Busy day of the Morgan Giles 30

Sealing the plug with a coat of epoxy resin and then filling and fairing the plug after it as cured over night 

radiused the edges to aid the bi-axial cloth to go over the edges to make a fair surface to be what will be the surface of the water tank which will be moulded off this plug.

Second filling of the main decks of the Morgan Giles 30 

When this has cured then the whole of the deck will be sanded down again and any final filling will be done and then the deck will be givenits next coat of Hi Build Epoxy primer 

The chain plate areas getting there second filling with epoxy filler which will be sanded and then the hull will get its second coat of Hi Build Epoxy primer as we build up the primer coats on the hull.

 

Getting on with the aft seating and then turning to the foredeck and fixing down the fuel tank

Cut the locker door out in the aft bulkhead so that the area under the aft deck can be used for storage.

The locker fronts are now screwed in position and the locker lids are also fitted with cleats to hold them in position

The starboard side also fixed in position so now, its time to move forward in the boat and get the rest of the lockers and forward seating area build 

As the owner asked the lids are divided into three lids to aid getting into just the bit of the locker you wish to get too.

A view down the length of the boat, showing it taking shape as a motor launch 

The final job on the forward part of the boat to fix down the fuel tank in position

 

Making the locker lids and fitting the cleating to keep them in position, once they are made up they will get epoxied and painted

The locker lids now fitted and cut into three lids so you do not need to lift the whole of the top to get into the lockers 

Just got to edge the edges after they are painted so they can be lifted without having to put finger holes in the tops 

 

Time to call it a day and look to the future and working on my own projects.

 This last week I had a moment of reflection and seeing what I need to do for the future. The main problem I have had for some time as been the state of the yard and the workshop and not being able to move around because things have been dumped and not cleared away or removed.  

Projects started and not finished as projects or owners have run out of funds. So last week I have made a start on sorting out the workshop and the yard by getting in a small recycling skip to get rid of the scrap metal laying around the yard which has been and moving boat trailers that could be put out of the way. Get customers boats that do have the money to get their boat done and get rid of the boat to make more space and so I do not feel so restricted in moving round the yard. Also get boats that need to go, out of the yard. That way giving me time and space to better decisions about my working future and plan for my retirement from the career I have worked at for the past 45 years. 

 

So, from this week coming there are things changing and plans put in place to wind down business to just enough to make enough for my own projects and when they are done close the business down. 

An interesting week of doing jobs and sorting out the workshop,

The space the new water tank as to go into under the port berth in the main cabin.

First make a rough plan of what it needs to be 

The put in all the measurements and angles on to make the patterns for the tank

 Start to make up the plug after taking the measurement of the patterns and transferring on to the plywood to make the plug 

Having made the two ends and the centre brace to get the correct curve in the wall of the water tank against the hull, it was time to skin the tank framework in a piece of thin plywood make the wall of the water tank.

Once that was done, then placed it in the space to ensure it fitted the space neatly and made the best use of the available space

The second half of the week was spent sorting out the workshop and the outside yard to make it easier to move around the outside yard and put away bits of boat work that is not being worked on at present. So that first job was to be ruthless with what was in the workshop and out in the yard and getting rid of any bits that were not ever going to be worked on or was of any use. 

The main job I did this on the Chance front was to sort out the doors and drawers and put them on their own shelf  which will be the shelf for all the pieces of equipment and woodwork which are going to be worked on over the coming months as work progresses on the restoration of the boat.

Also during the week it gave me time to look around the workshop to make the best use of the available space and set out the workshop into work stations for different operations with their own sets of tools to do the different work the company does. Designated work stations to do thickening and planning wood and crop sawing the wood as necessary and set of holesaws and their mandrills, next a small engineering workstation with bench grinder, cleaning bath for degreasing parts, a complete set of metric and A/F spanners and various wrenches and small and large hacksaws and copper and plastic headed  mallets and a small MiG welder for small fabrication work. A large pillar drill for working on larger metal drilling work. 

Then we have a wood turning lathe for any wood turning work needed on the boats, be it a wood or nylon bush that is needed to as spacers of runners to set up cutting of shaft logs and other wood work needed in and around the workshop or out in the yard. Next a wood working bench to set out work that needs a large flat  area to set work out to assemble parts of cabinet work.

