Tom Tweed's Boatbuilding Pages

Page 7- Closing Her In

At this point, the center deck section was sheeted and the aft deck section was being framed, with a bridgedeck, footwell and lazarette hatch. The bowsprit has been fabricated and installed, and scuppers cut into the foredeck well to allow water to drain out. The blackish areas are fairing putty as surfaces and joints are being smoothed and sanded. It wasn't too much longer before it would be closed in.

Another view of the rear deck section framing, with me standing in the main hatchway. The footwell is in the foreground, and you can just see the cutout in the right side sheeting of it where a porthole to the starboard quarterberth would be mounted. This allowed communication between the helm and the quarterberth, which was the best seaberth in the boat.

This is a picture taken sitting on the port settee berth in the interior, looking aft to where I was standing in the previous pic, at about the same stage of construction. The engine box is fabricated and installed in the middle, and the quarter berth is the bright area to the left (the sheeting is still not on the aft section deck, thus the bright sunlight causing the high contrast). The small galley area is to the right. With the flush decks, there is sitting headroom only in the interior. This is a compromise I was willing to live with for seaworthiness, as the flush deck was a much stronger design, without the complication of a raised doghouse or cabin. I was roughing in the interior during this period, too, trying to get as much done before I closed it in as possible.

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