Head compartment and more sanding

It's odd how a few hours of work doesn't really look like much when it comes down to posting the progress. I worked for about four hours today, doing everything from lightly sanding the tabbing to reconstructing the head compartment.

I began by hitting all the fiberglass and tabbing work I've completed with the sander to knock off the sharp bits and prep the areas for paint, which included cutting some of the tabbing flush with a port opening. I also removed the unsightly dried epoxy that had dripped down the bulkheads. Although a bit cooler today, the weather is still hot and humid, making sanding a sweaty, sticky - and itchy - affair.

I'd planned to reinstall two shelves in the starboard hanging locker, per the original construction, but only installed the upper shelf, which will be glassed to the chainplate knee.

After installing cleats for the lower shelf, I got to thinking that there might be a better setup for the space and opted to wait on making the second shelf. Stowing items high and outboard doesn't make much sense - unless they're light - and I just couldn't imagine stowing clothes or other similar items in an area that is intended for damp foulies. But perhaps I'll change my mind. It can wait for now.

With the shelves and cleats installed on the opposite side in the head compartment, I made a template for the head cabinet and transferred my marks to 1/2" plywood and did a test fit. After a bit of shaping with the sander, the face slipped into place and I secured it temporarily with two SS screws.

Before

After

I discovered two original wooden doors in my pile of parts that appear to be the old head cabinet doors, so I plan to remove the face and cut the openings. To that end, I marked the position of the two shelves for reference and drew a line marking level. Before I can make the cuts, however, I need to buy a decent jigsaw. (I borrowed one from my school for the weekend, but I haven't experimented with it yet so I decided to move forward with the base for the head.)

Originally I'd planned to make the base for the head a bit deeper, but after discovering that sitting on the head would require tippee-toeing, I located it very near to its original height. Again, I set up a small board for reference, made a series of marks and measurements, then transferred those measurements to a piece of 3/4" plywood. I added two cleats for support inboard, and set the base in place.

And with the head in its approximate position…

And here's what the area looked like when I acquired the boat:

There are two holes - intake and discharge - that I will fill and glass. The lower one, located under the base of the head, is too awkward to use. The upper one, pictured below, is too big for the intake seacock I plan to use, so once it's filled, I'll drill a new hole. It looks like the location is going to work well.

That little bit wrapped up my work for today. All in all, today was a good day - even for just a few hours. I checked off about seven different items on my to-do list, and I'm hoping to check off a few more over the long weekend.

Door jambs and head shelves

I managed a bit of time this evening and decided moving forward with something - regardless of how small - was still progress. It's frustrating to not have much time, but c'est la guerre.

I began by cutting the port door jamb that I'd epoxied together earlier down to size. I test fit it, and then drilled mounting holes, countersinking each one, on both door jambs. After wiping both mounting surfaces and the edges of the plywood bulkheads with acetone, I mixed a batch of thickened epoxy, coated the bulkhead edges, and screwed the door jambs in place. The tops of the jambs will be trimmed later to accommodate the head of the doorframe that follows the curvature of the cabin.

I cut the port door jamb such that the epoxied joint would be at the bottom and out of sight.

With a little time remaining, I decided to install four cleats for the port head locker. That done, I cut a new shelf out of 1/2" ply and set it in place. Ultimately it will be glassed to the hull and chainplate.

And that was it for today.

This and that…and back to school

I started school last week, so it will be interesting to see just how much time I have to keep the project moving. The goal for the summer was to finish up major portions of the temperature sensitive work - i.e., fiberglassing - so I can still keep things happening over the winter. I still have a fair bit to do, but I feel good about the progress I made this summer. I bought my third gallon of West System epoxy on Friday, and I have a roll of biaxial cloth to keep me busy for a while.

Today was a hodgepodge of tasks, most of them fairly small but all part of moving ahead. I glassed in the vertical supports for the settee backs and cut a bulkhead for the under-sink galley area. Glassing it in had to wait because I have some sanding to do in that area first.

On the opposite side of the galley, I cut and removed some old cleats that supported the original shelving. I'm not sure what I'll do in that area, but I'll figure that out after the countertop is in.

