Cockpit interior

What a strange word.

Cock Pit.

A depression in which roosters fight.

The location of many battles.

An open area near the stern of a vessel below the level of the deck from where the vessel may be steered.

I covered the floor of the cockpit with a layer of 2 ounce fiberglass cloth. This cloth is so light it does not add much strength. I have read that it adds significant resistance to abrasion without much additional weight, so I thought I would give it a try.


When the epoxy saturates the cloth it turns clear as glass.

Here the cloth has been wetted out and stringers have been glued in place to stiffen the hull.

This is a view through bulkhead # 4. You can see a piece of scrap wood holding the stringer in place while the epoxy sets up.

Looking forward from the Lazarette.


The Mizzen mast sits right in the middle of the cockpit.

The Mizzen mast step must hold the base of the mizzen mast securely. This rig has no stays. The mast step and the mizzen mast thwart have to bear all the loads placed on the mast.

The mast step is laying beside its intended location. There is so much force on this part Graham thought it best to use mechanical fastners (screws) in addition to epoxy to make sure the mast step holds.
Wherever fastners penetrate the wood moisture can find a way into the wood.
I drilled oversize holes and filled them with epoxy. Then I redrilled the proper size hole for the fastner.

Undoubtedly overkill for a boat that will be dry sailed, but what can you do?