I'll use the permanently open vent in the cuddy as that's where heat is most likely to be always required. I got an extra 'Y' and vent so I could direct to engine bay if ever required - although I'm unlikely to need. I still have to get an exhaust and skin fitting plus a small diesel tank, but my £500 budget for heating looks just about ok so far. 
Robin,
good to see some are still working
massive holes there!
a bit confused though, the "floor" of the cabin space will be lower and these holes are just going to be pumping hot air at floor level, right?
what's going on top of the space between these stringers? Is it going to be sealed or open for checking/cleaning/dehumidifying?
got to do a v.good job at sealing now the stringers with the holes fully sealed without being too narrow for your ducting...
cheers
V.
The 4" holes are more than big enough to allow for resin and still fit the vents. I'm expecting to loose around 10mm of that 'channel' where the ducting runs with the stringer encapsulation (5-6mm target thickness) so there should be enough room - just!
Hi Mark, Hope you are well. Not sure about the patience thing - from what I've seen you are doing a cracking job on the S23! Will we see you about in Torbay this summer or will you still be refurbishing? I'm assuming you are still planning on MDL Torquay? Can't wait to see her on the water
I've started on the encapsulation now - fitting the ribs as I go - with layers of 450g mat. Bit off way too much with first bit as it required 3 times more resin than I'd prepared, so a sharp learning curve and some rapid mixing ensued... Started with transom and the engine bay section and working my way forwards. I've already almost emptied another 25kg drum of resin - quite a surprise just how much the mat absorbs!
The other 'setback' in terms of time was buying another boat that hadn't been used for 18 months, but that's another story... :ambivalence:
Robin,
good to see you're still working on it, albeit speed is not your #1 goal
wonder how you manage to "bend" 400odd gpsm matt around 90degree angles. Always had air trapped (well not really, just matt wouldn't stick and stay put so to speak) around, making the whole exercise pointless. Went down to 150 or so gpsm matt to be able to do decent wraps.
cheers
V.
), so my speed will always seem slow to me. That aside I'm enjoying the project and thankfully I have use of another boat so not going stir crazy! I'm am however glad that a) mine's only 21' and b) it isn't made of wood - as I don't think I'd ever find time alongside a 60 hour+ working week. I folded mat dry to the shape of the target (already coated in a cured coat of resin), mixed up smallish quantities of resin (500g approx), coated the surfaces liberally and then left long enough for me to mix another similar sized batch without rushing. By this time the first coat was reacting and starting to warm/thicken (rubbing between fingers it's sticky rather than liquid). So gloves on and press the mat well into the first coat before over-painting with a generous second coat. I then waited a short while (3-4 minutes) and worked in with the roller to squish out any air. This is the point at which the wet mat starts to lift - especially if the earlier 'fold' moves - but by this time the first coat seems to be starting to cure and if timed right, is sticky enough to have some hold on the mat. There are a few bubbles here and there where timing wasn't perhaps as good, but the original encapsulation had an air gap all the way along the top both sides of the stringers down to perhaps 10-15mm from the top of the 'hat' and that stood the test of time! I have perhaps 1-2% of air bubbles in terms of area - mostly in the same places as the original, but my biggest is perhaps a 6-7mm diameter. I kept rolling until the point at which the resin was clearly getting sticky and there I stopped so as not to start pulling it off. I did two further layers and where I could these were done before the first had fully cured (within a couple of hours). This seemed to help in terms of stickiness, but if too soon seems to create more smaller bubbles (result of exothermic heat?) and thus needed working for longer. Overall, I'm fairly pleased with result, although not perhaps as smooth as I'd have liked... I think perhaps I needed to do more in each phase in order that all the joins/overlaps were done in one go rather than curing and creating a step? Had I have waited for a big enough time window however I'd still be waiting to start - i.e. small steps rather than no steps! I did pull off the first section of mat before it cured as I was in too much of a hurry, hadn't waited for the first coat to start to gel and it was full of large bubbles! Rather than abandon however, I grabbed the next precut section of mat, mixed another pot of resin and got stuck in again. This was perhaps pivotal as I realised both that I had more time than I expected and that actually slowing down made it work better. I've kinda got more relaxed and confident as I've gone along and results seem to be getting better by not rushing. I've long way to go before I'd say I was any good at it, but I've sussed adjusting the catalyst fairly well now to suit the amount I have to do and the working temperature - probably a good thing as the floor is next and that's going to be a much bigger pot/mix/area! :ambivalence:
Finally found something close to my heart that is both interesting and suitably challanging to not get bored! And as a bonus, learning oodles of very useful stuff and some staff prices on parts - bonus! 
Missus wanted a boat with a loo and I'd been looking at classic Sunseekers for a while... So, to cut a long story short, we purchased an 'almost ready for the water' boat - a 1983 Portofino 25. This has however absorbed much of my free time over the last couple of months - I'll do a post on this in a couple of weeks when she's afloat. Almost there now, so as this one will be berthed in Torquay, there will be time and space to resume work on the Attowbolt in September.
