There are however some low areas and I started filling between the ridges today. Experience from the deck fairing have made me decide I will do this three times within the curing time of the fairing compound in order to compensate for the shrinkage of the compound, then fair. Here the area in front of fwd beam covered.
All these fairing pictures may not be very interesting, but I am very happy with the way the workshop turned out after my "redecorating". When comparing pictures I regret I didn't do all this before I started building. But it is done now, and I will probably pick up with the progress quite soon due to much better working conditions and better cleanliness.
My new vacuum cleaner also visible, the old one burned during a concrete-dust vacuuming session around Christmas after a damage to the stuffed filter and then dust in the motor. This one has an automatic filter cleaning function where it blows air in reverse through the filter every 15 seconds and this is very convenient when vacuuming fairing dust.
Float after first layer of fairing compound.
I have a very tight working schedule the next few days, hopefully I will have the energy needed to put a new layer on the next two days. If not, I will have to fair everything down between each application in order to secure a good bond.
3 comments:
Hi Tor,
Your shop looks very bright and clean. It was a good move, your spirit will stay brighter too, as you work.
I never really understood what fabric you have used on your hulls. I'm assuming it is a hybrid - Kevlar and carbon? Have you weighed your floats? Are you happy with your choice? I'm toying with the idea of using a 6oz carbon weave for the inside laminate on my main hull. I like the stiffness of the carbon. Hybrid weaves are just way too expensive for me.
Grant
Thanks Grant! I already take advantage of the bright spirit, completing the second layer of fairing after a 13 hour day at work today!
The fabric is, as you suggest, an 2/1 aramid/carbon hybrid (240g/m^2 = 8,46 ounces/m^2). It is not as stiff as the 200g carbon, but it is has amazing mechanical wear qualities, it is almost impossible to fair down even with power tools. I have a layer of carbon inside the hybrid on the outer skin for stiffness. The main hull inside will be all carbon, except the walking/heavy wear areas.
I have not weighed the floats, but I singlehanded moved this float back in to the workshop and put it in the cradle. I will report the weight as soon as I can get a scale rigged somehow, I'm really excited to see the numbers as well (fearing to be disappointed, quite expensive grams no matter what the weight turns out to be).
If light carbon weaves were available when I started building I would have used pure carbon more extensively, but that was not the case and this was the best compromise weight/stiffness I could get hold of. I am happy with the fabric as a wear barrier, I would not like to build a boat that could not take rough handling, no matter how light. Farrier boats are after all cruisers, even with an R on them, and the Norwegian coast is a long and rough one...
For weighing the floats I've used two bathroom scales and two people, record the total weight and subtract the weight of the people out. It seems pretty repeatable.
Unless you have hidden 'gobs' of epoxy somewhere I am sure your float hulls will be very respectable.
Cheers
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