The weather is stifling hot. It is already hitting 35 degrees and it is only the first week of October. It is going to be a long hot summer. A cool change is due tonight but it is still forecast to be 28 degrees tomorrow, which means 38 on the boat!

Today I cut 2 pieces of duflex to make into the step top. I need it to be 2 pieces or made from one piece then cut in 2 because the back of the step is curved to the curve of the curved seat front (opposite curve shape of the step front) but I need a straight edge to hinge to (you cant hinge a curved lid). So I have the 2 pieces cut and shaped correctly, well almost, I cut the back part a bit out but no matter I will glue it where it contacts then back fill with filler where it doesn’t before coving and glassing it on, but before I do that I intend to de-core and back fill the 2 straight edges, the front of the back part and the back of the larger front part that will form the lid. Then I can screw a stainless steel piano hinge in to create the step and lid. The lid will be oversize at the front and have a second layer of duflex glued on to form a lip over the step front and to give the impression it is double thickness, this is what I will do to the seat top overhang all around also so it will all match.

I then set to gluing and glassing on the helm seat top all around except over the curved island that will be the ice bucket. I have not cut the lid to form the hinged top yet but I have started the cut and left it only part cut. I will complete the cut once the lid is glued on. I glued it along the forward edge to the bulkhead (BH6) and along the side edge to the seat back already glassed on and along the back bulkhead (BH7) and along the top edge of the seat front all around. I then coved and glassed the top edges along those 3 edges and attached peelply.

So tomorrow when set this shape, the seat back and seat top will form a natural girder and be very solid. I will also cove the underside of the top to the base and glass that but before I do that I will glue another strip of duflex on to make the double thickness edge I want, then (the next day) I can round it off and glass it all around to finish. I will then be able to put weight on that seat.

Provided the heat doesn’t beat me, I will then move to the other side and do the port side seating then finally the rear wrap around seat to finish the cockpit, before moving on to making the cabin top. Finally!