Companion Way and Rudder

Companion Way

After getting the angles planed, sanded and lined up for the companion way framing, I epoxied them in place. Below is the companion way hood being glued up. I used a piece of scrap board on the other end to help line things up.  I also had to go purchase some longer clamps. I got 4, which will do.  I used screws as well, but I find when screwing something together, the screws will sometimes push things out. The clamps hold them from doing that.

After the front piece cured, I epoxied the top piece of plywood on and used screws and wood blocks as to not damage the plywood.  The picture below shows this and also the trim piece, but I just have the trim piece clamped in place as to help form the top piece while it cured.

The companion way hood has been curing for about a week, so I started off this weekend by cutting the extra pieces off the edges. I used a small hand saw. If I would have thought about it ahead of time, I could have just aligned the edge of the plywood with the aft part of the hood. That would have saved me the time of marking and cutting one edge. Not a big deal, but a hint for future builders.

I started to sand the edges, but decided to wait until I fill the screw holes with thickened epoxy. That way I can do a final sanding before applying the fiberglass.

Picture of hood with edges cut off. The edge I was referencing is shown facing you. 

If you recall, I didn't have the correct size of wood in my timber kit, so I decided to use the 3/4" piece left over when I cut the front hood piece. Be sure to save these when you cut them out. They may come in handy.

Below is a picture of the trim piece epoxied on with clamps and a few screws. Instead of making the sharper edges like the manual states, I used a round over bit on my router. I think it looks just as good!

Another picture of the trim piece curing with work lights. It is still in the 50's in the garage. 

I also worked on the framing of the companion way slide. I finished up the edges with a plane and then a final sanding. The piece of plywood fit pretty good. I then epoxied the framing together with screws and then epoxied the top down with screws and a few clamps. I used the clamps in a few places that I saw the plywood not fitting properly. The clamps pulled the plywood down more for a tighter fit. 

Rudder
The manual calls for you to use a chamfering bit in your router to do the "cheek" edges on the rudder. I didn't have one, so I bought one. Below is a picture of the bit. The only problem I had was the bottom edge of the "check" that touches the plywood. If you can see the little bearing below on the top of the bit. That is used so you don't cut too far into the wood. It also hampers you from a height perspective. For that edge, I just used a small plane and cut the edges down some and then sanded. They don't have the same angle, but look fine.

Below is the finished product. I decided to work outside, since the router blows dust all over the place.

The edge I used a plane and not the router is marked with an X. 

Up Next
I will let things cure for a couple days and then start to sand on the companion way for fiberglassing.
I will also work on the bottom piece of the rudder. Getting that glued on.