EARTHQUAKE,TOPLESS and DUST

Pinoy Boat Yard
Port Carmen, Cebu
Philippines

Here in Port Carmen just 20 miles north of Cebu City and 40 miles from Bohol Island where the quake was centered we were fortunate to only get shaken about. On the boat it felt as though a large boat wake had rocked us. The only damage that we have viewed has been that on the internet.

The new top has been removed and is back up in the shop for the work to finish the tabbing that will allow it to be removed if necessary. The workers continue to add fiberglass to the supports. The carpenter has been using the old teak from the aft companionway ladder to box in the top of the redesigned splash guard combing. Lately there has been lots of grinding and sanding in the cockpit meaning dust everywhere. When we are aboard it's confinement in the cabin with all port lights and hatches closed. Both our 12 volt and big shore powered fans work overtime. Every afternoon We use the saltwater wash down pump to clean of the fiberglass and wood dust so all is clean to start the next day. A regular hose would be nice but the freshwater from the hose bibs on shore only produce a dribble.

We have begun the project of recovering the cockpit cushions but it is on a bit of a hold till as it is so warm inside the boat and not very comfortable for Kathy to be chained to the sewing machine.

The photos just show more of the process as work continues.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

LANDO FITTING WHAT WILL
BECOME ONE OF THE TABS
HOLDING THE TOP

SANDY GLASSING THE INSIDE FRAMWORK

tABS READY TO BE GLASSED TO THE TOP

GLASSING THE TABS

BACK IN THE SHOP FOR ADDING MORE
GLASS TO THE TABS AND FAIRING THE
INSIDE

THE SPLASH GUARD COMBING

lANDO CUSTOM FIT TEAK FOR THE TOP PIECES

THE HEAD CARPENTER ALEJANDRO
BUILDING FLOORING FOR ANOTHER
BOAT HERE IN THE YARD

A FITTING

Pinoy Boat Yard
Port Carmen, Cebu
Philippines

Today was the long awaited day when the bimini supports had finally been epoxied in place and it was time to bring the new bimini aboard. We're not sure of it's actual weight but my best guess at this time is two hundred pounds. As it is a rectangle approximately eight feet by nine feet it's a bit unwieldily. We first doubled up on our gang plank giving extra width and a handrail on each side. Lando and Sandy carried the top down and then having a line through what will be the window we attached a spinnaker halyard. The guys carried the top down, there was a tense moment when it dropped but was saved by the halyard. Once alongside, the main halyard was attached and with the guys and I moving the new top and Kathy controlling the weight with the halyard it was moved into place. After removing the line used for lifting and sliding the top around the fit was almost perfect. Quite amazing!!!The rest of the day was spent making small corrections in the fit and adding more fiberglass to the support structure.

Next the top will be removed again so the inside can be fared and painted. There is still more fiberglass work to be done on the boxing in of the splash combing along with the tabbing on the inside of the top to make it removable. We at least have now seen what the top in place looks like and are quite happy.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

KATHY AND BLUE CAT ARE PLEASED WITH  THINGS

LOOKING FROM FORWARD

SIDE VIEW

OUR HOPE WAS TO FOLLOW
THE LINES OF THE COCKPIT

LOOKINF FROM THE HELM SEAT

LOOKING AFT FROM THE
COMPANIONWAY HATCH

LOOKING FORWARD FROM OUR STERN SEAT

CONSTRUCTION MOVES ALONG

Pinoy Boat Services
Port Carmen, Cebu
Philippines

It's been ten days since our last update and progress's keep moving along. Sandy, who is the fiberglass and prepare to paint worker keeps busy sanding and then adding "bog" which is epoxy mixed with different type of fillers to then sanded to give a smooth finish. Today it was a mixture of epoxy paint and talcum powder to fill the smallest of pinholes. This gets sanded further and more fill applied until perfect.

During this same time Lando, the carpenter, has stayed busy building what will be the support for the top. This has involved lots of input from both Kathy and I as we will be the ones who must live with the final result. One of our main concerns was that the final product did not look like a box set on top of the center cockpit of Po oino Roa. We have been thinking of this "room addition" for a number of years and want it to add to the look of the boat not detract. To accomplish this our idea has been to keep all the supports at angles. So far as we look at the framework that Lando has built we seem to be on the right track. As each and every support has been cut and held up both Kathy and I look at it from various locations trying to get a feel for what the final outcome will be. Lando has an excellent eye for how things ought to look too. The plan was to box in the splash guard combing and for the supports to then be attached there. This involved first putting up some of the supports at what we thought was the proper angle and then having Lando make a model of the front part of the bimini top as it had been laid up in the honeycomb material and fiberglass. This gave us a two foot wide replica. We then spent time looking and adjusting until we were happy. This same process was done for the aft section of the new bimini. Lando then was able to complete the boxing in of the space in front off the splash guard combing.

That was finished yesterday. Today all was removed as the new wood needs to be encapsulated in fiberglass and then re-installed on the boat. It will then be fiber glassed to the existing cabin top. Once the structure was removed this morning Lando used the grinder to smooth away the areas on the cabin top so the new construction has something to adhere to. Tomorrow the re-assembly process starts.

I'm very impressed with the carpentry skills we have seen here, most all is done the old fashioned way with hand saws, planes and chisels. They do use a power grinder and planer but most is done with the simpler hand tools. It may take them a bit more time but we pay 800 pesos or $20 US per day for Lando, in the USA a carpenter with his shill would more than likely command $40 to $60 per hour. I was speaking to another yachtie here who has eight workers daily on his boat. He figures that there daily wages approximately 5,000 pesos equal what the same as for one hour of a shipwright in Australia.

Now after a proof read by Kathy I'll send this off to publish and then with luck be able to add some photos.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

THE FIRST SUPPORTS



SUPPORTS WITH TGHE START OF THE BOXING



A VIEW FROM THE BOW

SUPPORTS AND THE BIMINI TOP MODEL

NOT BOXY TO MY EYE!!!

THE V-BERTH IS BACK AS A GARAGE

HAND FITTING

GRINDING AWAY

SANDY MIXING BOG FOR THE ENCAPSULATED
FIBER GLASSED SUPPORTS YOU SEE IN
THE BACKGROUND