Weeks 14-16 Laying Decks & Floors

The last few weeks have been very filled with lots happening on the boat build and life in general at the BBA. We had week 15 off as an official holiday before exams and then the final push to get the boat finished for launch on 7th June, now only 5 weeks away. I took a couple of days off during the holiday week but the rest of the time worked on with the build and tried to fit in some revision for the the exams but always seemed to get distracted on that front. The exmas were all passed this week anyway without too much fuss. Yesterday was ofcourse a holiday and Monday is again a bnk holiday and with Lyme Regis having such a holiday atmosphere and such great weather it is hard to do a full day. With all these interuptions though the build has been moving forward well still.
My main aim before our week off on week 15 was to have the oak decking laid which we managed to pull off but I also wanted the Black Sikaflex to have been laid too and then during the week it would have cured but aunfortunately it was not ordered for me which was disapointing. Apparently though it will be better to leave it until the Mahogany Breakwater is fitted......this we shall see. The job of laying the deck took up a full week starting with making templates for the covering boards and king plank out of Kaya Mahogany. The tempates were taken to the machine shop and nested onto a sheet of 14mm thick Kaya and then cut out with a jigsaw. The boards running aft of the foredak were then thicknessed down to 10mm and the ones for the foredack down to 4mm veneers as they were being laid on 6mm marine ply sub-deck. There were many changes of plan along the way to takle the thicknessing of these components and in the end In ended up with 2 sets of covering boards for the fore deck and lots of wastage. This wastage has been slowly used up though over the last couple of days for other components and disappeear I hope totally. I shudder th think about the cost ofthe decks but still they will be well worth it in the end and will give the boat that final lift above the norm.
With the decks laid we moved onto making the side seats and mock fitting them. These were maid out of Sapele Mahogany. Two pieces were ordered the finished width and then a spile made of the hull shape onto a hardboard template. The template then was marked on to the material and the hull shape to the back of the seat cut out. This was then moved to the front of the seat and jointed on the form the complete shape of the seat. The final job looks great and the join is almost invisible and no waste was caused in the process. The seats have been sanded down to 180 grit and left to one side . At the same time the seat risers were fitted to the fore and aft bulk heads and the mid-ships seat risers were also spilled and cut out and fitted this week.
The tiller was laminated over the last few weeks aswell and cut out to shape and sanded down to 180 grit and left to one side aswell.
Yohann took a week off and went back home to France so myself and Nick decided to take a trip down to Wadebridge to the Foundary and see what the hold up was with my lead keel. We met the MD who showe dus the cast keel and we had the privilidge of marking it out ourselves for the drilling. This was the week before Easter and we were told it was going to be drilled that week before Good Friday and to expect delivery this last week. It never arrived and I have been told that it will now be drilled next week for defintae and delivered next week. All the hoidays has lead to the foundary being short staffed which I suppose is a legitimate reason but the late delivery really is cutting it fine now and do hope that it arrives next week. After our visit to the foundat we spent a couple of days touring around Cornwall in the most gloroius weather and it was heaven on earth!
We returned to the workshop on Tuesday and Yohann returned re-charged from France tnd tore straight into laying the sole boards. Material was ordered for the dead wood and Nick finished the seats before sating to make the hardboard tempate and spile for the breakwater. My job has taken on more of a management role this last week ordering the bronze rigging fittings, finalising last details of the sail order and ofcoarse chasing up the keel. In between I have been roughly fitting the wood floors that will take the weight of the lead keel, making finishing trim for the bulkhead door and a mock door to balance out the bulkhead.
Next week the breakwater will be made and the sole boards finished and hopefully the boat will be turned back over to fit the deadwood. Officially all building work has to be finsished by Tuesday 10th May to allow 4 weeks for painting/finishing and rigging. If you do not hear from me for a week or 2 you will know that I am serioulst busy but I will try to keep the blog up to date with a little information every week.