The compartment covers are finished and coated with epoxy barrier.  This will be followed with white enamel paint.  Painting aft two compartments, tank interiors, and covers before installing them. Seat work still a ways off.  Cockpit front panel will be covered with a apricot or cherry wood (I never found out which) harvested in 1987 from an orchard in Saratoga, California.

Trying to finish buoyancy compartment covers.  The 6mm ply is running low so checked what was available on the deck ply sheets once the fore and aft material is removed.  Should be fine.  Brilliant the front and back use exactly 2 sheets and they conform very easily.  There is still considerable shaping to the frames to receive the deck skin as well as internal work (console, keel plate, shroud and fore-stay anchoring, spinnaker chute...).  The rudder stock thrust bearing block was originally to be mounted permanently.  Now it will be bolted from below with sealant all around to allow quicker access to the upper and lower bearings.

 

 

The aft cockpit and side decks/tanks meet in a strange manner making it tricky to enclose the watertight compartments.  Four pairs of compartments are prepared in the side decks.  A small space above each and below the seat edge will allow access to cover plates.  I am pretty happy with the seat structure in supporting persons and stiffening the length of the midsection of the boat.   Next week might be realistic to start cold molding the seat a.

Aft edge composed of 2x 6mm ply.  

 Bulkheads bonded in place.

 Hanger plates for seat stringers.  Just throw out the square for these pieces.

Bow chock block...or whatever!  Spinnaker chute to be built in just aft of this and initially hidden for future upgrade.

Using left over cedar battens from the cold molding the upper edge of each compartment is fitted with a shelf to receive the cover plate.

Finger board for pattern making of cover plates.

Six patterns to make like this.  The edge boards are all fitted and this just might work.

Curved seats throw curve balls.  A bit a geometric quandary.  At least the fitting is proceeding and I can count on cold-molding to smooth the rough edges.  I am trying to avoid a weak inner edge while still having access into some small storage above the watertight compartments on the side-decks.



The keelson stack is complete.  I will place an aluminum (TBD) plate on top that mirrors the keel flange.  The rudder block will go on as soon as the next epoxy work starts.  Started the buoyancy tanks beneath the side decks.  The volume is slightly less than original design but still meets the rules.

 

Now the deck fore and aft is glued up and near ready for the skin, 6mm ply.  The rudder bearing and inner seals are in place.  The deck rudder block will be installed next around which the deck skin will lay.  After this the cockpit work starts.