Point Bennett Project - Devil in the Details and a Maiden Run

I'm finally in the home stretch on this project. I just had a few small things to take care of before the boat was finished. I spent a relaxed Saturday evening in the attic with a few beers!! Below are a few shots of some of the final details!!

Paddle park on the rear deck!

DIY toggle from t-pipe!!

Paddle park - rear deck.

Heat shrink neatens things up nicely!!

Just another angle #1!!

As a staunch Newfoundlander, and a bit anti-Confederation, to boot, I like to put a Republic of Newfoundland flag on the bow on all my boats. This one was no different!!

The finishing touch!!

Just another angle #2

Just after finishing work for the night, I checked my email and a few guys were heading out on Sunday AM for a paddle. The light bulb went on and I decided this boat was ready for the water!!

Ready to leave the shop!!

Sunday AM dawned clear but cold. -8 with a wind chill in the -12 to -15 range.  As good as any day to go for a paddle. I met Dean and Tony in St. Philips at 10:00 for a few hours on the water

See Tony's blog entry here and Deans here.

Those are some big icicles!!

A little bit of the ol' clapotis!!

Heading towards Portugal Cove!!

Heading back to St. Philip's.

Back through the channel!!

Picking our way through the pans!!

Looking cool!!

Back at the house, I took a few more shots of the boat. It was nice not to be confined by the size and lighting of the attic.

I'm a happy camper!!

The final product #1.

The final product #2

Well. I hope you've enjoyed reading about this project as much as I've enjoyed writing about it!!  I was in the attic today doing a bit of clean up and it seems almost lonely up there - like a friend has moved out!!  Still, it's nice to have the space back and the extra time to do other things!! Actually, I'm heading off to the attic now to get on the bike trainer - gotta fill that void somehow and exercise seems as good an idea as anything else!!

Thanks for dropping by,

Sean

Point Bennett Project - Painting and Things

Well, it's been close to two months since my last post but, of course, right in the middle of this was the Christmas Holidays when I chose to slow down substantially.

But, to make a long story short, I ran into a series of paint-related problems that set me back quite a number of weeks. And to be honest, I'd rather not provide specifics as it is quite a painful story. `Nuff said

Now, a quick update with few words but lots of pictures!!

Finally all painted  #1

All painted  #2

Painted - no hatch coamings at this point.

A better idea of the colour!

I managed to salvage the hatch coamings from the initial build and re-use them. Again I went with setting them in a bed of epoxy. I mixed up a batch of epoxy with lase printer toner to get a nice glossy black mixture which I proceeded to pour around the coaming. It flowed neatly all the way around and sealed everything up nicely.

FWD coaming in place.

 I wanted to have black sheers as well as more abrasion resistance under the deck netting and paddle parks. Like with the Black Pearl I went with aerosol truck bed liner. This stuff is tough as nails  - won't scratch and won't be marred by the tie down straps when they cinch down on the sheers during car topping

Masked and ready for spraying #1

Masked #2

 I'll admit that I had some misgivings about how it would turn out but when I removed the masking paper, I was very happy with the end result.

Not too shabby #1!!

 Anybody contemplating painting and needing very sharp/crisp borders, I strongly suggest the use of Frog Tape for the masking. This stuff was freaking amazing. No bleed through whatsoever. Thank gawd because this is NOT where you want to have messy paint lines!

Removing the Frog Tape

Not too shabby #2

 With the painting pretty well done, I moved onto some fitting out. I took the boat off the table for the first time in several months and actually sat in it!! It fits like a glove even without any customizing!!

On the floor for some cockpit fitting

 I used hot melt glue to hold the seat in for now. It's glued to a foam support underneath and then to the bottom of the hull. I also put in some foam thighbraces. I may need just 1/2" or so of foam at the FWD bulkhead for a foot rest. I may or may not install a back band or pillar. I'll decide that later but I've been paddling the Black Pearl for close to a year with no back support!

Seat and thigh braces.

 The images below show some of the temporary deck lines and netting I have in place for "testing"

Looking aft.

Compass laid in place.

I actually found a pre-made net that was just the right size for the foredeck. It cost me $7.00 at a local motorcycle shop. They ordered it in for me and it was here within the week. You could not buy the bungee and make one yourself for that price. Also, this net has the smaller 2" squares - unlike most that you buy pre-made that have 3" square and are too big to be practical for holding smaller items on the deck.

I should point out that the skeg is now completely installed - including the control box!

Showing the skeg control box in place

Showing the neat lines!

Foredeck showing netting in place temporarily for fitting purposes.

As it now looks!!!

So, that's the latest. Not a whole lot of building details because I feel like I've said it all before in my other build projects.  Still. it's nice to show off some end products once in a while.

ETOW (Estimated time on water) is within a week. If not in the ocean, then next Tuesday at the pool!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sean

Point Bennett Project - Lots Started but Nothing Finished

It's been quite some time since I've posted an update but that's not to say nothing has been done!!  As the title of this entry suggests, I've started a number of things, it's just that none of them have been fully completed. They are all interconnected and the progress of one often relies on the progress of another!!

After mating the deck to the hull and glassing it, the next step was the building of the cockpit. Unlike the first cockpit I put on this boat last year, I've decided to go with the laid up glass method. I used 1/2" foam insulation as the form around which I'd lay up the glass/epoxy.  This foam will bend to a tight radius without breaking, making it easy to get a full run around the cockpit coaming with only one join. I tacked the foam to the deck using hot glue. (Note: applying the glue to the deck first reduces the heat enough so that it does not melt the foam. Trying to glue foam to foam with hot glue does not melt as the glue melts the foam before it can stick!!!

Once I had the full band of foam in place I built up the "ears" using shorter pieces. I used contact cement to glue the foam to foam. Once the glue had set, I shaped the form using sandpaper. I rounded over the edges of the cockpit  - particularly in the rear -  for comfort during rolls.

The first strip in place.

The full form in the rough.

Shaped and sanded.

I then simply built up the glass/epoxy over the form. The glass extends under the deck to provide more rigidity. I tinted the epoxy but I will be painting the coaming as well. The coaming is prone to scratches so making it black underneath will reduce the visibility.

First layer of glass/epoxy.

After first three layers are trimmed.

Looking fwd.

I liked the foam seat that I made for my Black Pearl (BP). I thought of building another for this boat but decided to try and replicate it in the glass. I started with the BP seat as a mold. I placed a sheet of thin plastic over it. Then proceeded to lay three layers of glass/epoxy over it. Followed by one more sheet of thin plastic. Then I took some damp sand and packed it down into the seat to make sure that the glass/epoxy was pressed firmly against the "mould". After it dried, I subsequently added more layers until the seat is quite stiff. 

BP foam seat.

Plastic barrier.

Glass laid in place.

Glass wetted out with tinted epoxy.

Damp sand holding over plastic to force glass to conform to the shape.

While building up the coaming and seat, I moved on to cutting the hole for the skeg control box. This turned out to be an easy job. I simply marked thea are on the deck, drilled four holes in the corners and cut out the rectangle with a jig saw. I then recessed the opening slightly so that the control box will be flush with the deck.

Outline etched in the glass.

Holes drilled.

Control box as it now looks!

Skeg control location. Seat laid in place and looking too glossy!!

The following are just a number of images showing the project as it now stands.

I've still got some finish work left on the coaming and seat.  A few days ago I rolled on, what I hope to be, the last fill coat of epoxy. I did some good sanding prior to this last coat of epoxy and expect the final sanding to go smoothly - pun intended.  After some finishing touches, I will be ready to paint. The plan is to go with a white hull and green.deck.

I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

Thanks for dropping by,

Sean