Companionway Step-Stool and Probable Last Sail of Season

I have cobbled together a small stool with steps leading from the cockpit bridge down into the cabin:

The stool is a great place for a passenger to sit, and some who have built similar stools sit there to pilot the boat.  I also stand on it to raise the mast--a huge help as it puts me farther forward and about six inches higher.  (The black outlines are rubber pads I glued under the feet.)

The steps are a bit steep for strength since I will be standing on the stool.  You can also see that the cutout for the centerboard trunk is a bit off-center.  I decided on that when I was checking the fit so that the feet would not sit right on the grooves between the floorboards (still got it a little off).

My stepson, David Garvoille, is here for a visit so we took the boat out on the Dec. 9 for an afternoon sail.  I imagine this will be my last chance for a sail this season.

 Dave shot a selfie of the two of us while sitting on the new companionway stool.

Here's Dave at the helm.  He says a friend gave him few lessons back in the early 80's.  Turns out he is a much better sailor than I am!  I guess I was too old and fearful when I started learning. :-)

Gaia's Shakedown Cruise

First, here's a shot of the sail cover I was able to buy through Charlie Huie (Captain Charlie).  Contact him to talk about purchasing one if you are interested.

It's very nice and a reasonable price.

I finally was able to get the boat under sail today, with help from Penny Ferleman and John Griffin.  Here are some of the pictures from the voyage:

Here I am backing the trailer into the water.

I had to push it back a bit so I could re-connect the bobstay over the bow roller.

Penny

John

Raising the mast.

Raising the jib.

Trying to look like the wise old sailor--not succeeding.

John and me at the helm and jib sheet.

Nice shot of the Armed Forces Memorial.

Penny relaxing in the cabin.  As you can see I still have some sanding and painting to do.

Returning to the dock.

Tying up.

Replacing the sail cover.

After a job well done.

This turned out to be a perfect day for a sail, especially my first sail in a new boat.  The temperature was in the upper 60s with variable winds averaging about 10 knots.

It Floats!

I have not quite completed the rigging, but I have raised the mast and "bent on" the sails.

I hope to finish rigging in the next day or two, so no sailing yet, but I did take the boat down to the water to test some things, e.g., lowering the centerboard and using the little outboard.  I also took the opportunity to modify the trailer while the boat was in the water.  Now she sits on rollers instead of a wet, carpeted board, so the keel will dry better and I can inspect/repair it as needed.  I got this one shot of her sitting on the water before taking her for a little test spin:

Starting Installation of Mast and Spars

Here's a test fit of the tabernacle, mast, and bowsprit.  Gives a little better idea of how things will come together:

I have finished coating the tabernacle and mast with epoxy and then coating them with varnish.  Here they are mounted on the boat:

You can see the pivot bolt at the top of the tabernacle.  When I get everything rigged, the mast will swivel upright for sailing and back down for trailering. 

Here's a closer shot of the sail track on the mast.  The mainsail will come with "cars" attached that will slide along on the track when raising or lowering sail:

The other three spars (bowsprit, gaff, and boom) have had all three coats of epoxy applied.  Now they just need sanding and varnishing.  I'm still waiting for the sails,which should come in some time next week.

A Major Milestone

I have most of the boat itself finished, except for the interior of the cabin which I may wait until winter to work on.  The boat is now living outside so I have room to work on the spars and, more importantly, get Jan's car back in there!  Here's a shot of the boat now sitting out in the yard.  It's a bit over-exposed so there is some lack of detail, especially at the bow end.

Another shot from the stern end:

I got the dropboards (actually they are acrylic) assembled and in place.  The lock won't do much to prevent entry, but at least it will require breaking in, which should keep casual thieves away.

I don't have a shot yet, but this morning I added a lip on the companionway hatch slide so it covers more of the dropboards.  I'm afraid, though, that the lip will just channel the water to each side where it can pour right in--we'll just have to see.  Still, it won't be much of a problem, just a bit of water I'll have to pump out now and then. [UPDATE: Yesterday I noticed near the back of the manual that you are supposed to insert a block under the hasp to move the hatch back over the drop boards about 1 1/2", so rain won't flow into the cabin.  I'm working on that now.]

Here's a shot of the solar panel now that it is installed.  I'm amazed that I was able to find a panel with dimensions that almost exactly match the companionway hood.  It's almost as if it were designed for this boat.

My next job is to finish the mast, spars (boom and gaff), tiller, gallows, and tabernacle.  I have those items all built, but what I have to do now is drill a few holes here and there, cover each part with three coats of epoxy, then three or more coats of varnish.  I anticipate that taking two-to-three weeks, and then I do the rigging.  I am still on schedule (just barely) to get the boat on the water before it gets too cold.

