I used some of the timber from the building jig to make a former for the cabin roof beams. I bent the beams around a large nail at the centre point and nails at the outer edges. The beams were laminated from two pieces of 19mm square cedar. Once the glue was set the beam was released from the jig, cleaned up, cut to length and glued into position on the cabin liner. Small screws up through the liner were used to attach the liner.
I worked through the cabin beams adjusting the "bend" where necessary and managed to get all bar one in position before time ran out and I had to
- temporarily put the 6mm ply roof over the beams
- place most of the materials for the rest of the boat in the cabin, hulls and cockpit
- attach two sheets of ply over the cockpit
- seal all external surfaces with epoxy resin
- seal all joins with wide plastic tape
- prepare the boat and trailer for the long haul to northern Queensland
With barely enough time to pack my own "stuff" before moving we were finally ready to change locations. Marg and I arrived in Ayr on December 1 2004 and moved into a rental property nearby. I started my new position on December 6 and Marg looked for a house to purchase. After finding a house Marg set off for our previous abode and finished packing and cleaning before the new owners took possession on December 22. She then ,with the help of a few friends (thanks greatly Guy!) readied the boat to travel and, accompanied by our son Nathan, hauled the boat to Ayr.
So started another period of inactivity as the house we were purchasing was leased till April. Therefore the boat remained "under wraps" until we finally moved into our own house.
A strip of ply is cut to proved a backing strap for the butt join in the cabin liner. This is glued into place after the first of the cabin beams either side of the join is in place. I used small screws up through the liner and into the backing strap to hold it in place.
The lower cabin roof ply (liner) was cut as described in the construction manual. The 3mm ply is fairly flexible but will "stiffen up" once the cabin beams start being added.
With the liner in place the edge timber was bevelled to suit the angle between the liner and the cabin sides. This timber was then glued to each side and the liner. Notches were formed on the inside face to accommodate the cabin beams. Note that the top edge is left proud to be planed back to the top of the cabin beams once installed.
I managed to cut the top edge of the cabin front incorrectly. Luckily it was too high! A length of pine was cut and screwed to the front strut and the vertical support on the bulkhead at the level of the cabin liner. Remember there is a curve along the cabin roof as well as across.
