Another day, another deck house...

I've been working on adding details to the deck houses. Specifically, I'm adding brass bars to many of the windows. This has become a slow and tedious process, but plan to post pictures soon as each house is completed.

I just finished another "deck house" this evening. Once again, I took some "creative liberties" by following my wife's suggestion on the choice of wood, and by adding a brass trim.

Note: once I know the exact location of each house, I will be sanding the base to fit the curve of the deck.

The booms and remaining deck houses have received three coats of varnish. I intend to continue working on adding details, but won't be installing remaining deck houses until I can verify that their location doesn't interfere with any of the fittings or sheet lines.

Haven't spent much time in the garage "aka Man Cave" lately, but I have put together some pieces for the next stage of the build. I took some time to work on the boom (made out of balsa sandwiched between Purple Heart), and the boom vang (modified Pekabe compression strut).

I have made a decision regarding the sail winch. I will be using a non-proportional Bremel winch that Bob Eger put together for me. Though it does not reflect the most recent proportional technology, I am thrilled with it's power (+/-1600 oz./in.), how it works, and how it was put together (thanks Bob!).

The attached pictures provide an update on the booms, and provide a glimpse into how Don Prough intended to place the sail winch, jib trim, and rudder servo. I am toying with following this layout; however, I'm also exploring mounting the winch and servo's so that the keel weight can be removed without moving anything.

I was determined to show my wife that the boat "fits in" with our decor and would hardly be noticeable.

She didn't agree...

I have a dream that some day soon, I will be able to park may car back in the garage... I hope my dream becomes a reality before the next rainy season ;-)

Pending a possible hand rail, I completed the main house. The final details included windows (which can't be seen on the pictures), and the brass bars on the skylight/hatch.

Over the weekend, I painted the hull. It is very difficult to capture the colors in with my cell phone camera. The top is Forest Green Pearl, the bottom is Wild Berry Red Mica. I elected to use Matrix automotive paint with SprayMax Clear Coat.

The third coat of varnish is dry to the touch. The door and cabinets are installed; however the roof and hatch are just sitting on the house for the pictures. I still need to install "glass" and a few other details.

The first coat of Spar varnish has been applied. Hopefully I won't need as many coats as I put on the deck.

I just finished making a roof and hatch for the Main house.

Should it be open, closed, or agar?

Main house... More details.

The Main Deck House required some significant modifications in order to fit on the curved deck and hide the joints I chose to make it fit by rebuilding the front section and masking the joints with trim.

Doors, Floors... Most pieces will be glued after I have an opportunity to seal and maybe varnish the house.

Tonight... Cabinet Doors.

The Main House is taking shape...

I spent way to much time on the boat stand... The one on pictured on the April 16th Blog turned out awful, so I build a new one. This one will have clear satin Varathane. No more "antiquing" or "staining" form me...

I've had a few people inquire about the status of the build. This is an update:

a. I sanded the hull and removed several blemishes and varnish that had run.
b. Kay Tillman gave me a hand by milling the port holes on a couple of the houses to fit the Robbe 17mm Bass Portholes. (see pictures).
c. I made an attempt to convince my wife that the boat is actually art and will deserve to be part of the decor in our house. I made a stand that matches some of the the furniture in our house. I don't think she's convinced...

Six (6) coats of varnish have become eleven (11)... I think... This was not by choice, and is an ongoing process as I have learned by experiencing every imaginable mistake.

Attached you will find some pictures of prototype cleats, fairleads, capstans and cowl vents that I'm considering using....Continue Reading

The six (6) coats of varnish are dry. Natural light revealed some beautiful colors. Time to move on to move on to the houses.

(3) three coats down, (3) coats to go...

Slept on it, tweaked it, and I'm going to live with it...

My next step was to seal the underneath side of the deck (no pictures), prime the deck for staining. (Pictures are of primed wood only). Originally, I was going to use a Golden Oak stain; however, I selected an amber marine varnish, so I may go straight to varnishing.

Regarding the wood I selected, I used alder, two types of mahogany, and a hardwood we brought back from Costa Rica when I was a child. This wood was used for the king plank and toe rails. I originally thought it was a type of purple heart; however, now I'm not sure. The wood is heavy, bridle, and hard. Any thoughts on what it may be?