Then a area for mixing standard wood glues and epoxies and polyester resins and gelcoats to be used on the many different types of repairs we undertake over the course of a year. and finally shelves with Clamps and drills and other power and hand tools needed on a daily basis. 

Out in the yard areas around the yard for timber storage and other equipment that is not needed to be stored in the work. Presently working on dividing the yard in to designated areas to store items so that they are easily to hand without the need to move to much to get them out and into the workshop or on to a job out in the yard. So that over the next few weeks we will get the workshop and yard into a position where working will be a lot easier than it as been for sometime.  

 

The water tank plug now made and fitted in position to have the owner okay its design and size and the make the tank from the plug.

Making the bracing to be the same shape as the finished water tank to make the water tank the largest it can be in the given space available  

Skinning the the tank to give is finished shape 

The water tank plug in position to get the owner's okay on its design and size then make the water tank off the plug, once the plug as been coated and polished to take a moulding off the plug.

Fitting the space closely so there will be little chance of movement 

The bottom of the plug showing there is just enough room to fit the feed line in the bottom of the tank at the lowest point just forward end of the tank 

The water tank in position  a good fit in the available space.

 

Making custom water tank to fit under main cabin bunk, making as large as possible to give the largest volume of water possible

Making the panels up to make it into a plug to make the water tank as largest possible size

Making the end panels as deep as possible to get the largest possible volume

The long panel to fit as close as possible to the shape of the hull and at the front end sit on the floor bearers 

Should be large enough to go on long voyages 

The top brace to keep the shape while fitting the curved panel that will round the curved lower face of the tank the only part that is going to be a head ache will be the area where the bottom of the tank changes direction. 

 

A lot has happened over the past couple of years on the inside of the Morgan Giles 30.

A couple of years ago the inside of the Morgan Giles 30 looked like this, an empty vessel with just the bulkheads in place.

amd the same under the cockpit floor 

Now fast forward up to the present day and there has been a transformation. The owner has  transformed the inside to a living space that will meet his needs for his next adventure. A lot of the interior is custom made to his individual requirements and will be used not only for sailing, but for his other passion climbing as many of the spaces are designed to hold his climbing equipment while of passage. 

The engine compartment is made larger than normal to fit a larger engine to push the yacht through any foul weather he will experience in his voyages to the northern latitudes where his is going to explore when the yacht is finished.   

Many of the items such as a diesel cooker/ heater that are going into the yacht will be able to be used while many miles form without having go into harbours to resupply the yacht.

A good sized galley area to make preparing and servicing food easier when underway 

Under this locker/berth there is going to be a custom made water tank to increase the water capacity of the yacht. the yacht will also have more water capacity around the boat and also a system to collect rain water to fill the water tanks as well.  

The icebox glassed into position in the bottom of the photo and more storage for gear ahead of the icebox.

A good sized chart table area, close to the cockpit companionway so can give the helmsman instruction without leaving the chart table. 

The next job to make the custom water tank to fill this space

 

Busy Tuesday and Wednesday morning, the hull as had its first sanding and the areas of filler have been flatten off ready for its second filling

At last the first sanding back of the first coat of Hi Build epoxy primer is now finished it is time to second fill areas as necessary and then sand that back and then give the hull a second coat of Hi Build epoxy primer 

These areas on both sides of the hull are the areas that need profile filling 

Most of the hull is fairly fair just a few areas that need fine filling 

The hull is going to need a few more coats of Hi Build Epoxy primer before it is ready to have its first coat of orange undercoat

On the hull the only major filling and fairing is amidships on both sides

Along job, however, it is done now. Time to tackle the decks and get them faired up.

 

Busy Monday

Back to sanding again on the Morgan Giles 30, this time the cockpit area and the aft deck.

So it was to sand back the filler and the first coat of hi build primer to make it all level once more and find out the areas that were missed the first time around 

The big different in the cockpit it is not completely flat and it all angles to the middle and so having to use a smaller sander to do this area 

Much of the area is filled, just a few small areas to fill the second time around

On the picnic boat front, the front are put back into position and just need screwing in position and then the top can be fitted to the inside face of the hull and the inboard faces trimmed and edged 

Back to the Morgan Giles 30 and starting to sand back the areas of filler and smooth off the hi build primer before giving the hull and second coat of hi build primer and then do any small areas of fine filling.

The area round the chain plate fixing will need more filling before the area is smooth enough to give the hull a second coat of hi build primer.