Seats (2)

Inboard faces with deck plates installed:

Sub-floor ply on bench tops:

(The port one has a piece scabbed on the forward end, to make up the width)

I'm happy with how it's turning out! I wasn't sure.

I needed to see the idea in three dimensions before I could really appreciate it.

Looks like it's going to work out just fine

The plans are for an empty, open cockpit, but, tabernack—the back!

This old body just doesn't sprawl the way it used to...

at least not without more discomfort than it's worth

I placed the decks back on so I could see what it's going to look like altogether.

Two dimensional images don't convey the depths properly...

It's a very low bench, and that's okay; it's something. I couldn't see myself sitting on the angled bilge plank without sliding down.

When I get the seat tops cut out of the good ply, I'll want to take the bench faces off and mark the undersides of the seat tops for gluing, since I won't be able to do that after the faces are on for good:

Seats - a beginning

I don't know what I'm doing, but I think it looks good! 😄 (Making it up as I go...)

In the photo below, I'm finding the proper outside curve of the bench tops, using cheapo sub-flooring plywood, which I bought for making templates with.

The vertical bench faces are the good plywood, in final form.

In the next photo you can more easily see that I've taken the decks off. I won't be putting them on permanently until I've got the interior done.

Today I bought some deck plates which will go on the bench faces so that the enclosed area can be aired out from time to time.

Decks & hatches

Before I glue the decks on, I'll paint the areas that will be enclosed. Seats are next, though.

Flipped

Next step is to glass tape the inside seams.

The ends will be watertight storage with hatches, and there may be seats along the sides of the cockpit. The "off-centre board" will go on the starboard side.

Wired!

(See yesterday's post for details about the wire.)

Stitching up

The "stitches" of a stitch-and-glue boat are usually wire twists. I've found copper wire to be too soft, and it sticks to the glue (resin) too well, making it hard to pull out. This annealed stainless wire works great. It's quite strong, so one can pull quite hard on it to bring the parts together; and it's smooth and slippery, so it pulls out of the glue without breaking.

I started stitching at the very tip of the bow, because it looked like it would be the most difficult to pull together properly.

Poking the wire through the tiny holes from inside the stem—sitting on the floor working overhead—was very demanding! I needed my reading glasses and a light.

Bilge planks

Somehow, these pieces will go together to make a nicely curved, pointy bow!

The plank on the floor to the right is a trial piece, out of sub-flooring ply, that I used as a pattern for the final pieces.