I had been stagnating at the thought of cutting more holes in the poor boat. The hole cutting isn't too much of an issue, as after so much fairing and fairing and sanding with some fairing, I essentially despise my boat. Devlin says you need to hate a boat, well, deal.
The bow bulkhead (frame A) is supposed to be trimmed completely open based on the design, but I saw this as an opportunity for a storage compartment with a lid. This was also fueled when the initial plywood order over a year and a half ago was the wrong thickness. The A frame ended up being 6mm instead of the requisite 9mm, so the designer helped me fix the scantlings and utilize the frame I had. Today, we poked a hole in it:
Whilst feeling a little saw happy, the benches were just flotation tanks until this point, so I had the same festivities with those as well. The side seat is non-draining and sealed, so it received a vertical locking hatch, allowing some storage of sundry items (probably the keys/cellphone/wallet/dry stuff compartment). On the other hand, the aft compartment will have a drop-in hatch made from its own cutout. This compartment is the main drain to the bilge well aft. Obviously this isn't an offshore boat, otherwise large 1000gph ports would be cut into the sides. The bulk of its life will be spent in freshwater lakes and occasional excursions to the Puget Sound / San Juan islands, which are essentially overgrown lakes with a bad attitude on windy days. Do note that I painted these compartments EEONS ago:
There are other additions, such as the bow eye holes were drilled and an 8" long 1x1 mahogany wood backer glued in, so we will have a true bow eye and the ability to attach her to the trailer, a novelty in itself. I didn't take a picture.
My largest concern since about September is how I was going to do the windshield. I have wavered from Jacques' intended design of a Bolger-inspired sloped windshield forward with side windows (axed due to losing the armrest in SWMBO's seat), to nothing at all, to a Chris Craft looking Duvall style windshield. After much meditation (mainly on the toilet), and considering the costs associated with a CC windshield (from $450-$2000), I opted to step back in time.
Back in the 30's and 40's, many of the utility boats with this hull shape and open layout just used coamings of various types. Some rounded, some sloped, some shaped in odd and majestic ways. I opted for the saxboard/splashboard look of the ocean going vessels. This gives a dose of protection if a green wave is shipped over the bow (which will never happen), has a very jaunty look, and was relatively easy to do with scrap on hand. I am looking for comments on this, good or bad. Any forumites please post in the forums, otherwise feel free to throw a comment in here at the blog.
I think it's simple, understated, and cost effective. I couldn't justify putting a windshield up front that wasn't going to block any wind of consequence, as the forward seats get no breeze, and when I stand I get a face full of bugs on the way in regardless. For our needs, where being out in the sun is King, I think this will work out well.
Next up is finishing out the splashboard fillets, and getting her ready for paint!
I will have to wait a bit for paint, but once 60 degrees rolls around, we are going full tilt, paint, cure a week, and then add the lights/wiring/engine/controls.
Ahh, its nice to be moving again!
E
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