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Ok guys, here are some progress photos now that I've finally gotten it right to post them. Density of mass squared and pigeon holed, filtered thru much quagmire and finally made clear by Norman. Thank you Norman!
First order was to flip the hull over and finish the bottom. I worked in a portable carport a short ferry and bus ride away. (Amounted to about an hour each way on the days that I could work on it.) :roll: I made some minor repairs from the hull sitting out over the winter and then finished fairing in the plywood and applied the glass. I used vinylester resin since I'm not allowed to use epoxy while my eyes heal. Positive pressure mask to keep anything from getting in my eyes. Pain but it worked. :wink: Then, filled the weave and faired out the entire hull using a long board. Preping for the glass work first made this a pretty simple and quick process. Then applied two coats of high build primer, wet sanded and applied a final coat of primer over all. Then painted the shear, masked that off and applied the bottom paint.



A couple coats of black polyurethane followed by wet sanding and two clear coats to provide more protection. Then applied a sacrificial strip to the bottom of the keel for protection with our rocky beaches around here.

The neighbors came over for a glass if wine and we flipped it right side up to finish the deck and cabin topsides. After glassing the topsides and cabin I masked off for the non-skid. Then applied two coats of the Spantex.




Then began to apply the finish paint to the cabin.

This is the point that I had to leave it at last year. All of the spars, trims and as much fabrication as I could get done was done at this point. I had to stop on Dr.'s orders due to my eye surgeries. So it sat under cover and tarped up until May and I was able to resume with limitations.
I had fun making up the bow pulpit before I had to quit. This is necessitated by a longer bow sprit and a roller furling lapper.

Over the Winter months I had a chance to go sailing on a few other small gaffers including a couple other Weekenders and made some decisons on cockpit modifications that I wanted to incorporate. So...I tore out the seats, cleaned up everything, filled some holes and began to lay out the modified seating arrangements.




I wanted to accomplish a few different things with the modifications.
First was to allow for more foot/leg room so I framed out an open area which will have slat seats set on top of them.
Second was to make more room on the aft portion of the seat for my larger, er, um ah,....butt. So I had to figure out how to add depth where there wasn't any.
Third was to allow for behind the seatback storage for a paddle, fenders, mooring lines, boathook, etc. So I made a cut out in the seatback based upon the amount of clearance I felt I might need and still allowed for a comfortable backrest for the "Admiral/First Mate/Sailing partner.
Fourth was to provide a space for a gas tank for an outboard if I choose to use one other than the electric trolling motor.
Fifth was space for an in the cockpit cooler. After all, the Captain has to have some occasional nurishment/refreshments close at hand.


Once I got the seats glassed, primed and finished, I began to fabricate the seat backs. Here they are installed. I then placed a filler strip to help fill in the curve to the main bulkhead.

The next step was to build up layers of resin and filler to fair in the curve in shallow layers until it was the way I wanted it.



Then glass in the seat backs, fair them into the Lazerette and top deck, prime and paint.





Next step is to apply non-skid to the glassed cockpit sole and then the top coats to match the topside color. The entire sole of the Weekender from stem to stern, side to side has had the Spantex applied creating a non-skid, color matched, totally waterproof membrane that is expected to last at least 10-15 years without doing anything but perhaps refreshing the top coat.

Here is the rear deck layout with two screw out hatches to allow for adjustments to the steering gear and electrical. Two support posts for the traveller rod.


This is where I'm at at this point, it is on the trailer, I'm ready to install the trims, hatchs, grab rails, bow pulpit, etc. Then rig it and drop it in the water. Not sure that is going to happen yet this year but if the weather continues to cooperate, I will see how far I can get.
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Glad that your on the mend Barry. Real nice work on your boat 8) That bottom finish looks very durable.


Greg

I agree with Greg 8)

Oh the brightness! :lol: I have to say that I like the black paint, and the white sets off the wood trim. Beautiful.

The pulpit is my someday dream for the Wolf. I can't stress how handy or foot secure :roll: that part of the boat can be. I boxed in my trail boards and stretched cables to either side of the sprit to the hull, for that extra purchase. hock:

Barry’s pulpit looks a lot more comfortable to lay out on.

Yes I agree, that pulpit is really nice Barry I may have to borrow your idea, I also like the way you finished the upper transom bright looks very classy.

Brian

Spirit Wind is absolutely gorgeous Barry. What a beautiful job you've done. Such attention to detail, the craftsmanship and the results are stunning. Congratulations, you have a lot to be proud of.

