First time in this year, the Mother Nature cooperated with me. First we’ve got a couple of days with temperature high enough, for painting and working with epoxy which requires min 12C during the day, and over a freezing mark during the night. I decided to take one week off from work, to get more jobs done in this month.

Bulkhead #1 with new hatch.
I installed one solid hatch to the anchor locker (wet locker). The hatch was installed in the bulkhead one, and it is big enough to glide through. It was very important to me, because the deck must be glassing to the deck shelf in this area, from inside the locker, and also I have to install the sole/bottom of anchor locker. It is a very small space to work in, and there is almost no ventilation. I wasn’t ready to finish this job this month,

She looks like butterfly now.
I wasn’t sure of how many hatches (cabin and pilot house) I have to install. Subsequently I asked my friends, Geoff and Dick from Australia, about their recommendation, and they sent me their advices. Next I ordered and installed 6 hatches. Two are on the top of pilothouse – opened sideward (full opened hatches overlapping boom trace). These two big (22”x22”) hatches allow me to see mainsail from the pilothouse’s helm. Subsequently two middle size hatches (15”x20”) were installed in the top of the cabin, and one small hatch (10”x16”) in the head compartment, and one big hatch (21”x21”) in fore compartment This hatch is an escape hatch. Five of the hatches are by Lewmar type Ocean with 10mm thick acrylic window, and one is by Bomar with 6mm thick acrylic window. After installation I would say that Bomar’s hatch is lighter in construction, and has very good aluminum extrusion. Hatches from Lewmar are heavy duty with aluminum extrusions, not always bent in nice straight lines, and corners are not always perfectly rounded. Next I tried to close one of the hatches, and I broke one plastic handle. I hope that Geoff and Dick are satisfied that I’ve followed their recommendations.

For this mould I used Auto-Glass putty.

Very tough time for my jigsaw.

Almost ready to install the hatch.
Because of surface curvature I had to form flat even surface for hatch supports. Cutting cabin structure wasn’t easy. It looks like this part is also bulletproof.

Star board - for water deck fillers.
Also I decided to build two small boxes – accessible from the deck – with two small hatches, for water and fuel deck fills, which I like to have closed and covered all the time, where one is located on the starboard, and one is located on the port side.

Many different spots after different putties.

PVC bolt channels.
This month I was able to install the rudder. The idea if this solution came again from Australia from Dick. The heavy-duty rudder bearing mounted on the rudder shoe.



The shoe was fixed in place by three long ˝” bolts run through PVC pipes.

All is set-up.
The major job this month was painting. First I had to mark WL, and I had to lift the bow 3 inches up to get the boat in level. The small hydraulic hoist did excellent job – not so easily but it did.

Applied maskingtape.
After the boat was leveled in both directions, I marked points on the hull using water level. I put the marks 4” above the WL – these mark are for an end of antifouling, after that Peter showed me of how to get almost perfect straight line using hull marks and masking tape. Now was the time to permanently mark this line – The Dremel did excellent job. I’ve got nice – 1/16” deep groove around the hull.

Pier #9 is ready.

Barbara and slip #12.
Last month I took a picture where the new pier was to be built, and this month the picture shows that pier is already built – or almost ready. Power outlets are to be installed, and the slips are ready for new occupants.

Now the hull looks clean.
The part that is above the water line I’ve painted with two coats of Sikkens Epoxy HeavyCoats followed by two coats of Sikkens Hi Wave Mid Coat Flat. Below water line I had already two coats of Sikkens Epoxy HeavyCoats put on, and this time I applied 5 coats of Sikkens Epoxy GP Coating. In this moment the hull is ready for antifouling with two coats below the WL, and sanding (220 grid), and two final coats, above the WL.

Bowsprit maks her more classy.
I did try also the bowsprit – dry fit – to get idea how to design bow rails.
This month also, Bruce Roberts visited my website. His comments about my project could be found in my Guest Book, entry # 12 dated Monday 30 of May 2005. (Bruce designed Spray 36 - I bought the plans from him) Thank you Bruce!