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

Boatbuilding Update January 24, 2008

The deck of the boat is now fiberglassed, the engine mount is built and fiberglassed, and I have begun applying white pigmented epoxy to the deck. I have been installing the deck support beams for the raised portion at the bow and I got both of the 15 hp Yamaha outboards running really well, although I will only use one at a time on the boat. Soon I will slide the boat off the trailer, flip it up on its side, and begin fiberglassing the bottom. I am very excited for it to become a watertight boat!

-Cory

Music Post

I'm still trying to get Noëlle to update the blog, but she is out in California right now visiting family for the holidays so she is pretty busy. In boatbuilding news, I have begun fiberglassing the hull of the powercat and it is a much more difficult and tedious process than I realized (just like everything on this boat has been!). Anyway, this post is about music. I wanted to share some of the truly excellent musical selections that I have found on the internet. I hope you enjoy them!

Nickelback - Photograph

Johnny Cash - Hurt
His last video before his death

Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) - The Wind

Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It

Creed - Higher

Jimmy Buffett - Far Side of the World

Peter Schilling - Major Tom
A cover of David Bowie's classic, edited excellently with one of my favorite movies

John Denver - Calypso
For anyone who liked "The Life Aquatic", if you sit past the first couple of minutes it is well worth it.

Jimmy Buffett - Come Monday
Jimmy Buffett's first hit with an amazing video capturing the times

Styx - Come Sail Away
Was there something about a starship in there?

Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire

Bad Religion - Sorrow

Creed - With Arms Wide Open

Ok, that's a good start for now. If it turns out that people like these songs, I have many more that I can add to this blog over time. I hope that every one has been enjoying the holidays!

-Cory

Boats and Fish

I'm going to have to bug Noëlle to write some new posts for this blog, or else all that we're going to hear about is boats and boat building. Anyway, I've got some more pictures of the boat in progress. The big news this time is that I have built bunks on the trailer and have managed to get the boat up onto the trailer (since it's a catamaran it wouldn't fit onto the rollers and bunks that came with the trailer; it required extensive custom changes). I still have a bit of work to do before it's road worthy, but it's close. As far as the boat itself goes, I finally have the fiberglass cloth I need and a gallon of epoxy should be arriving tomorrow, so it is nearly time to coat the hull! On a different subject, we have added a new addition to our fish tank. She is a bright blue lobster! Okay, I know it's really a crayfish, but can I at least call it a mini-lobster? It sure looks like one. So far we are just calling her "Little Miss", since we don't officially name any of our fish until they have survived a week in the tank. Finally, as a special bonus with this post I am adding a couple of pictures of "Ia Ora", the eight foot rowing/sailing boat I have owned since I was sixteen and living on "Te Natura" with Mom and Dad. We had the boat custom ordered from the factory in St. Augustine, Fl, while we were living in Daytona Beach. It's amazing that I still have that boat after everything I've been through in the last 12 or 13 years. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays as much as we are! Take care.
-Cory