Quite a month....................

Its been an interesting few weeks with the boat, i have gone from steaming and drying the boat to now accepting the boat wont ever be 100% dry but after a day spent in my local yard with a tramex meter i realise my boats not the only one.

Together with an interesting chat with one of the country's top marine surveyors it bought the situation to a close regarding moisture levels and old boats so now i can concentrate on re-laminating the hull, admittedly not ideal given the weather but with my new gas heater i'm hoping to continue working throughout the winter months unlike last year.

The cabin top and coach roof have been filled, i just need to fair them and sort out sanding up the foredeck and then onto the main attraction of the hull.

I spent yesterday evening planing and sanding the hull getting rid of all the lumps and bumps from the hull to make the cloth drape easier over the hull and so take a vacuum better.

Only time will tell but i want to get on and go sailing now.

It smells like a chip shop in here......

Yes pop-pickers after 6 days steaming the hull my mood has lifted somewhat as the boats underbelly has finally moved off the top of the moisture meter only to about 20 which is still massive but good to see nonetheless.

Finally work's picked up so not much will be happening this week, but i want to get on fairing the cabin tops and decks in the evenings although i'm having real problems with condensation at the moment so am toying with more vents but up near the eaves.

Got the foredeck and cabin roofs sheathed this week as well as the hull drying so really want to keep the momentum, i also took delivery of the rope clutches and organisers (from pacer marine an excellent ebay store for marine hardware) for the coachroof as i want to get on making the necessary joinery pieces to attach these items.

I am using Barton marine fittings to outfit the boat and spars with as i feel they provide the best quality/price point for my needs, for hatches i'm using a French firm called Goiot again as their prices and quality seem to be in the realms of reality.

What with the setback of the hull not drying i have divided the boat project along the rubbing strakes so for now i will carry on rebuilding the deck with all that that entails and when the readings are satisfactory then i will resume the work on the hull.

I'm realizing the need to be more flexible with this project and think the last few posts are a reflection of that, i just wish i made more of the good weather we've had this year, oh well as long as something's getting done, those keels will get fitted one day.