Jersey Girl

Houseboat update,Thursday, May 23, 2019 -- Raise high the roofbeams, boatbuilder! (With apologies to J.D. Salinger.) Jersey Girl got her two main roofbeams today, but it was just for a trial fitting. It turns out I mismeasured by an inch and a half, but luckily it's no big deal. There's still plenty of wood to make a strong joint, and I'll fill in the gap later, as I go along. I made another discovery as well, as I hoisted each of these beams into place, one end at a time while I was precariously perched on 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch hull framing. A year ago, when I was a mere 76, this would have been easy. Now, at 77, it's still possible, but noticeably more difficult, with respect to both strength and balance. I'm glad I started this project at 73 and didn't put it off until it was too late! Some things require more strategizing than they used to. Tomorrow, I will pull the beams back down, taper their forward ends a bit so the roof slopes down a little at the forward end, then glue and screw them permanently in place.

Houseboat update, Sunday, May 26, 2019 -- Jersey girl now has her two main roof beams and her two side roof beams installed. When the epoxy cures, I will start fitting her arched transversal rafters, following the pattern I established at the stern. In the meantime, I checked to see if the starboard aft cabin bulkhead would fit on the port side as well, if I reversed it. I know it should, but one never knows, does one? As it turns out, it's a perfect fit! That means all I have to do is use it as a pattern, tracing it onto another piece of 3/8-inch panel of marine plywood, and cut it out.

Houseboat update Part 2, Monday, May 27, 2019 -- If nothing else, boatbuilding is an exercise in problem-solving. So here's my proposed fix for the problem of the wayward post. First, I run a long ratcheted tie-down strap from the top of the post to a U-bolt I had installed in the transom at the stern (never having considered the possibility I would need to use it for this). Next, crank the handle to put the strap and the post it's attached to under considerable tension. Then, knowing that it's possible to soften epoxy with heat, I carefully use an electric heat gun on the long epoxied joint between the base of the post and the hull. I keep the gun moving, trying to avoid unwanted damage, including blistering the epoxied and painted finish on the outside of the hull. After what seems like enough time, I climb down out of the hull, go around to the stern and give the ratchet handle a few more clicks. I eyeball the post again, and I see it has moved! Not enough, but better than it was. A little more heat, a few more clicks on the ratchet, and lo and behold, the post is right where I want it! But how to keep it there, that's the question. I decide to drive a cedar shim into the small gap that formed when the post moved, then cut off the excess of the shim, using a Japanese pull-saw. My hope is that ultimately the plywood panel that will form the cabin side will serve as a brace to lock the post into its correct position.

Houseboat update, Tuesday, May 28, 2019 -- The rain cleared out just before dusk this evening, so I had an opportunity to install Jersey Girl's two aft cabin bulkheads. The openings are for "eyebrow" windows, but I won't put those into place until I'm sure there's no danger of crashing through them with errant construction materials. Tomorrow, if weather cooperates, I plan to work on more of the arched roof supports. That will bring me closer to a job I'll be happy to call done, but dread doing -- installing and finishing the roof. For that, I'm thinking of stabilizing the trailer and boat with jack stands, and buying or renting a scaffold system.

Houseboat update, Wednesday, May 29, 2019 -- Jersey Girl now has her forward cabin framing complete. With thunderstorms in the forecast soon, it's time to wrap up for the day. Next, as soon as the weather gods smile upon me, is to go back aft and install the framing that will define the galley on the port side and the enclosed head on the starboard.