Checking In and another Tiki build(how not to)

Checking In. It’s been a few weeks since Tiki #164 has gotten any love. I have a great excuse however, we live in a 34 diameter concrete geodesic dome that we bought about two years ago. The house is a project all itself. When we bought it only stud framing and subfloors were mostly done. No plumbing beyond a well feed to a water tank. No electrical beyond the breaker panel. And just a few pieces of drywall leaning against the studs. Oh and the reason we got it cheap, it leaked.  So tas much as I’d like, the Tiki can’t get our undivided attention. The past few weeks have been tiling the house bathroom, building knotty pine walls, and building kitchen cabinets. We’re heading off to a wedding and visiting family soon so I’m hoping to be back to work on Tiki #164 by mid August. 

But a man can not survive on kitchen cabinet builds alone, well I can’t at least:) I need at least a weekly boat fix, so when a pair of Tiki 26 hulls showed up on craigslist I called the guy and told him I’m just curious to seem them since I’m building a Tiki 30. It wasn’t too far away and it was a great lesson…. on what not to do.

This is the major problem buying a Tiki secondhand, each is handmade by people ranged in talent from a master shipwright who’s joinery work would be a match for the finest yachts built to someone who really shouldn’t be trusted with power tools and who’s work is not so much seaworthy as dumpster worthy. These hulls were built by the latter type person. Strangely, it inspires me to see this junk, while I might not hit master shipwright standards I’m a hell of a long way from this trash. The pictures are of just a few build issues. These hulls also suffered from weather exposure. A sample of the problems was fiberglass that was delaminating along the hull to deck join due to the exterior stringer at the top of the hull topsides being rotted.

The gap above the bulkhead is easy to see, but the wedge on the center stringer isn't so obvios:) I also wonder how much sea time it would take before the knot above the left stringer pops out?