Jersey Girl

Houseboat update, Wednesday, August 14, 2019 -- Roofing on Jersey Girl progresses. Here's a series of photos to give an idea of what the inside will look like, from the motor well aft to the bow, and up to the roof. First is where the outboard motor will be, followed by the aft deck (which will also serve as an outdoor covered solar heated shower stall). Next, the door into the aft of the cabin. On the port (left) side will be the galley, equipped with small versions of stove, sink and refrigerator. Across the center aisle is space reserved for a head, with composting toilet. Forward of the two posts is the main cabin area, with setters along both sides. The seat sections will open two ways: out toward the center to create a queen-size bed, and up toward the side windows, for storage compartments and, on the port side, for a two-person dinette. Ahead of the forward cabin door will be the forward deck, with outside seating and more storage. There will be a few more refinements for creature comfort, which I will describe at a future time. This may have started out as a "shantyboat" in concept, but I must say it has evolved to at least "shanty chic," the waterborne version of "glamping." There's an additional picture showing where the helm will be, along with the salvage ship's wheel I was able to find.

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, Sunday, September 22, 2019 – Now that the final finish coat has been applies to the central portion of Jersey Girl’s arched roof, I can turn my attention to the more easily reached “shoulders” – the two outboard sides of the roof. In preparation for that, though, I’ve decided to close in the sides of the cabin that will accommodate the head on the starboard side and the galley on the port. That’s because each of these beadboard outer walls will have windows, and I’ll need to install the dripcaps over those windows before the roofing overhangs make it difficult to do that. So, I’ve included a few pictures of how the starboard side is beginning to look with the planks temporarily put in place for fit, before gluing and screwing. The window that will go into that opening is a fixed transom-style window, but I've built a wooden frame around it, and the entire assembly will be hinged at the top so that it can open, like an awning, outward. There will be an identical wndow on the port side, where the galley will be. By the way, I’ve made a design decision: The decoration on the door to the head will be a crescent moon and a plaque that says “Ship’s Library.” At least, that’s my inclination du jour.

Houseboat update, Tuesday, September 24, 2019 -- Jersey Girl is really stylin' now. Here's the aft starboard corner of her cabin. Just forward of the beadboard bulkhead separating the cabin from the aft deck is the space for what I will call euphemistically the "Ship's Library." Or, possibly, the "Throne Chamber." Or, maybe both. Tomorrow, I will begin work on the roof over the starboard side.

Houseboat update, Saturday, October 19, 2019 – I have some progress to report in my drive to close Jersey Girl’s cabin before the cold winter weather sets in. Over the past few days, I have found time to work on the port side, closing up the spaces under the windows on the port side, and completing the outer walls at the aft quarter on the port side, the space where the galley will be, sometimes, a special challenge will pop up, requiring a little thought before a solution is reached. In this case, it just so happened that the tongue-and-groove beadboard I am using for siding [presented a groove exactly at the trailing edge of the aft-most cabin window on the port side, just where I really wanted it to be a solid edge. The solution: carefully cut the tongue from a scrap of beadboard left over from an earlier solution to another problem, and glue it into the unwanted groove. Let the glue set, and voila! just the solid edge I was hoping for. Tomorrow, rain is in the forecast, so I will not be able to ‘glass the roof. But Monday is supposed to be rain-free, with a high in the upper 60s, perfect for epoxy and fiberglass work. We shall see.