Non-slip Mats, Ballast, Epoxy Problems

  Non-slip mats are installed in the anchor well . . .

 on the cabin deck . . .

and in the cockpit footwell.  In this shot you can also see that I have painted inside the small storage "lockers."  Later I added thick rubber shelf liners inside the lockers to protect them.  That blue thing is electrical conduit I ran inside the seat backs.  It continues inside the cabin and into the front compartment.  Looks kind of ugly but for me function trumps form in this instance.

I have also added the lead ballast to the bilge compartments on each side of the centerboard trunk.

Before dropping in the ballast I installed thick rubber mats to protect the hull.  I forgot to take pictures of the mats beforehand, but you can see them in the compartments aft of the ballast compartments.  I decided to put the mats in those compartments in case I need to add more ballast.

I've been having considerable problems with the epoxy curing "lumpy" on the mahogany strips (toe rails, companionway slides, etc).

Every time I tried to sand these areas smooth (very carefully with 220 grit) I always ended up sanding through to bare wood in spots.  So I had to re-apply the epoxy, wait for it to cure and sand again.  Every time I again had bare wood exposed.  This was getting to be a vicious cycle and I felt I would never finish the boat.  This is the biggest problem I have ever had with MAS epoxy.  It's possible there is still enough sap in the mahogany to be causing this.

So I got on the builders' forum to ask for any suggestions or perhaps recommendations of a different brand of epoxy.   The consensus was that there are contaminants on the wood in spite of all my precautions.  So today I sanded a small section bare, thoroughly cleaned it with alcohol, and tried again.  Here is the result:

There may be a slight improvement, but I have no doubt my attempts to sand off the lumps will result in more spots sanded down to bare wood.  So my decision is to sand all the mahogany strips down smooth--mostly to bare wood, and then varnish them.  I will probably have to re-varnish those areas every year or two, but that won't be too bad.  I plan to leave the inner sides of the toe rails fairly rough so I don't sand through because water will collect there and could do more damage. 

Cockpit and Topsides Sanded and Painted

The next step is sanding the primer before final painting.

Most of primer sanded off in cockpit

Most of primer sanded off on topsides and companionway hood

You can tell from these photos that most of the primer has been sanded off, leaving only the low areas, scratches, and other defects.  Seems like a waste, but what remains is very smooth, and I guess having very little primer left means I did a pretty good job smoothing in the first place!

This morning I painted on the first of the finish coats in the cockpit, on the topsides, and on the companionway hood.

Cockpit -- first coat

Topsides and companionway hood--first coat

 If you look carefully at these photos (click on them to blow them up) you will see brush strokes and other flaws.  Each coat is very thin, but as you will see the subsequent coats will look much better.  A reminder, the blue strips are masking off mahogany that will be varnished (bright finished).

You can't tell from these photos, but the cockpit footwell floor, the upper deck, and the anchor well floor are mostly unpainted.  They will be covered by non-slip mats that have adhesive backings.  The mats stick very well to painted surfaces, but they probably stick even better to unpainted areas, and why waste the paint?  When I photograph subsequent coats I'll try to remember to show those areas.

In the below shots, you can see that I have finished painting the topsides.  I have also peeled off the masking tape on the rub rails and some of the port toe rail.  I like to peel the tape off before the paint has cured completely, but decided to stop at this point because it's still a little too soft.

Topsides Panels and Companionway Hood Painted

You can't tell from the above photo, but I will have to sand and repaint the top of the companionway hood.  I had allowed the paint to get too low in the roller tray and it was starting to cure, which prevented me from getting the smooth surface I wanted.  Repainting will be a fairly easy job, and I may wait and do it this winter.  There are a couple small "holidays" inside the cockpit that I will also repair at that time.

Inside Cockpit Painted

In the above shot of the cockpit you can see the unpainted section on the floor of the footwell, where I will be installing a non-slip mat.

Cockpit Front and Cabin Deck

Part of the cabin deck is also left unpainted.   Two more nonslip mats will be attached on each side of the deck, and there will be a couple mats forward in the anchor well.  The mats are especially needed on the cabin deck because I will have to walk on it to access the anchor well.  And as I said earlier, the non-slip mats in the anchor well will make it safer, and also help prevent damage by the anchor.
You can also see one of the areas I have yet to finish inside the cabin.  Again, I may wait until winter to finish working in there.

About the Electrical Design for this Boat

One of the readers suggested I explain the electrical system I designed for my boat.  I think that's a good idea, partly because someone with more experience with marine electrics might have some suggestions.  So here goes.

Here is the way I plan to lay out all the electrics and electronics on the boat (this may change as I do the actual work):

Obviously, the various components are only in their approximate locations.

