| Leighton has considerable experience of fixing things on the boat and elsewhere. So he had dimensioned sketches of what he wanted when he arrived at the workshop. Over the next two or three days he cut ply, and screwed pieces together temporarily, checking this & that with me as he went on. Then he took it all away and tried it out in the navigation station. He brought it all back, made a few alterations, and carefully assembled everything with all the necessary screws, but no glue or trim pieces. (You can see the open edges of ply in the photo.) We decided that he should install it in the knowledge that any alterations in the light of a season's use could fairly easily be made before the final glue up, trimming and varnishing. He has got a navigation station arranged exactly as he wants it, at a small fraction of the cost of a professional job. He only needed a couple of hours of my time, plus a small charge for hire of space, tools and the cost of a little glue & abrasives. It will be indistinguishable from anything but the most fine & costly boatbuilding job and, what's more, he has not had to spend time briefing the boatbuilder on precisely how he wants it arranged and then checking that it is coming out as he specified. Altogether a highly satisfactory solution. |
| Close Window |