A lot has come together in the last day or so. Most of the egregious bumps and holes and spatters of epoxy have been sanded to a low-level of irritation and have been rendered less noticeable with several coats of primer paint (left-over house paint). Because I am slapping on the paint at this time I have used those cheap foam disposable brushes and you certainly get what you pay for. Each one is good for about one coat before it starts leaving little bits of foam all through the finish and has to be disposed of.
I have trial fitted the seat but not yet epoxied it in place. The plan suggests a plywood seat well braced beneath but I like the feel of a solid plank. It is a little wider than called for in the plan but I think it will fit me quite nicely. The rower’s seat will probably be the only one but I am considering a stern seat that can be slid in and out when needed and otherwise left ashore.
The bigger job was the sealing down of the compartments by fitting the deck. As can be seen from the number of clamps used the plywood did not take kindly to being wrapped around the curved bulkheads. As I noted earlier the foredeck had to be fabricated from two scrap pieces as I had previously snapped the last large bit of plywood in the shop. I have been generous, to say the least, with the epoxy and have probably marred the finish with a number of screw-holes but I have a fear that when I release the clamps tomorrow the decks will re-assume their natural flat shape with a loud twang.
Next tasks – epoxy the seat in place, a final sanding of the primer coats to remove the residue of foam brush and then the first of the interior painting. I have chosen a nice cream colour which should work well with the sea green of the hull.
Sailstrait 