For some silly reason I thought I'd make great progress on a number of things today. Instead I spent the whole day mocking up, making, modifying and fiddling with the motor mount. This is not a project to take on without the motor on hand. It is not a simple task. I started at nine AM and was still at it at 11:30 PM! Spatially it is a difficult thing to construct. Lots of angles and requirements. You don't want the motor to sit too high or too low. The openings need to be big enough to allow you to be able to install and repove the motor. You need to be able to get to the controls -- tilt levers are often way down below the motor clamp. You better be prepared to lift the motor in and out of the hole dozens of times as you get everything to fit. And so an entire day passes in a geometric malestrom. I think I made out pretty well. I only cut one side incorrectly to the point where I needed to remake it and I chose to remake the back of the mount as I didn't like the shape of the cutout I had come up with. I felt like I was working with a beaver today; I just kept chewing up wood and not getting it quite right. For awhile anyway. It appears that I now have a suitable "box" to fit under the cockpit on which to hang the motor. The whole thing is made of 9 mm plywood except for the back which overlaps the cockpit side and a thrust block which I made out of oak. The whole thing has been coated, filleted and with luck will be ready to be glued onto the underside of the cockpit tomorrow. One thing I'm doing with the cockpit is building an insulated double skinned bottom. I'm using 4mm plywood on the underside and 9 mm ply for the cockpit sole. These will be separated by one inch rigid insulation with transverse stringers for stiffness.

Once the cockpit and seat boxes are complete. I will be done with the major carpentry and epoxy tasks. By next week, if all goes well I will start painting though the weather isn't looking the best, and then I will start assembling the boat. I'm very exciting to move on to this stage but must stay focussed on the tasks on hand.


Locating block (female) on beam


The basic box appears.


Front view


All together now ready to test the motor fit.


The cockpit view. Hole shape cut to take the enginee cowling and permit access to the controls etc. Note the bits I slowly cut away to get to the right shape.