The deck is built entirely by hand. Like the hull,
frames are built that capture the shape of the deck and
the cockpit (with all it's little coamings, turns and
facets). Then the frames are planked and finished to
produce a mold. Layers of fiberglass, then core
(thought not in the high stress areas), then more
fiberglass, are built over a series of days, allowing
each layer to dry and cure before the next is applied.
Then the deck is lifted out of the mold, flipped over
while dangling from a crane (a nervous moment!), and
eventually transported to the main building to be mated
with the hull.
The process with the hard dodger is essentially the
same, but it's much smaller and has fewer facets.
The most recent pictures show the painted deck with the
non-skid applied. The glossy areas at the edges, around
the hatches and around hardware show where the non-skid
was not applied.
Non-skid on the
transom - May 2008
Non-skid on the house
top - May 2008
Non-skid on the side
deck - May 2008
Non skid on the
foredeck - May 2008
View from above - Feb
2008
Jim and JB check the
wiring channels - Feb 2008
Profile from port -
Feb 2008
The dodger has landed
- Feb 2008
Almost there - Feb
2008
Sky hook lowers it
down - Feb 2008
Fairing the inside of
the dodger before applying the core - Oct 2007
Cockpit portion of
deck prior to lifting onto the hull - Oct 2007
Finished deck about to
lifted onto the hull - Oct 2007
Laying up the dodger -
Oct 2007
Fairing the deck - Oct
2007
Deck looking forward
with hole in future location of starboard transom
locker - Oct 2007
Right side up and back
in the shed - Oct 2007
Flipping the deck -
Oct 2007
Lifting the deck out
of the mold - Oct 2007
Core is applied to the
outer skin on the deck before laying up the inner
skin - Sep 2007
Initial layers of deck
lay up - Sep 2007
Hard dodger mold - Aug
2007
Cockpit area of deck
mold - Note that it's upside down - Jul 2007
Finished deck mold -
Jun 2007
Planked deck mold -
Jun 2007
Framing for the deck
mold - May 2007