Forward, where I plan to install a bifold door for the head, I temporarily installed the starboard doorframe, a leftover from the previous owner. For the port side I had to glue two pieces of framing - again from the previous owner - together to make a piece long enough to fit. Why? Because the PO was trying to put the boat back together on the cheap and used existing cabin structure, which had been carved up by another PO, as the foundation for new material. If I remember correctly, about a foot of doorframe was still intact on the bottom of the starboard side when I got the boat. The PO had used Gorilla Glue to attach a new piece of doorframe to the top of the old piece - yes, very sturdy. I rummaged through the pile of "spare" wood that came with the boat and found enough new door material to build the port side frame. I drilled a hole in each end of the doorframe pieces, then inserted and epoxied in place a wooden dowel. Both lengths were then joined with thickened epoxy and clamped to dry.

I'd planned on painting the areas under and behind the settees today, but decided to wait until I had more areas ready for paint so I could get it all done at once.

Port shelf done - glassing next

This morning I cut the port settee shelf and fitted it in place. Like I'd done on the starboard side, I made a vertical support for the shelf and the middle of the settee back. Both of those now need to be glassed in place (an order of biaxial should arrive today).

I also installed a 1x2 cleat along the bottom inboard edge of both shelves, securing them with 5 ss screws, to provide a better surface for joining the settee backs to the shelves.

It would seem that the next logical step is to glass the supports in place, then remove the settee tops and paint the area before finally securing all the bits in place. I do need to sort out the head door and posts arrangement before I call the starboard settee done. That will happen before things get painted, I suppose.

Te gusta asado?

My neighbors are having a Thursday night asado and I was feeling bad about the saw noise, so I knocked off early this evening after cutting out a shelf and center support for the starboard settee, and tracing the template for the port settee on a piece of 1/2" ply. This A30 did not originally have a shelf behind the settees. Instead the area was open, creating storage cubbies accessible from the top. The idea of dropping something into a deep, narrow space seemed silly to me, and I really like the shelves behind the settees aboard our Cape Dory 36, so it seemed appropriate to create shelves. In order to take advantage of the space behind the settees, I'll cut in hinged hatches. I suppose some may think that's an equally dumb idea since accessing the area requires moving the cushion out of the way, but generally things that go in a space like that don't need to be gotten to all that frequently - at least that's my thinking.

I determined the shape of the shelf by creating a template much like the main bulkhead templates I created earlier because the approach is pretty tough to screw up. I cut the shelf out of the same 1/2" ply that I used for the settee backs and tops after tracing the shape on the ply. I used a scrap piece of 3/4" ply for the vertical center support, which I hot glued in place until I can secure it with fiberglass.

The port shelf is traced and ready to be cut out and placed. I'll make another vertical support for the port side as well.

It's not much progress, but it's progress. One thing less to do the next time.

Settee Backs

I had a couple unexpected hours to myself this afternoon, so I worked on installing the settee backs. As it turned out, the remnants of 1/2" ply from the settee tops were just enough material to construct the settee backs. First, however, I had to define the location of the backs - including distance off the centerline and the angle of the seat back.

On the starboard side I was able to use the existing shelf that's still tabbed to the hull and the shadow of the old bulkhead on the existing galley bulkhead to get a rough idea of where the back should be. I installed cleats on the fore and aft bulkheads, then attached my piece of plywood level but several inches high in order to mark the hull contour for final fitting. The edge cut to shape, I secured the settee back to the two cleats with four SS screws.

The process for the port side was much more involved since I didn't have any existing reference marks. After taking several measurements and doing my best to copy the dimensions on the starboard side, I determined the locations for the forward and aft cleats, installed them, and repeated the process of marking the hull contour on the plywood before finally fitting it in place.

With the settee backs in place, the next step will be installing a shelf behind each back that will provide storage and extra support for the seat.

With all of these pieces coming together, it will soon be time to give the areas under and behind the settees a fresh coat of paint before closing them up. I'll also need to paint the back/bottom of the plywood and construct the hatch openings and support cleats. Does anyone have a recommendation for a quality jigsaw that can produce straight and accurate cuts? My Craftsmen special is most certainly NOT up to the task.

