Finalizing the dinghy hull and starting paintwork
The parts of the Scout 14, which will serve as a tender for the 60-foot Duracell, are now almost all assembled. Before taking the dinghy home, Matt is fine-tuning a few details at the Northwest Maritime Center with the other trainees. He's making the rudder chocks, and drilling the gunwales with special tools so that he can fit pulley anchors and oar tolets in the future. The appendages receive a final glass skin and several coats of graphene-reinforced epoxy.
The dinghy is then returned to Matt, who starts the paint finishing touches. After sanding, the hull receives a coat of primer, both inside and on the outer edges. The operation is carried out using a spray gun.
Dinghy installation on the foredeck
To confirm his choice of tender, Matt decided to install the hull on Duracell's foredeck. The boat is easily loaded onto the sailboat using a hoist attached to the frame of Duracell's shelter. This does the same job as a halyard when Duracell is afloat. The dinghy's 45 kilos make it easy to handle.
With its narrow width, the tender can be positioned off-center to port, leaving the staysail anchor easily accessible, as well as the windlass for anchoring and the mast step for maneuvering. The starboard deck hatch illuminating the forward cabin, above the berth, continues to receive natural light.
Matt takes the opportunity to justify his choice of a rigid dinghy. Matt and Joni's cruising experience has convinced them of the benefits of a sail or oar tender for open water cruising, as well as the strength of the material. The space available for storage on a 60-footer makes this all the easier.
Back to work on Duracell
Matt is about to resume outdoor work on Duracell. With some difficulty, he installs the cover for the site shelter, a large greenhouse tarpaulin. He can then reapply a coat of primer to the exterior surfaces, which received their first coat in November. With a 6-month gap between 2 coats, it was time for Matt to roll again. Matt prefers this to spraying, in order to limit material consumption, as the coat only serves to leave the paint system "open"
