The two meranti capping pieces have been glued and screwed to the stem post on the new Didi 40 Cr and the last two small sections of ply have been screwed and glued so the front end is looking more complete. Behind the butt join of the plywood along the gunwhale at the stem I have crafted backing pieces of 12 mm ply with parallel 45 degree bevels. One bevel sits on the angled gunwale timber while the other makes a nice transition from the 12 mm single layer to the two 12 mm double layers. This little extra strength will come in handy if we ever attach a fixed bow prodder through the double walls of the anchor locker.
The new nose job on our Didi 40 Cr
Our Didi 40 Cr looking more finished by the day
At the stern I have joined the two bottom plywood panels that extend past the transom with a neatly angled 12 mm plywood doubler and so all the hull is complete except for the capping piece along the keel center line and the glassing. On the procurement side the keel fabricator has been selected so I have move on to the engine selection. I was delighted to learn that the new Yanmar 3YM30ae has the 125 amp alternator, up from the 80 on the 3JH4e we have on Passion. Also I have done some speed and power calculations and estimate that the new build will be a knot faster than Passion despite having a smaller motor. The fibreglass stern tube for the prop shaft is on back order so I should get the engine bearers organized so I can align the stern tube when it arrives. Still on the engine side I have managed to source a Radice shaft seal which has a water inlet built into the seal. That will allow me to put the cutless bearing right at the top of the stern tube securely centered around the frame support and have cooling and flushing water going through the top cutless bearing and out the stern tube. A the top of my current job list is doing the capping piece along the keel line and the keel hardwood landing. I have a nice piece of spotted gum for that job and while it is heavy it is very solid and will provide great crush resistance against the load of the keel bolts.