The Sea Nation

Ikaroa

The Second Roof Is Curing

The second roof took a day and a half, and it’s curing nicely. I’m hoping the mould came loose on the first roof, because this one may have flattened slightly where the fittings bent under the stress.

Ikaroa

The Second Roof Goes Much Faster

I spent four days checking, measuring and moulding the first roof; the second is already epoxied together and fitting nicely. A little trimming remains, plus one suspiciously unsupported lifting operation.

Ikaroa

Getting the Bow Cabin Roof Up

I need to get this lovely, bloody heavy bow cabin roof three metres up—once it stops impersonating a copper hedgehog. Adam, come back to the workshop.

Ikaroa

The Bow Cabin Roof Gets Complicated

I’m piecing together the complex bow cabin roof from multiple sheets of plywood—and caught myself marking the hatch opening on the wrong side. Fun continues!

Ikaroa

A New Mould for the Front Decks

I realised the front decks needed a changing curvature, not the standard radius from the plans. After rebuilding the mould, the 9mm plywood seems to be bending just fine.

Ikaroa

Fitting the Cabin Trunk Roof

I spent a hot couple of days getting the cabin trunk roof to fit, correcting the front and back panels millimetre by millimetre. I’m still watching for sponginess in the sandwich, which I’ll be able to inspect and reinforce when I cut in the hatch.

Ikaroa

Building a Tiki 38 Sandwich Deck

I’m cutting and epoxying the plywood, battens and layers for a Tiki 38 sandwich cabin roof. The heat is making epoxy pot life a race against the clock.

Ikaroa

Biaxial Tape for a Monolithic Cabin

My cabin trunk and nav table are now permanent fixtures. I’ve ordered 100 metres of biaxial tape to fillet and glass the connections, while preparing the cabin roof.

Ikaroa

Second Main Cabin Sides Ready

I’ve got the sides of the second main cabin up and ready for epoxy. Tomorrow is a long sandwich-panel day, including the companionway cutout, before I can move on to the bow cabin roofs and decks.

Ikaroa

Foam In, Hulls Slowly Closing

I’ve been back at work on Ikaroa since mid-July, getting the foam in and slowly closing up the hulls. I’ll keep sharing photos and short updates here, with the longer posts moving to Substack and Patreon.

Ikaroa

Returning to the Shipyard This Spring

We're heading back to the Shipyard to close the hull, build the connecting beams, and finally prepare for launch. After that, I’m looking forward to the maiden voyage to Porto, electrics, interior work, coffee, visitors, and the sea.

Tech

Debugging, Learning and Loving Programming

I share the painful truth about debugging: a tiny change can consume two days, but the lessons tend to stick. Apparently, I chose this over Netflix.

Journal

The Eighth Candle of Chanukah

I marked the eighth night of Chanukah.

Journal

The Seventh Candle of Chanukah

I’m marking the seventh candle of Chanukah. 🕎

Tech

Coding Our Premium App in Scotland

I’m back in our Scottish office, working on our premium app and turning coffee into code.

Ikaroa

Dry-Fitting the Narrow Side Decks

I seriously underestimated how long it would take to prep and dry-fit these narrow side decks. I’m racing to epoxy them in place and close the main cabins before heading home to Scotland next week.

Ikaroa

Un-Messing a Main Cabin Deck Piece

I unmoulded another couple of main cabin deck pieces, and they fit like a glove. I also started correcting the first, flatter piece with cutting, epoxy, a loading strap and 150kg of water.

Ikaroa

Standing on Ikaroa’s New Cabin Deck

I’m building the second deck over the main cabin, after correcting a problem with the first one. I’m racing to close the hulls before the workshop gets any colder—or snow arrives.

Ikaroa

One Very Slow Cabin Deck Jig

I hoped to make a second jig for the front cabin deck, but this one took the entire day. With the weather closing in and my 15 November deadline approaching, I may be in the workshop a while yet.

Ikaroa

Dry-Fitting the Tumblehome Sides

I was apprehensive about dry-fitting the tumblehome sides, but they’re matching across both hulls. I’m rather proud—and still slightly surprised—that I haven’t completely messed it up.

Ikaroa

My Least Favourite Epoxy Preparation Job

I’m washing and sanding the hull and sheer stringers to remove amine blush before epoxying them. It is slow, sticky work, but I know from experience that skipping it would be a mistake.

Ikaroa

My Morning Dose of Sailing Videos

I’m confessing to a serious sailing-video habit, fuelled by coffee and dreams of taking my own little cat to Polynesia. A Wharram Tiki 30 crossing the Moorea lagoon was exactly the encouragement I needed before heading out to work in the cold.

Ikaroa

Fitting the First Cabin Deck Side

I spent most of the day matching the first plywood cabin deck side to the hull, working out an approach that should make the next eleven much quicker. Before that, I still have nearly 47 metres of sheer stringer to fit.

Ikaroa

Laminating Hull Sides Before the Decks

I’m laminating the hull sides together and trimming the stringers before I start on the decks. Sixteen connection lines take a surprising number of rollers—and I’m down to one glove.

Ikaroa

Fitting the Hull Sides Single-Handed

I’ve now covered one entire hull with its hull sides, and the other is not far behind. I’ve also put a timelapse of fitting a single panel single-handedly on our coffee page.