Looking like a space capsule, the new dodger sat wreathed in fibre glass.
Workshop
Today we removed the dodger. I’d been sanding, filing and painting in wood preserver over the weekend, now it was time to apply its glass armour.
After a ride on the back of an F100 flatop, the dodger was perched up on saw horses in the workshop and the work began.
This involved rough sanding the surface to remove all traces of wood preserver and leave a good grippy surface for the resin to stick to.
Rough sanding
With Chris calling the shots I prepared resin, rolled down sheets of matt to remove bubbles and was general dogsbody.
First layer goes on.
With the window rebates masked off the laying of the glass began. As the work progressed glass was applied starting at the bottom. The biggest area, the roof top was laid up last.
This is what she looked like at days end. Tomorrow the inside will be glassed after some clean up and prep work has been done.
Finish of day one.
Thanks for all the photos. Wow, this is really going to change the profile of freespirit. She won’t look quite so streamlined anymore but I fully understand why you need something more substantial and afterall it’s vital that you can keep out of the weather when your sailing on such extended journeys. The dodger looks very strong and those big windows will certainly provide you with good views. Have you thought of fitting windscreen wipers? I bet you can find some cheap secondhand motors and wouldn’t that look posh 🙂
BTW, looking at the dartboard in the background of photo 3. I never realised that Aussie boards had the numbers reversed. Is that because we are upside down – chuckles!
Great comments Greg. Its a given that she won’t look the same now, but not sure if its streamlined appearance will be altered all that much. Will have to wait and see on that one. Funny bugger, the dartboard is hanging upside down..not us! 😉
Cheers
Haha, So where is the next chapter? I want to see what it looks like!!!
See next post ‘Dodgy Dramas’ …. Cheers!