The Sea Nation

Ikaroa

Finishing the Stern Cabin Fillets

I abandoned my carefully prepared painting plan to finish the fillets in the stern cabin lockers of both hulls. The bow cabin in the port hull can wait, while I slowly get back into the groove of boatbuilding—and warmer mornings.

Ikaroa

Painting the Hull’s Hard-to-Reach Spaces

I’m painting the bow and stern lockers by brush and roller, because the Jotun epoxy primer is too thick for my current spray gun. I also finished the bow-cabin fillets and fixed parts of the starboard main-cabin floor.

Ikaroa

When the Resin Dosing Pump Quit

My resin dosing pump finally gave up after almost 100 litres, so I kept today’s jobs small and postponed most epoxy work. I’m also switching from International to Jotun epoxy paint, including for future spray application.

Ikaroa

Starting Again with Hull Fillets

I’ve finally started proper work again, beginning with fillets in both bow compartments and tidying the stringer finishes. There’s plenty to do before the new timber arrives, so I’d better get on with it.

Ikaroa

The Wrong Hardener, Then Back to Work

I received 206 slow hardener instead of the 205 I needed, causing a small delay while the correct epoxy arrived. Now I’m finishing the lower hull and preparing for the next stage.

Ikaroa

Waiting for Resin in the Cold

I’m finally into double digits, but still waiting for the resin to arrive. The workshop is freezing in the gale, though epoxy apparently remains the real judge of working temperatures.

Journal

My Kind of Fruit Salad

I found IKEA’s idea of fruit salad rather more appealing than the usual sort. 🤣

Tech

A Survey for More Spontaneous Journeys

I’m asking travellers to help me shape CityExplorer.App, an AI-powered guide for planning impulsive adventures—square that circle, if possible.

Journal

A Day at the Computer Company

I had a day in the offices of a computer company. Stack Overflow was down, so apparently nobody could get back to work.

Ikaroa

That Bulkhead Is Huge

I’m building a Wharram Tiki 38, and this bulkhead is enormous. Honestly, it’s huge.

Ikaroa

Drawing a Straight Line Without Straight Edges

I used a self-levelling laser to draw a precise 2-metre reference line across a piece of plywood with no straight edge. It was for the main cabin seats in the port hull.

Ikaroa

Fillets, Bunks and Cabin Layout Games

The fillets over the floors turned out better than expected, but the resin finally ran out. I glued on the last bunk supports and played with the toilet, shower drainage and holding-tank layout before splitting the starboard moving floor in two.

Ikaroa

Honey-Coloured Bunks Shape the Lower Hull

I’m finishing the bunks and floors so I can finally see how the lower hull will look. Next I’ll move on to the upper bulkheads, heavier plywood and Douglas fir.

Ikaroa

Epoxying Floors While Waiting for Timber

I’m slowly epoxying the cut parts and protecting them from moisture while I wait for more timber and resin. The floors will have to wait a little longer.

Ikaroa

Fitting Bunks and Locker Floors Aft

I cut back the stern bulkhead and started preparing the bunk and locker floors, with the supports landing nicely level. We chose a narrow bunk arrangement for extra locker space, though fitted tanks may mean dismantling it later.

Ikaroa

Bunks Bring the Hulls to Life

While I wait for the wayward paint, I’ve prepared bunk levels in both hulls through to bulkhead 4, including locker access covers. There’s still epoxy, fillets, knees and paint to do, but this stage is oddly satisfying.

Ikaroa

My Spectacular Danboline Thinning Mistake

I sprayed almost everything with Danboline mixed with epoxy thinner, having failed to check the tin properly. The results were surprisingly adequate, but I’ve bought myself another day of painting with the proper thinner.

Ikaroa

All the Floors for Tiki 38

I’ve got all the floors and hull brackets ready for epoxy. Once they’re done, I can paint underneath and start fitting them before moving higher up the hull.

Ikaroa

The Trouble With a 35mm Fillet

I made a mess of the first two 35mm radius fillets, using microfibres when I really should have known better. They’ll work, but I’ll always know they’re there—even under the floor.

Ikaroa

Our Very Clean Procrastination Workshop

Adam and I are masters at procrastinating, but we also know how to keep each other accountable when the tedious jobs need doing. Apparently, our preferred form of procrastination is cleaning the workshop.

Ikaroa

Glassing the Port Hull Joints

I spent the day glassing the joints in a narrow space, getting resin in my hair and probably everywhere else. Two-thirds of the port hull is done, with the rest of both hulls next before the more adventurous construction begins.

Ikaroa

Filling the Backbone-Hull Connection

I’m filling the last bits of the backbone-hull connection, then sanding, cleaning and glassing the joints with tape. If the weather behaves, I’ll move on to the floor supports and bulkhead fillers.

Ikaroa

Sealing Every Square Inch of Hull

Before I close off any more spaces, I need to seal every damaged surface, screw hole and bit of bare wood inside the hulls with epoxy. It is one of those jobs that adds several unaccounted-for hours to a Wednesday.

Ikaroa

The Sunday Workshop Coffee Emergency

I ran out of coffee in the workshop and only remembered the shops were closed after planning an evening coffee run. Sunday: quietly sabotaging boatbuilding since forever.

Ikaroa

Closing the Floor Level This Week

I had a good day preparing the small things needed to close the floor level this week. The Patreon video is now public, and support is welcome as I work towards moving out of the workshop by autumn.