Jersey Girl

Houseboat update, Thursday, August 29, 2019 -- Today I finished sealing up the topside grooves between the planks I had installed earlier over the raised central portion of Jersey Girl's roof. Then, with a little daylight left, I got a jump on tomorrow's work, installing the remaining planks over this section. I should finish that job tomorrow, and if I have the time, seal up the grooves between the new planks.

Houseboat update, Friday, August 30, 2019 -- The raised central portion of Jersey Girl's roof is finished, at least from a construction standpoint. All the planks are glued and screwed into place. Tomorrow, I will finish filling the topside grooves between the planks with thickened epoxy, and add a small overhang along the starboard edge. Over the next few days, I will sand and fair the top surface of the roof to prepare it for fiberglassing, priming and painting. I want to get all that done before I start roofing the "shoulders," because I think the highest part of the roof will be more safely accessible for work without the rest of the roof in the way.

Houseboat update, Saturday, August 31, 2019 -- Today started with the correction of a mistake, and ended with getting Jersey Girl's central roof ready for fiberglassing. Late yesterday, pushing past sensible physical limitations, I decided to get a jump on installing the starboard roof overhang. It's a good thing I got only a little done, because I discovered this morning that it was 3/16 inch wider than the overhang on the port side. I doubt anyone would have noticed, but I know it would be a source of continuing irritation to me! I could zip through this in a few seconds with a power saw, but with questionable balance and awkward position, that might result in disaster in the blink of an eye. So I used a Japanese pull saw and a little elbow grease, and it took about 20 minutes to correct the error. Next, I installed the rest of the overhang, and when that was done, filled the remaining grooves with a thickened mixture of epoxy and silica powder. Over the next few days, I will sand the entire area as smooth as I can reasonably get it, then use a fairing compound to eliminate any irregularities, sand again. God, I hate sanding.

Houseboat update, Wednesday, September 4, 2019 – This morning, I started to sand down the fairing compound I applied to Jersey Girl’s roof yesterday. But I quickly learned that this stuff has to be bone dry to sand easily. The morning dew that collected on the roof overnight was enough to quickly turn sanding dust into a gummy mess. So I turned my attention to something else that’s been bugging me for some time, and worked on that until the sun dried out the roof. I started closing the open spaces between the sheer of the hull and the bottom window frames, using the same beaded tongue and groove that I used for the forward wall of the cabin and the roof. In the pictures, you’ll notice I left an open area of about 11 inches. Ultimately, that will be filled with a drop-down door. I could tell you that’ll be a gun port, but that would be wrong. No, the truth is that will be an oar port. I plan to install a pair of oarlocks, to accommodate long oars that will be stored along the inside of the roof risers. If I ever find myself without engine power for any reason, I’ll be able to row Jersey Girl by walking forward and backward in the cabin aisle. I finally did get back to sanding the roof, and now that it’s done I see I will have to do one more application of the fairing compound and sand again. In today’s update, I’ve also included a couple of pictures to show Jersey Girl’s latest overall appearance. You may notice an unfilled space above the vertical gunwale boards and below the window frames. This space will accommodate a sill that will run the fill length of the cabin, canted slightly down toward the outside to allow water to run off instead of back into the cabin.

Houseboat update, Saturday. September 7, 2019 – I’m rocking my man glitter today, just having finished three sandings of Jersey Girl’s roof – the central portion of it, anyway. I’ve gone from 60 grit (very coarse), to 150 grit to 220 grit, and not it’s just about ready for epoxying and covering with fiberglass woven fabric. Except for a few small lacunae, which I will fill later today. Details, details…