 The stern looking forward. The center deck is sloped aft, to clear any water that comes aboard and is about 3 inches above the design waterline; just below the bottom of the transom. The footwell has a slope at the aft end so that the surge of the boat under oars will "slosh" most of the water out of it. If that doesn't work I may have to fit a venturi bailer.  The bow eye is abs pipe just aft of the inner stem and is supported by an end-pour of thickened epoxy strong enough to tow the boat under any circumstances.
 The deck has been glassed inside and out, and today I put the two halves together. The joint is along the sheerline, and is fastened temporarily with screws until the epoxy cures. I also cut a hatch into the foredeck to access the floatation and storage there. Three bulkheads separate the watertight compartments, and they will all have access ports.   The deck is built by turning the hull with the forms still in place. I used staples for the deck build, and pulled them before sanding.
 I've sanded and glassed to hull, and attached the keel and skeg. I'm doing a full length keel strip with a brass half-oval for protection.  Next step is to flip the hull and build the decks.
 I finished stripping the hull today, still have to laminate the outer stem and fill the cracks along the centerline. I will just use thickened epoxy for the centerline, instead of a fill strip that I would usually do as the keel will cover the carnage from the outside, and the boat is fully decked so it will not be visible from the top.
'I've set up the forms for my latest project; a "coastal rowing boat". It will be 18 feet, by 32 inch beam, and self bailing. I designed it on freeship starting with the lines from "Fine" but with a bit more width aft and an open transom. the interior will be decked at the bottom of the sliding seat, which is above the waterline so it will be unsinkable and be easier to self-rescue after a capsize. 
The boat will be built in two parts, hull and deck, and assembled with a shear clamp when everything is glassed in and out. I intend to have hatches to access the interior of the boat for storage and maintenance. I am still trying to decide between a keel and skeg, or just a paddleboard style fin.
 Sunset, October 18 2022.
Rowing "Fine" my sliding seat boat from the main part of Pender Harbour back to gunboat bay/oyster bay at high slack tide with a curious seal following me in. Forecast is for rain to start Friday, this is the last of the perfect evening rows for the season! This is the "Fine" sliding eat rowboat from the previous video, all sanded and having the cloth applied. I use a squeegee to push the epoxy through the weave of the cloth, and press the cloth against the hull.
Most builders use staples to hold the strips together and tight against the forms. I use 30 lb test fishing line to avoid the staple holes. Here is a short clip of me applying one strip. The strip has had glue applied just prior to this shot. This boat will use almost a kilometer of fishing line.
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AuthorRick Crook of Oyster Bay Boats Pender Harbour BC Archives
February 2023
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