28 November, '05

The “table”came down late last week, all the frames are built, the deck and cabin beams are laminated, the hatch tops and components are all ready to assemble, and the stem is laminated, all 15 laminations of it.

It will be a few days before the jig is properly set up and the frames erected, and its then that the shape will begin to appear. We’ll be back with photos about then but in the meantime I drew an interior profile to show what she will be like inside when finished.

From the bow, we have an anchor well on deck, quite big, certainly large enough to stand in or to make a footwell when sitting on the deck up there. The main mooring cleats are in there, and I’d expect the day anchor and its rode to be stored in there ready for use at all times.

Below that there is a crash bulkhead, and the space can be accessed from inside through a hatch which also provides ventilation for the space under the anchor well. Aft of that the big forward cabin could have a king sized double bed or a pair of fold down singles plus storage. But for this boat we have a portable head and lots of big bins and lockers. In either case there is a chain locker at the forward end which is accessed through a navel pipe up on deck ( with plug for preventing water coming down below).

To Starboard aft of that there is a half sheet plus a little chart table with a tray under that will take about 30 charts, to port a galley with the gimballed stove very close to the boats pitch and roll axis to minimise movement.

There are big comfy settees each side in the main cabin, bookshelves, quarter berths that extend in under the cockpit and high leecloths are fitted for security when resting in foul weather.

I managed to fit a “tools and stuff “ locker in on one side of the engine, and a wet locker on the other. Not large mind you but it will take two sets of wetties and deckboots.

Enough for now, I can hear the angle grinder starting up, and I have to go and move some gear so we can push the building jig across to the right place for the next stage.

Back soon with more!

John W