Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 73

Aft knee butting onto the spacer frame

Forward knee under the foredeck support beam, plus the side deck support knees

If I can keep doing a little each day towards building the boat she will eventually be completed. I visualize her out on the water, gliding along in a Force 2. Little waves run away from the wind; it’s sunny and there are cotton wool clouds skipping across the sky. ‘Sharpy’ slightly heels and she leaves behind her an almost imperceptible wake.


May the dream spur me on so that it will become a reality!


Today I smoothed away the odd dribble of epoxy from yesterday’s efforts at fixing knees either end of the keel box - one adjoining the forward keel box support and the foredeck support beam; the other braced against the middle frame that butts against the aft end of the keel box.


After the cleanup I made two side deck support knees, each one with an inch diameter hole drilled through it for the appropriate steering line. I also drilled holes for the same purpose in the frame that butts to the aft end of the keel box. I checked that the steering lines will pass through the holes without coming into contact with the knees and frame. This also enabled me to pinpoint the locations on frame three where 15 millimetre holes will be drilled to accept plastic tubes for the steering lines. (Note that frame three is the one at the aft end of the cockpit. The frame before it that butts onto the keel box is not shown as number three on the plans. It is a spacer frame made to fit the hull section after the first four frames have been fixed between the side panels.)


Apart from fixing the steering line tubes and the tube for the sheet, I only have to make four ‘plates’ that will be screwed to the chines for the lifting handle ropes, and the interior will nearly be ready for painting. I do have to make up my mind with regard to the seat. The designer of the boat has modified an office chair and mounted it on supports in his boat. He shows this arrangement in the plans. I am contemplating designing and making a seat, but whatever the arrangement, I want to be comfortable because I may have to spend many hours at a time in the boat. On my ‘Paradox’ I found a waterproof cushion from a wheelchair was comfortable to sit on. I could resort to getting hold of one for my new boat. If the sides of the coaming were to be padded, the seating arrangement with the cushion could be quite comfortable.