The Ongoing Diary of Deux Chevaux – part 2

PART 2

Several jobs were done during the winter but low temperatures and my work away from home meant that not a lot was accomplished

I have put the frame for the cabin roof in. Window openings have been cut out and polycarbonate sourced for the window material. The tabernacle has been made and I have tested its position but when I put the boat away in the garage I realised that it would not fit under the garage door if bolted in place!

When I originally decided to build this boat it was the maximum size I thought I could fit in my garage, I never considered height as an issue. So I built a new trolley for the boat to sit as low as possible.

Window appertures cut and more framing added

Low level trolley

The next task was to fit the cabin roof. This consisted of two layers of 4mm ply each glued up separately and held in place with lengths of wood and then ratcheted down with some straps used for holding loads on lorries. The idea worked well. The glue I used now when possible was a polyurethane such as Gorilla Glue , Balcotan or similar. The ply was cut roughly to size and the planned and sanded to size after the glue had dried.

Ply rough cut to size and faired after glue dries

Straps hold roof down while glue dries

Then it was sheathing and out with the epoxy – again I reacted so the boat stopped again whilst I recovered.

Glass cloth sheathing

21/05/08

Its back to working with polyurethane glues, the framing for hatch and washboard, gunwales have been glued into place. The windows in their protective covering bolted into place, the boat was put onto my home built trailer and taken to the Barton Turf HBBR bank holiday weekend event as an incomplete project. This had been its intended launch date. A really enjoyable event though, meeting lots of nice people with their boats and helping with the safety boat on Saturday having a really enjoyable sail in Tit Willow on Monday. The weekend after was watching the 3 Rivers sailing race so it was the week after I got back to the boat.

Gunwales and hatch framing added

Partly complete at Barton

Safety Boat

1/6/08

By now I have upped my protection as much as I can against epoxy. I wear a full NCB suit, the hood with filtered blown air, several pairs of gloves and gauntlets (none of which are latex as they let the nasties through!). I had also changed to MAS slow hardener as it is said to be the one that causes least reactions to anyone. I only had to sheath the cockpit area to finish sheathing the boat. I did it – and reacted again! Enough, I gave away all my epoxy to another boat builder. But now I had another problem. Sanding epoxy was worse than initially putting it on. I discovered that I now also reacted to something in the one pack polyurethane paint. So far and now unable to finish the boat.

My luck was in. An anon volunteer came to my aid and spent a week in July sanding the epoxy and painting the boat, at last I could finish it off!