Bottom tapered

Bottom panel

Panel has been planed, tapering the edges smooth. I have applied  a layer of 3" tape covered by a layer of 4" tape over all the bottom joints.  

Next Step:

Sand smooth and apply 10 oz fiberglass cloth over the entire bottom and bilge panels.

All Hull Panels Installed

Outer Bottom Panel Installed

With the installation of the outer bottom panel, the hull is complete. Of course there is much sanding, filling, and painting to be done before the hull is turned over. Of the 17 sheets of plywood only one 1/4 inch sheet remains for the cabin top. 

 Next Steps

Taper the edge of the bottom panel, tape and fill with epoxy. Then fiberglass the bottom.

Installing the bottom and bilge panels

Starting to Look Like a Blobster

I crawled beneath the boat, drilled holes, and wired the bottom panel and bilge panels to the bulkheads. Hard work for an old dude like me. I found muscles I had forgotten existed. The posts of all the builders on the Michalak Blobster Sailboat facebook site have been very helpful. I've borrowed ideas from all of them, but I am in awe of their skills. Jim Michalak's plans for the Blobster are really well done, and all the measurements are spot on.

 

Next Steps:

I will apply thickened epoxy to the joints on the bottom and bilge panels. That will prepare the joints to receive fiberglass tape. 

Dry Fitting the Hull

 Putting It All Together

With the long awaited arrival of Spring and warmer weather, I have moved the build out of the shop and begun the assembly of the hull components. Today I just clamped some of the major parts together to make sure the fit is ok. Rain is predicted for tomorrow,  but soon I will begin gluing the assembly together. It's exciting to see it actually looking like a boat, and a Blobster at that. 

Next Steps:

Disassemble and begin gluing and screwing it back together beginning with attaching the side panels to bulkhead #9.

Tiller and Rudder Stock

Fabricated the tiller and rudder stock

After finishing these parts, the only parts remaining are the rudder, leeboard and its mounting brackets plus a few other parts that must be measured during construction such as the cabin tops and cockpit deck.

Next Steps:

Fabricate the rudder and the leeboard.

Mast and Boom Complete

Finished rounding and sanding  the boom yesterday. They have had some dark stain applied to them followed by several coats of spar varnish.

Boom is 2 1/2" diameter. The plans call for fabricating it from 3/4" lumber, but I used 2x4s since I had so many old ones on hand. Dark stain has been applied and will be followed by spar varnish. 

The mast is complete and stowed away awaiting assembly in the Spring.

Next Step:

Build and finish the yard.

Rounding the Mast

Rounding the Mast

I fabricated a marking tool to mark guidelines on the square mast. Then the electric hand plane was used to remove unwanted material. It is a great tool and worth the investment, especially if you are as lazy as I am. 

I

5/16" holes prove to be to large for pencils, so I used 1/4" holes and twisted the pencils through forcefully. I just used threaded bolts on the outside, and kept my thumbs on top of them as I was marking.

Then the electric plane was used to change 4 sides into 8, then 8 into 16.

I then sanded by turning a sanding belt inside out and using my own power to sand. It worked very well.

Next Step

Do some final filling and sanding on the mast. Then apply spar varnish.