Schooner Jakatan

After the rollover Jakatan went back in the shed for about fifteen months during which everything else was built, cabinetry, systems, deck hardware, etc. etc. I will not try to chronicle all that went on but just try to give you a flavor of the process.

After the roll over they can start in earnest on turning the hull into a boat. Here you see the toerail and rubrail have been built. The cabin top has been trimmed and holes cut for the portlights. The samson post, windlass, and fender locker have been started.

The cockpit under construction. The davits are fitted. You see a plank that extends aft to a loft area of the boat shed. This is how everyone gets on and off the boat.

Temporary frames are used to construct the cabin top.

Michel is fitting the deck beams. The plywood and foam cored deck doesn't need beams for strength, so they are considered "faux" beams, but there is nothing fake about them.

Norbert is finishing the inside of the fender locker, all surfaces have to be sealed and all corners faired with thickened epoxy. Norbert isn't small so you can see this is a big locker.

The transom is sealed in epoxy and attached.

The swim step hinges are tested. It took a couple of passes to get them perfect.

The rudder is attached. This is before the keel was attached and the rudder didn't quite clear the floor. The solution was to cut a hole in the floor.

On sunny days the big shed door would be opened. You can see the scaffolding that allowed the workers to stand and work around the outside of the boat.

Building a custom boat requires making many decisions. John and Michel are discussing how the toerail should meet the bow sprit. It was decided to leave a gap between the two.

Eric and John are listening as Michel discusses how the cabin sole pieces should be cut. Eric is sitting where the dinette table will go. Behind Michel and John you can see the stainless holding tank that will be under the settee.

During one visit I asked about the companionway hand rails. Within minutes, one is made. Michel and Eric test it for size and discuss how it should be fastened.

Q. Where should the whisker stay attach, here or here?
A. To the toerail (white area).

Here you see a mock up of a single knee as Perry had drawn it. The main mast can put a lot of sideways force on the cabin top. The cabin top is very strong. The weak part is the where the cabin top and cabin side meet. You need a knee to strengthen this joint. I didn't like the look of the single knee.

Here are the knees in the finished boat. We made two instead of one so they could line up with the deck beams. This looked better. The deck beams have a varnished cap. To match this we varnished the top of the knees and painted the sides. It is one piece of wood.

The stainless fittings were custom built by Strait Metal of Sidney. Models were made of the more complex pieces. Here you see Mike discussing his model of the anchor rollers with Rod.

The toilet was installed. I sat on it and said, "It is too high". Even my long legs didnt reach the grate on the floor. Michel measured the height and we agreed it had to be lowered.

One of the hardest decisions was what color to paint the schooner. My wife and I spent weeks looking at other boats and holding up the Awlgrip paint chip sample sheet to compare.