3133Hrs – Deckpod In Place

On rare occasions throughout this build there have been days when weeks, if not months of work have suddenly, within the space of a few hours, been bought to a head, and a dramatic change in the boats appearance has resulted.

Today has been one of those days.

With the help of Richard, Malcolm, Luke, Joel and a JCB mini teleporter we got ‘Gledas’ deckpod lifted and into position.

It was a tricky operation due to the lack of height and an inconveniently situated roof truss, and it was only the teleporters ability to lift at an angle that allowed us to succeed, but once in position the pod fitted perfectly.

Wow! what a transformation. Not only does the boat look completely different but for the first time I can stand between the hulls,’on deck’ and see Gleda from previously unseen angles. It’s going to take some getting used to.

I have to be honest though, the Tiki 38 deckpod could never be described as pretty, I don’t think my modified design is any worse than the standard version but neither would I say it’s any better.

Ultimately the design of the boat is such that any structure on deck is going to stand out. I remember  when Creed O’Hanlon was having his Tiki 38 built in Thailand way back and he decided to do away with the pod altogether to retain the clean lines of the hulls, she looked a lot better for it. Maybe that’s viable in tropical climes.

Fact of the matter is though that for me head must rule heart. ‘Gleda’ is likely to spend the first few years of her life sailing European waters, she may well taste the North Atlantic before she heads South. A sheltered steering position isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. I’m almost certainly going to add a roof to the deckpod as well so it will be even more obtrusive. I’ll get used to it and I’m certain l’ll be very thankful for it some dark stormy night.

So here are the photos, I know you’ll let me know what you think.

And lastly this is the view forward from the wheel, I look forward to spending many hours here!