Decks and beam supports

July is great weather for glueing, and that is an excellent thing when there is much glueing to be done.

(Or possibly gluing. "Gluing" appears to be American spelling, while "glueing" seems to be the British. Like a good Canadian, I will proceed with the uncomfortable sensation that whichever I choose, it will look wrong.)

The first big project this week was glueing on what we think of as pads -- pieces of wood that support the beam, and other pieces on the side of the hull that stop the pressure of the lashings from prying up on the lashing strake. 

The masks are to protect against the additives, not because of the epoxy. Silica adds strength to the glue, but it's a fine, white powder that plays havoc with lung tissue if inhaled. (Never breath anything that has a disease named after it, I say.)

With the pads in place, it was time to mark and cut the plywood deck, then glue and screw it into position.

As you can imagine, the stack of plywood we began with is almost gone.

Here is the aft deck cut to fit, with the forward deck visible beyond the cabin-top mockup. The mockup is a bit the worse for wear, but it has been tremendously helpful in planning the interior. With the decks on, the boat shape appears. It's a wonderful point in the process.