BYYB Forums

The past few days have seen some advancement in minor detials for the tub

item one is the replacement of the existing cover for the bilge with an English inspired grate; which i think is just great!  here is a before and after, see if you can guess which is which.



this is a pic of the interior where the new great grate is going to go.



all of the BAD plywood is going to get covered with a really cool purple and black polka-dot fabric.

here is what the outside looks like with it's fancy new pulpit

Cool, Bill, looking good.

I was out mooning/dreaming  over my Islander 23, yesterday

Dragged out my torsion bar axles, and inventoried what steel I do have to get started on the trailer. I need to move the boat from where I have it stored, to the new house.

I still need more metal, but some day soon  :o

I like the trailer style you have, especially the front part where the bow fits in and those stablizer pads along the hull, looks strong.

wow! the cockpit is soo rough! i did not realize how much work you had to do. the grate is awsom. i can't wait to see the rest as it comes along.

She is looking fantastic bill, I concur with Aaron I didnt realize the extent of work you were up against.
That grate is really beautifull, was it difficult to make?
great progress Mate, good luck.
Brian.

The grate is actually fairly easy and would have been more so if i would have had either a 1" dado blade or router bit.  as it was i used a 1/2" router bit and made two passes for each groove.  email me if you would like further instructions on how to make it.

the interior actually looks alot better now that all the garbage is thrown out and it has been vacumed, it is still rough, but looks much better 

How ever are you going to get that full keel close to shore!  In Florida you would have to sail at least 1-2 miles offshore!  Just kidding  ;D .  She has very nice lines and that full keel means you will be sailing past me when I am at emergency anchor huddled in the bottom of my tossing cabin.  Love the grate!

we will have to see how close i can get with the keel.  there will be some wading involved i am sure... i may need a tender 

the grate did look nice until i stepped right through it.  i had cut the short pieces the wrong direction.  i now have a new one with the grain going in opposing directions as well as thicker and made of ash instead of mahogany.  it is gluing up now and should be installed soon.

the carpet has been put in and doesnt look to bad, just a few spots here and there that i will cover with some rope glued to the carpet. 

I prefer slats to grates. Grates are great for catching toes and having things drop down in holes. Slats are made similar to grates, but don't require notching the runners. The slats (boards) usually run fore and aft, while sitting directly on top of athwart stringers. These feel better under foot, are less inclined to catch a little toe as you're shifting weight from a sudden gust or something. Most importantly they're a lot easier to make and the gaps between the boards are small enough that only very small items can slip through.

The only place I like to see grates is at the bottom of a companionway ladder. Under the grating is a pan and drain to catch water dripping off your foul weather gear and neatly dump it into the bilge where it can be pumped over the side.

while it has been a while since i have posted anything regarding progress that is because it has been slow and long time coming.  here are some pictures of the new stuff,

the trailer has new rims and tread



the box for the battery



the head with the grates covering it



carpet and bilge grate



new hatch