Holding Tank

With no good choice available for a drop in pre-made holding tank I decided to incorporate one into the hull. After the new ballast cap was laid up (with three layers of biaxial cloth) three layers of biaxial cloth was applied to the hull forming the tank sides. The top and baffle was templated in the usual manner and the parts laid up in the shop and then trimmed to fit. The baffle and the tank fittings were installed, then the top was glassed into place using three layers of biaxial cloth on all seams. West System epoxy was used for the project and the mixture was made slightly resin rich as recommended by West system when building tanks.

Moving the boat to the shop

This is our busy time of year at the shop so I have not had the time to post as often as I'd like.
A lot has been done since my last post. I'll add more pictures soon as time permits.
The hull stiffeners are completed. Three layers of biaxial cloth was glassed over the ballast pig forming a new cap and an 18 gallon holding tank was glassed into the hull.
The prop shaft, stuffing box and stern tube were removed and the old glass ground out and three layers of biaxial glass was applied.
The aft (cabin) bulkheads were installed as were the partitions in the lazzerette and under the cockpit. The floor partitions were installed and a temporary floor put down.
A customer who had the same little diesel as I salvaged out of the O'day made me an offer I could not refuse and bought the diesel from me. His was not repairable and mine was a drop in replacement for it. I purchased an electric motor, controller, etc and will be putting them into the vessel this winter.
Last week we moved the vessel from the back yard of my home to the shop where I work and it will be stored inside a heated building for the winter so I can continue the project during the cold weather. Last winter we had several trees come down, some uncomfortably close to the vessel, I am grateful to my boss and good friend Gary Dawes for letting me bring the vessel to the shop for the winter! He says he likes the fact that I can't call in sick to work on my boat anymore! :-)

Placing the yard arm jacks

Nick (foreground) and Scott our professional boat movers chaining up for the lift. Thanks for doing a great job on the move! You guys are the best!

Going up!

Backing the trailer under the cradle

The cradle was custom built to fit the trailer

Lowering onto the trailer

On the way to the shop

At her new home in the south building at the shop


Framing a wall around the boat.

Installing a door.

Walled in.

Exposing the ballast pig

Looking forward

Ballast pig looking aft

Templating floor partitions

Making floor partition templates

Aft Hanging Locker bulkhead

The hanging locker bulkhead tacked into place

Aft Head bulkhead

The aft head bulkhead went together very easily. It was trimmed to fit, several coats of Minwax Wipe-on poly was applied and it was tacked into place and then filleted and glassed with three layers of biaxial glass.

V-berth; installing the bunk platform & hull ribs

The platform was built in three panels. Each panel is approximately two feet wide and spanned the width of the hull. They are screwed to the partitions and have epoxy fillets and a layer of biaxial glass tying them to the hull. The forward compartment is accessed through a small rectangular hatch. The middle compartment has three six inch round access hatches; the outboard ones to access storage compartments, the center one to access the water tank clean-out port.
The aft panel has an access hatch to port and a hanging locker to starboard.

The hull ribs were constructed of two to four, quarter inch layers laminated together with epoxy. Two layers of 1/4" "wiggle wood"; a very flexible plywood that bends into a tight radius without a lot of tension. It is sold in 4x8 sheets of various thicknesses and I've heard it referred to as flex-ply, wiggle-wood, and rubber-ply, depending on whom I was purchasing it from. I purchased the last sheet at Windsor Plywood and asked the salesman what the trade name was. He shrugged and replied "we just call it wiggle wood,...and if you try carrying a 4x8 sheet of it you'll know why!"