The Gleda Project

I finished off the mould construction today and then, after more careful studying of the plans, set too getting the first transverse strengtheners glued in place. The plan study was necessary because I want to ensure that I have solid timber forming the sides of the main companionway openings and also for the hatch fixings. [...]

The weather has been lousy today, very heavy cloud and regular heavy rain. The temperature was high though and very humid with it. I put in a seven hour session and I think I’m going to pay for it later! Seven hours of climbing up and down step ladders, clambering around, in and on the [...]

Business is demanding time from me again but a three hour session today was enough for me to get the cabin roof section glued into position. It went pretty smoothly although I did have to give some thought to how I could hold the roof section clear of the tumblehomes and bulkheads whilst I applied [...]

Unbelievably its been over a year since I originally started on construction of the tumblehomes, talk about dragging a job out! Today though I re-cut and re-fitted the ones on the port hull and they are now ready to glue. It was all relatively painless and if I knew then what I know now I [...]

I’m keen to get these tumblehomes and cabin tops done as soon as possible and today I was able to move over the the port hull and make a start joining the two sections of cabin top. Things went far easier than with the starboard hull because the tumblehomes weren’t in the way meaning I [...]

I put in a 7 hour day today and feel like I  made some really good progress but I’m worn out tonight, as is my belt sander which finally gave up the ghost today after many many hours of use. It’s an indication of the scale of work involved with a project like this that [...]

A six hour session today and I cracked on with final fit and gluing of the tumblehomes on the starboard hull, all went relatively painlessly apart from one that got away from me as I was offering it up and in the process of trying to catch it I got epoxy mix on my arm, [...]

A good work session today working on the two side decks of the starboard hull connecting the large curved forward section of main cabin roof to the small aft section. I’d successfully joined glued the four longitudinal stringers and the lower pieces of ply the other day but there was a fair bit of cleaning [...]

Ok not strictly true…. more a rectangular hole in a slightly oval hole but either way it describes what I’ve been trying to do today, namely join up the large curved main cabin roof with the small curved cabin roof. Done correctly this leaves a perfectly rectangular opening sitting within side decks that match the [...]

Nothing terribly exciting to report today, I just glued the final layer of ply to finish the sandwich roof section for the starboard main cabin. That just leaves the two narrow aft sections to make and I’m finished with the mould. (I have to make another one with different radius for the cabin tops). I [...]