Watch As We Conquer The 863 Stages Of Crafting Our Cockpit Stairs! (MJ Sailing - Ep 326)

[@theconfessionsof_a]

I loved the way Matt kept talking about a multi step process, for the steps….. sorry, my English humour…. Much love, The Senior Confessor xx

[@bonnielass82]

love this channel! turning into my absolute FAV sailing show!!

[@chipbhi]

I really appreciate when you show us what you’re doing as you use voice over to explain, instead of just talking into the camera. It really makes your videos so much more interesting when we can see things happening. Thank you as always for taking us along on your journeys!

[@rllapte]

Hi Matt and Jessica. Haven't posted in some time but have been keeping up. I must say, I'm a little concerned. I'll be 70 in Aug, and I understand that Las Vegas is now posting odds on whether I'll live long enough to see your project completed. Are there any minor details you can skip?? 😵‍💫😉

[@MJSailing]

Not if we want to have a boat we're happy with upon completion. 😉

[@rllapte]

@@MJSailing Of course, best wishes. (I may have to consider giving up my less healthy habits.) 🥴

[@howiefeltersnatcher]

I am just worried about how much the boat yard is charging for usage of there building it can’t be cheap what was your estimate in the beginning for the timeframe for this build

[@rllapte]

@@howiefeltersnatcher Drawing from the MJ Sailing video history, they've been on the build for 3 full years. As I recall, they entered an arrangement with the owner that does not include a monthly rental. I think that the owner is a sailboat dealer or is in the sailboat business in some other capacity. I believe that Matt and Jessica do some work for the owner when called upon. The couple have a good handle on costs and they have some income streams. They may work themselves to death but they won't be broke.

[@howiefeltersnatcher]

I know they want to do the work themselves and have the best quality And they can still do that it’s like when you drywall your house hang the sheet rock yourself and have the mud and tapers come in behind you same situation pay somebody that knows and does that type of work every day you will have excellent quality I’m not saying they’re going to go broke and they are trying to build there dream boat while building a KZbin channel but you have to admit when you’re wrong they can do all of the important stuff and have someone that knows how to do the tedious work

[@whitneylake2107]

I love your attention to details, your methodology and PERSEVERENCE !! WooHoo !

[@MJSailing]

Thank you so much!! Comment like this keep us going each day! 🤩

[@tomcoon9038]

You 2 have really gained some skills here. This particular episode I noticed the difference from when you first started this project. I don't know you personally which is why it's odd that I feel proud of you. 😄 You did a phenomenal looking job on those stairs Matt!

[@MJSailing]

Matt is definitely becoming a glassing master! 🤩

[@goleafsgo8496]

Nice the stairs turned out great! You both are becoming even more incredible boat builders as time passes. 😊

[@MJSailing]

Thank you so much! We can't wait to see all the pieces coming together soon. 🥰

[@geniexmay562]

Very nice staircase build Matt!!

[@pmorph]

those steps look great. I built mine out of ply (everything else was foam on the boat-- but I wanted the 'wearability' of ply, with several layers of glass-- you're right they will get stomped on, jumped on, and run on.. they will get a lot of punishment and need to be strong!

[@tahliahere2362]

Loving the quality of your work, it’s refreshing to see these days. Time spent getting things right now will save you so much future hard ache.

[@SailingAquarius]

Happy to see an update! Great progress and very impressive! 🙌 keep it going!

[@MJSailing]

Thank you so much! 🥰

[@jacobrose338]

Great work, sorry you’ve been getting so many “hurry up and get this done” comments. I’m sure no one is more ready to be sailing than you both. Keep up the great work and you’ll have a boat to love for years to come.

[@MJSailing]

This was supposed to be a 2 year project! 😭 We always get delusional about work times during a boat build, haha. But one thing we learned from our last build is we wish we would have taken the time necessary at the beginning to have everything done well, instead of just rushing through some parts so we could hurry up and finish.

[@kenurquhart2061]

Amazing soundtrack more lplease

[@acp1866]

Behind every media tart is a worker, good one Jessica ! only joking Matt. Excellent work Guys.

[@tortegameing]

looks good

[@cozydram1]

that is Awesome progress folks all that hard work is starting to pay off.....keep it up.

[@MJSailing]

Thank you!! Hopefully the cockpit doors will be soon to come too!

