OD18 - NH

[MikeyGnz]

Beautiful work. Makes me want to build another at higher quality.

[Fair WX Pilot]

Really inspiring work, Alan! Are those going to be wet or dry hatches?

Hi Jeff, hopefully dry but nothing is ever that dry in the front of a boat. The hatch covers drain into a channel which drains onto the deck. I should have dry storage in the console for coats etc. The fuel tank cover has O rings on the latches to stop water running in but the latches for the other compartments will probably leak a little. Apart from somewhere to stow the fenders I don’t have any particular plans on what I intend to use them for.

[Fair WX Pilot]

Beautiful work. Makes me want to build another at higher quality.

You should do an aluminum dory next. That would be amazing. I don’t ever remember seeing one anywhere before.

[MikeyGnz]

Beautiful work. Makes me want to build another at higher quality.

You should do an aluminum dory next. That would be amazing. I don’t ever remember seeing one anywhere before.

A 2 year restructuring is about to kick off at work so I need to wait and see where I am based. Panga 20 looks good to me. Good length but low power requirements should make it cheap to run.

[Fair WX Pilot]

So I took a few days off from boat building for work and when I get back the forum has changed , I liked the old one but I am sure will come to like this one as well.

Withe everything cured during my work week I made a jig to let in the hatch latches.


The jig took a while to get perfect but it made short work of the routing.



I was having trouble working out the best place for the latches on the slanted side panels. Nothing looked right. Eventually I reached for one of my layout gauges and it all came together. Amazing how these things really do work. I use them on furniture projects a lot but this is the first time on this boat.


I used a jigsaw and the drum sander to complete the shaping.


Turned out Ok.



Put everything back together to mark out for the hinge backer plates. These have to be recessed into the frames to allow the hatch covers to lay flush.



I tried several different setup's as I always intended to route out the rails but nothing worked to my satisfaction. I had visions of slipping and having to make a repair.



Decided to stop messing around and get on with it with hand tools. There are loads of dory's being built here now and I'm without doubt the slowest




One hatch done and three more to go.

[Fuzz]

Craftsmanship takes time and you have the craftsmanship part in spades! Each of your posts show amazing work.

[cape man]

Really good work!

[VT_Jeff]

Great work per usual Alan, slow and steady wins the race!

I'll be very interested to see how you get the hatch covers flush once glass/epoxy has been applied to the rails and to the underside of the hatches. I'm trying to puzzle this out myself as I think through the hatch design and it seems like the only way is to leave an oversized gap and then shim them up to flush once all glass/epoxy has been applied.

[MikeyGnz]

There are loads of dory's being built here now and I'm without doubt the slowest

At the same time yours is one of the builds showing everyone the meaning of craftmanship.

[Fair WX Pilot]

Thanks Guys, I still say its all selective photography

Can I pick all your brains again. It's crunch time and I have to put the hole through the hull for the anchor locker drain. Don't really know why this is such a big deal other than I don't want to mess up the graphite epoxy line by getting it wrong. I am stuck between two ways to finish this and need to decide between looks and function. Would appreciate some real world experience on this before I drill.

Option A: Drill oversized and fill to fit a 1" brass tube flared through the hull and leave it at that. Putting a clam-shell cover over this would be to big and look out of proportion. I am opting for brass at and below the waterline so it would look the part.

Option B: Drill oversized and fill to drill a 1/2" hole and cover with a stainless clam_shell like is standard practice on modern production boats. This would stop spray and waves from entering the locker and 1/2" is plenty big enough to drain water from a locker.

Thanks,