This week our progress on the boat is not real visible, but it is there none the less.  We accomplished some very important but not showy stuff.  We laminated two thin pieces of wood for the rub rail.  We did this in two pieces so we could use the plastic staples to hold it in place, as the staples wouldn't hold thicker pieces.  It worked well and once again we realized how handy those plastic staples are.
The windshield frames were a big job with a lot of fitting to get them right.  The curved strips for the pilot house roof were also tricky to get right, but they are ready for the plywood roof now.
We also framed the space for the doors into the cabin.
Tomorrow we will do more fiberglassing-this time on the cabin top and the forward deck.  We need to do the fiberglass first thing in the morning so we can get a second coat on in the afternoon. 
We also need to attach the second v berth bed, which we may complete today.  We also had a lot of cleanup in the interior of the boat, as it was full of sanding dust.  It seems that everything is full of sanding dust, but I guess that is to be expected.  Before we do any painting we will have to roll the boat outside, and thoroughly clean all parts of the shop.

Look what is happening to our boat!  It seems to be growing upward.  This week we made great progress, putting the ribs on the cabin top, then adding the plywood over them.  As the pictures show, the cabin now is enclosed (and dark) and will be fitted with windows and a front hatch.  It was quite a job getting the top pieces fitted precisely so all would go together as planned.  Richard took his time and measured and then measured some more, before installation.  The sand buckets came into use again and worked well, until one of them fell off the top and spilled sand all over!  What a mess that was.  Anyway, after all the fitting, the plywood was glued and then stapled to the ribs and sides, and all went together perfectly. 
We next cut out the foam rubber for the v-berth, so that the second side of the bed can now be attached.  We found a great tool for cutting the foam.  The band saw made perfectly smooth cuts quickly and easily-much better than a knife, as a knife makes a ragged cut that is hard to keep straight up and down. 

Next job was to create the ribs for the pilot house top, and get the sides ready to attach to the ribs. The ribs will be two pieces of wood-mahogany and ash, laminated together.  The contrast of the light and dark woods is very attractive.  It is truly amazing how different the boat looks with the sides of the pilot house up and ready to be attached.  The true lines of the boat are becoming visible now, which is exciting.

Once again, the boat is changing shape.  We attached the cabin sides and front yesterday, also cutting the notch in the front piece where the hatch will go.  There is a saying among boat builders that no matter how many clamps you own, it is not enough!  We found that to be true when attaching the sides.  However, they went on nicely and look great.
This morning early we did more filleting in the stern, then went to Missoula to buy more wood.  This time it was douglas fir, mahogany, and maple.  The fir is to replace the pilot house and cabin arches we made earlier, which warped too badly to use.  The hardwood is for trim in some of the same areas.  Hopefully we will have better luck with the new arches.  More fiberglass cloth and resin was the job this afternoon-a seemingly endless job. 
We also bought foam rubber and fabric for the cockpit cushions, pilot house seats, and the cabin berths.  We decided to use bright colors, so we will use yellow in the cockpit and pilot house and bright stripes down below.  We are looking forward to getting those started soon.

We have made good progress this week.  The boxes in the stern, which will also be seats are almost finished.  We do need to figure out what type of hinges we will use there. 
The next job was the deck area in the bow.  The one thing we had trouble with was breaking off the #9 brass screws when setting them.  We have to use a lot of screws to attach the deck, so we needed to do something different.  We went to a #10 brass screw and that made all the difference.  They are just enough heavier and stronger.
After the bow deck was attached we then attached the side decks.  So, as the pictures show, it is looking more and more like a real boat now.  The shaping of the outer edges of the deck is being done at this time

 so that a rub rail can be attached.  We haven't decided if we will make a wood and aluminum one, or go with a rubber one.
Soon we will be able cut out and attach the sides of the cabin and pilot house, which will really change the look of the boat.
Libby, our Springer Spaniel appears to be the foreman of this project.  She spends a lot of time watching the progress, but I do think she would much rather be chasing tennis balls in the yard.

Here are more pictures today of interior progress.  Richard is having a lot of fun designing and creating the interior, but not so much fun sanding and preparing some of the small pieces.  They are coming together, though.  We decided to varnish the V-berth area instead of painting it all white.  We will paint the walls white, but the rest will be natural.  The last order of plywood was much nicer looking than the first order, so that influenced our decision.  The first picture shows the V-berth area.  All the boards will have storage under them, and one (the front one with the finished board) houses the porta-potti. The board lifts out to access the potti.
The second picture shows the fuel vent and hose.  This is in the stern where the bench will be.  We have created access to all the components of the fuel system.  The US Coast Guard requires this of all newly constructed boats now.  They created this rule about 2 years ago.
The last picture shows where the porta-potti will be used.  It will be lifted out of its storage area and set where it is in the picture.  The good thing is that the forward hatch is right above it, so while you are sitting on the potti, you can look around at the scenery.  The position is a little short for tall people, so you can also stick your head out of the hatch if you want.  We raised the porta-potti position for comfort while using. 
So, things are moving right along, but it sometimes seems pretty slow with all the little parts and pieces to be made. 

After spending two weeks away from the boat project,  we are back to work.  It is fun to see the boat changing every day, especially as we work on the interior.  Today we have been doing more fillets, and more fitting of parts in the the bow area.  We have made the stern bench and storage, and are working on the v-berth and bow area.  We are trying to get as much done in the bow area as possible, before enclosing it , as it is much easier to work in the open.  We will post more pictures of these areas as they are completed.  As you can see, the sand buckets are in use again, weighting things down.

This week we decided to do a few fun things along with the continual sanding.  We really didn't realize how much sanding is involved with this project!  It seems never-ending, and it might be!  Anyway, we built the deck frames at the bow, which came out very nice.  We also built the porta-potti storage cabinet, and the transom boxes.  The transom boxes will have PVC tubes in them for the movement of the steering rod.  They will also house other items such as steering cables and electric wiring.
We have decided that the best way to get all that sanding done is to alternate sanding and creative building. However, it does take a lot of personal discipline to go back to sanding after the fun of designing and building.  We did discover a product which makes sanding a little easier, though.  It is West System 410 Microlite fairing filler, for all you boat builders.  It is much easier to use than our other fillers and much easier to sand after it hardens.  Too bad we didn't discover it sooner!  Okay, back to sanding, oh boy!