Steve is noticeably excited about reaching this stage in the Arabella build. It’s time to pattern bulkheads, start to place large pieces, like the engine and wood stove, in the interior, and, finally, it’s time to dig into the stock of Victoria’s >mahogany pieces that the team spared to reuse on Arabella. Steve is finishing the bulkhead so he can make trim for the forward cabin using these mahogany pieces that he can recut from their former shapes. Many were bunk boards under cushions, there is some trim from other parts of the boat, and all of it will seemingly find a home with a new purpose in a new interior. Using Thixo Flex yet again, Steve regales the tube of epoxy for being easy to use, and it’s well suited for this application where a bead of adhesive is needed.
Victoria was an Atkin-designed sloop destined for the junkyard, and Steve and Alix saved her from this fate, hauling her back to the boat shop in Granby, Mass. There, they salvaged all the best pieces to give Arabella the nod to her history that she deserves, and the future life offered to Victoria rounds out another one of the best kind of boat stories – where old is made new again. Enjoy the video of the week!