[@karlfair]

The stairs look so light. Plywood would have weighed so much more. Very nice! The foam for the freezer looks like it turned out well. 3M make a double sided tape, HB-150 that might be a good fit for the lid.

[@MJSailing]

Good idea with the VHB tape. I planned on just using 5200 caulk or something, but tape wouldn't be a bad idea.

[@silvanocometta9760]

Possibly your very best video so far. Thank you!

[@MikeC19100]

That has to be a great feeling getting the steps built and installed. Also, thank you for the explanations on each step of the process and the materials you used for each section of the builds. Even though you may have mentioned this in other videos, it really helps people, like me, who don't work with fiberglass to understand what you're doing and why. The stairs really looked good with the rounded corners, and they look very sturdy with the extra fiberglass added to hold them in place.

[@AlexRodriguez-dw7ub]

I love this channel so much! It's like putting round pegs in square holes. I can't wait till the next video to see what else gets cut apart.

[@michaels1997]

I'm currently in heaven as you guys, Ran, Uma and Distant Shores are all building (albeit Distant Shores have the help of an entire boatyard!). Also, Delos are about to start and Mads is looking for his next Glorious refit. You're all crazy (apart from Distant Shores!), and I love it. Take your time and keep the quality up, looking forward to seeing you launch, but enjoying the build in the meantime! Best wishes from the UK!

[@1yachtcarpenter]

Stairs are extra fun. Especially when they have to open with SOS hinges, gas shocks, and finger latches. You guys are doing great, carry on..

[@ot0m0t0]

Steps look mint!

[@tomblodgett7389]

As usual, great job!! The steps look awesome and extremely well built. Cheers from Austin, TX

[@MJSailing]

Thank you so much! We're really happy with how they're turning out as well.

[@graeme-sailingskeptic]

Nice work Mat and Jess - I am finding out just how hard all this type of work is.

[@Scarf66.]

Great choice of music!

[@MJSailing]

I'm glad you liked it! 🤩

[@leegonn]

Hey guys, love seeing the boat come along, I can't speak for everyone but I am really enjoying watching this whole process. Keep rocking it!

[@leegonn]

And hit the dang like button people!!!

[@evangatehouse5650]

We used a computer fan for ventilating our fridge compressor area. There is a 12V terminal on the BD35 that turns on when it runs so the fan only runs when the compressor runs. Get a good ball bearing fan. Make sure you can clean the compressor fins. We could always tell when they needed cleaning as the compressor would run more often (we also had a cat aboard!)

[@LanceT.]

Those stairs are looking great. I'm impressed with your gumption to do this yourself and, in addition, your desire to make sure it's done right. That said, I'm pretty sure I only counted 862 stages to craft the cockpit stairs... you may need to recount.

[@bake162]

I like that paint tray liner made from aluminum foil, clever.

[@MJSailing]

That has helped us save soooo many plastic paint trays!!

[@TotalBoat]

Awesome progress this week!! 👏👏

[@timothyodonnell8591]

Onward and upward (to the helm)!

[@mikeallensonntag]

That's a pretty small freezer for a boat this size. That's just my opinion though. Your can goods and freezer is pretty important depending on type of sailing your trying to do.

[@jaredjohnson8553]

Those steps look GREAT! Thanks for keeping precise track of the number of steps required...good to know it wasn't 862 or 864! 😛And of course the sanding and fairing continue. What will you ever do with yourself after it ends, Jessica?! Keep it up! Love seeing the incremental progress each (most?) weeks.

[@jeremyduncan3654]

The trip back to Nam was a very good thing. With the new ideas you got when you were there gave you both the confidence to get the cockpit steps done and now look the business! I bet it is a big moral booster to start fitting systems. Great vid too! Stay safe!

[@MJSailing]

It was a good confirmation to see the finished steps even before I started our own.

[@jeremyduncan3654]

@@MJSailing done good and looks like it is supposed to be there!

[@hanssolo4ever]

I think you will have condensation between the lids and the cushions above the fridge.

[@MJSailing]

I'm a little concerned about this too. One option is to insulate the lid where it recesses into the freezer cavity itself. But the molded plastic lid is rather nice, and I'd prefer to keep it that way unless it's needed later.

[@hanssolo4ever]

@MJSailing I always add atleast two inch of insulation over the lid. You can also make the cushion part of the insulation by adding an insert of 2 inch on the bottom and have a vinyl on the bottom of the cushion so mold does not get started in the cushion.