Back positioned to mark hull contour on lower portion of plywood.

Showing the cut line.

Starboard settee back cut to shape and fastened in place.

Kid tested.

Forward port cleat.

Port settee back cut and fastened in place.

Cleats and settee tops

I wandered back aboard the Alberg today and decided to install the cleats for the port and starboard settees on the bulkheads at either end of the berths. I used some 2.5" pine and SS screws.

Once the cleats were in place, I had to trim the settee tops slightly to fit within the space due to the addition of the fiberglass tabbing.

Yep, more tabbing

It seems like I'm finding about three hours each day to make progress on the Alberg. I began around 9 this morning and wrapped up at 11:30, making it 2.5hrs of fiberglassing. I'll be honest: I used to think fiberglassing was kinda cool; now I think it's a bit tedious. Like the grinding before it, I'm eager to get the fiberglassing done.

I glassed in the bulkheads on the port side of the saloon, once again using the unidirectional cloth. There's nothing too interesting to report about that. It went well. One little surprise is just how quickly I'm depleting my recently-purchased gallon of resin. Holy cow, this stuff goes fast - at $100/gallon! Ouch! As I'm tabbing, I find my mind considering cheaper alternatives, then coming back to the foolishness of cutting corners when I'm this far into the project. I'm sure polyester resin would be fine for the "furniture" installations (it's what Whitby used when they installed the bulkheads, etc), but I guess it's frowned upon in the boat rebuilding circles - at least that's my guess. Anyone care to enlighten me? Am I wasting too much money by using West System to install these bits?

Inside of the port settee

Galley ice box bulkhead

Aft end of the galley ice box bulkhead

Starboard settee/galley tabbing

No pictures of today's little bit of fiberglassing, but I filleted and laid tabbing along the outboard edge of the starboard settee and the galley bulkheads. The bulkhead that forms the galley/engine box on the starboard side got a layer of glass on the inboard edge as well.

I bought three yards of unidirectional cloth with matting on the back and cut it into 6" strips about 50" long. I'd planned to use biaxial, but my local marine store had the cloth on hand and it's significantly less expensive.

I lied. Here are a few pictures I took this evening: Nothing too exciting, but...

Outboard side of galley/engine box

Outboard side of starboard settee; center divider/support

Forward outboard starboard settee

(Time: 2.5hrs)

More bulkhead tabbing

I ran out of my 6" and 4" biaxial tape, but before I did I was able to tab the starboard bulkhead with two layers on the forward side and one layer on the aft side. I'll need to order more biaxial tape in order to finish the aft side and the rest of the settee and galley bulkheads. That will have to wait a week or so, however, since we're going to be spending some time together as a family.

I fired up the Westerbeke the other week just to ensure that it still runs. I keep fearing that I'll go to all the trouble to get the boat back together only to discover that I don't have a functioning diesel engine! That would be terrible. The diesel is sounding good and runs well. I'm looking forward to the day when it's sitting on a new engine bed and pushing Tradewinds through the water.

Settees, Galley, and Ice box/Nav

It's amazing how many steps it takes to cut one piece of wood to fit within the contours of a boat's geometry - especially when the power tools are on the ground and the measurements and fitting are within the boat (via a rickety ladder).

I've made good progress over the last couple days, however. I measured and cut plywood for the port and starboard settee fronts; the galley bulkhead, which is also the starboard engine box panel; the ice box bulkhead, which is the port engine box panel; both port and starboard settee tops and center supports. It's crazy how so few parts can consume two 10-hour days - and they're not even tabbed in place yet. Much of my time is spent trying to visualize what I want and how I want the parts to come together. And then once I've decided that, the process of defining an edge from which to take my measurements, and then taking the measurements, eats up even more time. And, of course, transferring my measurements to a piece of plywood and then cutting it out carefully takes yet more time. Nothing about this is fast. But why should it be? I've had this project for ten long years already!

But how incredibly satisfying it was yesterday to drag the settee cushions out of the basement and test fit them on the new settees! Had I not been so hot and sweaty and covered in sawdust, I could have taken a nap.

