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Removable partition in the bulkhead
- The foam partition is held in place with blocks glued to the hull.
- The hatch volume can then be varied
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Trimming the main deckbeam
- The main deckbeam is trimmed to make more room for my knees.
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Laying out the recess for the front VCP hatch
- A platform laid across the sheer clamps will support the VCP hatch cover.
- A circular sidewall is needed to enclose the hatch cover.
- String is stretched over the platform between the bulkhead and deckbeam.
- Depth dimensions taken at 1 in. intervals are transferred from the platform to a
wood cylinder.
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Finished recess side wall
- Using a saber saw, the cylinder is cut to conform to the contour of the deck.
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Gluing in the sidewall
- The contoured cylinder is glued to the platform with All Craft epoxy.
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Recess is ready for deck
- The cylinder will enclose the VCP hatch and conform to a cutout in the deck.
- Minor adjustments to the contour will have to be made when the deck is installed.
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Adding backplates for the footbraces
- Plywood backing plates are glued to the cockpit walls to reinforce the foot
braces.
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Fitting on the front deck
- Rope is used to bend the front deck over the bulkheads and deckbeams.
- Lines are drawn on the deck underside to reference the position of the deck.
- Locations of all nails are marked on the deck. at 3 in. intervals
- The deck is trimmed to overhang the sides by only 1 in.
- The deck is then removed in preparation for gluing.
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Gluing on the front deck
- All the contacting surfaces are coated with epoxy thickened with Cab-O-Sil.
- The underside of the deck is coated with unthickened epoxy.
- The deck is aligned with the sides using the reference lines.
- Nailing starts where the front deck butts the rear deck. (one on each side first)
- Ring nails are then driven into the sheer clamps at the marked intervals.
- I didn't install a backing plate at the butt joint, figured the coaming would
suffice.
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The front and rear decks installed
- At this point, the boat weighs 42 lbs.
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Front VCP hatch recess
- The deck didn't quite fit the contour of the recess cylinder.
- Epoxy thickened with wood flour was used to fill in any open spaces.
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Rear VCP hatch bezel
- The bezel will provide a smoother transition between the hatch and the deck.
- If the rear hatch was recessed, the size of the items that could be put in the
hatches would be severely limited. Also, if the hatch turned out to be too
obtrusive it could be recessed later even after the boat was finished.
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