The Sea Nation

Ikaroa

Sanding the Hull Smooth

I’m sanding the hull curves smooth before painting and turning the hulls. The fairing compound is coming along nicely—though leaving the tape on too long was less clever.

Ikaroa

The Bow Reaches Its Final Shape

I’ve finished the bow’s final shape—the first part of the hull that is truly done. Soon, this surface will be cutting through the waves, unchanged beneath its protective paint.

Ikaroa

Narrowing the Iroko Keel Pieces

I’m still avoiding sanding hulls, so I started narrowing the iroko pieces for the keels. The dimensions also give me a useful check on the plywood, glass and epoxy laminate thickness.

Ikaroa

Moving Heavy Materials Without Crushing My Feet

I use straps to hold plywood in place and move heavy materials around the boatyard—because dropping 30kg on my feet got old quickly.

Ikaroa

Fairing the Freshly Laminated Second Hull

I laminated the other side of the second hull, added aramid, and tried a very thin, runny layer of fairing compound to fill the weave. The cooler weather was a welcome relief after battling the heat and amino blush.

Ikaroa

Cork Insulation and Condensation in Boats

I’m asking how condensation has affected other Wharram boats, and how people have dealt with it. I’m planning to use a thin layer of cork inside Ikaroa for both insulation and the interior finish.

Ikaroa

Coffee After a Night of Laminating

I barely slept after finishing laminating at half past one, and the heat made daytime work impossible. So I had coffee and read the history of building Gleda instead.

Ikaroa

Finding the Best Fairing Tool

I spent five days and 15 square metres of hull testing fairing tools before finding a bigger, stiffer plastic squeegee that actually worked. The first hull is now faired, and I’m moving on to laminating the second.

Ikaroa

Finding the Best Fairing Tool

I spent five days and 15 square metres of hull testing tools before finding a large, stiff plastic squeegee that made fairing much easier. The first hull is now faired, and I’m moving on to laminating the second.

Ikaroa

Fairing the Hull, One Slow Bit at a Time

I’m fairing the hull with glass bubbles and colloidal silica, working through it 20–25 cm at a time. It is smooth enough, but painfully slow, and I’m already dreaming of sanding.

Ikaroa

Protecting the Keel with Aramid Tape

The heat slowed me down, but I got the final epoxy layer on and added aramid tape to protect the most vulnerable parts of the keel from abrasion. Next came fairing compound—and then the same work again on the second hull, the beauty of catamarans.

Ikaroa

Surforming Every Bump Before Aramid

I’m smoothing every tiny bump from the laminated surface before adding the final glass and aramid layers. The aramid will protect the edges when we start dragging Ikaroa onto beaches.

Ikaroa

Ten Hours to Laminate a Hull

I spent ten uninterrupted hours laminating the hull, with no coffee and a few mistakes to repair. Exhausted but very happy, I’m moving on to epoxy, aramid tape and the next hull.

Ikaroa

Laminating the Hulls Through the Night

I spent the night draping glass fabric over the hulls, working around the heat so the epoxy would not cure on sight. Once the reinforcement and fairing are done, I can get back to our favourite pastime: sanding.

Ikaroa

Getting Ready to Laminate the Lower Hulls

We’re preparing to laminate the lower hulls, with an exciting day—and several more—of work ahead. I’m also planning regular build videos, with early access and other extras available through Patreon.

Ikaroa

Sanding Both Hulls, One Square Inch at a Time

I spent the day sanding both hulls, vacuuming every square inch and filling the scratches, uneven fillets and stubborn screw holes. Now I’m trying to keep the tent warm enough to sand everything again and wash the hulls by evening.

Ikaroa

Rounding the Hulls Before Laminating

I’m finishing the hulls, rounding edges and bows before giving the workshop a serious clean for laminating. We also helped put Krister’s BALDUR mast up by hand—a terrifying but successful five-person operation.

Ikaroa

Flexible Iroko Battens for the Keel

I’ve resumed work on the hulls and started preparing half-inch iroko battens for the keel, which bend beautifully into shape. We also helped our friend launch Baldur before her mast went up.

Journal

Still Here, Still Going Strong

We’ve had a couple of setbacks and slowdowns, but we’re still around and coming back for more. Usual project commentary resumes next week.

Ikaroa

Our Plan for Ikaroa as Sail Cargo

We’re letting you in on our plan to use Ikaroa as a 100 per cent clean, all-electric sail cargo vessel. I’ve also found partners in EcoClipper, who are already working towards a modern sail cargo industry.

Ikaroa

My Last Pesach in the Workshop

This was my second Pesach in the workshop, and the last one. Matzo before moving on.

Ikaroa

Cornflakes, Coffee and Workshop Mornings

My morning workshop routine involves microwaved cornflakes, coffee and repeatedly forgetting that coffee should come first. Fortunately, Adam gets there before me and leaves a hot cup waiting.

Ikaroa

Making Room for Long Timber

We moved our caravan out of the workshop to clear space for turning the hulls and handling long iroko and timber pieces. Now I can sort the plywood by thickness without shifting a tonne of it every time.

Ikaroa

Testing a Flat-Pack Trailer by Bike

We tested a flat-pack trailer by hauling about 40kg of supplies home by bike. It worked brilliantly—and should be useful aboard the boat later on.

Sailing

Making a New Cover for Nimrod

After moving aboard Nimrod and slowly recovering from COVID, I made a waterproof cover for her boom and foredeck. The craftsmanship may not win prizes, but it should do the job.