Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 3:40 PM
Subject: Squirt Update
Barry:
Getting closer by the day. To this point, I've put in 86 and a half hours and for all practical purposes the boat is ready to launch with nothing more than a couple of coats of deck paint. Everything after this is icing or ego or just plain nuts. I fall into the last category.
(09-13-02) Using 1x12 cedar, I cut the finishing boards and planed them to 5/16-inch thickness then trimmed them to match the curve of the hull. Temporarily attached at the bow end each forward finishing board so I could slip cedar strips/decking underneath (See photo). Once located, the strips were marked to match the finishing boards' curve and cut for a close fit (See photo). Expended time, about three hours.
(09-14-02) Cut cedar to cover the hatch lid. All boards were sanded thoroughly which took more than two hours. Encapsulated the plywood underlayment and the bottoms of the cedar finishing boards and decking strips.
(09-16-02) After letting the epoxy dry for a couple of days, installed the finishing boards, forward deck, dash cover and hatch decking using 3M Adhesive. Temporarily tacked the boards down wherever necessary using drywall screws. Elapsed time: 3.5 hours.
(09-17-02) Bought white vinyl for seats, arm rests and cockpit bolsters.
(09-18-02) Spent two more hours sanding all of the boards so
the fit to the hull is exact. Rounded over the finishing boards and filled any
gaps or seams with cedar dust.
Drilled holes for bronze boat nails at intervals in finishing boards and deck
strips. Because this is solely for appearance, some of the nails were cut to
about a quarter-inch in length before being hammered into the boards. That was
another hour and a half. Spent the next hour preparing and finally putting on
the first of three Poxy Shield coats (see photo) which will be followed by four
coats of varnish.
The blank area at the bow is for a medallion I'll be carving next week. As
always, best to you and all
Art