The Big Day Draws Near

The top is finished. My friend Major and I repaired the bird nest damage and applied the fourth and final coat of two-part polyurethane paint last Thursday. I removed my tools from the guest house garage. Dia will be moving her vehicle back in there tomorrow.

The journey

Wednesday afternoon, myself and three fellow geezers will lift the top from the table where it was built and take it to the Albin. It will be about a 150 yard trip, most of it easily accomplished on the back of my pickup. Moving it from the truck to the dock will be a test of strength and agility, but we have measured and we are confident. This last part of the journey will be over water--across a bridge and through a gazebo, then down a long ramp to the dock where the Albin awaits.

The process

I have simplified the installation plan. Instead of sticking the top on with epoxy glue mixed on the jobsite, we are going to use 3M 5200 adhesive. The 5200 comes in tubes and is applied with caulking guns. This  will be much easier to use than epoxy glue, since  it requires no small batch mixing and can be worked for about three hours after application. The epoxy would have been much messier. The 5200 will be relatively flexible after it cures, while epoxy provides a much more rigid bond. I think 5200's flexibility will be a benefit, since the hull and top framework will flex some, particularly going on and off the trailer.

Tomorrow, I will start preparing Ms Bettencourt to receive her new top. I am going to lash 10-foot 2x4s on edges, fore an aft, between the cleats at deck level on either side of the pilot house. The nylon strap load binders we will use to arch the top over the rafters will attach to these 2x4s. Also tomorrow or Tuesday, I will clamp some 2x6 scraps to two or three of the rafters with the top edges of these blocks about a inch higher than the tops of the rafters.

The vision

Here's how I see it working on installation day: We will butter the tops of the rafters and longitudinal members on the boat with the 5200 adhesive. This will involve running  beads of adhesive down the centers of the support members, then spreading the stuff on the tops of the boards with putty knives.

When this is done, two geezers will assume positions on the boat, one in front of the windshield and the other on top of the aft cabin. Then, the dock geezers will lift the new top and help the boat geezers maneuver the top onto the temporary blocks clamped to the rafters. When this is accomplished, the top will be resting about an inch above the freshly-prepared adhesive beds on the rafter tops. Next, we will align the marks on the underside of the top with the marks on the forward and aft members before releasing the clamps on the temporary blocks, allowing the top to come to rest in the correct position on the rafters.

We'll secure the top forward and aft on the centerline with screws and clamps.

Finally, a half-dozen or so nylon load binder straps will be deployed over the top and ratcheted down to curve the top and snug it into the adhesive on the rafter arches.

I am sure the straps will require a lot of adjustment and re-tightening to get the arch right and to achieve full contact of the top's underside with the rafters and longitudinal stringers.

We'll stop at that point on Wednesday afternoon and let the whole thing sit, strapped up under tension and embedded in adhesive, maybe for a week or so.

The final part of the job will be installation of the grab rails. These will be affixed with bolts and lag screws through the top and into the longitudinal stringers.

The forecast

The Weather Service is calling for sunny skies, temps in the mid 80s and a 50% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. This whole evolution should be very pictorial, so please stay tuned for the next report.

Late Bulletin: The Weather Service has changed its forecast and is now calling for cloudy skies with a 60% chance of rain. We may have to re-schedule.

Late, Late Bulletin: The probability of showers Wednesday afternoon is now 70%.

Very Latest and Final (for today) Bulletin: 12:30 p.m. Visibility zero in rain. Called everyone and cancelled installation for today. The next day everyone to can get together is Wednesday, May 23.