Fairing update

Just a quick note with an update on fairing. The microballoon/epoxy fairing compound works very well, and about half of the hull has been covered. For the first application we used a notched trowel, but the notches are quite deep and we ended up with a LOT of fairing compound on the hull - which equals a LOT of sanding with the dreaded longboard.

For the second round we tried a flat spatula fitting the curve of the hull, and it looks like that's going to work just fine for filling in the low spots without requiring excessive sanding. I'll post some pictures this weekend.

I should also mention that we have decided to sheath with glass after all. Some spirited discussion on the Wooden Boat forum ended up convincing me that we need the structural stiffness of glass more than we need the abrasion resistance of a synthetic. Glass is cheaper and uses less epoxy, so that's a bit of a bonus as well.

That is all, more on the weekend!

Post-flu update

Courtney had the flu. No film, at 11:00 or otherwise; it wasn't pretty. Somewhere in there we dry-fit the stem and keel; testing various fairing mixes now and fairing this weekend.

Anyone out there been wondering where our friend Ron is these days? Well, last we heard, he's somewhere in the Canary Islands, having sailed there from France, on his way to Antigua. Lucky bugger. He has an amazing blog: http://whyyesactuallyidratherbesailing.blogspot.com
Check it out - it's way more interesting than ours.

Sanding update

A lot of sanding later, the hull is basically smooth and ready for filling and fairing. There are a few trouble spots where we'll wait and see how the fairing goes before deciding whether to use the belt sander on them, but things are looking good. Before we fair we'll dry-fit the keel and stem; that's probably the next order of business.

We were planning to glass the hull inside and out, but we're thinking about using a fabric other than fiberglass. Courtney is leaning toward Xynole - it's about 15% more expensive than glass, but MUCH more pleasant to work with (like a soft stretchy cloth), stronger, and more wear-resistant. We'll do a bit more research before making the decision, then order the cloth; it should be somewhere in the neighbourhood of $5-600.

Sanding, sanding

Good thing I (Courtney) have been house-sitting out at Wavey Creek, 'cause I've been sanding my arms off. I sanded and sanded and sanded some more, until my little sander was broke (well, Dad's actually). Not wanting to wait the 7-10 days to bring in a new timing belt, I went out and bought a belt sander for Tara and myself - it makes sense that we should have one. Same basic model (Ryobi 3" x 21", variable speed), just the latest version.

This had nothing to do with tool lust. NOTHING. I mean it.

Presenting: the WHISKY PLANK!

Yes, it's true, we finally fitted the whisky plank today. For those of you who are unfamiliar with wooden boat builders' traditions, the final plank on a wooden hull is usually toasted with whisky.

We did it up right, had some friends (Kyle, the bass player in Courtney's band, and his partner Carmella) over to help us drink some good single malt. Dalmore Black Pearl... yums!

Courtney's going to be busy fairing the hull now, in preparation for glassing and painting. Oh yeah, we also have to fit the stem and the keel and the skeg and the bilge keels and...

Yeah yeah, we're not quite done yet. But it's worth celebrating this milestone!

Happy Birthday to you...

...Happy Birthday to you / Happy Birthday, dear Shilling / Happy Birthday to you! (Courtney wanted pictures of cake and candles, but Tara said no.)

Yes, Boxing Day (December 26th for those of you who don't have Boxing Day) was our Shilling's first birthday, in the sense that we started work on December 26th, 2006. Like most one-year-olds, the Shilling still doesn't talk much, doesn't get around all that easily, and isn't allowed to drive yet.

We're almost done planking (man, I'm getting tired of saying that), as you can see from the portside shot. We're still looking almost sane, as you can see from the picture of both of us. That's probably about all we can ask for at this point. (And more coffee - we can ask for more coffee. It's very morning out.)

Interior pix

As we put on the last few planks, we're also beginning to clean up the exterior of the hull. Ron (being rather more compact and flexible than, say, Courtney) volunteered to go inside and hammer out some badly placed nails, so we have some shots of the interior.

Looks fairly well-sealed for this stage, though of course once we clean up the squeeze-out and glass the interior it will be REALLY tight!

And speaking of tight, how about this sight of Ron contorting himself around frame #2 and the CP case? We're very lucky he's decided to put in some "sweat equity"!