our project

[screwit]

Peter, sounds like your going to be close this boating season at this pace.
Ross

[piquet95971]

I hope so that's the aim.

I know it will slow down again when the woodwork stops and the finishing and fitting out take place.
Still a lot of things to do.
Fit instruments, electrical wiring, strip check the engine and re assemble and hope that nothing is too wrong or needs replacing internally, make exhaust system, fit and wire bilge pump, seating and upholstery. Then the trailer to overhaul/ check it out etc

So heaps still to do. I can only try to get it ready for the nationals.

[piquet95971]

For sanding the deck, I am in two minds whether to take down the ridges with a belt sander first or just to get a good 6" random orbital sander and do the deck with that instead of the belt sander then the RAS for finishing.

I have access to a Festool version of both. I only have a cheap belt sander from autos that I use for sanding off Ardit floor levelling compound and a small Bosch RAS. I have started a small area with the RAS and it has come up really well in that small area.
Tomorrow I will fit and glue in place a couple of the long lengths with the aim of having the deck strips finished by the end of the weekend.

[piquet95971]

Well that previous last statement didn't happen. I got distracted yesterday afternoon so was only able to get two out of the three planks on the port side glued in place. I was able to get the two shorts strips on the stbd side as well.
This morning I the remainder of the three planks on the starboard side were glued in place.

The next thing will be the final fitting and the gluing of the last strips of the deck planks. These have to be tapered at each end and the outside edge planed to suit the curve of the deck edge. I reckon that each of these final planks will take an hour or so to fit each one each side. I just hope tat there ar no stuff ups as I don't have any Huon Pine long enough to do a second piece for either side and I don't want to stuff around having to try and find some more let alone the expense.

Will update when the deck is completely laid.
I have started the cockpit side trims. This week after work I will continue this part, make a nose block and if I get a chance make the transom style piece.

After that will be finishing the floors, seat framework. I'm not sure if the boat ever had a dividing bulkhead between the engine and the rear cockpit. There were no indications on the old cockpit deck beams that there were any locating brackets nor on the engine bearers. So Im guessing that there may not have been one at all. At present I may leave that part out but I have enough plywood that I can retro fit one if it's needed.

[piquet95971]

5 days later and we have made real progress. All the strip planking is now on the whole deck area. After the adhesive was allowed to dry I had to make the decision what I was going to do about sanding the deck off. A new better belt sander was what was really needed but the spare cash just wasn't available so I decided to give it a go with the cheap n asty one that I did have.
I had bought it to feather in some Ardit floor levelling compound on a job. It worked well for that and hasn't been used since. It's a bit agricultural but reasonably powerful at 850 watt. The biggest downfall with the machine is the small sanding pad and the noise of the machine. It is definitely one that you have to wear ear protection when using.

I have done the whole deck area with a couple of 120 grit belts on my Supercheap autos belt sander. I will be following this up with 120 grit pads for the random orbital sander and the finish it off with a mates Festool ROS which has a small 3 mm stroke and a better range of really fine grade sanding pads.

I have also made the nose block of laminations of the dark Mahogany, which has been screwed into place. The Silver Ash coaming has also been screwed into place. I have made a template for the transom style piece.

All is in perpetration for a big time making the trims and lots of sanding. I am also starting to lay the deck strips on the engine hatch cover. Tomorrow I will glue and screw the stiffeners on the underside of the engine hatch and the while the glue is drying on the stiffeners start on the transom style piece. May even have time to start the strips on the top of the engine hatch. It all depends on what the social secretary has planned for Saturday!

Chat soon
Peter

[piquet95971]

Nearly finished the engine hatch deck strips. Only a couple to go. I need to get a length of decking do that there are no joins in the deck strips. That may have to wait till next week to get to the only timber yard that I know that holds stock and they are on the other side of the city.
Transom style piece made, just the final sanding to be done before it gets glued and screwed in place.
Tomorrow, before we head off to the football, I will get the areas of the deck where I have had to dribble some epoxy into some plank joint gaps sanded off.
I may get one of the coamings glued and screwed in place on Sunday afternoon. Have to mask up the transom and the side of the hull before glueing to protect the finished varnish on the lower hull.

[piquet95971]

The transom style piece has been glued and screwed in place as has the starboard coaming.

I've had work for the past two days which means cash flow in a weeks time. Tomorrow I will put the coaming on the port side and probably the nose block as well.

After the glue has dried I will remove the screws to counterbore the holes. Reinsert the screws then make the plugs.

The engine hatch needs a couple of lengths of the plantation mahogany to complete the top of the hatch. I will have to go and get another short piece and machine it up.

I doubt that I'm going to have this thing ready for the Nerandera Wettogether because the funds and work that supports it is drying up, but I'll keep plugging away. Bloody election.

[piquet95971]

The engine hatch fits like crap. It's probably going to be thrown in the bin unless I can work out a way to remedy the fit.

I'm prepared to sacrifice it jut to get it right. I think I have enough material left over, with the exception for the Plantation Mahogany for the deck strips. The replacement mahogany is a small price to pay to get it right.

The transom style piece, the coamings and the laminated nose block have been glued and screwed in place. I have some trim for the cockpit trims ready to fit but an unsure if I am happy with the shape or not. I'll have a look over the weekend and make a decision.
Cheers
Peter

[piquet95971]

Couldn't fix the engine hatch with regard to a decent fit in the hole for the engine. So I have made a new engine hatch cover. The frame with some stiffeners has been made I know that it fits as when I glued it up I put it back in the hole with some packers so that I know that it fits neatly where its supposed to and I have cut the plywood to glue to the top.

Over the next couple of days I will glue the plywood on the frame, cut up some Mahogany for the deck strips, run it through the thicknesser and with a bit of luck get started on glueing them in place.

It is a bit of a setback but is really the only thing that I havn't been able to rescue, reuse or save from being thrown out in the whole process of the rebuild.

The deck needs a final sand and the cockpit trims installed and we are then ready for the internal fit out, seats etc

If permitted I may try and bring the finished hull without the engine and ancillaries along to Nerandera for the AGM and the annual get together.
Cheers
Peter


Cheers
Peter

[piquet95971]

I stumbled across a really good Festool RO125 rotary/ random orbital sander at the local Cash Converters store so I just had to ave it. New they cost over $700. They are the us guts for sanders. The sander wasin a systainer with a coupe of discs. I managed to bargain the, down I price and got it for $250. Bought another sanding head for it and I have a really high class sander now with a new head and plenty of discs for about $380.
This sander is really quite extraordinary in that the heads are interchanable and come in 3 different hardness grades. Bloody brilliant

Tomorrow if the weather in Melbourne is any better than today I will go to the work shed and try it out on the aft deck of the boat.
I have made the frame for a new engine hatch and also tomorrow I will nail the plywood covering on it and machine the mahogany up for the strip planking as well.

Chat soon guys