All the eyes high above on the staging, glare down at the 'cutter', below. I'll spare you what gets said but basically. The person cutting the piece has committed the biggest carnal sin of building. Trying to fit something too tightly.

A debate ensues: From below, "Who did the measuring - up there', and from above,.. 'You should know better - down there',...Fitting is really an art based on nuance as well as measur-ation(a non word I use regularly).

The owner at my boatyard kindly took me for a tour of his latest personal project. A 60 some foot sardine carrier(graceful fishing work boat). He's been working on it for years in the sheds. It's beautiful and past the half way point to launching. While he runs the boat building business that employs more than 50, he has a passion to work with his hands on the sardine carrier(he plans to cruise on her). He is an amazing craftsman and business man.

In the tour he asked about my boat. I explained that I had a built a new cockpit - over the winter, based on a template I carefully created on the boat. And that I would be installing the finished cockpit, this week.

He looked at me curiously, and said, "That's a ballsy move, Tom".

I was surprised, and suddenly a little nervous, that he said that. I told him I was inspired by watching a similar project his yard did with a new build. "Come on, you guys do this all the time".

He smiled and replied, "Yeah, but 'we',... do this, all the time".

I've been re-checking and re-checking, doing a little hand planing, a little more hand planing, not quite satisfied, yet.

Back up on that staging as the piece is sent up to the crew; it could have gone this way.

"The piece is small", a little disgusted but no real panic from above. "We can make it work,..." followed by the sound of hammers and screw guns.

Hopefully that's how it goes tomorrow at 3:00 pm.