Saturday, July 2, 2016

July long weekend update, windows and masts

Here is my update for the July long weekend, 2016

 I made an armrest for the forward end of the settee, out of a cutoff from the bow curve stringers. There is a removable pole with nice curves at the top and bottom, with a spot to hold up the armrest. I have to go and get some barrel bolts similar to the other side to hold it in position.

The shape is so I have a little table to hold my coffee while lounging on the settee
 Right now I have a piece of wood propping it up in the right position, there will be a hinge so it can be folded up out of the way. I will figure out a way to tie it in the upright position, so it doesn't fall and bang me in the head one day,

next photo is the shelves inside the settee leanback, and (not shown) one of the access holes was cut in the seatback.


 As I mentioned in a previous post, getting appropriate wood for a mast in the prairies is a challenge. I could have gotten a cutting permit, roped in a buddy, drove a few hours west, spent the day cutting down a suitable tree, and hauling it back. Instead, the guy just down the road from me brings in big truckloads of wood, which he cuts up and sells by the bag to people going to the nearby lakes. I had him separate 3 likely looking ones from the pile, and I bought them and brought them home this weekend. One other bonus, he is close enough that I drove my tractor over, so we could use the hydraulic front end loader to do the heavy lifting. I bought 3 in case there is a flaw in one of them that only reveals itself once the bark is off and the wood is dried. The least desirable one will become firewood. 
 I will have to make up some new sawhorses to do the de-barking on, Peter Hooper from his Trilobuild face book page recommended  higher than normal ones. I hope that my trees are suitable to turn into masts, as per Dave Zieger's blog post http://triloboats.blogspot.ca/2012/03/masts-as-if-they-grew-on-trees.html

The other bit of progress is the windows. Here is the set by the dinette, each window is just under 18" square. The order of assembly will be, from the outside in, exterior trim, an 18x72" piece of Plexiglas, bedding compound, the 1/2" exterior skin, then a window frame ( which is visible in the photo of the shelves above) cut from a 1/2 thick plywood, glued to the inside of the exterior skin to strengthen the ribs. Inside of this is a second piece of Plexiglas and a final 1/2 frame , screwed together so that the Plexiglas can be replaced when scratched up. I am using the term "Plexiglas" here generically, as I will actually be using whatever brand that my local lumberyard carries. I left the cedar around the window exposed, and will coat it with a clear finish, maybe Prizim as recommended by Dave, if the cost to get it here is reasonable.
 Don't pay any attention to the mess visible through the window, once I launch that will no longer be in sight.