Update:  May 04, 2003  0635 EDT
Howdy from Durham, North Carolina, y'all.  I've been here for 3 days of intense training on my boatbuilder's new ShopBot CNC cutting tool.  Talk about information overload!  This tool will enable very precise cutting of the gazillion panels and bulkheads in SEDATION 4 with substantial time-savings.  The accuracy of cuts will assure better fits thereby reducing the quantity of epoxy required in the thousands of linear inches of joints between components.  Bottom line: lighter and stronger at reduced build-time = $avings
The boat presently under construction at Kit-Cats is also extra-wide (21' 5 1/2" beam) like SEDATION 4 and it was exciting to experience the expansive width of the bridgedeck first-hand.  That extra 2+ feet of beam provides a LOT more room.  Both of our boats have a full front deck (no trampoline at the bow) and there's substantial storage space under those extra few feet of deck.  Here's some snapshots of the extra-wide bridgedeck boat under construction:

This boat has the hull's decks extended 5" vertically.  SEDATION 4 is getting 15" slanted extensions!


The main salon floor of SEDATION 4 will be this wide but the walls, with sliding windows, will be 15' apart.


Kinda wide, huh?  Notice how the light shines through the Nida-Core in the bow view.
Several seemingly minor design modifications are necessary due to the expanded beam which, of course, requires substantial revisions to the 3D solid model :(~  The bridgedeck, main-athwartship and fore-aft mast bulkheads are all 20% thicker at 2.5".  The mast tube diameter has also been increased by 20%.  The salon's aft bulkhead (with the sliding doors) is only 1.5" now instead of 2".  All (3) molded roof panels are 1 3/16" thick now with 2 plys of Nida-Core sandwiched between 3 layers of glass for added strength and better conformance with the mold's contour.  Other changes are just cosmetic but should help reduce the "pregnant water buffalo" appearance somewhat.

I haven't had much time to play with the boat design this past week but I did secure a new temporary home in Florida during my brief visit to Merritt Island on April 30th.  Until launching and commissioning of SEDATION 4, I will be staying at the Winslow Beach Garden Apartments in Cocoa Beach.  My room (#42) is literally on-the-beach.  Here's a copule of pix from my front porch:

View looking southeast.  The ocean is just beyond that li'l sand dune.


Looking northeast, the Space Shuttle's Launch Pad would be visible if it wasn't so hazy.
Cool, huh?  It's only about a 6-7 minute drive to the boat yard.  The Kennedy Space Center is nearby and there's tons of interesting stuff to see and do in the neighborhood, so it'll be a fun temporary residence.  I'll be just blocks away from the Ron Jon Surf Shop, so my wardrobe will be expanding rapidly ... Kawabunga dude!
What else???  My shipping container arrived last week so the next project is installing shelving, benches and stuff to convert it into my "field office" cum storage unit.  It will be parked adjacent to the boat shed during construction plus provide short-term storage for the plethora of hardware and goodies as they're delivered.  Here's a pix of the beast in the back yard:

I didn't expect them to leave it on the trailer ... it's 11' 3" tall !!!
That's about all for now.  I've got a TON of packing to do this week.  Everything's gotta be moved into the container by Monday morning, May 12th,  cuz the estate sale folks will be here prepping for the big event May 15-18.  By the 19th the house should be empty.  Then it's time to send the container and head for Florida.  YEAH!!!  My next update should include the final production model and numerous systems tweaks.


Have fun!