and around frame exterior.  there will be a couple of spots I'll need to thru bolt where there's no lumber, but it should be very clean.  If a window is damaged it's easily disassembled for pane replacement.  latex caulk is easily freshened up and painted.  I now don't have to worry about having nice edges on the panes either, they'll all be hidden.

I'll end up splitting the long side windows into for and aft panes.

supposed to get wet and warm later this week.  I'm going to have to make a real effort to get help to drag the boat off the trailer and flip it for bottom paint.  I REALLY want to get that done before I Install the windows for good.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Assembly after paint

I've gotten all of the painting done with the exception of the tiller and possibly the mast and spars.  Those might get varnished instead, especially the yard and boom.  I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.  I also painted the whole floor.  I was going to do this with the boat flipped for bottom painting, but i haven't as yet gotten anyone by to help with the flipping.  I can't just do nothing, so i painted one half, waited for it to get hard enough to put cardboard on then flipped around and painted the other half.  No I have to keep my butt out of the boat long enough for that to harden up reasonably well before I crawl inside and start fitting things out and rigging.




Mast, spars and window fabrication.  I also need to either make or buy a motor mount.  I also need to get the steel for the ballast and a second deep cycle group 24 battery.  List to done is getting pretty short.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Interior getting painted

So we've got a few warm days in the forecast, figured I could get some painting done on the inside.  Got a coat of primer on the interior Friday night, first coat of white on today.

Cooler is there as my step stool out of the boat.  I might have to fab a little ladder.  I've tried reaching the transom for anticipated kicker futzing, and one stage step up will be handy.  Just a slightly far reach with the feet flat on the cabin floor.  Cooler not that stable.....






Also decided on battery placement.  I'm doing a pair of Group 24 deep cycle batteries.  I played with a single one on the centerline. but ran into issues at both ends of the cabin.  The placement shown is ergonomically no problem, simplifies wire routing the the switch/panel location I'm going to use, and is almost exactly at the lowest point in the boat and the center of buoyancy.  Jim figured 200lbs of steel bar bolted to the bulkheads for ballast.  Here's 80lbs of it serving a secondary use.


It should be warm enough tomorrow to get the cover coat of white on.  I might prime the floor as well and start in on painting that, at least the front end of the cabin.  That'll minimize what I have to do overhead when I get the boat flipped to paint the bottom.

Friday, November 6, 2015

3rd and final coat of paint

Last coat of Green, Final color apparent.  I like it.




Next on the list is to crawl inside and get that painted from the gunnels up.  As I've said before, I'm waiting to do the lower half of the cabin until I get all of the little bits and pieces glued down for battery boxes, gear tiedowns, etc.....  That may not get painted until after I sail her several times and figure out what I really need in there.  

After that I'll start making the windows until I get enough strong backs in here to pull her off the trailer and flip her bottom up again.  I still need to paint that.  Flipping will be easier if i leave the windows off.

Foils are getting their second coat of paint.  One more coat on the rudder and I could use her as a motor boat.  I should maybe get the registration process started with the state.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

2nd coat, things are getting darker.

Second color coat on the hull and first coat on the foils.  Looks like 3 coats is going to be about right. The Hull will have 2 coats of finish white and 3 coats of the green, That ought to be a pretty good layer of paint.

I didn't bother with any resign or glass on the foils, just paint.  Until I know I got the shaping right, I didn't want to spend too much time and money on them.  If they work well it's an easy strip and refinish.

First coat


2nd coat





Sunday, November 1, 2015

First color coat on. And the color chosen is......

So it's Sunday morning and @ 24 hours since I put the last coat of the finish white.  According to the guys at the Miller store, a good time to put my first coat of the color on.  Now I just have to restrain myself for 48 hours before cracking the can again.......

The green will get darker once i have full coverage.  A lot of white shining through for now.

I'm happy :-)






OK, had to paint something else today.  Sanded the foils and rudder head and got the primer onto those.