The Arctic Tern Project

Volume 7                           Issue No. 3                       March 2010

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Details and Donkey Work

The devil is the details, they say, and this month was spent dealing with the devil and doing the donkey work required to bring the interior up to ready-for-varnish standards.

Details

First up; route out vent openings in the berth fronts.  Last month I showed you the grilles that cover them; this month I make the holes.

 

 

 

 

Next up; the sliding battery box shelf.  Cut holes for the strap and the wire leads.

 

 

Next up; strip the interior in preparation for final sanding.  All the bulkhead trim bits get removed and bundled in groups.

 

Donkey Work

Then I sand the berth flats and prepare to repair the furrows and divots created by the rivets in those free Carharts somebody gave me.

 

I reapply a couple coats of epoxy to fill the scars.

 

Sand and clean-up the locker openings.  These took a beating over time; grime grinding away under the lids.

 

Interior surfaces get sanded.

 

Berth flats and locker openings get a couple coats of epoxy (to fill the scars) and then re-sanded (but I didn’t take pictures).

 

All superfluous screw holes get filled (the green tape is covering the thickened epoxy so it doesn’t run out).  Screw holes that I want to keep get lined with epoxy.

 

All bulkhead trim bits get sanded.

 

Other trim bits get epoxy coated.

 

Bulkhead trim gets glued on.

 

 

At this point I discover that I don’t have a plug cutter to fit the #6 countersink holes so I wait a day then back out every #6 screw and then re-drill for #8 countersink (I don’t bother putting screws back in).

 

 

All the holes get plugged.

 

More Details

While I’m waiting for the plugs to cure I glue in this backing block for under the forestay attachment.

 

Once the epoxy cures I drive some plugs down.

 

Fill the holes with thickened epoxy.

 

Then put the temporary bolts in and simultaneously drive out the plugs (the plugs were there to prevent the epoxy from running out).

 

Once the epoxy cures I pull out the temporary bolts.

 

Then I scab on this little piece where I cut the toerail too short.

 

Then I knock off all the plugs on the bulkhead trim and all the pieces and joints get a thorough sanding (that part should go under the “Donkey Work” category).

 

Mast partner get a thorough sanding and fairing inside so the Spartite plug will come out if I ever want to remove the mast.

 

 

Cabin sole trim bits get scraped down.

Cabin Sole

Ahh.  Then I get to finally start laying the cabin sole.  I had these strips of Doug Fir made up about eight months ago.  I start along each straight edge beside the centerline lift-out panel and work my way outboard.

 

I leave gaps between the lift-out panels so I have something to trim off after they’re all glued down.

 

Strips are held down with temporary screws to be later removed then drilled out and plugged.  I nearly drilled through the bottom of my boat here where the hull meets the cabin sole.  Close one!

 

 

Here it is all temporarily fastened.

Next Time

Finish the floor.