DaveH6
Redneck vacuum bagging
Port side cockpit sole epoxyied in place. Underneath this sole, along with foam flotation, is a 1 1/4" diameter PVC pipe providing an electrical conduit between the pilot house aft dinette seat and the seat against the transom. I may locate the house battery and battery charger under the dinette seat to reduce weight in the aft end.
I had no 9mm Okoume plywood left in sheets large enough for the cockpit soles. I wasn't about to travel 7 hours round trip to Houston to purchase same, so I locally purchased two sheets of 3/8" Aquatek marine plywood. This is a Luan based wood manufactured to the less stringent specification 6566 versus BS1088 for the Joubert plywood I have been using.
Advantages of Aquatek compared to Okoume are less expensive, more rot resistant and better rigidity in a flat application. Disadvantages are greater weight, harder to mold and more splinters. Out came the tweezers and gloves after getting impaled from across the grain cuts. Especially when using a jig saw, consider running the saw on the less noticeable side of the Aquatek panel or using masking tape on the cut line. I have had splintering bad enough to require fairing compound to correct the tear out. Of course a higher tooth count blade would help. After this experience, I now very much appreciate how cleanly Okoume plywood cuts.
One of the Aquatek sheets will be used for the removable center cockpit area. Since the outer soles taper as they approach the transom, I was able to get both soles out of one 4X8 sheet even though at their widest points the soles each exceeded 24". In effect I cut the plywood sheet on the diagonal along the 8' dimension.
Redneck vacuum bagging
Port side cockpit sole epoxyied in place. Underneath this sole, along with foam flotation, is a 1 1/4" diameter PVC pipe providing an electrical conduit between the pilot house aft dinette seat and the seat against the transom. I may locate the house battery and battery charger under the dinette seat to reduce weight in the aft end.
I had no 9mm Okoume plywood left in sheets large enough for the cockpit soles. I wasn't about to travel 7 hours round trip to Houston to purchase same, so I locally purchased two sheets of 3/8" Aquatek marine plywood. This is a Luan based wood manufactured to the less stringent specification 6566 versus BS1088 for the Joubert plywood I have been using.
Advantages of Aquatek compared to Okoume are less expensive, more rot resistant and better rigidity in a flat application. Disadvantages are greater weight, harder to mold and more splinters. Out came the tweezers and gloves after getting impaled from across the grain cuts. Especially when using a jig saw, consider running the saw on the less noticeable side of the Aquatek panel or using masking tape on the cut line. I have had splintering bad enough to require fairing compound to correct the tear out. Of course a higher tooth count blade would help. After this experience, I now very much appreciate how cleanly Okoume plywood cuts.
One of the Aquatek sheets will be used for the removable center cockpit area. Since the outer soles taper as they approach the transom, I was able to get both soles out of one 4X8 sheet even though at their widest points the soles each exceeded 24". In effect I cut the plywood sheet on the diagonal along the 8' dimension.