New Work, New Adress

I will continue to post this work at our Shavings blog at http://boatsmith.blogspot.com/

Transporting and Installation of the Yacht Interior

We have completed the veneering and have varnished all of the veneer in the interior. Now we will set the part up to rig it onto a trailer. We have a large wooden strongback that we attach through the sole hatches to allow us to pickup the part with chainfalls.Below is the strongback.


Here you can see we have sandwiched the sole on both sides of each hatch with 2x4 legs sticking up verticaly to attach to the strongback sides.

We are now hanging chain falls from the ceiling. We have to pick the part up verticaly and move it forward off the building platform and over where the trailer will be.

We have attached the strongback to the part and the chainfalls to the strongback. Moving blankets protect the varnished veneer from damage.

We use this flatbed trailer with 2x12's across it to support the part.

All ready to start the move.

And away we go.

We pick the part up with two cahainfalls and the hook up one forward and start pulling thepartforward while slacking the aft one.

This view is from the aft end . The small hole in the cnter is where the entry will be. We don't cut the hole yet so that the plwood across the back can keep the port and starboard sides from splaying out. Once we have installed the part in the hull we will then cut the entry to its full size.
Ww are now ready to back the trailer under the part.

With the part on the trailer, we screw through the sole with deck screws and fender washers to hold it firmly onto the trailer. We clamp small boards here and there to brace fragile areas against wind force during transit.

We have todrive this part about twenty miles to Liberty Yachts shop in Riviera Beach. We try and do this on a Sunday morning when there is much less traffic and drivers are less stressed.
We festoon the part (which is 14' wide )with long yellow ribbons And several strobes. WE also have wide load banners on the front of the truck and the aft end of the part. We also use pilot vehicles front and rear with wide load banners and strobes.

We hoist the part into the hull using rolling gantrys and chainfalls. It looks very cool when hoisted up in the air rolling back over the bow of the boat. Unfortunately, this is part of the process that requires my full attention and I forgot to take any photos. Here we have landed the part in the hull and are preparing it for glueing.

Previously we have marked where the part contacts the hull and the stringers and we use cake decorating bags to apply epoxy to the mating surfaces. We generaly like to use fast epoxy,but this is one application where we use West System's 209. This is their slowest hardener and we find that it allows us enough time to take the stress out of the gluing process.

All of the places where the hull contacts our part are filleted. This entails some filleting in very awkward locations. Then the fillets must be faired and painted, so care in the filleting is essential.

Below is the berth forward. The gray material is a protctive film by #3M that is known as elephant skin. Expensive but it provides very good protection to the varnished and painted survaces.

This view is from the forward berth looking aft.

Once we have the interior part glued into the hull we lift the deck/house assembly up over the hull and check the final fit between the interior bulkheads and the deck.

A view from inside showing the deck coming down.

Aview from aft showing the gantry and the deck up over the hull.

We hook the deck on the stem and the lower it down whlie pushing it aft.

A little different view from forward.

Once the deck fits well we lift it up, apply epoxy, clenit up and presto it looks a lot more like a boat.

Ready for Teak Veneer

We've been working on finishing off all the details necessary before veneer. This includes drawer guides and door hinges and stays. We also have faired and primed the interior of all the cabinets and spaces behind the dinette. Below is a shot thru the head doorway of the shower stall which has been glassed and faired and painted with Awlgrip.

We have also made the panels for the dinette seat cushions. These are try-cell panels glued to the right curve in place and fit with just the right amount of clearance for the upholstery. Then the edges are routed out and packed with thickened epoxy. Then they are coated with epoxy and sent off to be upholstered in really nice soft leather.

This photo shows most of the galley doors and drawers in place.

Below we have started sanding the cabinet faces to insure that everything is completely flat and smooth. We use black spray paint as a sanding guide and fill any low spots or small dents with epoxy.

