A photo update...

So as I said in my last posting, I've been spending tons of time out the shop trying to get this project finished before the cold weather sets in here in Wisconsin again. So I haven't spent any time posting or writing.

I have taken a few photos that will give you an indication of what I've been up to and where I'm currently at. This posting will bring you up to date through today, so here goes:

Inside is primed and seat tops are roughed in. Rudder cheeks are clamped on to see how they'll look. Bumpkin is snugged in. 

Tiller is fitted for looks. It's been epoxied but not yet sanded or varnished.  Here you can see the top of the (folded) mast. I will have to make some kind of gallows for my spars for when this boat actually starts to travel.

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Shaping the gaff jaws

Gaff glued and screwed and 'poxied. Needs some sanding and finishing work.

Different view of the gaff jaws.

Made a hollow bumkin. Probably didn't need to be...but I had some spare lumber from the mainmast .

The new samson post. Much nicer size/shape. 

Laminating the mizzen

Once the seat tops were set in place, I found some 8/4 quarter sawn rough white oak for a couple hundred bucks and planed and ripped it into planking for a proper "yacht laid deck". Planks are 1 7/8" x 5/16". The edge covering boards are a bit wider 2 1/2" I think and abetted out so that they cover the edges of the ply sub-seats. 

I used Sika flexible contractors adhesive to put bed the planks and covering boards. It should allow the wood to move a bit, but seems to have pretty exceptional hold. 

3/16" spacers keep everything (pretty much) lined up. 

Chain plate for the mainmast shrouds. I put a hardwood backer inside the sheer plank and through bolted it with stainless 1/4" bolts. I still have to screw the top bolt, but I want to see how/if the top rub-rail will be affected. Probably will countersink the bolt and cover it from the outside. In any case, it should prove to be sturdy enough.

Decks are sanded and covered up as I begin the interior painting process.

Figured I should paint before I put the seam caulking in.

Kind of a dark photo, but you can see the paint scheme for my little "Puffin". Going with white bottom paint, black topsides, and a bright sheer strake with white interior trimmed with oiled decks and bright spars. 

Sitting on her trailer...

OK...so I'm finally getting around to posting this only about 4 months past the day I originally wrote it and saved it as a draft. I'm more caught up in actual building than writing about it. But time for a catch up.

Spring is finally here. But days alternate between 40 and 80 degrees and sunshine and rain from moment to moment. We're building a new home, and our current one is up for sale. So my wife is demanding that I keep the "shop" nice and clean so as not to offend prospective buyers. Seems like I spend as much time cleaning up as I do actually building, when I get to spend any time at all!

Anyway, here are a few shots of recent progress. I got several coats of epoxy on the outside of the hull and it's as sanded and smooth as it's going to get. We won't call it a museum quality finish, but 'twill serve. My son and a neighbor helped to lift her off her cradle and place her onto her trailer. I was tired of looking at her upside down. Nice to see her right side up again, and I figured it would be easier to attach the lower sheer strake rub rails from a higher position. Got the rub rails installed which was fun. Nice when planing and sanding and gluing all work out the way you want them to with no major fuss or "do overs".

Spanish Cedar lower rub-rail. Left over material from when I built my CLC Tandem Wherry. 

Rails are glued and screwed. The bungs turned out nice. You really have to look close to even see them.

Got the bow-u-bolt installed too. I was worried about not being able to drive a 12" drill bit straight through the false stem and inside stem without the bit wandering off course. Ended up being easy as pie. So that was encouraging.

There's the bow-eye. You can also see a dry-fitting of the bowsprit.  I have the heel snugged into my samson post. That post is temporary, though. It's way too big for the size of this boat. I'll make a new one about half the size.

I also got the king plank roughed in. I need finish shaping the main mast before I position and cut the mast partner hole in the king plank and trim it to size. But she fits pretty well into the bow of the boat and I managed a pretty clean job of mortising the holes in both the king plank and the samson post for the butt end of the bowsprit. Fun work chopping a mortise by hand. Makes you really feel like you're doing serious woodwork. :)

Mainmast, kingplank, samson post, and bowsprit. Should make for a pretty sturdy combination

Next step is to flip her back over and paint/finish the outside of the hull. Maybe this weekend?