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Project Log:  Saturday, December 1, 2012

After some initial layout for the curved section of trim in the forward cabin, I prepared templates from 1/4" plywood to determine the overall shape and end angles of the trim piece.  I found that a straight edge on one side of the template would indeed follow the curve of the cabin trunk, but the lower edge featured a bit of shape to accommodate the deck camber.

After several test-fits and related cutting to fine-tune the two-piece template, I transferred the final shape to a section of 1/4" thick cherry, and cut out the profile.  I left it slightly overlong for final fitting.  I found that bending the solid wood into the curve was more difficult than the template process had suggested, making the final test-fitting a bit of a challenge.

The curve was deceptive in its strength, so it was clear I'd need to use epoxy to secure the trim.  Knowing the difficulty I'd had in bracing the cherry plywood veneer that I'd installed on this section of the cabin trunk, I decided instead to use screws to temporarily clamp the trim in place; I'd remove the screws and bung the holes once the adhesive was cured.  The screws went through the plywood veneer and into the fiberglass for a secure grip.

         

Next, I installed the sections of overhead in the main cabin.  There was no reason to wait for their installation, and the panels risked damage being stored down in the shop.  First, I added a length of wire to run between the two planned overhead fixtures in the main cabin, leading from the port side over to the companion fixture to starboard.  I also reconfigured and rebundled a couple sections of the wire that had proven to be slightly in the way of the overhead.

It was a relief to get all the overhead panels installed, seemingly without ruining the paint finish or trashing the adjacent varnish. 

         

         


There were still panels to template and build in the forward cabin--in the upper portion of the cabin trunk--and in the pilothouse, and of course the various seams and screw locations required their finishing trim to hide them, all of which I'd continue working on in the near future.

Meanwhile, my upholstery contractor stopped by with some of the completed interior cushions for the dinette, including one of the backrest/locker door assemblies for a test-fit before he completed the remaining two.  The cushions looked fantastic, and Jason did a great job with the challenging fabric design.

         

Along with the delivery and test-fit, we had to address how to deal with the backrests against the ends of the dinette, at the fore and aft bulkheads.  I'd designed the dinette with these backrests in mind, incorporating room for a 10° angled back for increased comfort.  What I'd not considered, necessarily, was how these cushions would interact with the backrests on the locker doors.


With Jason's input, and after tossing around a few thoughts, we eventually decided that these backrests should be similar to the lockers, and act as a sort of continuation of that theme and appearance.   Shortly put, this meant that the end backrests would be at the same height above the seat cushions, leaving the slight reveal of the wood beneath, and also at the same top level.  This meant that the new backrests would hang from the bulkhead.  We discussed a couple possibilities for the mechanical connection.  The backrest itself would still feature the 10° angle, sized as if it had begun at the base cushion.

At the corner, we decided to maintain the same reveal between the corner trim and the cushion as that on the existing backrest.  This happened to be 4-1/2".


With a plan in place, after Jason departed I built two plywood panels that he'd use later to build the backrests, in much the same way as those over the locker openings.  I laid out some basic measurements on the after bulkhead, striking level lines with the adjacent locker opening to determine the final size of the plywood substrate, and marking of the 4-1/2" reveal at the corner. 

Note that the masking tape is not the layout; it's just there so I could draw pencil lines on the finished bulkhead.  The masking tape is neither aligned nor straight, but the layout marks can be faintly seen.


From 12mm plywood, I constructed a pair of panels to the correct size.  I found that the length of the forward bulkhead was 1/4" different from the aft, and sized the blanks accordingly.  I incorporated the same 2-1/4" radius on the corners as on the other backrests (this essentially matched the radius of the aluminum ports in the boat, which is why I chose it).

    

I'd get these off to Jason soon, and the remaining interior upholstery should be done in due course.
 

Total Time Today:  5.5 hours

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