INDEX of TOPICS
HULL DECK and CABIN TOP
Both the hull and deck are constructed of ferro-cement molded at a single time during construction. The cabin top is not ferro-cement.
Hull – Below Water:
When fully loaded with water, fuel and provisions for travel, Moby Boat has a draft of 6 feet 6 inches. There is a three-quarter length keel, as shown in the image below.
The keel contains steel rebars and lead chunks for ballast. This proved to be a great advantage when we hit a submerged island at the peak of a 20 foot tide in Rivers Inlet a decade ago; some chipped cement at the front of the keel was the only casualty of a grounding that would likely have ripped the keel off a fiberglass boat.
The transponder for the depth sounder is near the bow of the hull on the port side.
At the aft end of the base of the keel is a substantial galvanized steel fitting for the rudder; there are additional gudgeons and pintles mid-way and near the top of the keel.
The rudder is constructed of layers of marine plywood epoxied together. Galvanized steel fittings connect to the hull fittings.
All of these under-water components have been painted with environmentally-friendly anti-fouling annually with only a few exceptions. A major cleaning of the hull down to the cement one year was followed by an epoxy application prior to applying the anti-fouling.
Hull – Topsides
Chainplates of galvanized steel were added to the hull during its original construction. Stainless steel rigging wire from these chainplates anchor the main and mizzen masts.
Through-hull fittings allow the controlled discharge of liquids.
The topsides are finished with an Endura two-part polyurethane paint. It provides a durable, abrasion-resistant finish that lasts for many years.
Standing Rigging
All rigging wire is stainless steel:
- Forestay
- Stays on main mast to spreaders and then to top of main mast
- Stays on mizzen mast to spreaders and then to top of mizzen
- Shrouds on main mast to base of spreaders
- Shrouds on mizzen to base of spreaders
- Triadic from top of main to top of mizzen
Norsemen and sta-lok terminals connect the rigging wire to adjustable turnbuckles. They in turn are connected to chainplates on the hull by shackles.
Deck
The deck is also finished with the same Endura paint as the hull.
Galvanized steel fittings are on the deck:
- anchor roller
- posts for tie-downs and shorelines
- bases for stanchions
- eye bolts for attaching blocks, lines or other needs
Stainless steel bow and stern pulpits were both custom-built by Strait Metals of Victoria.
Cabin Top
The cabin top is secured to the deck by wood beams through-bolted to a lip included in the deck ferro-cement construction. The cabin top is composed of:
- a layer of tongue-and-groove red cedar,
- topped by thick marine plywood,
- then covered by a layer of fiberglass cloth;
- finished with the same paint as the hull and deck.
