The Sea Nation

Ikaroa

Working on a Boat, Finding Tools

I found this garage-work meme surprisingly relatable to working on a boat. Yes, apparently I still had a few weeks to go.

Ikaroa

A Bike Fall Interrupts Boatbuilding

I was meant to be re-rigging a Colin Archer near the Arctic Circle, but a slow bike fall left me with injuries to both hands and my knee. Boatbuilding commentary will resume when at least one hand works again.

Ikaroa

Dry-Fitting the Hull Floors

I’m dry-fitting the floors before the epoxy work, and the best surprise is that the hulls are actually identical at floor level. A floor made for one fits snugly into the other—which feels like an achievement.

Ikaroa

The Workshop Runs Out of Coffee

It is scary in our workshop right now: we’ve run out of coffee, and the shops don’t open until 10am on Sunday.

Ikaroa

The Less Visible Side of Boatbuilding

I share the planning, timekeeping and ordering behind my boatbuilding. Breaking the work into small tasks matters, especially when a late primer order nearly caused trouble.

Ikaroa

Getting Back to Boat Work

I’m struggling to find my rhythm again after a weekend off, so I’m sanding keel fillets, preparing floors and glassing the hull joints. I also made a rather handsome fillet-sanding tool that works better than it looks.

Sailing

Waking Up off Brixham

I’m bobbing along the coast by Brixham on a small Wharram in calm seas. That’s a beautiful way to wake up.

Sailing

Sailing East with Rory on Moana

I joined Rory McDougall on Moana on the way back from Special Hui in Devoran, sailing happily east and getting a crash course in “Tiki whispering”.

Sailing

Leaving It All Behind for a Few Days

I’m leaving everything behind for a few days and heading to the Special Wharram Hui in Falmouth.

Ikaroa

Preparing Floors for the Cabins

I started preparing the cabin floors, with underfloor painting and epoxy work next. I’m also switching from “hull 1” and “hull 2” to starboard and port as the interior work begins to diverge.

Journal

Hot Coffee, Never Decaf

I invite workshop visitors for coffee, but on hot days I briefly considered iced coffee. I still drink mine hot; cold coffee is only slightly less dangerous than decaf.

Ikaroa

Hot Enough for Iced Coffee

The workshop was hot enough to make iced coffee sound almost tempting. Almost—I’m still drinking mine hot, because cold coffee is poison, just slightly less dangerous than decaf.

Ikaroa

Filleting in a Very Hot Workshop

I managed a few hours of putting fillets on before the workshop reached 27°C and there was no point continuing. Visitors still get coffee, though I remain firmly opposed to iced coffee and decaf.

Ikaroa

Second Keel Fillets in the Heat

I’m pressing on with the second layer of keel fillets, despite the workshop reaching 29.5°C before mid-morning. I’m also glassing the panel joints from inside and making hard plastic spatulas that cannot be broken by reaching too far.

Ikaroa

The Heatwave Has Beaten Our Epoxy

With the Met Office issuing its first red heat alert and temperatures possibly reaching 40 degrees, I have no chance of working with epoxy on Tuesday—even with slow hardener.

Journal

Working Around the Heat

The heat has forced us into early-morning and late-afternoon work sessions. Even in southeast England, apparently, the sun has been turned up too far.

Ikaroa

How Tough Is a Thin Interprotect Layer?

I’m testing the cured Interprotect coating from a mixing bucket and finding that even 0.05 mm makes a remarkably tough continuous film. With Coppercoat and polyurethane still to come, I’m starting to believe the hull will be nicely protected.

Ikaroa

Trying to Work on the Boat

After getting out of bed, finding coffee and pretending to be human, I try to work on the boat.

Ikaroa

Keel Fillets After Turning the Hulls

I’ve reorganised the workshop and started making the keel fillets, using a runny epoxy and microfibre mix to fill the gaps between the backbone, bulkheads and hull sides. A thicker layer and glass tape will follow.

Ikaroa

One Hull Turned Over at Last

I finally turned one hull over after working almost without a break for 28 hours. Huge thanks to Eamon for making it possible—and now I need sleep.

Ikaroa

Ikaroa Is Looking Pretty Now

I’m so pretty now 😍 Ikaroa’s hulls are looking very smart in their grey finish.

Ikaroa

When the Wet-and-Dry Vacuum Went Feral

I learned the hard way that our Nilfisk wet-and-dry vacuum is not watertight. After it nearly cooked itself, I replaced it just in time to vacuum and paint the hulls before turning them.

Ikaroa

Finally Seeing the Hull Properly

I finally got to see the hull from more than a metre away, and I really like what I see. We dismantled one side of the tent, and suddenly there is so much space.

Ikaroa

Iroko Shoes on the Keel

I shaped iroko battens for the keel and skeg, glued them in place, and then spent the day sanding until my arms vibrated. The hulls are looking wonderfully golden, and I’m still on track to turn them next week.

Ikaroa

A Faster Way to Fair the Hulls

I’ve found a much faster way to apply fairing compound to the laminated hulls, with only about an hour of sanding per side. The tent may also be nearing the end of its service as our workshop.