Week 18

I managed to sneak up to Chatham for a long weekend to get some finishing done on Pompano. The first thing I did was prep the hull for painting. I used an aggressive scotch brite type pad to scuff up the bottom, then sanded the topsides with 220. I painted in reverse order again, starting with the bottom, moving to the top, and then finishing with the boot stripe. As before, the bottom is Interlux CSC Green, the topside is Hatteras Off White 1990, and the boot is red boot stripe paint.

I wasn't able to fit one piece of dynel for the cuddy top, so, like the deck, I had to create a 1 inch seam down the center. This was wetted out with epoxy and when dry I was able to get 1 coat of primer on.

The coamings were sanded down with 220 and I was able to get on 2 coats of Allspar varnish.

Aside from finish work, I was able to open the mast step up another 3/8" forward, which hopefully will fix the angle of the mast. But this was all I was able to accomplish this trip before heading back to Nantucket. IMPALA is sailing to Italy the first week in May so be sure to pick up a copy of the Inquirer and Mirror prior to our departure and read about our trip!

Week 18 PHOTOS

Topsides are painted

Dynel is cut to shape for the cuddy top

The dynel is epoxied down

First of two more coats of varnish to go on the coamings

Another view at the scarph joint

From the bow looking aft.

Detail of the coamings.

Topsides, boot, and bottom are painted.

The cuddy top gets 1 coat of primer

A view of the coamings aft

And an overall shot of the boat. Those coamings really pop out!

week 17

Last week the STBD bulkhead was finished. This week began by making a new stick jig in order to cut out a plywood mold for the Port bulkhead. With this cut out, I was able to fit it in place and install the Mahogany cleats. Then the Port Orford Cedar was cut and fit into place, screwed, removed, glued up, and screwed back in. Now both bulkheads are in place and glued.

Then it was time to get two sheets of 1/4" plywood cut to a rough shape of the cuddy top. The first piece was used to transfer lines from the deck beams underneath for my screw placement. With this done, I was able to trace out the second piece, clamp them together and drill pilot holes where I wanted them. Then, I mixed up a batch of thickened epoxy and spread it out on top of the deck beams. Both sides of the plywood that contact each other were covered in epoxy and sandwiched together. Both pieces were placed in place and screwed into the deck beams from the center outboard. I put two space heaters inside the cabin with two lamps to provide as much heat as I could to insure the epoxy would go off over night in the cold. The next day, I cleaned up the edges of the plywood and faired them to the coamings and bulkhead.

I put a coat of Penetrating Epoxy on the top of the cuddy to seal it, especially the end grain of the ply. Then, I was able to tape off the coamings and begin sanding. I sanded them down with 80 grit on a random orbital before switching to the speed file. After they were decently faired, I switched to 120 grit on a block sander. I chipped the bungs on the bulkhead and sanded that as well. Today, the 8th of Feb., I got the first sealer coat of varnish, a mixture of 50% Allspar and 50% thinner on the coamings. It was extremely satisfying to see the beautiful grain of the Wana explode when the varnish touched it.

The boat will sit like this over the next few weeks while I make a trip out west, then I have one week of work when I return in March before heading to Nantucket and preparing the IMPALA for her sailing trip to Italy in may. Stay tuned and look forward to that trip!

week 17

Another stick jig is made for the Port bulkhead

And the plywood mold is cut and fit.

Then go in the cleats followed by the Port Orford Cedar.

Here they both are glued and screwed.

Here is the A/C plywood ready to rough cut to the shape of the cuddy top.

Here it is in place for marking the deck beams underneath.

And tracing out the second layer.

A little last minute fairing was needed.

Here are the two layers of plywood glued and screwed down to the beams.

An expanded view with the two space heaters and two lamps to help the epoxy go off.

A view looking aft after the edges of the plywood have been faired to the coamings, and the coamings are taped off for sanding.

Using the speed file with 80 grit to fair out the coamings.

Then going over with 120.

The first layer of varnish thinned 50% with thinner is applied.

The finished port coaming is contrasted with the bare STBD side.

Both sides are done, and the beauty of the Wana really stands out.

Week 16

This week was started by gluing up the aft coaming pieces that had been fit and screwed in last week. I removed them, taped off the seams, and smothered them in 5200. With these drying, I attacked the FWD end of the coamings with the fairing board. I needed this section fair before I started fitting out the cuddy.

Once fair, I was able to bend in two oak cleats along the inside top edge that the deck beams with notch into. I had just enough White Oak from last winter to saw out my 5 deck beams 3/4" x 1 1/8", a little bigger then specified. Once these were cut and the undersides routed over with an 1/8" bit, I started fitting them to the notches in the cleats. As each one fit in, I was able to get a good idea of how the cuddy would affect the overall feel of the boat, which I think is a huge improvement.

