From the files of “the things they don’t tell you when setting out to build a boat”, here’s an example of where lots of hours get chewed up. The other day I posted the photo of the beam-sleeve installed in the float. Truth is, there was still a finishing step to do – installing a stiffening stringer on each side (in front of the bulkhead, and aft of the bulkhead ). So here’s that same view, now with the stringer ‘shelf’ completed. That’s three hours of making vacuum-formed shelves, cutting it to fit, bedding it in the bonding putty, then finishing top and bottom sides with all the angle-strapping fiberglass. All done inside very awkward spaces. So it was 3 hours times 4 stringers = 12 hours in the past three days for these insignificant looking, but structurally crucial parts. And we’ll do it all over again next month on the port side float :)

Ted, Jim and Drew are wondering about the canted floats; go back and look at the photo taken from right alongside the rear corner – the design presents a clean vertical face on the outside of the hull, making that a good face for docking. When heeled under sail, the inboard side shape will give nice buoyancy. The deck at the docks will be quite sloped, and I noticed this comment addresses by Farrier in 2004 as he offered a ‘flat deck platform’ modification to the F39 plans. I’ll be handling it by locating the nets attachment rail fairly far inboard on the deck, and fairing it in as a good foothold. That’s the plan, anyway!
(And yes, Dad, our actual shape looks just like the photos online of the completed f36s)