Adam F

Popped the mould this evening and trimmed it up. Still needs a polish but that can be done at a later date. Fits the aperture just as designed and the door is a ideal fit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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2nd March update... Spring is in the air and getting closer, the end still feels like an eternity away! Working on this project this weekend I have fabricated the port side bunk. Took a while getting the size right, as this was critical in several ways as this needs to be a comfortable seat underway primarily but also a serviceable bunk on occasions. The kids have tested it for size and approve! Also finished the carcass for the heads, and trimmed the aperture to suit. Most of this work involved templating the sheets to the sharpe of the wheelhouse, not easy. In one photo you can see how I've been gridding the sheets at 100mm intervals so I can transfer the measurements across. Also got the door frame mould laid up this evening. I'm now away for a couple of days, so this can cure ready to be popped out and trimmed later in the week. Finally, started looking at veneer trims for the interior today. I want a timber finish but want to break away from a traditional yacht finish, but without going over the top gin palace style. As you can see from the sample swatch I have a few options! Comments and thoughts very welcome. The head linings will be champagne vinyl, the walls light grey coach trim, the floor synthetic teak, the dash top dark grey veneer and the galley top a black fleck. Just leaves the ply covering to be decided......

Laid up the door on Sat morning, and popped it out today. Ran it through the saw to trim to size. Pleased with the result, a quick clean down and a polish and will be ready to go. Then turned the attention the the door frame. As his needs to be circa 5mm bigger all around, I need another new mould, as got that made up today, and finished with a coat of filler. A bit more prep this week and I'll be ready to lay this up next weekend. Turning away from the moulds, I got the heads bulkhead templated up and trimmed in this weekend. Moving forward, ive started the bench seat / cockpit bunk. This will have 3 lockers inside for storage, will seat 4 adults when underway, and have a removable back to convert it to a bunk when required.

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So got the last of the deck glassed in on Sat. Started to install the dash and bulkhead panels, these are now in place and need glassing in. Tonight I've made up the toilet door mould. With quotes north of £700 it pays to make my own. I've templated the wheelhouse door so it's an exact match. Here you can see it with the big corner radius applied, a mix of mdf supports, then expanding foam before finally finishing off with body filler. I've also done the corner fillets and applied the first coat of wax. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A few hours this afternoon saw the deck glassed in around the perimeter, 3 layers of CSM ( chopped strand mat ) giving 1800gsm in total and the layers stepped out to lessen the ridge and improve strength. Then the final layer of mat over the whole lot.... Gutted as ran out of resin again just before I could finish the final piece. Then popped out for 30 mins this eve and started to make up the mould for a new engine box lid... The old one has been hacked about so much, a new one is needed. Finally, looks like I'll be moulding up the toilet frame and door... Quotes back for a purpose made one... Best was £700, worst was £1200!

Sikflex Pete. Nice thick bead and then screwed down with stainless lost head screws. Hopefully ensures no squeeks. Working at home today so should find a few hours to sheath the whole lot in grp. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Back from a long week away, and gifted a full day on the boat by Rach. Big moment today as got the deck bonded and screwed down. A fair bit of prep beforehand as ran a new duct to take the wiring and extended the existing so they both exit the deck with a flush fitting. Also installed the PCU unit and cables back to the engine. Finally fitted the water tank, rails and straps. So basically all the under deck work is done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Laid up the forward hatch last night: And popped it out this morning, away now until the end of the week so will trim it up ready to fit the deck down this weekend. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's all those pies and cooked breakfasts! The aft hatch is easy to slide down and under it's 600x400, the fore hatch needs to be 400x440 as other wise it catches the dash.

Monday 2nd Feb: laid up the hatch mould last night, so was ready to pop out this morning. It was a bit sticky but came out with a bit of gentle persuasion! A quick trim up with the grinder and a light sand and it was ready for a clean down with acetone and a coat of grey flow coat. This done it was time to rebate the deck panel to accept the moulding and give a flush finish to he project. Finished this late this evening so just the actual hatch to make up now. With that done, I dismantled the first mould, chopped it down to size the slightly smaller hatch fore of the other one and prepped the mould for another run. Just managed to get the gel on tonight, so I can lay this one up when I get back tomorrow.

