Our Didi 40 Cr just after turning. The chain blocks and slings are back in storage and the cockpit is now covered with epoxy glass and all the deck beams in this area are fitted.
The details at the front of or wide stern Didi 40 Cr. A laminated deck beam had been fitted across the front of the cockpit. It is notched into the side of the wet locker and goes all the way to the side locker in the quarter berth.
After the excitement of the hull turning ceremony ten days ago the euphoria has gone and now the hard grind to the finish has started. The first task was to protect the raw plywood on the deck and boarding platform. These now have a heavy layer of glass and two thick coats of epoxy so the timber is sealed and the surface is shiny smooth. The bare plywood in the base of the anchor locker also got the heavy glass and epoxy treatment but in this case it was two layers of glass over the bottom, one on the sides and doubled over the corners.
With that out of the way I spent nine hours on Monday planing away the surplus timber from the gunwhales and fairing up the tops of the frames. Tuesday I laminated up a 32 by 32 mm beam to go across the deck just in front of the cockpit well. This joins the deck and cockpit and is also the support for the mainsheet traveller for those who put the track in this position. Because the beam is visible in the quarter berth the bottom corners had to be routered before installation. Today I installed most of the deck beams for the cockpit area and again the beams had to be routered prior to installation.
At the front end of the boat I have cut out the second 12 mm plywood panel to reinforce the back of the anchor locker and also laminated up a 25 mm by 42 mm beam to be notched into the gunwhales. This structure will take the anchor load from a Samson post or an electric winch and is also suitable to take the load of an inner forestay if fitted. I have already installed plywood doublers 100 mm wide along the bottom edge of the gunwhale to take an external bowsprit and will put plywood doublers down both sides of the narrow deck around the anchor well.
Ahead I have to form up the locker hatch area before I can deck that side. It would be unfortunate to forget to put the hatch in and find there was no way in or out. It seems that completing the deck from the stern first is a good safety measure as it creates a stable strong working platform for the next stage.