Almost there!

Here we are at the end of November, the ship is under way, of course we hoped we would finally be out of the shed in early December, which is not the case but we can not have everything. We are doing well all three, the work is done as is Ryan and he learns a lot. The apartment we are in is comfortable and practical and it is right next to the shed ... So life goes on peacefully.

On the hull, Noel was finally able to complete the last step, the caulking of cotton (or hemp for the larger openings) have been installed between each plank, a coating was then applied of lead paint. He also took a look at the screws that held the planks of the bottom of the hull and has replaced much.

Adding copper foil on 

vulnerable portions of the hull

Then he tweaked some reinforcing elements here and there and he recapped where our bobstay (chain or rope used to hold and stabilize the bowsprit (nose wooden boat) to the front of the boat) was attached to the hull before. We want to raise it a little because it is often in the water and Ryan will create a more robust and better connected fitting to the hull, then it will be a new design. It remains for us to paint the bottom (submerged part) and the top (part out of the water) to complete the nice makeover for our beloved sailboat.

Old bobstay fitting removed and patched, hook indicates the new location. 

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View of the mockup bobstay and dolphin stricker.

The boat in Dexter mode

Regarding varnish, Ryan applied 6 layers. We waited for less windy days because the plastic cover of the shed rains down tiny white flakes, which is not really compatible with a pristine finish. But the problem was solved when Ryan turned into Dexter and the boat crime scene! Transparent plastic was used to create a shed within the shed! Now, Ryan hopes to add two more coats after sanding irregularities and/or drips here and there but the result is already really stunning. I love the colors red and warm, which were enhanced by the primer red, they give more depth to the wood. It only remains to hope that they do not fade with time and UV, which is one of the reasons we chose Uroxsys.

Dry fitting the teak

The deck is still under construction, Ryan can not glue a lot of wooden planks at a time and he must take his time because a small mistake can be expensive with this teak solid gold! He is enthusiastic, it is quite a challenge for him, he uses certain techniques which he had just heard so far. It takes a lot of work and concentration. There are also free days, where he said, "Let's get out of here". It is so hard for me because I can not do much to help. Sometimes I come and range between a few projects but little. Finally! It is difficult to say how long it has yet to go, but we can already see that it will be beautiful!

Inside, surprise, we painted our kids cabin (well surprise for those who have not read the previous article)! We like the result even if Ryan will be back later to refine. Though it's not quite Noel's taste, who calls it "a psychedelic zebra", the expression has stayed and I must say that I think regularly with a smile, how we laughed when he told us that!

I'll give you a little tour of the future organization of the space. We will extend the existing cabin sole (the floor) a short distance and then there will be a large step/platform before the bunk. To the left is the engine. Ryan will cover this with the original wood that hid the old refrigerator compartment. Then we will paint a large area of ​​the wall with chalkboard paint so there will be a large chalkboard next to the platform. This will be the space for drawing and practice writing, for the little one.

Result outside

For daylight Ryan will be adding a deck prism(a cone of glass) to illuminate the cabin space and storage space. Here you can see the result of the test install before the old deck was removed. We were impressed by the reflection of light that occurs on the multi-faceted gem!

To the right,  aligned with the existing cupboards in the kitchen but with less depth will be shelves/cabinets for food storage. Below these, we will build a small bench that will also be a toy box. We hope to use it, we adults to sit and read stories, and for Stella to use as a step to get into the bunk. 

What you see under the kitchen counter, in the future we will be a fridge at the forefront of technology, but for now, it's going to stay a big hole. For storage, there is a large space under the bed, and I hope to find a solution for attaching nets between each frame (the "ribs of the ship") painted in colors on the photo to the right. On the left intéreiur the cabin, I want to make a padded surface against which our daughter may lean when the boat is in motion, with small pockets for storing treasures. But as you can imagine all this is not for now, this is why we have invested in the basket in order to reflect and see how we use uses space in our provision. I forgot, the platform will also serve as storage location, you can open from the top.

Last detail about the interior space, as we did not have enough work we decided to paint the living room and kitchen. The paint was too old, it was peeling in places and especially we had mold on the ceiling that grew steadily and I was under no joy having to clean with white vinegar! So we used our favorite rose primer, combined with the green painters tape it's quite festive, but finally will opt for a more conventional white, which might be a little less likely to make us seasick.

So, we wait impatiently for the holidays but we took our little rhythm too. I hope to do some sewing projects to assemble the boat, with covers for our sofa cushions or make a replacement cover for our bed (V-shaped with a pole in the middle).

Ryan, working on the dry fitting of the deck, view from the boat