GA28 in Bakersfield California

[Brian.Dixon]

I think you're making great progress!  And those intermittent fishing trips aren't just for fun and delicious dinners ... they provide great motivation to get YOUR boat done ... important encouragement to keep a full head of steam until your boat's on the water.. Nothing like launch day!  And second to just that, your first fish in the boat!

[jov]

I finally got back on the boat last week. Caught a little bit of covid on the trip to Florida. Temperature is finally good again so hopefully I can get on it pretty hard for the next several months.

I installed the forward cuddy bulkhead. I did the work Friday night and planned on taping it Saturday morning but the epoxy was still a little malleable. That actually worked out because my angle was slightly off. I removed the blocks and reinstalled them with the correct angle. It was close so it probably wouldn't have mattered, but it should be almost exactly what the plans call for now. The work is a little sloppy but that is what the sander is for.

I need to figure out how I am going to do the cuddy roof support pieces. I have some CVG Douglas Fir in the shop that would work, but I have been considering getting some mahogany and finishing bright.

I also filleted and taped the anchor deck. It should be fully installed now. It is really stout. Working under the anchor deck was a really pain, but it is done. I also rolled 3 coats of epoxy on the cuddy cabin sole and the area under cuddy cabin sole.

[jov]

The forward cuddy bulkhead is fully installed now. Adjusting it while the epoxy was slightly soft worked out great. The angle is pretty close to what the manual required. I taped the seam where the forward cuddy bulkhead and the rear anchor deck aft anchor well bulkhead meet on both sides. Next week will be cleaning up the drips and feathering out the tape edges.

I also primed the area under the cuddy sole and the bottom of the cuddy sole. The plan is to paint with InterLux Bilgekote just in case any water gets in there. Should be able to install the cuddy sole next week or the week after. It will be nice to have a nice flat area to stand.

[Brian.Dixon]

Lookin' good!  When you paint the inside of the crash chamber (not req'd by the way), using white is a good idea ... if you store spare parts or tools in that space, the light-colored paint will help you see into it better.

As I've mentioned in the manual, if I recall, all bulkheads should have plug-able drain at the bottom of each ... you keep plugs in all of them when operating, but open all of them in storage ... plan to be okay with water getting everywhere.  Plug-able drains allow all water to drain out if necessary ... having several people in the house, or cuddy (the nappers ), or a pair of people sleeping in the cuddy can (likely) cause a little bow-down trim and if you've forgotten to plug the bulkheads before going to sleep, water can migrate forward.  Be ready for any situation.  This is also why I recommend a reasonable sill in the aft house bulkhead and it's also good justification for a cockpit deck that slopes downward towards the stern - even if the bow is down a couple of inches for whatever reason - good idea to design-in self-bailing concepts.  In a big heavy fiberglass or aluminum boat, the cargo (people etc) are a smaller percentage of the boat's displacement and have less effect, but in a boat such as the Great Alaskan that's built lighter in order to achieve higher fuel efficiency and to require a lot less (half!) the horsepower, the cargo is a larger percentage of the boat's displacement and you can expect trim changes as loads move around.

Brian

[jov]

I got quite a bit done over the last couple weeks. I finished up painting up the cuddy cabin sole. The InterLux BilgeKote and Interlux PrimeKote went on well. I spent time trying to feather out the fiberglass tape I put on the joints for the anchor deck. It still needs work. Sanding under the shear deck is not that easy. No tools really fit well in there.

I also got the cuddy cabin sole installed. It is so nice to have a flat surface to walk on. I got the initial thickened epoxy applied and plan of finishing with a nice fillet and fiberglass tape next week. I was going to do it Saturday but the thickened epoxy was still just a little soft. It probably would have been fine but I like to take it in steps just in case I screwed something up and need to remove a component.

I also started working on the cuddy cabin bunk face pieces. I got both side cut out but will need to finish fit them once the sole fillets are in. The cuddy cabin side have also been cut out. I have started the fitting process but still have some work to do to get the finally fit. Picture 55 is the initial blanks on the boat.

Brian,
I did put drain holes in the front and back of that compartment. I made sure drain plugs would fit and spent some time making sure water doesn't pool up.

[Brian.Dixon]

Looking good!  You're taking the time to fair and make everything 'pretty' will bring you pleasure in the future each time you look at it.

I should mention that I don't necessarily recommend putting a drain plug at the bottom of the crash chamber bulkhead ... OK if you do, but hard to reach and you could argue that the chance of getting water in there is near zero (if not entirely zero).

Love the updates with pictures!!!  (thx)

[jov]

I made some progress this week. I go the side panels fitted to the boat. They came out pretty well I think. It took a while to understand the instructions, but I eventually figured it out. I still need to do a trim on the front.

I also cut out the bunk faces. The two forward pieces have been fit to the boat. Those came out surprising well. I used my 7 inch disc sander to shape them until the fit. They fit the cuddy sole and collision chamber but my level says the top edge is just about flat. I didn't get the back pieces fitted yet. I will do that next week. Also the portapotty I bought fit really well (pic 57).

I have also been cleaning up the mess I made filleting the joints for the cuddy sole and anchor deck. Lots of sanding to feather out the tape edges. My plan is to glass the bunk faces and the inside of the cuddy side panel next week. I think I read it was ok to glass the inside of cuddy since they will be concave and not convex. Is that right?

[Rbob]

Jov,

I hear you say "sanding to feather out the tape edges"  I think we would all agree that sanding sucks.  If you don't mind me suggesting using a scraper instead.  No dust and makes quick work of it.  I used it on runs and featheredges.  best $21
 I have spent.  Your build is looking good and nice to see the progress you ar emaking.

[Brian.Dixon]

Ditto ... the manual describes using a carbide scraper, as shown, for feathering the fiberglass edges ... it'll greatly reduce how much fairing mix you'll have to use too.  The scraper is also great for filling screw holes ... PURPOSELY over-fill them a tad, then use the scraper to scrape the overfill off smooth and even with the underlying surface.  Much easier than trying to fill holes with goopy epoxy then with fairing mix later.  FYI - If you REALLY overfill ... a curved cheese grater type rasp can be used to take off the worst of it, follow with the scraper.  BTW, the rasp is great for getting rid of squirrelly fiberglass threads and bumps too.  Using these tools allow you to work faster, easier, and not have to worry so much about how perfect you must make it.

 

[jov]

Thanks Rbob and Brian. I have both of those but I always forget to use them. Thanks for the reminder.