Author Archives: Amanda

How good is this??!!  

Our first piece of flooring … port hull … teak and ash.

It has been “go” here since Christmas.  With a few quiet weeks of work, our plan has been to get as much done as possible.  Always tricky to juggle the Xmas social commitments with boat building, and the hot weather, but we are finally feeling like we are making progress. We have been filling and… Read More: One room at a time! »

I suppose when you get to the stage of seriously writing ‘lists’ it’s a good sign.  We have a very long list of jobs to do before other jobs and it can be quite overwhelming having sooo many things to do.  So working out where to start … hmmm!! So, after we both realised we… Read More: Where to ‘start’??!! »

At last!  The things you talk about for months, plan forever and research all night, finally come together!  It’s when you see the finishing touches that you really see progress.  With holidays upon us, we have a mad scramble to get things ordered, picked up and organised so we have work to go on with… Read More: Some finishing touches … »

So exciting … benchtops installed today, finishing happening Wednesday.  Upholstery started today and cupboard doors & catches being fitted this week too. Can’t wait for Friday’s pics!!

It’s full on now.  Every spare hour of every spare day.  If we want to make January our launch month, it’s full steam ahead. Our outside fairing is very close, our upholstery all confirmed and ordered, bench tops measured with templates completed ready for our cabinet man, galley carcasses in with doors being sprayed as… Read More: Time for an update … »

I suppose the second toilet was never going to be quite so exciting and was a challenge to bolt down as we couldn’t reach the locking gadgets but in the end we fabricated some alternative fiberglass brackets which are out of sight and working well? The hardest part about fitting the main fridge was probably… Read More: Two loos in … »

The devil IS in the detail.  Our fairer is working on the cockpit now, with the transom main sheet track ledge completed and the side alcoves on the way.  Cockpit under-roof next week.  It’s the inside that it’s all happening.  The two electric windows are installed with two actuators on each now.  Much stronger we… Read More: The devil is in the detail … »

Just got back from the Sydney Boat Show.  The usual list of things to see, measure and price.  This is (hopefully) the last of the big shows before we launch so we thought it was an opportunity to check some details and look for a few things we hadn’t made decisions on … and two… Read More: Another Boat Show! »

Installed the freezer unit yesterday (not plumbed in yet) … a big shiney bit!  We have a separate freezer in the starboard hull for long distance cruising with a fridge/freezer in the galley for everyday use.

Fitted the two electric windows yesterday. Designed these with the companion-way door frame.  All aluminium with white powder-coated surface.  Had them for ages so very exciting to finally start fitting them.  And they are electric!

While the weather has been COLD we have kept at it … with the latest ETL (estimated time of launch) being January, the “heat is on!”   Jumping out of bed early morning hasn’t been that easy but once inside the boat with the heater on it has been rather cosy.  We’ve been having 2 degree nights… Read More: The heat is on! »

It’s so bloody cold here in Melbourne.  My football team is losing so I now have weekends “free” ??!!  Why not speed things along on the boat building front.  Neville and I have just finished 4 days straight and feel like we may have turned the corner.   Acetone bottle and rag in one hand and… Read More: Ohhhh … the things we do for love!! »

I think I mentioned in a previous post that “finished” was a big word.  Well, the wine rack is finished!  25 bottles of storage.  See pics.  Until all the spraying & polishing is finished, we fit, then put away so the brown paper hasn’t been peeled of the rack sections.  It’s actually been made out… Read More: Winter here but the work goes on »

We are still fairing inside.  Keeping in mind our man Mick only works 2 or 3 days a week, the inside is nearly (there’s that word again) there.  More importantly, Mick is doing a fantastic job.  He gets such a shine and there’s no sign of the joins.  This is a specialist job and he… Read More: Gas, wine and … more fairing! »

Action everywhere today.  Cabinet-maker here to fine tune the measurements, Mick our ‘fairer’ here, and Wayne our window man here.  Love it!! Windows are completely in (look great) with the black Simsons completed as well … shmick!! Gilbert our cabinet man, here as well.  Bathroom benches made, trimmed and completed,and our ‘cubby-hole’ features trimmed &… Read More: It’s all happening today … »

Sunny day, cold weather approaching, time for the windows to go in. We started last week preparing the fibreglass, with four ready, we started on the glass today.  

It’s a beautiful day here … 25 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, no breeze, just sunshine.  Some days the weather can reflect the mood.  Today, we feel we are making progress and the sun is shining.  Mick, our fabulous ‘fairer’, our fibreglass master, has added some shine to the bogged and gelcoated white. … Read More: Sunshine … »

Jobs done … helm pilot hatch, bathroom ceiling, rudder reference control in port engine locker, gas bottle shelf/locker, galley furniture, rear beam join in back locker, dinghy davits, auto-pilot cabling, second engine bilge pump … Is he going crazzzzyyyy????  See pic number 8!!

Sunday is clean-up day, well, it’s supposed to be.  Neville is good at the mess, so I suppose I compliment him by being better at the cleaning up.  We can now see the saloon and the ‘couch’ furniture as I’ve ‘cleaned up’ this area this afternoon.  I can’t really help ‘hands on’ with many jobs… Read More: It’s Sunday … »

Really looking forward to the saloon coming together.  We have put a lot of thought in to this area.  Our initial thoughts were to have a galley down (like our Seawind 1000) – more entertaining room up and utilise the hull space down. After much discussion, measuring and researching designs on other cats, we decided… Read More: Our saloon … »

A few jobs conquered.  Know we’ve been a bit slack on our blog … thankyou for reminding us blog readers!  Not intentionally slow with the updates, just not as much to report as the early building stages.  But, I do know how interested and excited people get who follow these boat building projects … Neville… Read More: Half-way?? We think so (& hope) … »

Thankyou Andrei for the reminder  … “No more updates on the blog everything is OK ?!” Loads of work happening, but it’s slow now.  No more big pieces being put together.  Lots of bogging and fairing, and sanding and gelcoat spraying.  Most of the joins have been prepared for fairing now, just weather dependent (you… Read More: Work goes on … and on …. »

And you thought … nothing was happening.  Lots happening, including lots of thinking.  While we have purchased many interior furniture components from Fusion Mackay, we didn’t purchase the galley and saloon components.  So we are designing and building these ourselves.  Neville is busy learning ‘how to’ work with fibreglass and I just find the glossy… Read More: And you thought … »

A few more assembly pics. The starboard and port sides have been added, furniture components have been placed waiting for fixing next week when Dodge from Fusion Mackay joins us.

The days have flown by and there’s been so much progress.  We have a boat in our paddock! Lots still to do but so much progress in a short time. A big thankyou to guys who have been working with Neville … Tom from Fusion Mackay who’s our “expert”, Trevor, who’s pretty good at everything… Read More: Day 10 … »

The second container has arrived, the building begins … not bad for nearly two days work.

“Isn’t it gorgeous!” Hmmm … WHAT is he talking about?  He was talking about the forebeam. The forebeam has arrived … and the two engine beds.

Not much to show so far with the Fusion Kit delayed.  With such a wet winter and another ‘small’ building project taking up considerable time (not to mention work), the delay has meant more time for preparation.  Every night (no joke) Neville studies his “Master List”.  “Nearly everything crossed off,” he told me the other… Read More: Getting ready for delivery »