[@jaredjohnson8553]

I still don't think you'll need to worry too much about the insulation on the top of the freezer. You're not going to get nearly as much cold/condensation on the top compared to other sides (that you've already superinsulated to take care of that). Here's why: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXikmYqdoLCffqssi=XjPq7FKyXxucv9Wz&t=642

[@bobuncle8704]

Another step in the right direction 👍👍

[@adriennefoley2906]

You guys are troopers ….keep up the great work

[@itsverygreen532]

Going well! You've really stuck at it, do you think you are halfway through yet?

[@anthonybrannon6578]

Are the step heights the same? There is a basic "rule of thumb", in home building that they should be equal and that twice the the stair height added to the tread depth should add up to about 25 inches (+/-). Don't know if it applies in this situation.

[@johnschieffelin3226]

Nice work. Good progress with the steps in there. I thought you might want to hinge the steps for access to storage underneath but if the steps are over your berth obviously that is unnecessary.

[@paulmeredith2054]

Knowing now whats involved in the build, would you do it again??

[@MJSailing]

Absolutely!!

[@curtk8715]

looking good- curious of how you might light those stairs- having the faintest light on them even if you were trying to sail by moonlight you would have just the tiniest amount of light on the stairs. Indirect light bounced off the stair riser . Thinking of star gazing and sitting at the helm.

[@stevecrombie5357]

Jess, sanding and fairing, whatever he's paying you, it ain't enough.

[@MJSailing]

I'm the one paying for me, 😉, haha.

[@Arnaud58]

Steady progress is being made. Nice work!👴👌 About steady progress, did I spot a bun in the oven?👴😉🤗

[@MJSailing]

Uh....what?

[@jaredjohnson8553]

Even though they keep making steady progress I think it's still quite a ways to go before they start fitting out the galley.

[@Arnaud58]

@@jaredjohnson8553 Keep this in mind for the next (less than a) half year...

[@dancarter482]

Just when you think you've mastered the art of _alchemy_ you have to summon your inner _exorcist_ ~ that's the world of resins! Great progress, genius level innovation.

[@pmnfernando]

are not taking advantage of the volume created by the cockpit steps to turn them into cubby holes or lid topped (the staircase floor itself) compartments?! make them self draining by putting a inbuilt slant on the interior floor of said compartment and use them for anything that can be wet

[@everwind5691]

As a safety engineer, and even looking at the steps on the video from the factory boat your steps seem to be very far from the standard 11" run and 7" rise of standard stairs that everyone's muscle memory and building codes require. Without some form of guard rail your really asking for a higher likelihood of a serious fall. The difference in riser heights should be less than 3/4" to also help minimize a fall. I know there are compromises on a boat but your looking at a pretty far fall distance in heavy seas. I would try to figure our how to add handrails IMHO which will be very difficult considering the lack of width in the stairs. Hope I am wrong in my analysis but I would be worried about it.

[@TheAtma50]

What I think is especially amazing is how ye manage to keep your teams of workers out of camera shot. Not once did we see any sign of the back room guys ... Fair play to ye 😉 Stay Safe & Fair Winds!!☘

[@rolandtb3]

Some step to boat integration. Any plans for antislip and stairwell lighting?

[@MJSailing]

They'll have an EVA foam faux teak top. It looks good and is soft under foot, but not as durable as a painted nonskid.

[@tacosdecamaron]

Matt, you are killing the siting space. Second step should be level with seating and probably have an extended board to make it a full functional seat. When do you need the steps? Only when on passage?? Also making the vertical boards skewed inwards would provide you with bigger functional steps. You may be able to add an additional one. Big steps are.bad for your knees

[@MJSailing]

The second step would be so narrow to accommodate 5+ steps, that it wouldn't be useful for seating. And they'd have to be so vertical that it would be like climbing a ladder, which is unsafe at sea. Our original plan was to have anyone that wants access to the helm to either go aft and to the steps on deck, or step on the seat, have one narrow step in the backrest and then step on deck - same as the HH50 - but we realized we needed a bit more step than that due to our deck height. It's all a compromise

[@moniquezwart1961]

It’s taking so long, all the sanding! I admire your perseverance, but is there looking back with the experiences of today a faster way to do the boring work of sanding?

