I though I'd posted the other day, but I had a very poor signal and it must have 'got lost' en route.  Anyway, belated congratulations to getting her in the water.  I hope you have good facilities to complete the fitting out.  I confess, nothing would have induced me to launch my SibLim until she was complete: I knew that once she was afloat my self-discipline would evaporate!  I suppose that work will have to slow down a bit, with it now being winter in your part of the world.  I look forward to the next batch of photos!

Anonymous wrote:

I see you have used softwood plywood, is that WBP?  (as we used to call it).

i trust that you have been meticulous in epoxy coating it, I recall Annie gave her marine ply three coats before assembling.

note, Richard Woods reported that one of his cats was built in WBP  40 years ago, well looked after and still going strong.  

Mark,

I used Pine which has durability class 3 while the cheapest hardwood ply (Okoumé/Gabun) has durability class 4-5 and would cost me maybe three times as much as Pine. Pine and Larch (quite comparable to Douglas fir) are also the traditional used softwoods in boat building here for hundreds of years. I developed a deep affection for Pine over the last 2 years :)

The glue is AW-100 / EN 314-3 specified. This is the highest possible specification (boil and waterproof) and should be comparable to WBP outdoor.

The hull has >320g/m² cloth and colored epoxy and/or 2k PU as a topcoat respectively 2 additional coats of epoxy + 5 coats of Coppercoat under water.

Thanks again, Frank - that's just what I was hoping to see, with the cabin largely empty. I appreciate your taking the time to have these extra photos available here:-)

Frank wrote:

I took advantage of the sunny weather today to make some more photos of the beautiful color.

Also to put the boat in the water of course :)

No video because the GoPro died 10 seconds before the boat touched the water. Typical.

Now the boat is back in the shed and I will finish the work inside the cabin over the next months. I'm quite happy, this was a satisfying day :)

Anonymous wrote:The sun light certainly shows the boat off really well. It is looking good. Floats the right way up and keeps the water out as well.

I am surprised by the companionway. The cabin deck head is raised for more headroom yet the the opening seems small. I would have to crawl out I think. Of course boat yoga is there for all who float but I have come to appreciate my sliding hatch. I expect I am making it worse than it is.

Thank you Len. When it comes to the companionway there are often concerns about crawling in and out from people visiting the boat. When they then try it, it isn't that uncomfortable for them. Or not more uncomfortable then companionways with dodgers on boats <32ft. I couldn't find a layout yet I can use without hitting my head, walking in an odd way half forward half backward which hasn't a huge dodger or cutout and I investigated hundreds of boats. So I think it is the better compromise (for me) to sit down under the dodger first, and then "slide" inside. Having a unobstructed cabin roof and a protected place to sit in the cockpit are also valuable benefits for me.
But it is a compromise and an experiment for sure. If it won't work out, I won't have a problem with cutting an opening in the plywood and rebuilding it in 2 years. :)