The Cockpit.

Now it is time for the cockpit to be built. At the point where the cockpit is attached the hull the structure to be built has to contend with several angle changes. The foredeck has a raised aspect and the aft deck is quite flat so in order to build a cockpit that might look well and perform well I had to build it in relation to the deck that already exists. To do this I covered the pilot position in a separating plastic film and built the cockpit up in layers. I did this with thin strips of mahogany. As I put each layer in place I glued it to the layer below and clamped the assembly to the deck, however the stretched plastic on the deck stopped the cockpit from bonding with the deck. This allowed the form to settle with the right angles while the glue cured.

The advantage of this is that I can fabricate a cockpit that fits exactly to the boat but remove it for cleaning and sanding before permanently attaching it to the hull.