Today I finally glued the port side cabin side kerfs. The mid week heat waves we have had nearly every week this year (well last week and this week) have kept me off the build most days, (funnily enough it has been cooler on the weekends) and yesterday after 35 degrees all day there was a cool change in the afternoon which included a tropical electrical storm and a lot of rain but not a change in temperature. The prevailing storm direction here is southerly which brings with it cooler air but this storm was a westerly and while the wind whipped up it was warm. I was twilight sailing on a friend boat yesterday evenening and we had a little too much sail up so we pulled the genoa down and turned around and went with the wind back to the dock. I got soaked but really enjoyed the excitement. The race started with little or no wind (the calm before the storm) but ended with most pulling out. After all it is social racing.
This morning the sun came out again which lead to another hot day, a bit cooler than the last few days that have all been mid 30’s, today was 30 but of course with the sun out heating the tin roof on the shed, it was 40 inside. Nevertheless I was determined to get the other cabin side glued so that I can take both sides back off the boat on the weekend, sand and glass them and put them back on again, perhaps permanently but gluing them on.
I set up a fan inside the cabin as well as the lights and spent 2 hours filling the kerfs with glue. Because it was much hotter this time (I did the starboard side at 7am last Sunday) the glue was much thinner so I needed to thicken it with more powder than I used last time, but to the same consistency I had last time, and used the same amount of glue and it took the same amount of time.
It was hard work, even with the fan on it was damn hot and my shirt was soaking wet with sweat at the end of it. But I am relieved to have it done, it can set tomorrow (it was probably set half an hour after I went home) and I can finish the cabin on the weekend if it is not too hot.
