28 September 2005

It's been some time since I sent you folks any pics so I thought I'd get you caught up. In this one you can see the bottom planking is installed with pressure applied from above. I found this method quite useful and it wasn't necessary to soak the plywood in hot water to make the bend around to the stem. Anti trip chines and tunnel keel are also installed here.

The tunnel planking went on quite easily. The after section is parallel and square while the forward sections were made using a simple template cut from thin craft-wood (MDF). All the edges and screw heads were then smoothed over to accept the fibreglass cloth. The bottom got 3 layers of cloth along the seams with a single layer for the topsides.

Finally the paint went on. My fibreglass job could have been better but considering my total lack of experience it came out OK. I had lots of filling and fairing to do before the paint went on and this was my least favourite operation. I have now applied 3 coats of 2 part polyurethane gloss that will be cut and polished once it has cured.