May 12, 2018
For the limited time I had today to continue work on the Dhows, I chose to complete the installation of the aft seating...and as far as I could get with the backrest on the blue Dhow. I began by removing the tape helping to keep the epoxied seat cleats in place during curing (installed the night prior).
Next, I began making a template for the aft seat. I applied a compass to the side of the hull and struck a line along a piece of cardboard. I then removed the excess material (outboard of the line), and had an accurate fit.
I complete the port side in the same manner, and then used a few pieces of scrap cardboard to align both pieces. The various pieces of cardboard are hot-glued together.
Back in the shop, I used a jigsaw to remove the seat, and promptly tested for level...
...yep, level!
Just as I had done with templating the seat, I repeated the same process for the backrest.
With limited mahogany on hand, I was forced to use a piece with some sapwood in it - can be seen in the picture below, bottom portion of the backrest where it meets the aft seat. The seating and backrest on the Dhows will be have several coats of varnish applied, so I am hoping that the wood will not have issues with water and rot.
While I was working the aft portion of the blue Dhow, I went ahead and created a template for the support for the aft seat.
I removed it from a piece of mahogany in the shop, and tested its fit. I had to make a few minor adjustments, but ultimately ended up with a snug fit between the bottom and the underside of the seat.
The final step for the day was to epoxy the aft seat and its support into place. I solvent-washed the areas to receive epoxy work, and then painted them out with neat epoxy. I also painted out the areas on the seating and support that would receive epoxy work. I applied fillets where necessary, wet out the tabbing to be applied to the underside of the seat (outboard) and the support, and installed the fiberglass tabbing.
Final act for the day was to sand the backrest down to 220 and apply a first coat of Epifanes clear varnish - thinned by 30 to 40%.
Total Time Today: 4 hrs
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