Its been 12 weeks since we took delivery of the timber and began lofting (marking out) the frames and stem pieces. Although we took great care, and Deb double checked measurements, its not until assembly you can be certain no mistakes have been made. So I was a little nervous when we started assembling the starboard hull this week.
We started by fixing the frame bearers onto the strong-back beams. Each one positioned lengthways according to the table of offsets, and set at 90 degrees to the centre string line, using a set square. Then we used the laser level, to mark the horizontal levels on each bearer, to allow for strong back variations. We then offered each frame to its bearer, centre-lines aligned to the string line, and used packing shims to set them horizontally. (The packing shims are actually business card size laminate colour samples. Perfect for the job as they are only .5mm thick. A trick I learnt from Rusell when he has to install kitchens on uneven floors.) Finally we used the laser again to check verticals, and screwed them down.
The laser has been an absolute god-send that was gifted to us by friends when we left Alice. I would recommend it to anyone considering doing a similar project. If building on a nice flat surface, a standard level would probably be OK. But if like us, on an uneven surface, then I would consider it essential equipment.
It has been exciting to see the various bits beginning to look like a boat, and we can start to visualise the spaces; sleeping cabins, main saloon, cockpit and heads (bathrooms). Before we went home today, I used the late afternoon light to fire up the laser to check the accuracy of our efforts and was pleasantly surprised and relieved that all aligned to within a millimetre or so tolerance. Very happy about that!
Building Selah 
Hi Pete and Deb. Found your page on sv-takeiteasy and love it!! As an ex Tasmanian and still ex can sympathise with the weather as we enjoy milder weather here in Adelaide. Would love to come back though as still have family there and an elder daughter and family on a property up behind Westburyand looking at the inundation of their property last week wondering how you fared with the wind and rain with your cover holding tight. Also intrigued with the naming of your future cat-.Presume there is a religious background there as with us and its on that naming point that I decided send you off a note.We have friends here in Adelaide that bought a Fountaine Pajot second hand from Sydney and changed the name to Selah from its original-I think they have stolen your thunder so you might need a 2 or something else added to it to register it with the Selah. You are now bookmarked on my computer with email notifications when you add to your page-I envy you the fact you both have the interest like that to pursue it with the dedication you are,well done. I look forward to following the updates as they come in.
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Thanks for your comments Tony. Welcome aboard. Yes we came through relatively unscathed, thankfully: but our prayers are with those who lost everything. We just lost a few days building time. Surprised that there is now another Selah out there, I thought it would be sufficiently obscure! Not to worry. Selah is used in the book of Psalms, my favourite book in the Bible. It’s thought to be a directive to “pause and reflect” between stanzas. I’ll take it. It reflects our current season.
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