First Road Trip

Ok, I only went around the block (twice) but it was the first time I was able to tow the trailer AND boat. The car handled it far better than I thought it would. I couldn't really even feel it behind me. This is an exciting step towards the first test-float. All that's left now is to register the trailer and boat, then put it in the water! I added some pictures of how I winch the boat onto the trailer as well as the boat and trailer hooked up to the car.

Boat Flipping

Here are a few pictures showing how I flip the boat over. I have to get on one side, lift it up and rest the boat upright on it's side. Then I have to climb on to one of the hulls and swing my weight out until I can rock the boat towards me and then gently rest it on the ground. It's pretty easy, but the boat is right at the limit of what I can lift!

Gelcoating

Yay! I finished fiberglassing the bottom of the hull yesterday, Saturday, February 16th. Today I applied the first two coats of gelcoat, which in my case is really just West System with some white pigment that I bought off ebay. So it's finally starting to look like a boat. In fact, I really could put it in the water right now and use it. That is, I could use it if it was registered, and the trailer was registered, but that will happen soon enough. I ordered the wiring kit to hook up the lights to the Camry and it should arrive sometime this week, then I can go through with the registration. If look at the last picture, you will notice Nick, the 10 year old from across the street who comes out to help me every time I'm working on the boat!

-Cory

Trailer Almost Finished

The trailer hitch for the camry arrived and it took me less than 30 minutes to install yesterday morning. It was mostly bolt on, but I had to drill a couple of holes in the frame. The frame is aluminum so it was very easy. I included a couple of pictures showing the trailer with the lights installed on the back. Notice the quick-removal system using a pair of oarlock sockets so that when the boat is on the trailer I can mount the lights on the transoms of the boat where they can be better seen. I probably shouldn't post this, but I took the trailer for a quick lap around the block. It is still not registered yet and I need to get the adapter to plug the lights into the camry. Still, it was good to see how it's going to handle!

-Cory

Fiberglassed!

Ok, not quite completely fiberglassed, but about 90% complete! Yay! The boat should float if I were to drop it in the water right now. I can feel the launch date getting closer every day! The trailer hitch for the camry should arrive this week, along with another gallon of epoxy to finish the gelcoat. Speaking of trailers, I posted a couple of pictures of the trailer here. I just finished painting it black today. The lights are the last thing that I need to install in order for it to be finished and roadworthy, and that should take just a few minutes. I'll keep posting as I get more work done!

P.S. I just found out that if you click on a picture you can see a larger full size version.

-Cory

Fiberglassing

Well, the glassing of the boat has been steadily progressing. My boss was kind enough to give me four days in a row off, so I have been using these days to get a lot of work done. The pictures should speak for themselves. The sides of the boat are glassed as well as the bottom of each hull. All that's left is the bridge deck and the transoms, and then I need to finish the fore deck. It's so close to being ready to test on the water that I'm going insane! The trailer lights are all finished and ready to be put on the trailer. I ordered a trailer hitch for the camry from ebay and it should arrive some time this week. They say it only takes 30 minutes to install... we'll see about that. Everything is finally falling into place and I am very excited. I'll update again soon!
-Cory