Decking & Cabin
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                    Oct. 2005 - Sept. 2006

 After the hull was rolled over, and suitably celebrated, the work on the interior began in the Fall of 2005 and continued through the next 12 months. It's mostly satisfying carpentry work. A lot of this part of the design is not defined in detail in the Chebacco plan, so much is left to the imagination of the builder. I started with the installation of the main bulkhead, seen in the following picture (most of the framing was already in place in the picture). I decided to incline the bulkhead by about 15 degrees forward, to have a more fluid look. I did not realize it then, but not having a simple right-angle for the bulkhead added a tremendous amount of subsequent work, as every other piece of framing, cabin, etc. surrounding it also needed to have the same angle.  

 

The following picture shows the decking and seat framing. Most frames are Doug fir; the larger structural pieces are white oak. The large side-piece for the seat and seat covers are 3/4" Crezon board with a water-proof coating. 

 

Here's the joinery of the main cabin frame. The top piece is curly maple, already shaped to the curvature of the cabin roof; to be finished bright. The lower pieces are Doug fir, to be painted. The notch is for accepting the framing for the sidedeck.

 

A good view of the side deck. The seat/storage areas are sectioned by the bulkheads, and each section will be water-tight.

 

 

The forward area. All strake seams below the waterline is re-enforced on the inside with two wide strips of fibre glass and thickened epoxy - visible here as the long white patches.

 

Framing for supporting the cockpit floor. The height of the floor is designed to enable the cockpit to be self-draining under nominal load. All interior surfaces are sealed with epoxy primer-sealant.

 

The starboard side of the cabin hides the potty and battery charger:

 

The top opens up, and the potty slides out, to provide a comfortable sitting position with headroom.

 

Four deep-cycle batteries are stored under the step, held down by strong straps. This is the lowest and central location of the boat to hold the heavy batteries which weigh a total of 250 lbs. This will also be my ballast.

 

The port side of the cabin has a sizable storage area. The cut-out at the top is intended for a small alcohol stove. All interior moldings are made of curly maple.

 

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