Still in Front

Still pushing on, although didn't get the forepeak finished, its all bolted down, epoxied, bedded and tabbed to the boat, this after endlessly veneering and capping everything - man that got tedious by the third day, see i originallythought i'd have it all done in a week and yet two weeks on still not complete. 

I dry-fitted it altogether in the shop first to make sure there'd be no surprises once the epoxy was mixed and PU gooped everywhere and in fairness there wasn't. I dunno why even after all this time having tackled some reasonably big jobs like the keels and sheathing the hull i still get incredibly nervous fitting stuff even with everything laid out in front of me: tools, materials and a crib sheet - seriously!

I think in this particular case its due to the confining space of the forecabin on these boats and i'm waving sheets of ply around that are 900mm x 900mm and trying:

a) to get it through the forecabin opening without damaging the ply

b) not to get any of the adhesive on the ply until i've got it in place &

c) to forget the ticking clock that starts in my head the minute i've mixed the epoxy and squeezed three tubes of structural PU about the place.

After yet another feeling of eternity and thoroughly soaked through in sweat (nervous energy) plus 200 screws it was all over bar the wiping off of excess adhesive of all varieties.

Also to add to the tension is the fact you're stooped (5ft headroom) and because of the new arrangement a mile from where you need to be, much easier walking around all three sides in the shop but when in place its a ball ache to lean over to check joints have pulled up and wafers have stayed in place. I cured that problem with several plywood straps to hold them together then fired what seemed like box after box of wood screws into predrilled and countersunk holes.

The upshot was being too tired the next day to do anything meaningful other than clean the shop up. Still after a bit of local paid work i got the lids veneered and trimmed so they're ready to go, just need to get in the cabin to trim the veneer that will cover the top and get that bonded down. 

I'm also looking for a 2k clearcoat to do the interior with, if anyone has any ideas post in the comments section cheers, as after paying £40 a litre for the hempels to do the windows with i realise i'll go broke again based on how much interior joinery there is to coat plus i want some thing quick drying and sprayable too

I think since its internal i may well approach an old supplier from my furniture days, from memory a 20L drum of 2k semi matt was around £120, it would've gone up but it'll be cheaper than any tin with a picture of a boat on it. 

I've tacked the latest photos onto the existing album of the forecabin here

cheers.