Coming Along Nicely

Even with a boatload of other projects going, I managed to get some more work done on the

The inside is glassed.

The bottom was glassed first and the glass was trimmed just past the hull/deck joint. It took 2 pieces to glass the bottom and the joint was left offset from center just to more efficiently use the glass. Then the deck was glassed all in one piece. That was tricky. Peel ply was used all over. I am undecided if it was worth the extra work but I believe so.

The forward hatch I decided to do rounded for extra strength and a nicer look. Originally I planned to just bend 4mm plywood but decided to do a striped top which won't try to spring back and won't require beams underneath. The strips are 3/16" basswood 1" wide with a 5 deg bevel cut on one side of each strip. The top will be sanded round and then the hatch rim put on in plywood before glassing top and bottom.

The stern and cockpit hatches are 4mm plywood flat panels with bent 4mm ply rims. A heat gun was used to "dry bend" the plywood. Long clamps and patience are required to achieve the hatch below. A plywood strip on the outside takes care of the end moment at the bitter ends of the joint. Once it's in place, a fillet is applied to the inside and then the screws can be removed.