Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Report #2-5A . . . .

[Charles Brennan]

At the end of our last report, I had WANTED to get the cuddy cabin sole/ballast tank lid glued down.
The Weather had other ideas and as always in any outdoor project, Mother Nature gets the final Vote.
I wanted a very specific weather window of temperature and humidity for gluing the tank cover down.
I have been hovering close to the top limits of temperature and humidity for most of this whole project, (except during Winter, when it was too cold!) but did not want to push the environmental limits on the ballast tank glue-down.
Even more so than proper alignment of the centerboard pin and centerboard installation, the ballast tank is the single most Can't-Fail, Bullet-Proof, Leaking-Is-Not-An-Option, component in the whole sailboat.
However, the SECOND-Best weather window, WAS suitable for gluing down the other bench seat top and the lazarette hatch cover.
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So I did!! 

Clamped down, weighted down, and all the excess glue squeeze-out, wiped down.
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Been beating on these various components for the past month and a half, applying three coats of epoxy each side, a coat of primer and three coats of paint on the inside parts and all with tons of sanding, in between.
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After a few days of soggy weather and humidity, that you could slice chunks out of with a bread knife,    I was again ready to go after the ballast tank/cuddy sole.
I once more, clamped the sole/floor up out of the way and mixed up several batches of glue (sequential batches; it kicks off wayyyy too fast down here in north central Florida's swamps, to mix it up in one big batch) and laid it on thick.
I wanted it thick enough, that I could make a hefty fillet out of glue applied inside the ballast tank edges and corners, from the squeeze-out.
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No real good places to put clamps, except the one edge, so I employed every weight I had.
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And then continued adding odds and ends that were reasonably heavy, until the flooring quit moving, wherever I pushed on it.
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Everything I had previously used from the bench seats, plus some heavy cribbing blocks (8 X8's) and  all this in a smaller surface area.
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I used to use up every clamp I own on a given step; now, I'm using up every dive weight I own.   
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Inside view of the ballast tank showing filleted glue squeeze-out.
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Well, no rest for the wicked;    I decided to start working on the deck, while the sole/ballast tank cured.
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Coated all 4 planks and glued the middle puzzle joint and securely clamped it together.
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Forgot to get pics, but I had put the foredeck and the 4 planks on the hull and labeled all the boards so I wouldn't glue the wrong thing, on the wrong side. 
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This is the foredeck end.  The puzzle joint will get coated when the foredeck is attached to the side deck pieces.
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Closer view showing the labels.
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This gets the right plank to the right side, so when I attach them to the foredeck, they go on like this: ( )
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And not like this! ) (   

And skipping ahead to the obligatory 3rd coat, 1st side.
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And also the obligatory 3rd coat, 2nd side.
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Next thing I needed to do was to start sanding edges flush in the cockpit, so I could install the filler board rails.
Stepped aboard and got quite a surprise. 
The hull was noticeably stiffer.   
You glue enough stuff together at right angles, eventually you end up with a pretty stout structure.
I figured all that egg-crate bulkhead architecture was pretty stiff in its own right, but with all the bench seats glued down and the flooring glued down, alluva sudden-like, the boat felt much more Sturdy.
Now, any surface I thump on, booms like a  Bass Drum.
Boat is getting: Solid.   

The Un-Glamorous side of boat building.   
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But it's worth it, when all the edges starting becoming even, plumb, and fair,
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Since I sanded through the epoxy, down to the wood in random places, more epoxy was in order.
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Wanted this area especially level, since water will need to run off and not pool up on the seating.
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And today's side-project, was masking off the CNC'ed SCAMP tattoo and applying the first coat of varnish. 
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I should be in a fairly good mood making progress at this pace, but in Truth, I was a little bummed-out, just now.   
Might be because of all the Facebook pics of guys having a great time on the FL120, that I could not participate in this year, since the boat I own I can no longer handle myself and the boat I CAN handle myself isn't finished, yet. 
(Sniff!) 
I see pics like this:
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On the same day I just accidentally epoxy-glued my leather shoelace to the top of my Sperry's,    and it tends to put me in a Very Dark Mood.   
Have I ever mentioned that I would rather sail on boats, than work on boats?!? 

So pics like this are putting me in a less jovial mood,    than the boat's progress should leave me.
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NEXT Year, for SURE!! 

Still, it was really nice to finally see everything that was installed; felt like I was actually making some real progress!   
ESPECIALLY, since there are getting to be fewer and fewer pieces of wood, all the time, stacked up out in the garage! 
I MUST be making progress! I'm running out of pieces/parts! 
I took a quick mental inventory of the remainder: 
2 cabin sides, 4 dead light ports, 4 side doublers, 2 side cleats, cabin roof, 2 cabin roof doublers, transom cap and doubler, 2 vertical rails for bulkhead #4, 2 cleat doublers for bulkhead #4, 2 horizontal bench rails, some unknown number of fiddly pieces for the mast trunk, an unknown number of mahogany pieces for the rub rails . . . . .

 . . . . . Oh!    And the 2 coaming sides and the 2 triangular coaming to cabin side adapters, the coaming railing, and almost forgot the 2 teak handrails, the 2 teak hand rail backing blocks, and backing blocks for the cabin roof hardware . . . .  .

Started getting discouraged, again. 
MAN!! Am I EVER gonna get this thing finished?!? 
So I chose to look at it this way:
Are there fewer loose pieces laying around today, than there were, yesterday?!?   
There are?   
PROGRESS!!   

Charles Brennan

[Chris Muthig]

Looking great!!!