alright…. wooooo this is a big one. honestly, i’ve been afraid of posting this for fear of the backlash.
i cut strider’s deck off.
i’m replacing it with a pop top.
it’s not like it was a one-of-kind Bolger relic that the designer himself was quite proud of...
anyway, the deck’s off, and strider remains on its trailer in beatty. i’m in las vegas still, trying to be helpful while my bro is on chemo, so boat progress is quite slow. that said, the above pictures, especially the last two, represent my finalized (at least until i start construction, heh) plan of action for strider’s new deck/standing headroomable cabin. my intention is to go make a template of the existing deck and the top of the hull, take those back to vegas, and build the deck here, cause i can’t really get away.
the new deck will be cold-molded cedar like the hull, and my parents have donated their old tent trailer (they intend to make it a flat bed), which will provide some clamping latches and probably the lift mechanism and four support legs. a stainless post will support the bow section in the down and up positions (i’ve focused more energy on the mechanisms needed to keep the deck down while underway than up while at rest), as will pins in the mast and ladders from the cockpit to the deck. reinforcements around the hull will create a semi-labyrinth seal when the hull is clamped to it, and detent pins around the circumference will spread the load, ensuring an even seal.
just for shits and to make everything harder for myself, i think i’m going to take this opportunity to make the forward hatch a flush one.