Winter weather in north central Florida, is so weird. :-\
Used to have a working time window of 11AM to 4PM, for optimum epoxy curing and the same time frame for painting, with EZ-Poxy paint.
Too much humidity and temps much too low outside that weather window, otherwise. :(
Well, all that stuff is DONE now, and I'm STILL stuck between 11 and 4, only NOW, it's because of ME!! :P
Too cold to work out there in the morning and too cold to work out there, once the sun starts setting! >:(
DOHHHHH!!!! :P
Pulled off all the tape and masking paper for my very first look, at the completed paint work.
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So strange to see something you only dreamed of building a coupla years ago, now sitting there in your carport! :)
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A little hardware, maybe some Nautical Bling, this might start looking like a BOAT!! ;D
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SCAMP tattoo, hidden under 3 coats of epoxy, 6 coats of varnish, and three layers of tape, exposed to daylight again, after 18 months! 8)
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Hmm . . . . also exposed where I masked off a little too much tape, when I was painting around it! :P
That's so far up under there, I might just leave it; can't see it from the cockpit.
Anybody wants to crawl under the cockpit, to peek and criticize it, I'll take some of Wayne Howard's advice, and invite them off the boat!! >:(
Dock side, or Sea side, their choice!! >:(
I didn't want to fasten the anchor rode rub rails onto the cabin sides, with conventional screws and nylock nuts, in a place where people might hit up against it.
Scraping against exposed screw threads, when your skin is wet, hurts; so I elected to use barrel bolts on the inside, to avoid that issue.
A conventional flat-head 10-24 machine screw and a finishing cup washer used on the outside, will match identical hardware used on the dead lights, rub rails, etc. for a more cohesive look.
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Almost like it got built that way, on PURPOSE!! 8)
Smoother finish than a machine nut and no exposed threads! 8)
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Used more of that marvelous bedding tape on the inside flange of the dead lights and affixed a 6" diameter Plexiglas disc to it.
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It's really sticky stuff! :P
More bedding tape on the outside dead light ring; might be a little bit of over kill, but after the leaking ports I fixed on Urchin, I wasn't taking any more chances. :-X
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The screw was used to indicate the top of the dead light frame, so all the holes would line up; why you plan ahead and "obsess over details", on these things. 8)
Installed. (And with consistent hardware!) :)
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Didn't really need barrel bolts in the veranda and still didn't want nylocks and exposed threads, so acorn nuts worked just fine and I also felt they looked a little more nautical.
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I was GOING to do a logical, sequential, and highly organized, hardware installation but then decided to just indulge myself and install all the Fun Stuff, FIRST!! ;D
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Including fishing rod holders with more bedding tape.
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Bulkhead #4 cleats installed.
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And because EVERYTHING on a small boat has to do double-duty, the cleat nuts also hold on the fire extinguisher mounting bracket.
(And "excruciating detail" pays off, once again!!) ;)
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And the other side cleat nuts hold on a hanging hook.
If the nuts ever become problematic in use, I may re-work some ¼-20 barrel bolts in there, at a later date.
That's the Cool Thing about a boat that you build yourself; you can change anything you want, any time you want, without worrying that the Manufacturer might void your warranty!! 8)
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More and more hardware getting bolted down, all the time! :D
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L - R: Anchor painter clam-cleat, stern cleat, rod holder, oar lock mount, mid-ships cleat and anchor rode rub rail.
(Ignore those paint drips on the stern quarter; I am. >:( At least, until I can get some more Sea Foam paint.)
More bedding tape on the hand rails; I loved working with that stuff, it's so much improved over the bedding tape I used to use.
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After bolting on the ¼-20 nuts under the handrails, I also added ¼-20 eye-nuts to hang things on (VHF handheld, GPS, etc.) since on a small boat: EVERYTHING has to do double-duty! 8)
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Between my Rigid Inflatable Boat and my Kayak, I've learned that anything not physically attached to the boat, is only one wave bounce, or capsize, away from oblivion. :o
Gonna be lots of tether points on a hull that is capable of capsize, and lots of stuff in dry bags, too.
Even did one on each side, inside the cabin area, in case I ever want to hang something in there, too.
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Underside view of the nuts and fender washers for the halyard cleat, to starboard.
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And the down-haul cam cleat, to port.
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Installed the two pad-eyes on either side of the mast trunk, for the halyard and down-haul blocks.
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The pad-eye nuts and fender washers were similarly over-engineered underneath, on the mounting doubler.
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Those things aren't going anywhere! :D
Between the fiber-glassed roof, fillets everywhere, doubling blocks and fender washers, etc. you'd have to rip off the entire cabin roof, to get that stuff to fail. 8)
That's the THEORY, anyway!! :o
Final chore for the afternoon, (Getting cold and fine motor control flagging. Hey!! >:( I'm not 24, any more!!) was to install the stainless steel rub rail, on the cabin roof grab rail.
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This way, I won't have to worry about dragging lines across it, or sliding the mast across it, to step the mast.
