January 2022

 Jan 4,

Happy new year everyone!  

I've continued to install decking and the sides of the deckhouse.  The deckhouse sides are being permanently installed with epoxy and stainless steel screws.  The decking is being temporarily installed with drywall screws.  I want to be able to remove sections for access until the interior is finished but its also very nice to have a deck to walk on.  The bow section in particular will need to be taken back up when I build the anchor chain locker.  This should be water tight with drain holes.  I plan on being able to wash the chain down while it is in its locker to remove mud and salt.

I am installing the deckhouse sides first so that the deck between the gunwales  and deckhouse can be cut out of half a sheet of plywood.  I've clamped the plywood in place while I measure for the screw holes.  A screw is placed every 3 inches (7.5 mm) staggered up and down by 1.75 inches along the top and the same along the bottom.  

The deck is beveled to match the deckhouse sides and the bulwark.  

I want the deck plywood to break over the reinforced bulkheads.  I need a short deck piece here to keep the one before and after under 8 feet long.

A finished side... at least to just aft of the deckhouse.  The deck house side is glued and screwed while the deck is just temporarily fastened by a few drywall screws.

Another view of the finished side. I've screwed a temporary piece of plywood over where the two pieces of plywood are butt glued.  This is to make sure that they stay perfectly aligned while the epoxy hardens.  I use wax paper as a release so that the epoxy does not glue the temporary board to the boat.  Eventually there will be some sort of backing of the butt joint but I have not yet decided on what it will look like. Maybe something decorative.