Window frames a bust. Bottom paint and Mast making.

So the whole window frame idea was way too tedious.  I'm screwing the plexiglass to the hull like almost all of the boats I see online do.

I finally got a couple of strong backs over to help me get the boat off the trailer and flip it for bottom paint.  My nephew and one of my brothers.  This gets me wondering how she's going to float on her side and how much ballast I'll really need.  I kept the slot and hatches as narrow as I thought was comfotably workable.  16" seems to work out okay.  The coolers will pass through as well as my butt and waist.  No real trouble to work the shoulders in and out either, and I'm well supported stepping the mast or just standing up at the helm.

And the rest of the way over.  Next step is to get the shiny off of the epoxy to the paint will stick.  This turned into a real chore because of all of the subtle dimples in the surface.

I got started on the mast as well.  I found a couple of 2x4x16 studs at Home depot that didn't look TOO bad.  Dirt cheap.  Hard part was finding anything dry and light.  One was that way, and I finally settled on a damp one to sister up to it.  I'm going to have a grand total of @ $15.00 in wood and glue, so why not just call it practice for some more expensive wood it it sucks?

So there's the blank.  Time to start marking out the taper and shaving.  Mean while I got the primer then 3 coats of color on the bottom.  Came out all right.  This is oil primer and latex semigloss.  I'll leave it upside down for 3 weeks to let the paint get hard before I flip it back.

I can finally see how much board I'll have in the water.  Can't send it all the way down on the trailer.  I think she'll go to windward just fine and tack on a dime.

Then I got the mast all shaped up.

This is the top of the mast.

This is the butt end.  well rounded so there's no sharp edge bearing no matter ho I end up turning it.

There's a slight curve towards one of the boards, or to say it another way you can see the curve if you sight the glue line.  I was thinking I was going to turn the seam fore and aft, but the slight curve lets me help adjust rake if I run the seam athwart ships.  after a couple hours of power planing and sanding, those cheap studs don't look half bad.  Jim says he designs around lumberyard materials......