SNOW IN SEATTLE ON CHRISTMAS DAY! This is a rare event we are told.We were a long ways from home for the holidays but the Innkeeper, Michael, and the many other residents of the guest house helped make us feel right at home with a big Turkey dinner and pleasant company. We missed our young men and being close to our families but we called everyone on Christmas day and tried to be as close as we could.We have gotten…
There has been a lot of progress on Kismet since our last posting. Most of the progress is not immediately visible. In the top 2 photos you'll see the 9KW Northern Light diesel generator has been installed and unlike our last generator this one will have a sound shield, making it extremely quiet.The bottom 2 photos show the deck that has been moved inside. Fathom's expert craftsmen are installing, wiring, lighting and storage compartments all in preparation to mount the…
Jim had the pleasure of visiting the Boeing Airplane Museum. Lots of old aircraft to explore and photograph.
We took a whole day to drive up and over to the Olympic Penninsula to visit the Hoh Rain Forest. We took a ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and drove to the Hoh Rain Forest. It was a long drive but we finally made it there. Unfortunately the road to the park was closed due to a washed out road due to the excessive rainfalls in the area recently. So, we walked in as far as we could but did…
We made our second trip to the Fathom plant and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of progress made in 7 working days.Top-left - Jim standing next to the boat gives you a good idea of expedition design. The bow thruster has been installed and the holes have been cut for the windows.Top-right - Here you see the completed hull's aft exterior without the swim platform installed.Middle-left - A close-up photo of the lazarette area. Storage in the center with…
The first place we wanted to visit was the Pike Place Market near the waterfront. It definitely was a feast for the eyes... and the stomach. We picked up some salmon and fresh veggies for dinner. YUM.
Jim did a great job in selecting our home for the winter. It is a Bed and Breakfast located on the Top of Capitol Hill near downtown Seattle. It is a homey environment with many amenities. We feel very much at home here. A great spot to live while we wait for our boat to be launched.
Beginning of the week we drove up to Bow, Washington to take our first look at the new Kismet. We were so excited to see our dream boat finally up close and personal. Here are some shots we took:Top-left: The outside work on the hull is complete for a while so the work begins in earnest on the inside. This is a photo looking from the transom towards the bow. The opening to the left will become the door to…
We packed up the truck with all of our boat gear and personal belongings to head out to Seattle, Washington for the winter. We have been looking forward to this day for a long time, so, to get in the truck and realize that we are finally taking off on another adventure was a very exciting moment for us.
Top-left: Taking the mold off of a boat hull is like breaking a very large hard boiled egg open. Here you see 3 men separating the transom portion of the mold.Top-right: This is a shot of the bow where the technicians are pulling the port side mold off the hull.Bottom-left: As you look at the port side without any mold attached you'll see the grey gel-coat finish just as it came out of the mold. Before the gel-coat is applied…
Left: This is a photo of the two hull sides combined so that the bottom of the hull can be sprayed with white gelcoat. Note the two cylindrical areas in the bow - this is where the bow thrusters will be mounted. Also notice the swirl marks on the base of the hull - this is wax that has been applied so once the gelcoat resin fiberglass and stringer have been applied and installed the mold will release itself easily…
Left: Here is a great shot of a mold that has wax applied to it. The wax helps release the finished product when complete. The two-pieces, once attached, will form the mast.Right: Here you see the mold that has been bagged, being prepared to have the resin inserted - when you turn this piece inside out it will become the salon/galley floor.
Left: Here you see the mold for what is called the grid - once produced this fits inside the hull for support. The capside down pan towards the front of the mold will ultimately become the holding tank.Right: If you can imagine turning this inside out you'll have the top side of the boat - the worker is standing on the inside ceiling of the pilothouse.
Left: This is a shot of the mold for the inside cabin being prepared for the vacumn infusion of resin.Right: Here you see the mold for the pilot house roof. The vacumn infusion process applied.
Left: Here you see the one-piece mold of the boat from the rub rail up to the bottom of the flybridge. They are getting ready to spray the white gelcoat.Right: Same mold shot as the prior photo. More gelcoat being applied.
Top-left: Here you see the fiberglass being layed on the inside of the port hull looking back towards the transom.Top-right: What you see here is the vacumn infusion process of the resin that gives the hull more strength, more uniformity and less weight.Bottom-left: This is a shot of the pilothouse mold with fiberglas sheets being prepared for the resin vacumn infussions process.
The process uses composite materials and advanced infusion lamination construction. This process reduces weight and increases strength resulting in better efficiency. Infusion lamination is a technique that uses vacuum pressure to draw resin into a laminate. Materials are laid into a mold and a vacuum is applied before resin is introduced. Once a complete vacuum is achieved, resin is literally sucked into the laminate via carefully placed tubing. The part then cures under the higher pressure resulting in much greater…
We chose a light grey for the hull of our Fathom... Kismet. We like the idea of the color being broken up a little with a little bit darker hull. We like the dark blue but are concerned about heat conduction in the warmer climates. We think that with the light grey we will keep cooler while looking good. We can't wait to get out there to watch her be built.
Life is a highway of adventure or in our case... a waterway. In keeping with that spirit we've decided It's time to invest ourselves deeper into the world of boating. Our friend Rick Garton and Bill Allgaier have established HarborView Yacht Sales and are the new Great Lakes dealers for Fathom Yachts. We were invited to merge our talents with theirs and work on making HarborView a fun, prosperous venture.Lisa is doing all their start up work as far as…
