The 18 Foot SeaSled

Well basically cabosil is glass so it’s great for fiberglass… but on a wooden boat if it’s all cabosil sanding is tougher so you tear up the wood more so it’s what I’ve come up with.

 

When you are sanding 20% cabosil is plenty to keep it from sagging.

 

More plywood planking epoxied into place. Once the chine is planked it’ll be complete from transom #5 to frame #2 then I can focus on fiberglass and less on plywood.

 

Did another section of hull last night. Filled in the area between frames #3 and #4 on the chine area. Big messy area I had to fill it with some shims to get it square. Now that the epoxy has set up I’ll try for the other small area next to the keel. That only leaves me with one chine area forward and the the planking from the transom forward to frame #2 is complete.

While I waited on that to dry I sketched out and started to sew up the window treatments for the inside. I sewed Sunbrella on the back to make them opaque and to make them sun resistant. I’m going to have to order some hardware so I’ll see how I want to do that. I have the window dimensions but I need to workout if todo tracks off the wall or the ceiling. It’ll get done just low priority right now.

 

Also took the advice and I’m relocating the a/c father aft along the centerline. I needed to design a mount for it. not totally sure on the design but i think a basic plywood cradle that is glassed should work well. Stress should be minimal. 77pounds / 4 mounts with 2 bolts each so 77 pounds spread over 8 bolts. just need to make sure the mounting has sufficient access and that it is robust enough to handle the stress. I also wanted it elevated 2 inches above the deck so that if any water is taken on it won't be too much of an issue. I will very likely build a small and low bulkhead around it. I may need to move it farther aft for better access but i would rather the rear deck remain clear. I am likely to just turn the area above into seating. kind of ruins my open floorplan but keeps the weight centered and farther back in the boat. Thoughts?

 

Manufacturer states: “40 Liter sealed enclosure with box entirely filled with polyfil.” So I verified online and indeed that’s the best way to run this subwoofer. Space planning wise it’s an empty box so 40% of the enclosure is visible and 60% is in the forward bow area. Box is off the deck to allow the depth to be deeper. Side benefit is possibly less vulnerability to water. 21.76 pounds including Woofer for those keeping score. Also it might end up reinforcing the bow. LOL.

 

Took me awhile but decided to skip the curved windshield. Looked at a lot of examples and utilized the best that I could find. It may not be perfect but I think it’ll get the job done.



this is the extension of the cabin sides for’d of the bulkhead. Windshield will open upwards for ventilation in poor docked weather. Curved to maintain wall around space on cabin sides.

 

It has been a considerable amount of time since my last update. I am now focusing on the completion of the hull planking, particularly at the front of the boat where the task requires a significant degree of creativity. The area behind the bulkhead at the front of the sea sled, which spans 3 feet in length, possesses the largest internal volume. I am contemplating the addition of flotation foam in this section to enhance both noise suppression and buoyancy. Although I could calculate the exact buoyancy it would provide, I anticipate it to be substantial. This area of the boat exhibits an unconventional shape, which is evident upon observation. I am methodically applying epoxy fillets as I progress with the hull planking in this region.

 

Methodical epoxy fillet application... That rings a bell.

 

So the fun begins... with most of the planking laid between the (keelson/keel/stem assembly) and the chine stringer I cut an access port into the forward deck. Once This area is fiberglassed and waterproofed, I may fill this area with flotation foam. I do like the idea of the sound insulation here. However it would also be a great place to keep the captain's private liquor stash. Not entirely sure how to play this one. However before i allow my fantasies to get that far i need to fully waterproof an glass in this rather "interesting area. The area between the two keels/keelsons is mostly just a big flat expanse of plywood but this area goes from vertical to flat in 3 feet so its a bit more "fun"

It will also be interesting to grind the epoxy lumps in this area, ill have to see if my Rotex 90 can get into that area.

 

Built a mold for a fiberglass sink. That’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

Hey Dz, what's happening?

 

Not a terrific amount. It’s very hot in Florida right now, so although I am trying to do a few projects out in the garage, I haven’t done too many mostly doing design work and little small tasks trying to get all the planking done. I did work out my space plan and build some areas that will become cabinetry but when it’s 100% humidity and 90° F it’s pretty hard to do much.

 

Right. Still summer there. Our cool gray rainy fall has begun here.

 

The Planking in the front is more difficult due to all the crazy angles and bending so I’m taking my time and being sure to get it correct.

in the photo with the dark green paint you can see where I was sanding and blending all the panel plywood as close as possible so that I could fill the voids with thickened epoxy before covering with glass.

I also spent a lot of time trying to get the cabin framing as I wanted it. However, at this point in of the deckhouse/cabin build most of the stringers are in place and I’m working on what are essentially Carlins But they are covered in quarter inch ply and then glassed to get the correct radius, so that’s taken quite a while because it’s a curve in multiple directions.

but I did get some work done this weekend. It is starting to cool off a little bit in Florida. This is usually the height of our hurricane season so it rains every day and there’s usually a storm or two.

both of those photos are on the starboard side between frames one and three.