I drew a detailed schematic drawing before purchasing the components.  Again, this drawing may have to be changed when I start actually installing things:

There is a switch to isolate the solar panel which, depending upon the voltage regulator (V.R.) I choose, may not be necessary.  I also may decide against a trolling motor, in which case the trolling motor outlet will be removed.

Topsides and Cockpit Painting Started

I finally finished sanding the remaining sections for painting.  Looks like I forgot to take pictures of that.

I painted the so-called primer coat today. The topsides panels, companionway hood, and inside the cockpit have all got a coat of white primer and will be finished an off-white that closely matches the hull bottom.

I say "so-called" because most of the primer will be sanded back off.  That is, it is not really a primer in the old sense that it helps the paint adhere to the boat's surface.  Instead, it is thickened to fill in the low areas.  After most of it is sanded off, only the low areas are left painted, leaving a much smoother surface.  All but the worst flaws are hidden. The rub rails, toe rails and a couple other mahogany pieces are masked off and will be varnished after the painting is finished and has cured sufficiently.

I'll be adding at least three coats of paint to the topsides panels and inside the cockpit.  One more coat of blue will be added to the side panels. As you may remember, the inside of the cabin is painted with a good quality exterior house paint.  I have a bit more filling, sanding, and painting to do in there, but I may hold off and do that this winter so I can go ahead and launch the boat before it is too cold--the cabin can wait.

After the topsides and so on are painted I have to finish sanding and painting the companionway slide.  It also has a mahogany strip that will be varnished.

Then, after all that is done I have to apply three coats of epoxy to the mast, spars, and tabernacle to protect them from the elements (the boom gallows and tiller have already been epoxied).  Then they will all be varnished to protect them from UV rays!  The rudder has been epoxied and painted to match the boat, but I still have to install it.

Then I can finally start on the "fitting out" which includes installing the port lights and all the blocks (pulleys), rigging, stays, sail tracks, electrics, etc., etc.  I'm still hoping to launch sometime in October, but it's going to be tough.

Some Progress

I have not accomplished a lot since up-righting the boat besides sanding--the manual states (tongue-in-cheek) that there is about 6,000 hours more sanding to do.  It does seem like that much at times.

I installed the companionway hood , shown here:

Companionway Hood

 At this point I only have about half the hood top sanded, so it looks a little strange.

Fillet Around Hood

I have also added a small fillet around the outside of the hood.  Rather than try to reach in and fillet the inside, I'll brush some epoxy in the interface to keep water from leaking in under the edge of the hood, although I don't think it would do any damage if it did because all the wood surfaces are sealed with epoxy already. 

Hood Drain

In this closer shot you can see the hole I made in the hood to allow rainwater to drain.  (*The drain hole is not mentioned until much later in the manual--more about that later.)  As you can also see, I sawed out a slot below the drilled hole so water can drain right down to the bottom.

Electric/Electronic Panel

I also took this time to install the electrical control panel, although I will have to remove or mask it when I do some more painting in the cabin.  Included on the panel are an entertainment radio with USB input, a VHF receiver/transmitter, switches for electronics and lights, two 12V outlets, and a voltmeter.

Open Panel

I mounted the panel on a piano hinge for easy access to the back.  The only problem was there is limited space for the panel so I could not figure out a way to mount the entertainment radio that would allow me to easily open and close the panel.  The solution was to put it at the top because it is fairly easy to slide it out of it's mounting box. (The black metal box above the VHF.)  So the radio will have to come out when I want to open the panel--a bit of a problem but not too bad.

*There are numerous drain holes and other holes that must be drilled in the hull.  The instruction manual, while very well written for a first edition does not mention these holes until after the boat has been painted and is close to being finished.  CLC is working on many corrections to the manual that will be in later editions, so I hope they will move the mention of the holes to match the context.  I wish I had discovered this earlier and made notes because in most cases it would have made for easier or better construction.  For example making the hood drains extend to the bottom as shown above.  There are drain scuppers and holes in several spots that I think would have worked better if they had been there before the fillets were added.  I also wished that I had drilled the drains for the dorade boxes before they were installed.  I had to do some very careful measuring and drill from the outside.  Amazingly, I got the hole almost exactly right on the starboard side.  On the port side, I misjudged a bit and drilled into the bulkhead.  I got it right on the second try, and of course the incorrect hole was easily filled with thickened epoxy.  A big problem, which I have not started on, is that there need to be two holes drilled in the tops of the seatbacks for the gallows poles.  These holes have to be in exactly the right spot of course, but a bigger problem is that flanges are to be installed inside the storage lockers for the bottoms of the poles.  That would have been much, much easier to do before the sides of the seats were installed, with less chance of leaving bare wood exposed to the elements.