After further interruptions I finally managed to get back to the task of finishing this project. The interior finishing seemed to take a disproportionate amount of time, with even small tasks being quite tricky and time consuming.
However, all is now complete and we are just waiting for some decent weather to go for a spin. Final tasks included polyurethaning the deck and sides - I used Uroxsys which cost 50% more than some other options but it was great to use and has given a really nice finish, only spoiled by the dust that was impossible to avoid given I did it in the garage. Fitted the windscreen - 6mm green-tinted hardened glass. Got the upholstery done in green marine vinyl - reckon it looks really nice too. Fitting the motor and steering and remotes probably took the most time and was the most painful too - working upside down hanging over the sides with my glasses hanging off the end of my nose was a most frustrating task! However, all seems to be working, the only worry being that the 1968 Evinrude Fastwin will be up to the task - she blows heaps of smoke and seems to spread an ocean of oil in the rubbish tin I've had her running in! More photos to come later when the maiden voyage happens, but these for now:

I'm making good progress now - since my last post I have finished the deck beams (I added in five more than the plans had provision for), glued and nailed the deck and have been working on the 'interior' trim and seating. All is looking good and I'm within striking distance of making a start on the sanding and varnishing.

Work continues

Work continues - the topsides

Six coats of International system paint on the bottom and then its back onto the trailer for the fitting out of the inside and

decking. I rolled the paint - I know some people get really carried away and fill and fair and

have their boats professionally spray painted and so on, but I'm trying to do this on a budget and I reckon she looks just fine so far. I've also resisted the trend of fibreglassing everything- the bottom is 9mm thick and apart from some added abrasion resistance fibreglass would only have added to the weight. Call me silly if you like...

Now that she's turned over I'm epoxying and screwing the deck beams in, working out how the seating is going to work, laminating up some extra supports for the floorboards because these are only going to be 10mm thick (Fijian Kauri) and generally getting the inside cleaned up and ready for paint. I'm also trying to get an old cable steering arrangement I pulled out of an old boat up to working order to save me having to buy one.

Back underway!

Well, I'm back again - for the two watchers or friends out there who have had a wee look at what I'm up to - its been a busy 9 months, what with a family funeral, daughter's wedding, new job and a house move, so boat things have been pretty much on hold! However, I've recently started to make progress again so thought I'd better include a short account of what has happened.

Last year I did manage to to get the ply fitted to the sides and bottom. The sides are 6mm

Meranti ply (the original plans are 1/4 inch) and the bottom is 9mm (originally 3/8 inch). The bottom was a mission to say the least - the plans suggest soaking the sheets in hot water overnight to get the required bend, but with marine ply soaking seems to make no difference I guess because the glue layers are impervious to water. So I ended up giving up on trying to do the front half with the 9mm and instead put on two layers of 4.5mm, epoxied between. The 4.5mm bent up just fine and to be honest I reckon this is a better way to go about it as the 9mm was so tough to work with even on the gentle curve of the aft half of the bottom.

Having got the ply on, I then decided to get a trailer sorted - I bought an old boat on a trailer, on-sold the boat and then extended the trailer, ground it back to metal and repainted using POR-15, the best anti-rust paint in the world.

So now I'm back to the boat and am finishing the bottom so that I can then sit her on the trailer and work on the deck and insides over the coming months. It will be good to think that at least part of the boat is finished - even the part you can't really see! She's going to be varnished sides and deck with a green bottom and white stripe around the chine. Her she is undercoated and waiting for topcoat. You can see that in our house move last year I lost out big time - my old double garage with heaps of space is now a single width with only just enough room for this project - its a challenge getting around!