I decided to start working on the forward thwart. Both thwarts are cut from 22/32" AC exterior-grade plywood. My plan is to laminate 1/4" Meranti plywood onto the top, so that the seats will match the deck and the transom.
The forward thwart is 12" long x 45" wide at the base. (The sides are bevelled, so the top is wider than the bottom). Luckily, I had a piece of Meranti large enough to use, so I dont yet have to cut into one of the remaining sheets.
I cut out the middle section of it, arranging it so that it will have an attractive grain pattern showing on the top of the seat.
Then I turned it over and coated it with epoxy. I coated the mating surface of the AC plywood thwart with epoxy, and stuck them together. Since the whole thing was laying flat, with flat mating surfaces, I did not use thickened epoxy. I weighted the thwart down with concrete blocks and a paint can to get good adhesion.
With the remaining epoxy from the batch, I added a 2nd layer to encapsulate the aft section of the boat. I got the port side done before I ran out of epoxy. Once it cured, it was ready for paint.


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| My original plan was to stain the sides of the lighter-colored AC plywood. However, Ive changed my mind & now plan to paint the sides Sea Foam Green to match the accent color on the sheers. |
I cut out the middle section of it, arranging it so that it will have an attractive grain pattern showing on the top of the seat.
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| Grain pattern for the forward thwart. |
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| I set the whole thing on waxed paper to avoid accidentally gluing it to my working surface. |
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| Half of the aft section with 2 layers of epoxy. |
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| Once the epoxy on the thwart cured, I put the whole assembly in my bench vise for further work. |
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| First layer of Whidbey White painted in the aft section. |
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| Cleat removed from the port quarter knee; quarter knee taped off, and more paint applied to the back. |

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| A light frosting of paint on the underside of the thwart. |

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| A third coat of Whidbey White on everything but the transom. |








