The first stages of a new 8ft tender and the later stages of a restored 8ft dinghy which a client brought to us to restore

The new 8ft tender starting to be laid up with the first of three layers/coats of white gelcoat

This tender is going to be a rowing outboard tender when it is finished and will likely have a mahogany gunwale like te restored tende we have along side ths tender in the workshop.

this tender came to the workshop as an abandoned wreck which had been used as a garden flower bed in the local town. 

The owner wish to have it restored so his young family could used in and around the local creeks and rivers. It has been a long term project of the owner, as much of the work as been undertaken by himself with guidance from the owner of the yard. It is  now in its final stages and will be used over the rest of the summer.

 

Now that both longitudinal bulkheads are now epoxied in position with epoxy and silica thickening powder.

Both bulkheads are now glued in position with epoxy with silica powder mixed into thicken it into a paste. They are now fixed in position with braces at the bottom edge against the bilge stringers.

There are blocks screwed on to the sides of the cross beams to ensure the bulkheads are helded in the position while the epoxy cures. 

Once the epoxy as cured the braces and blocks will be removed and the bulkheads will get a coat of epoxy and then bilge paint to seal the plywood against any moisture that may find its way into the void places once the new plywood floor is fitted.

As in the way the bulkheads were fitted before the top edges to stiffen the top edge from moving around when screwing the new floor down on to the new rails fitted to the bulkheads.

 

The two longitudinal bulkheads now fitted to the shape of the hull and the tops made to the level of the floor.

Now that the bilges have been painted with their first coat of bilge paint, it was time to fit the two longitudinal bulkheads. First dry fit them along the bottom edge so that they fit the profile of the inside hull and against the longitudinal bearers which the bulkheads sit up against when they are glued in position.

The bulkheads are braced against each other so when the epoxy resin and filler is applied along the bottom edge they will be held in position while the epoxy resin goes off and cures.

In order to keep the bulkhead vertical and in place a number of floor bearers will be fitted along the length of the bulkheads to ensure they stay in the correct position and the fuel tank will fit back in the position it came out of when the old bulkheads came out to be replaced.