Last day of the shooting season today, so was out shooting this morning. Managed to twist Rachs arm for a few hours on the boat this afternoon. Got the last bit of flow coating done around the deck beams. Then started to lay up the deck hatch mould, first coat of gel applied. Finally got the floor panels flow coated. If I can get the extra cable duct and the eberspacher hoses run this week. I can then fit the deck done properly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hard week at work this week so not been here much. Managed an hour with my building inspector on thurs to clarify a few tricky details and I'm good to go again. Following that, tonight I've built the mould for the hatch frames. These are moulded in grp and then countersunk into the deck to take the hatches. Should be a quick job, get them laid up tomorrow. Also whizzed up the mount for the compass to sit into the dash moulding. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Had Rob over again Friday. Bit of a different day, as didn't actually build anything, but was very useful as we spent the time making up templates, measuring and planning.... Setting up the wheelhouse for fitting out. Pushed on a bit today and stated to make up the interior panels. Really exciting to see the interior starting to take shape. It's vital to get this bit right. Things like seat heights and depths, helm positions etc can be a real irritation if not right and it's easier to do it now than alter it later. Charlie provided loads of measurements from Alfresco, combined with loads of images online have helped me. Once I've got the main bits set out, I'll know where my cable runs etc need to be, so I can mark them and make sure the under deck set up is right, then I can pull up the deck and refit it down permanently.

20/1 update. Not much progress tonight as got back late but lifted the deck panels, cleaned down with acetone and gave each done a decent coat of resin. Hope this cures in time for Rob coming up on fri so he can flow coat them for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dave, They will get a coat of resin to seal, and then another coat of grey flow coat to add a second protective layer and match in against the rest of the below deck work. Topside get glassed in structurally around the perimeter (1800gsm) but the rest will just get a single wear layer as I intend to have a synthetic teak deck over the top. Adam

Last few bits of the jigsaw sorted tonight. Bloody cold outside though... I'd guess -3 or -4c! So that's the deck panels dry fitted. They now need a coat of resin and flow coating grey underneath before I can bond, screw and glass them down permanently. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another update... Feel like I'm starting to get somewhere now. Working evenings this week and then a few hours this weekend, I've glassed in the deck beams, and started to cut the new deck panels. I'm really pleased with the new deck height, much better. The space feels Huge! The final pic of me stood in the forward berth gives it some sense of perspective.

Cheers guys. Just off out to glass the deck beams in and start cutting the deck to size. Dave, their is a proper electric connection under the tape, it's just there the protect that.

Big progress today. Had help from Rob and planned to make the most of the extra pair of hands.... I think he now knows that it's not all about bolting shiney things on! An endless procession of scrubbing, rubbing, hoovering, cleaning, prepping..... The first job was to remove all the old carpet backing and glue residue from the wheelhouse...a job I said would 'take about an hour' we picked one side each and 3 hours later we were done! Phew... Pig of a job. But now she is ready for the interior carpet in a few months time. Next job was to fair off the rear bulkhead, so cue 3l of body filler.... And rob did a great job, whilst I picked up all the bits of glue. Finally, an hour or so of sanding, acetoneing, and hoovering and the hull was clean and smooth and ready for the flow coat. This took a couple of hours, but now under the deck is complete, flow coated and ready for the deck to be cut to size, sika flexed, screwed and glassed down. Cheers Rob... We achieved today what would have taken me a couple of weeks to do in the evenings.

So first update for 2015. No photos as they don't show much, but I've been busy fibreglassing... It's taken bloody ages! At first it seems a quick easy task, just a few strips of grp here and there? Well to comply to Seafish Standards all the structural bits (so anything under the deck basically) needs 1800gsm layup, which is 3 layers of 600gsm mat. Each layer needs to be slightly larger than the last to avoid a big ridge, and to keep a nice stepped profile as well as added strength. So that 'little' job becomes a mountain once you start to cut all the pieces of mat, I had literally a pile of it! I'll never complain about the price of a boat again.... The amount of labour is phenomenal.... I thought the last boat was a lot of work, but that was a basic fit out, this is nearer to a full build. Anyway, so I've been out there every spare hour trying to get the grp lay up complete. 3 layers around the top of the deck shelf, 3 underneath, 3 on each of the bulkhead tops, each side, 3 along each bulkhead where it joins the hull... Equates to about 36m at 300mm wide and about 25kg of resin. The last few bits will be done tomorrow morning and then I've enlisted some hired help from Rob Francis on a Thurs to get the under deck flow coated. Then I can trim the deck to size! I'll be pleased to move on to the next stage...

Another 175 fan here. If I went back to a day boat I'd go back to a 175 without hesitation. I had a 165 too, also great but the 175 is in another league, hard to find much to fault really. I had a 130hp honda on mine! I would recommend going for at least 115hp... They need a few hp but they really fly, mine did close to 40 knots but drank around 1l per mile at cruising speed.

Any decent builders merchant will stock or can get hold of it. Be prepared to pay circa £60 a sheet.