[@MJSailing]

Possibly if we had gotten the FlexiSander earlier, but truth be told, this is just a long and tortured process to achieve good results. We've had talks with the builders over at Balance Catamarans, and their 48 ft boat gets somewhere close to 30,000 hours of work in sanding and fairing their finishes. 😬

[@jaredjohnson8553]

@@MJSailing Right. Keep in mind they've got *two people* doing all of this work where a large scale manufacturer has many, many people doing it. It's still going to take a LOT of person hours, no matter how you go about it.

[@extremelydave]

I would just like to see this thing on the water before I die......

[@MJSailing]

How many years have we got to work with? 🤔

[@howiefeltersnatcher]

Is that storage to the left of the steps if not it might of been nice to make the first and second steps wider so it wasn’t as narrow and would flow a little better just a suggestion

[@MJSailing]

We had the steps set at that width specifically so we could maximize seating in the cockpit. For us the steps are not too narrow, we did many practice runs on the mock-up plywood set before building. We know that it will be 'different' while at sea, but our bodies are very adjustable, and we don't see these new steps being an issue for us. 😉

[@howiefeltersnatcher]

I was talking about the opposite side of the seating you have a foot or more of open space you could of made it sweeping to the top gradually to your top steep width hard to explain but I know you put a lot of thought in it I was just making a suggestion good luck

[@MJSailing]

Oh I see, you were suggesting getting rid of the storage area. There are a few reasons it is needed. First, the steering lines need to run at an angle down from the helm right at its aft edge, and it would cut right through the steps if they continued forward. Second, the helm needs to be attached on the inboard side of the cabintop for strength with the electric winch. This would prevent any headroom to climb the steps if they were anyway forward of where they are. But it would have been nice to have a bit more room to work with.

[@howiefeltersnatcher]

Gotcha you did the best you could with the space you had if will still look great boat is getting there a little more every day keep the positive energy

[@howiefeltersnatcher]

Not trying to be rude but would it be worth hiring some people to help with the sanding and finishing process to offset the cost for the boatyard to try to get it done before this fall just to offset this winter I’m sure you have considered this just a huge expense keep smiling and keep the updates

[@MJSailing]

The cost of being in the tent is very cheap, only about $450/month. Hiring workers to come help with sanding and fairing would blow through that budget in 2-3 days. Plus we've always said from the beginning that this is a project we want to take on and complete with just the two of us. The feeling of satisfaction and achievement when we splash, knowing that we did it all ourselves, will be something we'll never experience again.

[@howiefeltersnatcher]

Wow that is extremely cheap for yard storage in a enclosure okay I understand why you are trying to do it all by yourself I hope you get a ton of views to offset the cost and build your channel I will of course watch them all

[@jeteater1]

Looking good.. Do you have a rough target date of when you will get it into the water?

[@MJSailing]

We've been saying "18 months more" for at least two years :)

[@the-fiddling-fox]

@@MJSailingNot another 18 months! 😂 You two are a pair of masochists! I loved your sailing videos and followed this build initially but got sick of the sight of fibreglassing early on lol. I dip in now and again to see how it’s going - and it’s another 18 months… 😂

[@anthonyellis9804]

As steep as stairs, might as well just put ladder

[@chhindz]

Nice stairs. however a steep companionway would have hand railings on both sides, you have not shown how you would arrest a slip on these stairs.

[@MJSailing]

Once we get the helm station fitted out, that will have a grab railing for getting up and down the steps. It's just way too early to install it right now. 😉

[@marksrcmodels41]

This channel is rapidly becoming looking for our new sponsors, not we're building a boat

[@MJSailing]

Would you be interested in using the Total Boat products we've built our boat with? Or maybe take a look at the dozens of Vetus products which we'll be installing, such as hatches, electric toilets, shower bilges, or a nice 48v windlass? Are you in need of latches? Southco has you covered!! Lumishore will take care of all of your lighting needs! And if you need to keep an eye on your boat and it's systems while you're away, BRNKL will give you that peace of mind. I can keep going if you'd like.....we have a number of great companies helping to make this one extraordinary build! 😜 Oh, and if I do a YT Title generate, it would be something closer to 'Hunting for Fresh Sponsors - Join us Now!!'. Much catchier, no?

[@oskar3428]

Those stairs doesn't look like they are made for kids as well but maybe this is of no importance for you two. 🙂

[@MJSailing]

Nope, not of importance for the two of us. 😉

[@user-td3yv6wb7y]

A little bit of overkill on the 800 so steps. Snobby