Notches, notches and more notches.
Houseboat update, Thursday, June 6, 2019 -- Notches, notches and more notches. Even some of the notches have notches of their own. Today was a day of fitting the three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle of framing together, mostly using a mallet and chisel. Here you can see Jersey's Girl's starboard side framing for the four windows that will stretch along the full length of the main cabin. Tomorrow, I'll make a few final adjustments and permanently glue and screw them into place. I already have the timbers cut and shaped for the port side, so I'll get them permanently fastened as well. After that, it's back to the the arched roof supports, so I can finally get started on covering Jersey Girl permanently. (I'm holding off installing the windows because there's still a lot of construction to be done, and tools to be dropped, and I don't want to risk breaking the glass.)
Windows! Jersey Girl has windows, seven of them so far. I need to shim a frame to fit the
Houseboat update, Saturday, June 15, 2019 -- Windows! Jersey Girl has windows, seven of them so far. I need to shim a frame to fit the last window on the port side. That should be done later today, then it is on to the roof. As an update to the update, I am thanking a crew of hearty volunteers from the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, who actually paid money (as part of a fund-raiser for the Society) to help me install these windows. I provided the lunch, we all had a great time, and the windows got where they needed to be in record time and in good order. And miracle of miracles, no one fell off any ladders.
The rain it cometh.
Houseboat update, Monday, June 17, 2019. The rain it cometh. Again. Good for the flowers, good for the reservoirs, and the long run, I suppose, good for us all. Jersey Girl is pretty well cocooned, I think, but we'll have to wait and see. Because the most vulnerable section right now is the forward deck area, I have decided to take care of that before attacking the roof. Today, before the rain started, I shaped four forward-facing railing posts, which was pretty complicated because of how they have to be cut around hull framing and the rake of the bow panel. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will cut decorative chamfers and dadoes for the rails, sand them, then seal them with two coats of epoxy. Perhaps I will install them on Wednesday, if I get a weather break.
First of all, to anyone who ever was or is a mother, and anyone who ever had a mother,...
Houseboat update, Sunday, June 23, 2019 -- First of all, to anyone who ever was or is a mother, and anyone who ever had a mother, happy Mothers Day! Now back to Jersey Girl -- today she gets her forward deck rail posts. Here are two views, one from the outside looking in and one from the stern, looking forward. The extraneous lengths of scrap wood are temporary braces, to make certain they stay absolutely plumb relative to the hull as the glue hardens. Now, on to a few cleanup details before I start building the forward deck seating and hatch covers. There are two openings between forward bilge compartments that I'd like to fill before topside construction makes it difficult to get to them.
It's about time to start closing up these six forward deck compartments, and if I do...
Houseboat update, Thursday, June 27, 2019 -- It's about time to start closing up these six forward deck compartments, and if I do it creatively and competently, they will provide water-resistant storage space for all manner of things, like a potable water tank, an anchor and line, ballast (if I need it), deck cushions and life jackets. The way I plan to do it, in three half-inch layers, the covering structure will add even more rigidity to an already exceptionally stiff hull. The middle layer will incorporate water-block and drainage channels to divert water away from the hatch openings and direct it overboard via a network of scuppers and piped drains. The top layer will be comprised of six separate hinged hatch covers, which will have nesting water dams on the underside, to surround the built-up dams around the hatch openings in the bottom layer. The exposed top surface of the hinged cover will serve as comfortable seating. If I need to, I will augment the seal on both sides with rubber weather stripping. Am I absolutely certain it will all work as intended? Hell, no! But like so many other things in this boat -- as in life -- It's worth a try.
