We are busy working on the boat, getting lots of stuff done now that we are finished with the fillets and fiberglass cloth on the inside bottom.  That was a terrible job and the work now is much more enjoyable.  We have painted all the inside bottom with bilge paint and fitted the floorboards.  We are also making templates for the forward v berth and figuring out where to put the porta potti.  The cockpit floorboards have been painted with three coats of resin on the underside, for strength and moisture resistance.  They will be permanently be installed today and hopefully we won't ever need to get under them again.  The sand barrels are back in use, weighting down the floorboards and the transom compartments.  Also, the fuel tank has been installed under the floor in the cockpit in the large center compartment.  So, we are making good progress and every day it looks more like a real boat.  We need to think up a good name for her, so we can stop referring to her as "the boat"!

 Now that the boat is turned upright, it is time for the interior work.  The first job is fillets on all the joints and seams at the bottom.  You will see this in the pictures included this posting.  We both agree that it is a terrible job.  We are also fiberglassing the interior of the boxes with cloth and resin.  These jobs are awful-difficult working positions and very messy.  We have almost completed the back section of the boat, but decided to take a break from fiberglass work for a few days.  The problem is that we need to get them done and cured and completely dry so we can paint them with bilge paint.  In the meantime, however, Richard is doing some more fun things- building compartment covers, and figuring out floorboards, v-berth, and the foredeck supports.   He is also fitting the gas tank, as shown in picture number 2. These are much more fun than the fiberglass work!  Looks like more fillets and glass cloth tomorrow, though.

The great boat rollover event!

Well, the rollover of the boat went without a hitch yesterday.  We ended up with 27 people to eat chili, drink beer and help turn her over.  The frame we built weighed more than the boat, I am sure, and many hands made the job easy.  She fit beautifully on the trailer and is now back in position in the shop and ready for more building.  It was a great group-neighbors and friends and friends of friends and all the chili was gobbled up.  Here are some pictures of the event.

Waiting for the turn-over!

It is now the beginning of February, and we are making progress slowly.  Last week we put the last coat of paint on the bottom.We ended up with three coats so it should be plenty durable.  It looks pretty good, too-better than the previous coats.  Now is the time to get the boat ready for turn-over.  The bronze rub strake is in place at the bow and the frame for turning the boat over is almost finished.  The plan is do the turn-over on Saturday with hopefully not less than 12 people helping.  We built the frame to support the boat on the sides and also on the top before we put it on the trailer.  The original framework that we used while construction of the bottom and sides was removed after the new frame was built.  So now the boat is more of less suspended in the new frame.  After we turn it over we cut the new frame away and carry the boat to the trailer.  That is the procedure and we hope it goes the way of the plan.  We are looking forward to the turn-over party with plenty of chili and beer for all the helpers.  The trailer has been lengthened and the new pads covered and placed in position.  Hope it all fits together.  It will be good to get the boat upright and get started on building the interior and deck.