The Teak spacers under the halyard cleat and down-haul cam cleat are going to be left unfinished, to weather.
If my Catholic Guilt ever kicks in, I might oil them. :-[ (But I kinda doubt it!) :P
It's so great, finally seeing noticeable progress!! ;D
You feel like wiring, can't be far behind! :)
Until you remember the gunwhale rub rails . . . . . and the re-entry strap and Bimini pad-eyes . . . . .
. . . . . and the bulkhead #4 pad-eyes. . . . . and everything that has to get installed on the transom . . . . .
Charles Brennan
Wow, almost there! Can't wait to see it in action!!!
Those dreams are powerful things! Looking VERY good!
Charles, amazing attention to detail, and foresight!
One beautiful little cruiser.
As always, watching out for possible flaws, especially since you are still in the unfinished stage. You going to wear a hard hat below deck? Those bolts and nuts through the overhead are a major risk to your head, an unreplaceable accessory that gets a lot of work when sailing, and especially in fowl weather and down below. Don't ask why I know of this problem...
Paint flaws, on the other hand pretty much go un noticed by me. The SKAMP tattoo seems perfect to me. :)
What a post!!!!
All that attention to detail is paying off. Great job!
My only question: Are those downhaul and halyard padeyes attachment points for blocks?
Outstanding1
Norman, Thank you for your kind words.
When you said:
Quote from: Krusen on Jan 23, 2026, 11:17 AMYou going to wear a hard hat below deck?
What is this "below decks" of which you speak?!? ???
That pre-supposes not only a deck, but an "above deck", which someone can use to go "below decks"!!! ;D
This boat ain't that big!! :P
The SCAMP community doesn't even bother to call it a cabin; they call it a "veranda".
(The actual "cabin", you can't even get your head and shoulders into, to bang on something in the first place!)
The "veranda" is basically a last-ditch effort to get out of the weather and you don't walk into it, you crawl in, on your hands and knees.
Having already crawled in there a time or two, you are of course, correct, but in terms of ergonomics, the most danger to my cranium, is actually from the top acorn nut on the dead light frame. While it is possible to contact the eye-nuts, in practice, the shoulders hit bulkhead #3 or #4, before the head can reach the eye-nuts. Did I mention it is a small space?!? ???
Being thrown head-long in a severe sea way, all bets are off anyway, since it will not matter all that much if you're smacking epoxy-covered plywood or hardware, it's still gonna hurt!! :o Just a matter of degree.
The overhead hardware is a legitimate concern and the cam cleat screws will indeed, be trimmed and sanded smooth.
But you crawl to get in and you crawl to get back out, so hitting anything overhead is a minor concern.
Dale, Your query:
Quote from: Captain Kidd on Jan 23, 2026, 01:43 PMAre those downhaul and halyard padeyes attachment points for blocks?
Yes, they are.
Here is an example, from another build:
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(Something else that surprises me all the time, is how shiny all their cabin roofs are! You mean to say, they NEVER intend to stand on that cabin roof, on some safe non-skid?!!??) :o
On this point of rigging, I am continually mystified by the SCAMP community. :-X
They use spring-loaded blocks to keep from banging up the deck paint while traveling, or wrap rags around the blocks, for traveling. They also obsess over matching the block attachment angle to the cam cleat, or halyard cleat angle.
Even though they KNOW they went sailing the previous trip and will again go sailing on the next trip, they still approach the rigging like it was the very first time, they ever saw the boat. ???
They thread one halyard end through the deck block and run it over to the halyard cleat.
Then they take the other end and thread it through a block that attaches to the yard.
Finally, they run the halyard end forward, around the mast and tie off the halyard end to the throat of the yard.
Seriously?!? :-\
I intend to have a block with a swivel snap-shackle (perfect angle alignment every time!) ;) to attach to the pad-eye on deck that will already be threaded through the block. At the other end, will be a snap-shackle and block already threaded through the halyard to clip onto the yard. Finally, the halyard end will terminate in a snap-shackle that will shackle onto a permanently affixed loop of line, already lead back from the throat on the yard. When de-rigging for trailering, all that hardware will be secured to a mast cleat that holds all the line and hardware in place, ready for the next sailing excursion.
The down haul will be similarly, efficient.
When I get there, I don't want to wait around, hoping someone will find the boat "neat" and chat about it for a spell, while I toy with all the strings. ::)
I want to rig it and go.
Hope this clarifies,
Charles Brennan
The Scampers may call it a veranda, but I call it below that non skid deck, and protected from the worst of the weather.
Those bolts are too close to the vertical surfaces to be hit by your head, as you say, so not a hazard.
I keep failing to realize that in Florida, it does not get cold, like up here, so a wide open to the stern is enough to keep the rain out. As the present cold charges east, that makes Florida cold too, so that was a joke.
Up here, the diehards break ice to get out of the slip to race the frost bite series. I haver done that, when younger... :)
My boat is fairly easy to rig. Of course, I also have the mizzen to rig which adds a few minutes.
Sounds like yours will be quite efficient.