Jersey Girl

June 29, 2017. Here's the aft bulkhead, the structural wall that will separate the motor well from the rest of the aft outside deck area. The original design had below-deck access ports, which I cut in accordance with the plans. But I have since modified the design to lower the deck and lengthen the outside aft area by 18 inches, so the below deck ports will be quite difficult to get to if I have to for any reason. Instead, I will provide access to the motor well via hinged covers from the topside. So I am filling in the holes with patches cut to size, and covering the seams with a mitered frame to make the patches look like decorative panels. I think it will look like an elegant custom touch rather than the fix-up that it is. Gotta roll with the waves! By the way, in the background you can see the two longitudinal frames, stripped of their plastic cocoons, leaning up against the deck railing. All that time being snowed on and rained on didn't seem to cause much damage, I happy to report.

July 8, 2017. A setback! I took a chance with the weather and finished the faces of two of the bulkheads with a coating of epoxy. The epoxy cured hard despite the rainstorm that inevitably came, but the rain caused it to be lumpy, ugly and clouded. I'll have to sand it down to the bare wood and start over again. Ugh.

July 10, 2017. The last two of the six full-beam bulkheads, all sealed up with epoxy. No rain expected, but under shelter just the same. The one on the right will be closest to the bow; the one on the left will be the next one in, under the fore deck. The long, skinny cutouts are to accommodate the recessed deck; the others are for below-deck access and storage. I'm expecting a big delivery of more marine plywood tomorrow, then I will make the bow and stern outer panels before starting hull assembly. By the way, for those who shared my distress over the rain-pocked bulkheads a few days ago, not to worry -- I sanded them down and refinished them, and they came out great!

July 11, 2017. Whew! Almost an expensive screw-up! I was just about to take the circular saw to the line on the right, when a little voice whispered, "doesn't look like it should." So I measured again, sure enough, I was one inch off! At $125 a sheet for this half-inch material, the rule is "measure twice, cut once."

July 18, 2017. The hull frame setup begins, with the long frames being taken out of storage (finally), and placed on sawhorses that will be the temporary support of the entire hull as it grows, piece by piece. One temporary spacer is screwed into place on one side. Next, I will do a second, then raise both sides into approximate position and make adjustments for equal length.