This shot shows blocking let into the bulkhead to support the TV The TV will be a flat screen mounted in a teak frame that can be rotated out to a fore and aft orientation for better viewing from the dinette or latched up against the bulkhead for security while at sea and for better viewing from the bunk. The tall inboard block is for a piano hinge, the center block is for one end of a gas strut and the outboard block is to provide a mounting location for the latch.

The next several photos show a technique for butting sheets of veneer together that has worked well for us. We first fit the edges we want to joint with a small block plane and a sanding block to ensure a tight seam. Then we hold the two pieces tightly together with blue masking tape.

This method works equally well with wood backed or paper backed veneer. Here we have paper back veneer and we are flexing the seam open for visibility. What we do is to flex the seam open ever so slightly and apply medium viscosity super glue into the seam, then wipe off the excess and while rubbing the seam with a veneering block, spray the super glue with it's accelerator.

This is what it looks like when were done. You have to have a very smooth work surface for this as you need to sand both sides with a hard block and any bumps in your table can quickly result in a hole.


As seen below the result is very nice. The seam is all but invisible and smooth to the touch.

The pen is on the seam. You can click on these photos for a closer.

We start veneering with the smaller less visible areas first and work our way up to the larger more visible ones as we get more into the groove. We are not joining the veneer on the foot well face because the piece is also the front of the drawers and it would be VERY difficult to get it lined up at one end and have it come out right at the other end 10' away. So these are joined in place.

Below we have veneered the forward side of the bulkhead and the hanging lockers. Thru the hanging lockers you can see the aromatic red cedar closet lining on the inside of the hanging lockers.

The next two photos show the forward side of the bulkhead. We apply a thinned out coat of varnish on the veneer the same day that we apply it. This helps seal the veneer and provides a little protection.

More Cabinet Doors and Drawers

Reviewing my last blog post I realized that a whole section of photos were left out, so here they are. Here you can see the blocking for the galley drawer guides and the primer on the inside of the cabinets.
These are the curved panels that will be the structure of the seat backs for the dinette. They were kerffed and then glued up by screwing in place.

This black hole is where the reefer/freezer drawers will be.

These doors are for the cubby cabinets out board of the galley face and under the side deck.

On the left are the galley drawers. Top right is the pocket door where the microwave will live and below is storage.

Hanging locker doors. All of the doors and drawers are fit into place using small wooden spacers

to maintain an equal spacing everywhere and allow enough room for varnish.

This photo shows the aromatic red cedar closet lining and the blocks for the hanging locker hinges.

Here Pasqual is routing the dovetails in the drawer parts. Where are his ear plugs???The drawers are also made of red cedar.

Lots and lots of drawers.

Here the galley drawers are installed, as is the pocket door for the microwave.

There are two drawers under each end of the dinette as well.

The next two photos show a bank of small drawers right next to the main entry. The plywood across the entry is to hold the interior assembly together during transport and installation and will then be cut out in place.

Fitting doors and drawers

We have neglected this project for several months. First we had our Tiki 30 to get ready for the Wooden Boat Show in Mystic. Then Liberty yachts had us put a bunch of exterior teak on their new 45' walk around fishing boat and then we had a very large teak deck job on a 190' super yacht at Bay Ship & Yacht in the San Francisco bay to complete. But now we are back on this project "con gusto".When we started this interior we really poured the coal on and the builder has been delayed waiting for the motors so we are still on schedule. The next steps are to fit all of the door and drawer faces into the holes. Here is the galley with its' cubby compartments out board and cabinets underneath.

This photo is of the base for the dinette table.The table leg is a piece of 6" pvc that will be veneered and permanently attached to the table top. The aluminum angles below the hole are for a bolt to go through the bottom of the leg to secure the table while permitting removal for refinishing.

The doors below the sink.

Here you can see the port side hanging locker and the doors fitted into the face. Also visible is the fairing on the tri-cell.Everything is faired before we veneer.

These are the drawer faces fit in the aft end of the bunk.