“Three Rivers” is Ready - Almost Ben Ho September 2006

One year after the hull was done and turned over, hopelessly over-budget, and more or less on schedule, Three Rivers is finished except for her spars. She’s based on a modified design by Phil Bolger and has a slightly longer and higher cabin, with a cockpit with a raised, self-draining floor.

Cockpit



This picture shows the cockpit framing and the seats. Structural frames are made of white oak or Doug fir. The sides, seat cover, and floor are made of ¾” Crezon boards (the type used for outdoor signs).



Cockpit completed and painted. The floor is glassed such that the fabric pattern is left to form a non-skid surface. Each side has three storage compartments that are isolated and water-tight. I used a high quality weather strip around the perimeter of each hatch as a seal. Much cheaper than neoprene strips but not as strong, but I don’t think I need to turn this into a submarine. A Bomar floor hatch provides access to additional storage area underneath, hopefully it’s also water-tight.


Cabin

The forward bulkhead is left in place to form a water tight compartment which divided into upper and lower halves. The upper area is the chain and anchor locker. The lower area is stuffed with floatation foam. Both are accessed through a screw-hatch. The structural framing is made of Doug fir, and maple is used for ceiling beams. The fir is painted over; the maple is varnished.





The cabin bunk/floor is in. This is a V-berth that can comfortably sleep two. The floor can be easily lifted up by taking out a few screws and has good storage space underneath, but I decided that I already have plenty of storage and I put floatation foam in there instead. The total volume of foam should just about offset the 250 lb of battery so that the boat is unsinkable.




On the starboard side in the cabin is the electrical panel, workspace (chart table?), with a Potti hidden. The steps are also the battery compartments, with 2 banks on either side of the center board trunk. The electrical panel controls the motor, battery charger, nav lights, cabin light, and has a cig. lighter plug for powering other sources (such as a DVD player). The four marine deep cycle batteries provide a total of about 300 Amp-hours of juice for a 65 lb thrust Minkota electric outboard. When fully charged the batteries should be able to run over 20 hours at 50% power. I want to avoid using smelly gas motors if I can help it! The battery weighs 250 lb and is also the ballast. I read that adding ballast won’t improve the initial stability of the Chebacco, but it should help to right the boat from a knock down.




The table top lifts up, and the Pottti slides out, for a relatively comfortable position….




The port side has a small galley, with a storage unit and stove top for putting a small propane stove.




Exterior

I installed two portholes to bring in more light through the main bulkhead. They are made of Lexan with a plywood frame. There’s also a compass mounted. The bulkhead is inclined at a forward angle for aesthetics. The incline (instead of simple right-angle) added a staggering amount of complexity that was not foreseen….Won’t do that again!





I added a bowsprit so that I can have a jib. Holding a jib sheet can be a bit of work in a blow, so I also added this snubbing winch.



One of my proud creations – a forward hatch built of Lexan and cedar. The cedar frame curves to fit the exact curvature of the cabin roof.





Here she is – almost ready to leave the garage where she’s been evolving for two years. I need to move her out of the garage to make room for the spars, which should keep me busy this winter. How to lift her up from the strong-back and put her onto the trailer? I am still figuring that out…