Perhaps it was the cancer operation or, as my daughter suggested, just plain old mid-life crisis, but sometime around the middle of 2015 Deb and I made the decision to relocate from Alice Springs to Devonport and build a 12 metre catamaran. So whatever the reason (and there is a reason for everything) we write … Continue reading Welcome
Its been a big few weeks since our last post. Some major decisions have been made and our bank account is much reduced as a result. First we ordered the portlights and overhead ventilation hatches for the sleeping cabins so that we would have them on hand to check for size, as we fit the … Continue reading Rig ordered
After two months of sanding and painting, its been good to get back to fabrication. Our focus is the deck, followed by the turret & targa bar. Before we could begin installing the fore-decks we needed to complete the fore-beam. We realised that finishing the forebeam in its installed position would be extremely difficult in … Continue reading Decking begins
A lot has changed since our last post. We have managed to get our first coats of high build undercoat on, but not without a battle with the weather. Turns out Tassy has humidity levels not dissimilar to the tropics, something we had not fully understood until now! Our magic figures for painting are: temperature no … Continue reading Paint & humidity
Well its close to a month since our last post, and not because we've been taking it easy. In fact the last few weeks have been physically and mentally the hardest of the build so far. Now that the fabrication of the interior is completed we are deep into prepping for painting. This involves going … Continue reading Time to pay the piper…
Well we are entering our third winter for the build, and it has arrived with typical north-west coast enthusiasm. Westerly fronts are punching through with gale force winds every nine days or so, followed by a period of calmer north easterly winds. These are the conditions Bass Strait is infamous for, and we often marvel … Continue reading Internal Fitout #4
This is our third post about the internal fit out phase of the build, so rather than try to think of a clever name for each one, we are just going to number them, until we reach the next milestone: painting the interior. Apart from some minor trim details, the two sleeping cabins, and both … Continue reading Internal fitout #3
Now that we have returned from Alice we are focusing on completing the internal fit out in preparation for painting. First cab off the rank, was the bridge-deck storage space. This will be accessed from an overhead deck hatch. Two levels of shelving were filleted in place, which also served to stiffen the partition with … Continue reading Internal fit out #2
Progress on Selah has been on hold for a few weeks while we returned to Alice Springs for a far more important project: the birth of our first grandchild. Our grandson, Judah Obadiah James Harris entered the world on Wednesday 8th February. It was awe inspiring to be able to finally hold him, after tracking … Continue reading Our newest crew member
Since our last post, we have been focused on completing the internal fit-out to paint stage. After painting, we will fit the deck and build the turret. Our reasoning is that although our shelter has done an outstanding job, especially since we upgraded it (see The big top is back on. ) we are conscious that it … Continue reading Internal fitout #1
"If at all possible, avoid building your own deck hatches. Install pre-manufactured ones..." Well despite this rather excellent advice given to us by Gary, a fellow Sarah boatbuilder, we have spent much of the last two weeks doing exactly that... building hatches. And yes, they have been every bit as fiddly and time-consuming as he … Continue reading Hatches, Tanks, Outboard Pods and shiny things
Its been a busy few weeks since we have last posted. In between pushing on with the build we made a trip to Hobart for a funeral and family catch-up, returning via the east coast for a few days off. We were pleased to finally finish frame seven. Actually, we were surprised by how long … Continue reading Frame seven complete and cockpit commenced.
Now that the saloon settee has been completed we moved onto installing frame seven. This is the rear wall that seperates the main saloon from the cockpit. It is effectively an internal bulkhead as the turret roof and sides extend well beyond. The cockpit on the Sarah design is fully covered, a feature common to … Continue reading Frame seven
The design and construction aspect of the saloon settee is complete. We will return to it when the water tanks we have ordered from Atlas tanks arrive. They are installed under the settee, directly behind frame five. Part of the construction has been designed to be removable, to facilitate removal of the tanks in the … Continue reading Saloon Settee completed
Nothing worthwhile comes without a struggle, and we are happy to be able to report that the web lockers are finally completed. They have turned out to be the most physically demanding aspect of the build so far. The web lockers need a lot of care. They are potentially subject to wave and collision impacts … Continue reading Webb lockers, Adam Ant and Manna Hill
Since our last post, we have completed assembling the forward web lockers, which are now ready for fiberglassing. We approached this job with some apprehension, as it requires bending two layers of full-size 6mm sheets into a curved lamination. It's a job that requires a lot of forethought. Once buttered up with copious amounts of epoxy … Continue reading Web lockers and weighty matters
After a few days off last week to spend time with Pete's dad, while his mum took a trip to the mainland, we returned to the build site refreshed and raring to go. Since the last post, Deb has mainly been continuing with the laborious task of filleting the shelving that runs along most of … Continue reading Back outside again …
Some days are diamond ... Some days the work just seems to flow, and we go home feeling as if we have accomplished a lot. We were able to tick off quite a few jobs from the to-do list this week. We have switched our priorities a little, as it turns out Deb will be … Continue reading A productive week
Now that the floors have been glued in place, we have moved to internal joinery. The Sarah design specifies shelving to be fixed to the three stringers immediately above the waterline along the length of the hulls, between frames two to seven. These shelves form the basis for storage lockers and are mandatory as they are … Continue reading Internal Joinery underway
The fiddly job of laying the cabin floors is almost completed. Fitting the floors has taken longer than expected. Each component has to be cut-to-fit around the curve of the hull, with its varying angles and intersecting frames. Since the last post, we have glued down most of the floors, and have framed and fitted the floors … Continue reading Floors and big-end-fronts
The winter westerlies have finally arrived in northern Tas, so our days have been punctuated with squally showers. Thankfully the winds have been moderate compared to last year, and now that we are working inside we are well protected. The shelter is doing an excellent job at keeping Selah dry, with no leaks, except on … Continue reading Cabin, filleting and planning
