Test Fitting the Cockpit

After finishing the forward decks, I completed the basic assembly of the cockpit box and temporarily fitted some stringers on the ends so I could hang it from the beams and check the alignment and fit of everything.

 

This is just the basic center section of the cockpit, built to plans with a foam-sandwich floor.  This floor is lightweight and incredibly stiff, with no signs of flexing when walked on.  Hanging it in place allowed me to scribe an accurate line on the inboard sides of the cabins, for the placement of the rails that will support the outboard edges of the seats.  There is clearance on either side of the 4-foot wide cockpit box to accommodate a 12-inch wide under seat storage box on each side.  These will be dry storage areas closed by the hinged seats, and will provide a place for the batteries and other essential gear. 

The extra-long-shaft Nissan outboard sits high and dry in the cockpit well, where it will be well-protected and easily accessible.

The 25-inch shaft length makes it possible to mount it this high and still have the prop deep enough to minimize cavitation in choppy conditions.  You can see here that it will be well under water, yet not deep enough to strike the bottom before the hulls do:

After making sure this fit was good, I then cut out the opening in the aft end of the cockpit that allows the motor to be tilted clear of the water when it is not needed, which hopefully, will be most of the time.

 

Now the cockpit is back in the shed on saw horses for all the finish work on the fillets and glassing, as well as construction of the seat boxes.  Like every other part of this project, the assembly of the parts is a small percentage of the real work that has to be done before the parts are finished and painted.