Painted!! Well at least I finished priming one side. The paint will have more yellow in it than the primer but you get the idea. I got back from fishing (big fish was 46 pounds and ours only went 19 but we had fun) in time to prime one side. The HVLP sprayer I bought works well. Very little over spray. I think you could paint inside the cabin without too much problem. I am going to get the rest of the boat ready this week for primer and then paint.

We have had a very busy 3 days!! I finished painting the primer on the port side and transom on Friday. Saturday morning we decided to turn the hull over. I must confess, I have done some wild and crazy things in boats but turning over a 39' hull with a 9' beam in a 40x14 building with a 10' ceiling is the best. I used to look at pictures of big boats being turned and thought nothing of it. I really admire those guys now!! I built a wheel (see picture) so the hull would turn slowly but one end broke as soon as the weight was down on it. On to plan 2! Rebuilt that wheel with lots of bracing this time and it held up better. We had to rotate the hull and because of the limited space we had to scoot the hull to one side while it was up on the side, then rotate and scoot again until we could let it over without taking out the side of the shed. After 12 hours and 50 minutes, and without a scratch, the boat was upright for the first time. I had planned to have a big turning party but decide that if I crashed and burned I didn't want an audience. Thanks go to my wife, Debbie and dad, Dick. I'll put up more(better) pictures as soon as we get the film back.

 

Now comes the fun part....................really!

 

10/16/02

We have decided to take a break and head to the US Power Boat show in Annapolis this week end to get some ideas and eat some crabs. This is a great show in a very pretty setting. We have been to this show 8-9 times in the past and the time off from working on the boat will be nice.  Last month we logged 70+ hours working weekends and nights. It has cooled down and rained a lot so the boat is covered to keep it from turning into a swimming pool.

 

10/28/02

We got back to working on the side decks. We spent the weekend laminating five layers of 3/4x2 1/2" pine to the sheer clamps to make what will be the side decks. Because of the flair in the sides we have to build the decks inward for the cabin framing to rest aginst. We have the port side almost done. The laminations add a lot of strength to the sides. I haven't decided yet but I might put a mahogany deck along both sides just to add a little classic styling. The weather here has gone from summer to rain and cold in no time. The weather man is calling for a dusting of snow later this week. Not exactly the best time for boat building. The change in time will limit me to weekends for a while. I will start building an enclousure out of plastic over the cabin area so I can put a heater in and keep working.

It's November already and winter has arrived. We spent the weekend building an enclosed boat shed. It's strange not being able to see the traffic going by but the lack of wind and a heater will make boat building very enjoyable. The enclousure will allow us to work at night after work again. I was worried the cold would put a stop to our progress but we are back on track now. We will be working on the cabin for the rest of the winter. I'll post pictures as we go.

 

11/11/02

Worked on the decks some more. We will finish them today. I had some work to do in the office and Debbie is off for Veterans Day so I will head to the boat shop soon. I'll post a new picture as soon as we get the framing up for the cabin.....maybe tomorrow. Check back.......

11/12/02

The side decks are done!! I still need to plane them down but the epoxy work is done. You can see my improved and enclosed boat shed in the picture. That's my good friend, Harry Suddreth and I doing some "intellectual" work

 

11/18/02

Spent the weekend getting the framing for the cabin started and the bulkhead up for the head/shower, haven't decided which it will be yet. The head and shower will be seperate with one in front of the bed and one aft. We were going to put the head in the back but it has been determined that the shower will waste less hot water in the back by being closer to the hot water heater. Water on a boat is precious. The boat is getting smaller as the bulkheads go in but we are starting to get a sense of where everything will be. This part of the building process is a lot of fun because it lets you make any changes to fine tune the interior to your own ideas, more or less.

 

11/25/02

It seems like we made a milestone this weekend. The cabin framing is up and the roof beams are in. It's nice to sit back and see the lines of the cabin for a change. The bulkheads have been cut to match the roof contour and Debbie painted the inside of the hull an off white. Although this will be covered it will protect the inside of the hull from any water that happens to get in there. We bought some of the knoty pine that will be the interior panelling. Thanksgiving is coming this week and we will have a little time off work and should get more of the cabin done. Looking more like a boat everyday !!