Laminating side roofbeams

 Made another form, the laminate the side roof frames, produced a frame and compared it to the template. It lines up well!

Added bow frames

 Also added a little more bow framing to help support possibly a bow mounted boarding ladder...

Caulking the cabin sole!

Finally got a break from the monsoons and wet weather enough to dry out the boat enough to sand the cabin sole sikkaflex... Its looking about how I wanted .. not perfectly yachty.. but rustic.. but has that boaty nauticalness. I've got a little more to do. some filliing of lows in the caulking.. But so far I am happy enough with the results.

In the process took off a little of the top sealant ... but I expected as such. Hopefully can get a final sand and resealed before the rains come again and it gets a little damp. The water does seep in from the topsides since the cabin is not enclosed.

Flooring on the cabin sole started!

 Another boat update... started the bow flooring... thanks to my dad for kerfing all the boards. I could never bend 3/4" white oak so they needed slight notches the width of a saw blade known as a kerf to make the bend in the bow. Maybe not a best practice... but 3/8" deep kerf on 3/4" still leaves a good 3/8" piece of meat on the bone which filled with thickened epoxy and with all the rest of my build.. I figure should be adequately strong..

The bow floor boards are epoxied in place with the spacers providing a 1/8 gap. Some are missing in picture but I placed them about 6-8 inches apart. I originally planned on clamps to apply pressure but bailed on the idea as I soon found myself in a thickened epoxy mess.

So to hell with it!! I went to tried and true small 18 guage galvanized finishing nails and my air-nailer to hold them down. I figured it would leave smaller holes then screws and then filling the holes when screws removed.. I will fill the gaps and the edges of kerfs half-way with epoxy for stength and then seal the gaps between the boards with Sikkaflex type deck caulking. The tops will be sanded and then divots filled. The edges filleted and possibly a molding applied.

Maybe not how everyone might do it.. but the end results so far has worked for me.

The flat boards will not need to be nailed and I will be able to apply clamping pressure..

Cabin Side Assembly

 Plan error.... egads..

So I started cutted out the facing for the sides but ran into a bit of an issue with the top of the window, the curve is about 1/2 inch to the left (front). The problem happened when I lost the original pre-cut template, and worked off the plan drawings - the template and the drawings are not quite the same. Which means by the third curve your curves don't align properly with the framing... It is "skewed" to the left by 1 1/2" and quite wonky. I think most people have been shifting the curve - that is instead of starting it right at 2 1/4, and then at 2 3/4" they align it between frames and cut 24"... I was trying to follow the plan layout.

For the life of me, I was having quite the trouble with it... I didn't see the pos tin a user forum from 2017 at the time... but I have seem to have resolved it. My solution was to shift the original ply piller over to the right 1/2" - So basically taking the first ply pillar from 2 1/4 inches wide, to 2 3/4" wide. So each of the ply pillars are the same width... In doing so, I was able to shift over the curve to align better with the framework. The length of the wood is the same... just the curve is moved over 1/2" from the starting point....

While it isn't perfect, it works reasonably well.

Had I seen the earlier posts, I would have lengthened each curve, anyhow. It basically lines up reasonably well, it still has a small flat point instead of meeting the sides of the back ply, since it still shifts a little.. but it is not as noticeable, and lines up considerably better on the second and third pillars.

Just putting it out there for anyone else doing the original plans, and drawing up a template from sheet 20. You may want to get the actual correct measurement for Template 1 or adjust accordingly. Overall it does not affect function as Roy has mentioned.

Well starboard outboard side is finished as best as I can do. I was originally planning on painting on ivory paint with darker trim.. but I like the look of the marine mahogany (meranti). I know there are a few flaws, in that where I filled the finishing nail holes and seams..the colour is slightly different. The missus helped as the original "Mahogany" filler was too red, so being a fine-arts grad she colour matched up a batch that was a little better. She also helped me getting the corners fit.. and pieces the right length. I left the spalting on the maple trim as I like the rustic look, although some might prefer a perfect piece... but I am pleased with the overall result and I guess that is all that matters. I have it protected with one coat of epoxy with four coats of semi-gloss helmsman spar varnish.

Finishing the bow and stern motor compartment

 Okay a few boat updates.. got the forward compartments in bow finished. Starting to paint starboard and port bow seam seating areas. I will tape up with painters tape and properly edge on the second coat and most likely add some trim. The bow trailer support is in place. I have the stern motor well framed in fully and finished the underneath.. just need to sand and varnish etc...the final topcoats.. cut drainage whole and add aluminum plates.

Also added a bow support on the trailer:

Dry Fitting Cabin Sides

 So they next step was to dry fit the cabin sides, this also helps us determine how the frame goes together.

Framing time!

Time to begin on the bow and stern framing. Making sure everything is square. In addition cutting out the supports for the motor well and adding the extra strength to the transom! In our build we plan to beef up the bow areas, for boarding and an anchor winch.

rding and an anchor winch.

Fixing the messy filets

 Well... making progress.. sort of... fixing some issues. I have the seams taped and now just need to fix some drips and some bad fillets.. and finish filleting. I"ve spent this rainy Canada day mostly sanding.. and scraping. When I first tried fillets I used the Dairy Queen spoon method.. and just like eating a peanut buster parfait made a big mess.. so now I am sanding and carefully scraping it much nicer. I also need to sand and coat the sides.. Not sure why I didn't do this on the work bench, but i think it was because I had an epoxy that was too thick and, more suited for glue up and laminating then sealing and coating. Anyways, that will wait for a drier day... The biggest issue is sitting in the boat and wanting to make motorboat sounds.... hopefully next Canada Day I can be out.. Peace out and be excellent!!! — feeling optimistic.