Some people say Bulwark while others say Coaming when referring to the raised wall above a deck. My dictionary defines a Bulwark as a "hastily prepared defensive wall", but the wall on this fireboat was definitely not hastily prepared! It is a very substantial structure, and I´m sure it took many hours to fabricate.
	The Bulwark/Coaming for the Forward Main Deck is curved and angled inward. Because of this, and not wanting to waste Celtec material through trial and error, I decided to use cardboard first. The material I used was from a manila folder. I drew the outline of the Forward Main Deck onto the cardboard and then used measurements from my drawing to complete the template. I was right about the trial and error: it took two (2) tries to get it right. Now ... having the cardboard template, I drew the pieces onto 2mm Celtec and then cut them out using a band saw.
The starboard side was first (as usual). I began by first gluing the forward bracing rib, and then continued gluing the Bulwark/Coaming to the Forward Main Deck.
	Whoops! I almost forgot to tell you that I cutout the space for the double cross bollards first. It was much easier to cut these on the band saw instead of doing it by hand after gluing.
The glue I used was Bondene by Plastruct (see their web site link on my Links page). It is very thin, brushed on and sets very quickly. It is a very good substance to use for bonding similar plastics together!
	After both port and starboard Bulwarks/Coamings were attached, it was time to install the remaining bracing ribs. There are a total of nine (9) of these forward of the double cross bollards, and they will also be used to brace the handrail support later on.
Finally, I installed the forward cable hawse before quitting for the day. The hawse was purchased from Harbor Models (see their web site link on my Links page) and was manufactured by Robbe. I used my Dremel® tool for cutting the hole in the Bulwark/Coaming.

If you have any suggestions or comments about this site or construction, please send me an email by clicking here!

Copyright © 2003 - 2008 John T. VanderHeiden
Last Updated Thursday, January 08, 2004 5:23:50 AM