Here are some more pictures of the gunwales.  These photos show the 1.5" inner trim which is intended to "dress-up" the gunwales.  These peices are attached with techbond waterproof glue and #6 1" screws.  I decided to use button plugs to cover the screw holes. 

When finished the gunwales will be dyed with a water-based Mahogany dye.  The I plan to cover that with epoxy.

Although they originally told me I would have to wait until the end of June, I paid the membership yesterday and they told me to go ahead and put her in the mooring.

Here she is at last!

This week with the help of a 3 neighbors, I turned the boat over to begin working on the topside.  In the photos you can see where I have decided to try and "dress-up" the gunwales on each side of the boat.  Also you can see some peices of wood positioned diagonally in the bottom of the boat.  These peices are epoxied in place and will serve as the cleats for 3/4" wooden slats that will be the flooring in the boat.  This should only increase the weight of the boat by about 20-25 lbs. but I think it will really do alot for the appearance.  Just in case one may wonder---they are placed diagonally to keep any water from being trapped when the boat is tilted to drain.

The launch went well!

We got down to the ramp under threat of rain but it looked like it would miss us so we went ahead and launched.

The wind was blowing from the west but, as you will towards the end of the video, they swung to the SE and blew strong! We had a good test of the rigging in that I did not reduce sail and we hit 4 knots to windward, pretty good for a tubby catboat. Going with the wind, we hit just over 6 knots!

Here is a direct link to the same video.

http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/P....nt=100_7798.flv

Rigged the mast again today for a correct test for the sail. This means that the mast hoops are on (I'll need one more), the sailed is tied on to the boom and the gaff poles and the uphaul lines are running through the deck blocks (I installed them backwards) and teh lines are tied on to the belaying pins.

Basically, with a few minor modifications and additions, the boat should be ready to take its 1st sail on Monday!

I still have a half dozen things to do like install the cleats for the mooring lines, attach a line to the centerboard to be able to pull it up, install the tiller handle to the rudder and a couple other minor tasks.

Did a test of the mast, gaff and boom. The sail was not properly rigged, I just wanted to make sure that everything hoisted properly and it did. She will be easy to recognize on the water!

After several days & nights sanding, I finally came to the conclusion that it was time to put a coat of primer on the bottom.  I think anyone will tell you, that eventually you just have to come to the point where you've sanded enough! I finally reached that point after a approximately 20 hours---some by hand and some by using a orbital sander.

On Saturday, 3-27-2010, I applied the first coat of primer.  The brand I used is Interlux Pre-kote (gray).  The I sanded the entire exterior surface by hand with 220 grit paper.  The paint I chose to cover it was Interlux Brightside.  Although I have heard that this particular paint was not recommended for the bottom, I have had success with it in the past when I painted a 16 footer.  This boat will not stay in the water for any real length of time so I'm hoping for the same level of success as before.

Today I was finally able to test the mast. I built the tabernacle and this made it a LOT easier to get the mast up and in place. I had attached the tangs to the mast, 12 feet up and ran string down to measure the distance for the stainless wire that will help support the mast from the strain of the wind.

The top bolt is the pivot and the bottom one holds it in place. I cut the mast an inch above the deck at a 45 degree angle and got a nice, tight fit.

The mast itself looks solid. There may be a bit too much rake (angle) in the mast but I will wait to see how it looks when I put the sail up and after I get it in the water.

It will look good once she is launched and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Terri helped me get the boat off the floor cradles and on to the trailer. It took us about 15 minutes but it went up fine and rides just right. 

This allowed me to test the mast to see if I can lift it into place and decided that I had better cut the mast and place it in a tabernacle. The thing just weighs too much. 

The tabernacle will allow me to raise the mast easier and will be the next step as you will see over the next few days. It sets us back a couple days but not too bad.

It has been a while since I have posted anything regarding the boat construction. It was not because nothing was getting done, it was just that progress was tedious and slow. 

Since the last post, Terri and I have managed to get the deck painted, the coamings varnished, the cabin floor made and in place. The rudder is hung on its

pintles but still lacks the tiller arm. The centerboard is in place and the trim for the centerboard trunk is in and varnished. 

Today's project was to start making the mast. I have an 18 foot 4 x 4 that I wanted to make 3-1/2" round, 30" from the bottom and tapered to 2" over the las 3-5 feet (I have not decided yet.)

This is the result after 2 hours of planing:

I will try to get it to its final dimensions tomorrow and then varnish it.