Thanks for the nice words. It is always a good feeling to have someone else think it looks good.
This project started back in 2001 when I went sailing on a Weekender off of Maui in 25+ knot winds and 4 foot swells with the tops blowing off of most all of them. I was convinced after that 4-hour tour that the Weekender not only could handle those conditions but that it was a safe design. My father and I started this, but he was terminal with cancer and we both knew he wouldn't ever see it finished. He didn't and I lost my vision completely that fall due to a ruptured cyst in the retina of my right eye. When it let go, the trauma also caused some blood vessels in my left eye to rupture. I awoke the next morning with nothing, no light, no dark, no definition of any kind. My stress levels were off the chart prior to that happening. So the project got packed up, and put in a storage unit hanging from the ceiling with most of my belongings stacked in boxes around it.

Seven surgeries to my eyes later and I can see again. It has been a long road back, lots of patience required in all aspects of my life. And my life is a lot simpler now than it was before this. Along the way, I've managed to get it to this point and have some fun with a lot of the fabrication. I had some pretty severe limitations on just what I could and couldn't do while I went thru the healing from each surgical procedure and had to wear a full face, positive pressure mask for a lot of it. Couldn't work with resins of any type until just this year so had to use more traditional techniques to get to the point where I had to glass it before I could go any further. Still have to avoid epoxies and will for some time.

This project has been my anchor thru it all. This is literally what I would plan, think out, build in my mind and then rebuild with a different approach. There were changes along the way as I decided what I actually wanted from it. It was literally the last thing I thought about when I went to bed at night and when I could begin to see again, I couldn't wait to get back to work on it. But there was no hurry, so I could take my time and have fun with it when I could work on it. I learned to trust the sensitivity of my finger tips. What I couldn't see clearly, I could feel and I learned to be calm and although frustrated, still stay focused on what I wanted to accomplish. When it came down to actually proceeding with the next step, I had already built it so many times in my mind it was a simple thing to get it done.

My father was a loftsman and pattern maker during WWII making wooden mine sweepers in Everett, Wa. He understood a lot about what works and what won't in the building process. He taught me a tremedous amount about the boat building process. My uncle was a master craftsman at wood working and cabinet making. I inherited much of what he shared with me about woods and what is appropriate and what isn't. What will work and last and what will give you problems down the road. He built a lot of boats along the way and some of them are still looking like they are brand new even though they were built in the late 1940's and early 1950's. So I had some learning about the process as I was growing up. I still look back at the lessons from them both and apply them on every project.

The bow pulpit was a fun project to tackle with a lot of planning and consideration about how it would work, how to build it and how it would fit into the lines of the Weekender. The planning and building process was documented after Barnacle Jim encouraged me to write an article for Gaff Rig about the process. So I did. If anyone would want to use it for reference or would like some encouragement along the way, here is the link to that article and I would be happy to share my experiences from my point of view. http://byyb.org/pn761/index.php?module=P...tm&meid=32
The healing process for my left eye will take some time, but again, I can do more than I could before and my touch is still to be trusted more than my eyes at times. I do appreciate that I could offer some input to others along the way. I learned a long time ago that there isn't just one right way to do any project. So my approach is to offer other alternatives for consideration. All of which have been proven to work well and will last.

Been doing this for a long time and it is in my blood as well as my soul. About the only place I am truly at ease and stress free is when I'm on the water with a main sheet in my hand and the wind in my face. Or building another boat.

Thanks to all that allow me to participate here.

Wow,

That's really all I can say. Your boat looks fantastic Barry. I like the colour choice for the deck and non-skid. It's a great contrasting colour. Really brings out the wood work. It's a great accent colour.

I for one have always thought of you as one of the wise builders here on the board and have recieved pleanty of advice from you when building Fat-Cat. Seeing your boat really brings home those points which you had helped me with. Your knowledge and attention to detail really shows in your boat.

P.S. - The bow pulpit looks great. I remember reading the article in the Gaff-Rig magazine last year. I would not mind building one for my Weekender.

Cheers!!

Thanks Shawne!

The color is called "Muffin Tan". It is a Pratt and Lambert color. I found it on the walls of a condo in Hawaii. With white trim on the woodwork it makes a really comfortably warm, rich and inviting living space. So I fell in love with it and have not gotten tired of it in many years. Then tried it on a couple of other boat projects where it just clicked with contrasting colors making a wonderful background for bright finished accents and it is easy on the eyes in the bright sunshine. Yet highly visible! Just a nice change on a sooden boat from the white plastic variety.

So I keep a finished sample board that I can take to my local paint dealers to get color matched paints in whatever types of finishes I want.

Quote:...The color is called "Muffin Tan".

I'd gain three pounds every time I stepped into that thing

Had to go with "Railroad Beige", myself. Ever wonder where they come up with the names for these colors?

Your boat looks awesome, Barry. I'll have to check it out next time I'm up that way.