When these were all cut and fit, I mixed up a batch of G-Flex epoxy and screwed them in, allowing them to dry overnight. With these in, I was able to start tackling the bulkheads. Brad Pease suggested heading down to Wood Lumber Company in Falmouth, a great place for wood lovers, to check out their tongue and groove beaded Port Orford Cedar, which is lightweight, beautiful, and smells amazing. I picked up 10 boards 1"x4" x 7 feet long. Before I could fit the cedar in place, I needed to make a mold of the bulkhead so I could shape the cedar to the curve of the hull. I whipped up a little jig using scraps of plywood, pointer sticks that I made, and hot glue to hold it all together. I picked up all the angles I needed and laid it all out on some plywood. With a little shaping, it fit nicely in place. I was then able to locate where my cleats needed to be, and installed those. Then, I removed the mold and laid the Cedar on top of it, cutting the pieces to shape. Once they were all cut, I then brought them into the boat for final fitting and screwed them into the cleats. By the end of the day Sunday, I had the STBD bulkhead fit and screwed in. It still needs to be shaped and faired at the top where it attaches to the deck beam, then completely removed and bedded and glued down.

week 16!

Taping off that aft sections of coaming for gluing

Here are the pieces ready for 5200.

Here is the nose piece at the FWD end cut and the cleats for the deck beams getting fit.

The coamings are glued and screwed under the tarp to conserve heat and the deck beam cleats are glued and clamped.

Here are the coamings the next day.

Here I am laying out the deck beam locations.

All notches for the beams are cut into the cleat and all beams are rough made. Here, the first one is fit in.

Here, all five are cut and fit.

Finding the centerline.

Here is my jig for making a mold of the STBD bulkhead.

The jig goes ontop of the plywood for tracing.

Pretty nice fit!

Cleats are installed along the frame and notice the teak cleat on the cockpit sole.

Port Orford Cedar is then laid out on the plywood bulkhead mold.

Beginning to fit the pieces for the bulkhead.

This piece took me about two hours to fit correctly.

The STBD bulkhead is fit and screwed. Tomorrow, I will work on the Port side.

Week 15 - 2011

Its 2011 and time again to work on Pompano. This year, I only have a few weeks, but after the progress I had last winter, it should be enough to get some difficult work done. Pompano sat comfortably in the water in front of Pease Boat Works and Marine Railway in Chatham all summer without hassle. I hauled her out in late October and built the shrink wrap tent around her just as I did last winter.

The first project I faced was the one that has frightened me the most since I have owned Pompano, building and attaching the coamings. I knew that was going to be difficult because not only do the coamings show off the boat, but in my case, they will be built of four pieces (not including the nosing block) which require steam bending and lots of precision cutting and shaping. I was most nervous about the fit at the front where the coamings angle forward and attach to each other and the aft pieces which finish on the transom and then scrafed to the front pieces. After two weeks, however, my fears were unrealized as the coamings came together.

I had my steamed Wana from last Spring that stayed in shape all summer and ready to go this winter. I began by clamping these in place one by one against the carlin and slowly and patiently shaping the front joint. In the end, a fine kerf saw is used to cut right down the middle of the two pieces of wood for a perfect fit. Once these were fit, I worked on the nosing block, which is two pieces of inch and a half Wana glued together. This was cut to fit all three angles. The first thing screwed in was this nosing block, to hold that FWD joint secure while the rest of them were screwed into the oak carlin. A simple 45 degree cut was made vertically along the after end of the front coaming pieces for the scarf. Then, each aft piece was loosely clamped in place while the aft end was cut and fit against the transom. When happy with this fit, I cut the scarf in the front end to match that of the FWD coaming. This was tricky and took some patience with the sanding board and a lot of trips in and out of the boat. Once these were to my liking, I screwed them in place. I am happy with the outcome. Right now, they are removed from the boat awaiting shaping of the end sections where they come down and finish with a little flare at the transom. Then they will be lathered up with 5200 and G-Flexed at the scarfs to complete the fitting of the coamings. After that they need to be faired before the raised deck/ cuddy cabin top can be framed out.

week 15 / 2011

Pompano in 2011

STBD Side

As I left her last Spring

Starting work on the coamings. STBD Side is screwed, Port is only Clamped

Both pieces come together FWD and screw into the nosing block

A view from underneath where it attaches to the carlin and supporting blocks

Both FWD pieces are now screwed in place

Then removed for gluing with 5200

G-Flex is applied to where the FWD ends attach to the nosing block

All glued in. Notice the white line of 5200 caulk along the deck seam

Fitting the AFT pieces

Port scarf joint. Not bad.

Looking down on the scarf joint.

Detail of the fit on the transom.

Here you can see where i've sketched out the detail at the end of the coaming.

Wide view to see all four coaming pieces in place. The aft ones still need to be shaped and glued.