MAST MAKING !

It's been a hell of schedule getting this new site organised and the mast timber sorted and ready for machining the scarphs, the timbers are 38 feet long! Well the jig was made for the router and the 12:1 ratio slide made for the router and its jig!

First the cuts were rough sawn with a circular saw, fitted into the slide. clamped and then the router milled off the saw cuts and made a perfect wedge !

The gluing clamping boards and bolts will be made next and then the first two scarphs glued up !

Then one corner post will be complete ready for machining to size and the rebates and chamfer cut. Then there's three more !!

The Mast Shed - 70 feet !

JOINING CONTAINERS TO MAKE THE 70FT MAST MAKING SHED.

THE BOAT MOVE .

Teak and Sitka Spruce stock for deck and masts..

Ian sat on our Burma (Myanma) Teak stock all quarter sawn ready to cut off the deck strips and coverboards,margin planks, cap rails, etc There's about 2 tons here, half of our stock - the rest is for the interior fitting out.
Well - here's the new site, looks quite nice here in the sunshine - but when the wind blows..........
Sitka Spruce for making the 67ft and 57ft masts.They will be hollow and oval in shape,when they are finshed and varnished ( lots of varnish!) they will be real works of art !
Ian is here in the container storing the Sitka - 38ft lengths with NO knots, straight as a die!On the left is the mahogany constructional vaneer to cover the steel work of the wheelhouse,the darker timber is more teak boards planed ready for use.

Stainless steel sea water intake filter finished - s

tops any debris entering the manifold supplying the cooling (sea) water to rhe engine,generator,gland/cutlass bearing lubrication,supply to the heads,deck-wash andgalley.

Fresh water plumbing - miles of it! hot and cold,two supplies from the water tank(640 gallons)

one feed to the tank(from the water-makers), sea-water feed to the heads,etc grey water from the heads and black water pipes to come !

New crew.......l to r.....Ian (South Africa),Dave (Wales!),Dylan (France) and Scott (USA)

Starboard double cabin with the timber and ply cleats ready for the decor teak ply to be added,covering the joints will be teak pillars,etc

Dylan Roi ( France) has joined us to help move things along.Dylan is a Med student - so his time is precious and his help invaluable !

Deep sea seal on the prop shaft with it's water lubricating supply(coming up from the bottom right T joint) and anti-syphon escape tube(coming from the seal down to the bottom right)The tube traveling along the bottom from the T joint is the seawter supply to the Cutlass bearing.On the shaft itself is the anti-galvanic corrosion carbon brush gismo - this will protect the shaft and prop from galv corr from the sea water.

Foc's'l cabin,collision bulkhead on the left and ply cleats ready for the decorative addition of teak ceiling strips.

Scott ( USA) with us for a short while - clamping the hydraulic supply,return and control pipes to power the bow thruster and windlass.

Ian (S.Africa) teeth like rivets !! - pinning the ply cleats with rivets to the steel frames - ready for the decorative teak ply and teak "ceiling" strips to be added.

Aft Cabin starboard side,looking aft - the "rough" framewrok for the bunks,etc

Aft cabin with the steering box,location of the seat and the aircon evaporator unit under.

Aft cabin, port side looking aft.

14th January 09.

Ray fitted the aft cabin upper berth supports and Dave fitted the one way valves and supports for the engine and gennny exhausts.Next will be the making of gaskets and fitting the exhaust outlets.Here you can see the steering box,the shaft and the gear cog for the auto pilot.