Building an Outboard Trawler - June 6th, 2022

What a Day!

It was flat calm all day and we took 'Helen Back' out for a trip over to Smiths Island.

But that's not all. . . .

Before going to the boat, we went over to Walmart and Donna bought some quilt batting. We brought along the seat and seatback (with foam attached), the sewing machine and the seat cover material. . . and lunch.

Donna did all the fitting and sewing of the upholstery.

As she worked the morning away, I washed the exterior of the boat. It was covered with a layer of yellow pollen.

I helped a bit when it came time to staple the edges.

I had pre-fit everything before we upholstered the seat so it was a bit of a challenge getting everything to fit again with the added material. With some re-drilling for bolts, we got it all back together.

When I originally designed the seat assembly, it was to serve two functions. First, as a place for my 'First Mate' on the water. Secondly, it needed to accommodate the fridge beneath. The lid swings completely open under the seat for easy access.

To locate the best height for the foot rail at the front, I used the dimensions of our island stools at the house, which Donna finds comfortable.

Now, whenever we're out and about with the boat, Donna will have a comfortable place to sit and watch the world go by. It's a bit of a milestone in our construction process and we are quite happy about it tonight.

This afternoon, Dean and Brenda arrived with their new (to them) boat. It's an absolutely beautiful Rosborough 28' trawler. She's in good condition with low hours.

They stopped in at Smiths Island on their way home from purchasing the boat in Owen Sound. It was a three-week trip to bring her home via the Trent Severn Waterway and they seem to have thoroughly enjoyed it.

(Also three weeks ago, Jim and Donna took their trawler from the club and went to meet Dean and Brenda in Peterborough and they returned together).

What a nice (and practical) little trawler. She sports a single 4-cylinder Perkins Diesel.

Dean gave us a tour of the boat. She's very roomy and well appointed. The interior shows lots of teak.

Ahh, trawlers. . . . .

Thanks for reading our blog.

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