I had a fairly easy day today, just preparing for a big day of rope wet out and inserting into the troughs later in the week when I have some help lifting the 7 meter rope. I will wet it out on the cutting bench on a plastic sheet and roll it into a rope there also but then getting it onto the boat is a bit tricky on my own. I would roll the rope up if I don’t get any help but it would be easier for 2 or 3 of us to just lift it.

Before I cut the uni I glued the top half of BH6 on finally giving the boat the full height now, so I have all of the dimensions now. It was a very satisfying moment when I put it up for the first time, it has been sitting on the hull for weeks in anticipation. I wasted 15 minutes just staring at it from different angles and standing in the doorway daydreaming.

In order for the top half to sit in place on its own (whilst the glue set) I screwed a timber plank either side to form a trough for it to sit in, and then I could screw into the panels to keep the join lined up. I also used some planks running vertically that I used as straps to pull the top and bottom tight into each other. Once I had it dry fitted, I took it down again, glued the join and put it back. I left the window panels in but cut the door out, I also switched the port and starboard sides because I have decided to put the helm station on the starboard side instead of the port side that is standard in this design for a single helm. The reason for the switch is Dennis told me that if another sail boat was approaching on my starboard side he would have right of way and I may not see him as clearly from the Port side, whereas if a boat was approaching on my Port side and I am helming on the Starboard side and don’t see him as clearly I have right of way anyway. It just made good sense.

Once I had this panel glued, I cut the uni for the 4 ropes. I first ran a tape to get the trough lengths (each one is different) and I rolled out the uni on the cutting table (I first put down a sheet of plastic that I will wet out on) and cut the sheet to the longest tape (BH6) which is 8.5 meters. I cut it down the middle and then cut down one of the halves to 7.8 meters for BH5. I rolled them both up and rolled out another length 7.5 meters (BH4) and cut it down the middle and trimmed 200mm off for BH7. I left this on the plastic sheet ready for wet out and roll up. (Ignore the names of the thumbnails above, they are BH6 not BH7 as the names suggest)

I then started to make strips of mdf that I will use to clamp the tape down in the trough so nothing protrudes. I didn’t have any packing tape to finish them (the packing tape is to stop the resin sticking to it). I will finish them during the week and start on the ropes as soon as I can, because the next job I can do once the bits I cut off are stuck back on is strip planking the hull to deck turns.

There has also been some progress on Nine Lives. The hulls are joined. It is still not taped and is only temporarily in place but it is in place and attached, it is now 1 boat.