This is not April Fool's day yet

Extensive use was made of CAD:
Cardboard Aided Design

The woodwork has been making slow progress, characterised by the statement: "Coen, you cannot do it like that." People who know me will know what the result of such a statement is. One problem is the sealing of the wood. Dave believes that it is not necessary, and that the lacquer will be good for 50 years. So all will have to come out and every edge sealed with epoxy.

The offending panel. The water stain can come out,
but the patches will remain. 

Bambo work top: And he probably expects
 me to prepare food on that!

The main bulkheads are in, and packed up because the brackets are not in line. The packing pieces will have to be re-done, sealed in epoxy and bolted in. One bulkhead has to be replaced, the bad side of the plywood faces the living area, the good side is in the shower compartment where it will  be painted. Now some people suggest that one could put things over the bad spots on the offending bulkhead. Which brings me to Benjamin Franklin's statement: "If better is possible, good enough is not good enough. I will not be able to look at that bulkhead for hours as it is.

Window frames and cover strips

Second part of galley unit. 

Forecabin jigsaw puzzle

The galley is almost finished, it will have a bamboo worktop. It comes in several pieces and not, as I wanted, in separate units that can be removed and modified one at a time. So that is something I will have to change. The same goes for the furniture in the saloon. They are nice pieces of joinery work, but I will have to rework them to get what I wanted. The same goes for the lockers in the fore cabin.

Deck beams in production

The floor planks are more or less assembled. I convinced Dave that they can have hooks under so they can slide into the steel angle to lock down. Some stiffening will still be needed, and some mechanism for locking them in place will still be designed. The ceilings are ready and was being sprayed when I was there on Friday. The side panels complete with window frames are in, or ready to go in. Getting insulation behind the panels still present problems, I will have to remove them, do some more preventative painting behind the panels, cut the insulation batting by hand, and stick it in.

Does he have a clue what he is going to do?

Some thoughts on subcontracting: Janice in Seaweed had lots to say about her two year re-engining saga, and I cannot disagree. (http://janice142.com/Articles/ThreeKeysWhenHiring.html) One problem is that people do not know how to listen. That has been a problem since the beginning of this project. To the extent that I now take a pencil and chalk and write what I said on the offending piece.

When selecting a subcontractor, observe: If he (or she) is more interested in telling you their anecdotes and clever ideas, keep on looking. If someone tells about a job they are really proud of, ask for contact details to check if the client was also satisfied. And do check, or walk away. Ask why I say so...

Floor planks showing hooks and interlocks. 

My hoped-for launch date was March. I am now hoping that I will be ready for the water by December, even if some of the systems are not ready.

With the boat more than an hour away from me, and with the woodwork going on inside I have been unable to work on the electrical system or the plumbing. When I get to it I will write it up.

But on 1 April the boat has to move from Dave's. I had an ideal site close to home, but the City Council will not allow. Another possibility is not saying Yes. I have two possibilities to try on Monday, then I am off for three weeks.

My tarot cards said: Be open to the Universe. Ask what you need. I guess a good building site will appear.