Deck and Cabin Progress

The deck is now installed and the cabin walls are built up. 
The cabin beams are just starting to be installed.
This view is looking aft toward the cockpit.
 CAI is hanging his feet in the hatch above the forepeak.

This picture is taken a few minutes later, from the cockpit area.
You are looking forward toward the bow.
The cabin carlings are installed at the top of the cabin walls.
Each beam will nest in the carlings on each end.

The cockpit is now framed in, but no "floor" yet. 
There will be hatches cut into the decking on the aft, port and
starboard sides of the cockpit area.

It has been reall,y really cold at times and working on the boat is slowed as a result.  Glue and fiberglass epoxies freeze and don't cure in the cold temps.  Sometimes CAI builds a tent with blankets and runs heaters to heat a local area for some needed glue jobs but that's more the exception than the rule.  

Despite the cold, CAI has finished installing the decking, he has framed out the cockpit and he is now building and installing beams for the cabin.  (Pictures coming soon for that).  This beam-fitting and installation means a lot of back and forth trips between the shop and the boat, measuring and cutting and measuring and sanding and so on.  

 

Windstorm: What happens when the wind blows the wrong direction!

A windstorm blew in Sunday afternoon.  It blew all night and all day on Monday.  Wind speeds were up to 45 mph.    OK, that's not that big of a deal, except the winds were from the EAST.  Storm winds are normally from the west around here.  Trees were falling and we were without power for 24 hours.  And the boat tarp got really whipped.  We listened to it all night long.  Today we went out to do some repair work.

Click on the short video for a snippet of what was going on.

 

The wind blew so hard it pushed back the tarps and exposed the bow. 
This is bad because the decks are not sealed and future rains could cause a lot of damage.







The boat looked a little bit like, well, a pig.

  





The tarp was damaged from all the wear and tear of the ropes. 
Here I'm pulling up a new tarp, from the other side of the boat. 
Sometimes the wind would pick it up and I felt like I was holding onto a parachute.



So CAI secured the tarp over the bow so it could not blow back again. 
After he finished he felt inspired to either give us his interpretation of that famous

scene in The Titanic, or he's just pretending to be flying with the seagulls.  You'll have to pick :-)



So we got the new tarp on.  It's only a partial solution.  It's not big enough for the whole boat. CAI ordered a new tarp today and we'll pull that up over the top next week.  Once the deck has a layer of fiberglass this will not be such a concern.

I do have to say that last night, when the wind was blowing so hard, I was fearful the boat would be pushed over.  I'm sure CAI didn't have any doubts about its stability, but my imagination ran wild.  But for now, the winds have calmed down. 

Help Arrives

Hey - Do you need help with your catnap?  I am really good at it!

Cocoa and Maggie, our two kitties, climb up the ladder and check out the boat occasionally, leaving telltale footprints behind. It's rare to get a personal visit.  Tonight, however, Cocoa was pretty intrigued by the new decking and how easy it was to walk around the boat now.  He figured he'd check it all out.  He was pretty enamored with the warm soft spot in the fore deck.  :-)

Getting the Deck Built

A satisfied CAI, after a hard day's work.

Foredeck and aft deck is done!  Correction, just the first layer of the deck is done.  The deck will have 2 layers of plywood (9mm + 12mm) and be covered with 2 layers of 10 oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy.  That will make a strong lightweight watertight deck.



Fairing the beams to get ready to put on the first layer of plywood.

Cleaning up the boat. Been creating a lot of cutoffs.

 

Knee pads and dustmask is normal work gear for me.

The boat feels different with plywood on.  Stiffer.  More solid.

....and the boat doesn't rock anymore.  It even sounds different.

Cutting out the cockpit.

Old traditional cockpits were actually more of a small hole to stand in.  So this small footwell is a good compromise, as you can sit.  It will not be so heavy when it fills with water but still provides a nice place to crawl into in bad weather.   Hatches will be cut out later when the second layer of plywood is glued in.  

Tethys in Port Townsend



Standing next to Tethys.  She is the same size as AtLast. 
I hope to sail on this boat next spring for a whole week of ocean sailing training.



Forward hatches are "IN"

Forepeak Hatches

Here's CAI, in his safety glasses, sitting in front of the new forepeak hatches he installed this week.

There will be valuable storage behind them....  Anchor chain and sails.






It's raining and cool today. Finally a break from the hot summer weather.  When it's really hot the fiberglass and epoxy materials (go off) set really fast.

Last week he was working fast to "beat the heat" and slipped, falling down into the boat.  Maybe he cracked a rib or something.  Breathing is painful these days.  He says every time he falls down in the boat it hurts.

The Engine is "IN"

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

Getting the engine in was a big milestone.

It's a 38 HP BetaMarine 4 cylinder diesel.  Seems small.  Car engines are 125 HP and up right?  But how often do car engines run full time at full RPM?  These engines are designed to do that.  

ABOVE LEFT:   Last year CAI formed the engine mounts - lots of fiberglassing.

ABOVE MIDDLE & RIGHT:  Progress! The engine is in and you can see it in the far right picture.

This engine is about 350 pounds and he got it in ALONE by building a framework over the top of the boat and using ropes and pulleys to pull it up and inch it over bit by bit.

CAI on Black Locust, the Ingrid & Gaffs

CAI in the rudder.

Layout of the Ingrid 38

Black Locust
Materials are really important in the ocean environment.  Black locust is a very good boat building wood since it is very rot resistant and stronger than oak.  Black locust is rare in boats though. It's not frequently sold commercially because it's a crooked growing tree. 'Not much profit, too much processing.

The Ingrid
William Aktin designed the Ingrid 38 with inspiration from the famous Colin Archer Rescue vessels for Norway coast.   Bad sea, storms and cold weather. So they needed to be quick in heavy weather, managed with a minimal crew and be able to tow other boats in to safety.  These were the days before engines.
Here's a link to the Atkin site.    Atkin & Co. - Ingrid

Gaff Rigs
The gaff rig is old and traditional for Colin Archers.  It’s a simple rig, easy to reef with a low sail area so the boat does not heal over so much.