Determining level and settee height.

The two bulkheads framing the beginning of the engine box.

I couldn't resist: I had to try the cushion in place to see how things fit.

The starboard cushion wasn't cut properly, so it's tight at the forward outboard end.

1/2" ply for the settee tops; 3/4" ply for the settee fronts.

So far my materials are: 3 sheets 3/4" ply; 3 sheets 1/2" ply; 100 SS fasteners; 2 8' pine boards for cleat material.

Today I glassed in the forward side of the port bulkhead - and it took far longer than I expected. Wetting out 1708 biaxial cloth takes a lot of time! My setup wasn't the most efficient either. I did two layers of 6" and 4" tabbing all around the edge of the bulkhead.

I went ahead and cut all the layers/strips of cloth for the other side of this bulkhead and both sides of the starboard bulkhead. I'll tackle that job tomorrow after my epoxy mess in the cabin hardens and I can set up a more efficient work station.

Sanding and bulkheads

Yesterday I continued sanding the cabin. After sanding for about an hour and a half, I decided to rest my shoulders and focus on installing the two main saloon bulkheads. I'd coated the ends of the bulkheads in epoxy a few days prior, so after a water rinse I placed one bulkhead and used a couple shims hot-glued to the hull to hold the bulkhead square and level while I placed fillets around its edges. The port bulkhead in, I did the same to the starboard bulkhead. It feels so incredibly good to have begun reconstruction. This day has been (far) too many years in the making.

The next three pictures are of the sanding progress. The white interior paint was flaking and mildewed in spots. I'm taking the surface back to either fiberglass or what appears to be a lightweight fairing compound Whitby used originally. I'm thinking about using Petit's EasyPoxy when it comes time to paint the interior. In the FWIW department, I timed myself sanding an area approximately 2'x2'. It took me 25 minutes. I estimate there are about five 2'x2' areas remaining on the cabin overhead. That's 2 hours of sanding left to do.

Same song, second verse

Sanding, sanding, and more sanding. I spent that past two mornings sanding the inside of the cabin trunk and the overhead. My shoulders are shot - and I still have 3/4 of the overhead to finish - but she's coming along. To give my arms a rest, I alternated between sanding the overhead and some of the vertical surfaces around the boat that needed sanding. During those breaks I finished removing paint from the main bulkheads in the v-berth and the one remaining bulkhead in the galley. The cabin sides and overhead are so irregular that sanding off the white paint sometimes meant sanding fiberglass. As nice as it might be to have the interior surfaces flat, I cheated a little to speed things up and rocked the sander to one side a bit, moving it evenly side to side, to get into the valleys. At any rate, the interior is smoother than it was. The only concern I have is whether or not I need to do a final sanding with finer grit to remove the sanding marks. I'm sure they'll show up when a new coat of paint goes on - and by then it'll be too much hassle,

The pictures below are from yesterday's work. I didn't snap any pics today.

I concluded today's work by sweeping and vacuuming all the dust, then decided to pull up the beat up cabin sole, a 1/4" tongue-and-groove wood floor that must have been original. I'm not entirely sure what I'll put down in its place, but I had the thought that I might find enough scraps from a local contractor to install new a hardwood sole. We shall see.

And the beat goes on

This is the first summer that I've been able to call mine. Every other summer in the last 10 years has had something - either master's work, certification work, travels, or whatever - but this summer is mine! So, in addition to finishing up sailmaking for customers, re-rigging and commissioning Ariel, and taking care of long-neglected odds and ends around the house, I started back in on the A30.

In the past couple days I created templates for two bulkheads (my glue let go on the old bulkhead templates I'd created before), transferred the dimensions to two sheets of plywood, and cut out the new bulkheads.

I epoxied the edges of the bulkheads today, then decided I should do yet more sanding/prep before installation. I focused primarily on the areas where the new tabbing will adhere as well as the cabin sides and overhead, both of which are covered with flaking paint. Despite my eagerness to move forward with bulkhead installation, it was necessary to get all the sanding done first. I call the pic below my "sanding smolder." Ha!