On the Motor Launch front, progress on sorting out the aft end of the boat with the removal of the aft seat

 On the motor launch conversion project front, I have now taken out the aft seat, which in the end did not take much to remove apart from a few hidden screws put into the seat top which were put in from the outside and then covered with filler and paint. With this seat out it is now much easier to get to the last fixings holding the outer keel in position. The outer keel as to come off so that the stern tube can be fitted and a new profiled keel can be fitted ahead of the stern tube. Also at the moment the rudder fittings on the transom as to be removed and redesigned to hold a new shaped rudder.

At the moment I am grinding back the inside of all the old paint and fibreglass matting which was there from when the floor bearers were last fibreglassed into the hull. This time the floor bearers will be glassed in in a very different way and will also have a set of engine beds glassed in the hull. The extra fibreglassing will strengthen the hull and make it a lot stiffer.

So for now it is more power to the grinder and get the inside all ground back to clean fibreglass and then the fun can start of rebuilding the inside of the boat.

Motor launch conversion coming along around the rain and foul weather.

 Progress on the motor launch conversion is coming along around the rain and foul weather as best as I can at the moment as the workshop and the other temporary workshops are full of boats at different stages. So until one or all get to a stage that there can be a major stage of change of position. We have to work round the weather. So far this past week we were able to remove most of the fittings holding the outer keel to the bottom of the boat. However, some are a little more difficult to remove and have to use different methods to remove them. Once they are removed then lifting the boat up and giving some clearance under the boat we should be able to remove the keel. That is plan "A" watch this space to see how we get on with that plan. 

Also, We are getting on well with the removal of the rowlock positions which are no longer required and have remove them and re=profiled the capping to look like the rest of the capping and have gone well on removing all the old paint off the gunwales and capping. Just got to clean up the corners, knees and thwarts and then that job can be put to one side while we get on with clearing up the inside of the hull and make up the engine beds and reposition the original floor bearers and make up new floor bearers as we need then when fitting the new engine beds in the hull. 

Thankfully because I can get on with much of the work myself, I will be able to keep going if a little slower without my part time worker. While this latest lockdown is in place.

Back to the Cornish Crabber and fitting the lower mast support post.

 

Having been away from the project for a while I thought I would bring you up to speed. 

The centreboard is now all glassed in position and with more re-enforcement than before to ensure the re-installed centreboard case does not every come away. The centreboard case will have re-enforcement knees glassed either side of the pivot point to give the area added strength and support. 

However, before they are fitted the lower part of the mast support post is getting fitted to the forward face of the centreboard case.

The support post is first being bonded to the hull at the bottom and along the aft face with epoxy resin/glue  which as been thickened with mixture of epoxy filler powders so that the resin/glue mixture can take up any minor void and make a strong bond between the faces.

The support post is being held in position a pair of clamps while the epoxy resin/glue cures over the next few days and then the epoxy resin/glue will be sanded back and then a series of epoxy fillet will be profiled into the area at the front of the centreboard case and at the bottom of the post so that the fibreglass will be able to follow the curves and lay flat without ant air pockets in the layup as it goes around the many curves. 

Once the support post is all fibreglassed into position the top of the post will be cut to is final height and the stainless steel upper part of the support post which will take the mast pressure coming down through the deck via the deck beams and also the lifting tackle that is going to be fitted to the support post as well.

Once the mast support post is glassed into position then, it will be time to turn our attention to to support knees on the two sides of the centreboard case and fitting the deck beams and making the upper support post to be fitted to the lower part of the support post.

The work is coming along on the conversion of the Rowing boat to motor launch with the removal of the hog and the extra rowing positions

The inner keel or hog as it is sometimes called has been removed so that the outer keel can be removed so the the shaft log can be fitted and the new outer keel can be made and also the inner keel can be remade and fitted.

The aft end of the hog is going to be the largest challenge as it as the larger screws through the hull and also they are badly corroded and will very likely break off while trying to remove them. 

The extra rowing position panels which made up part of the gunwale capping as been removed in four positions as they are no longer needed or wanted and the gunwale capping is re-profiled to match the rest of the gunwale capping. 

The gunwale capping now re-profiled and the gunwale capping getting its first sanding to get rid of the old paint that was covering the gunwale capping.

The start of the sanding of the gunwale capping just the next 20 plus feet to go.

 

The continuing conversion of the rowing boat to a motor launch

 I have now made a start on getting to grips on how the inner and outer parts of the keel are fixed together. Now having removed the inner keel or sometimes been called a hog, it appears that the two halves are screwed together with some large and long bronze screws. This being the case once the screws from the inside are removed the outer keel should come away from the hull. I can but hope this is what is going to happen. However, I have my doubts that it will be that easy. boats being boats it is never that straightforward. 

More likely to need some gentle persuading to come apart. In other words a big hammer in the right place with the odd wedge to help it on its way. Once that is off then the major work on the can begin. However, before that can happen I have to make room in the workshop, so that it is under cover and able to dry out the hull and heat the workshop to do the fibreglassing on the new stern tube and reinstall the floor bearers.