Here I have glued and cramped in another mast support, cut to fit between the deck king plank and the keel. There is an identical support on the forward side of the bulkhead (right in the photo).
Two battens port and starboard to support joins in the plywood side panels in the stern quarters have been glued in.
Wooden reinforcing blocks have been glued port and starboard to screw the mast rigging chain plates to. This pair of reinforcing blocks are the originals that I have salvaged from the old hull plywood.
The green tape is used to mask off the tops of the deck frames where the glue will need to adhere to when the deck plywood is put on.
Today I undercoated the whole interior of the hull. This is something that had not been done in the original build of the boat and contributed to the rotting of the plywood with the ingress of fresh water. I am pleased with the way the work is going to date. The next job is to glue and screw in four wooden cockpit reinforcing / foot grip slats.
6 comments:
Alden, I follow your progress with a lot of interest. The last picture gives a nice overview of the ship before the deck is put on. It leaves me with a question. Why are there round holes in the vertical compartment pieces. If you tip over and water runs into the cockpit, it can spread into the so difficult to reach fore and aft compartments. Although I can imagine that you want some ventilation to get eventual condensation out?!
You'll be sailing soon,
I guess we have the RS Tera as an equivalent over here, but roto moulded poly prop
Ben - good question. The two big holes you can see in the front and back of the yet unpainted cockpit area will have plastic inspection ports installed. The lids of these ports can be removed when the boat is stored to let fresh air circulate through the individual buoyancy chambers.
In the front part of the boat directly in front of the cockpit a waterproof bulkhead already exists. In the stern area I will be covering over a couple of ventilation ports which will make the stern area behind the cockpit another watertight bulkhead. I will install two more inspection ports on the inside panels of the cockpit sides to provide ventilation for these two new waterproof chambers. When this is completed the yacht will have 4 watertight chambers.
You are correct regarding condensation - its fresh water which is a catalyst for rot in a wooden yacht.
BB - yes the RS Tera does look like an equivalent boat.
In NZ our introductory class is either the NZ P Class or the International Optimist class single handed dinghies. The Starling is the next step up from either of these two yachts.
I guess in the UK the RS Tera would be a step up from the Optimist or its equivalent for single handers or the Cadet class for those wanting experience in a small crewed sailing dinghy.
Wow, looking better and better! I had the same question as Ben, thanks for answering. Ben, I owe you a letter. Or Renee, anyway. Silke has arrived.
Kate thank you for your comment and encouragement.
The question of watertight compartments is an interesting one.
A sailor / writer called Roger Taylor who spent time in NZ in the 1970s and who now sails a small junk rigged fiberglass yacht called 'Ming Ming' in the UK has two watertight bulkheads at the bow and stern areas of his little boat. He packs these areas with closed cell foam so that even if holed the internal foam will keep the yacht afloat. He writes that he likes the secure feeling of a boat that is virtually unsinkable - a sentiment that would have been useful to the designers and builders of the Titanic.
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