I finally launched!!! I started this project a couple years ago and got detoured along the road of life and just couldn’t get er done!! At last, it is done! It’s a Pygmy Arctic Tern 14,with a purple heart and birch onlay stripe down the middle. There is only one coat of Spar Varnish, with two or three more to go, but hey, I needed to get it on the water! The hatches are flush with hatch cams, and an internal bungie system will follow as a backup. I tried to be frugal with the epoxy and the fillets, and fanatical about temperatures and epoxy. The only disappointment is it came in at 43Lbs fully rigged. (ouch!) I suspect the extra glass I put under the deck to help reinforce the hatch areas and padeyes added to it, as well as the birch ply I had to use for a bulkhead. I have Sea Dog rudder pedals at the moment, and they are pretty heavy too. The weight adds up fast! Oh well. This is my first real wood project! I’m a mom of two young boys, no previous experience with fiberglass and epoxy. I bought my own ROS for this!!!!

I have to thank all of you that frequent this forum for answering my questions and providing me with encouragement and the information I needed to keep the project going. I read all the books that you suggested both on strip, S&G, and building a Greenland SOF (next project after the GP paddle!) I lurked on this web site for over a year before I started my Tern. I spent many hours pouring through the archives!!! I love this forum!! Thank you Nick!!! I encourage anyone that’s still lurking or wondering if they can do it, to just DO IT! If I can, anyone can!!!!! Thanks again for all your help!!
Happy Paddling,
Dee Ann