Sunday, December 19, 2010

More of the same stuff

Not much news, and not much time to get trough this brief sanding intermission and back on to the mast construction.  But I'm at least moving in the right direction.

The tiller stub laminated to the case:


Port float (left) fully coated with SP hibuild, which ended my supplies of that stuff.  From now I will use the Jotun HB, with which I have no experience yet.
The Starboard hull is soon faired to 240 grit and ready for the last HB layer, which will also act as a protective layer for transportation (remember 20 below outside, snow storms and salty roads, an unfriendly environment for cars, cargo as well as humans:-))


I gave the rudder case with tiller stub a thin layer of fairing compound, and sanded down most of it.  I decided to give the Jotun stuff a try, and covered it all, even though more filling is required, but it was hard to see when everything was black and white.  Easy to apply in a fairly thick film with a roller.


The pop top/main hatch got the same treatment.  Sin cethe last post, I applied a "big fill", finding the ultimate mixing ratio to be somewhere between 25 -30% by weight of micro glass balloons, and sanded off about 95% of that, then a scimming coat using 20% of the balloons.  Today a layer of Jotun Epoxy Yacht HB.


The rudder case and the pop top in front of the suspended starboard float, ready for the last HB coat.


I think everything in my workshop is covered in dust now.  Looking forward to the main hull.....

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Lots of small steps on the way to the paint shop

I'm struggeling on, using small envelopes of available time between other obligations, to make the floats, rudder and case, main hatch and bow pole ready for delivery to the paint shop, and the workshop available for mast building.  Some pictures from the process:

 Fairing the wing net rails

Primed

 Aft view, two year old epoxy coat sanded to 180 grit

Primed.  Next, I will sand the whole surface to 240 grit and apply a last layer of primer before transportation.

 Fairing compound added to the other side of the rudder blade

 Sanded, 120 grit

Hibuild primer applied

Gudgeon cut outs made with the strapped down router

Laminating cut outs

 Laminating last layer on tiller stub

 Foam dug out to accept tiller

Hole for the rudder pivot pin

Main hattch was very uneven, this is how it turned out trying to fill the lows.  The hatch is also the prime test site for different mixing ratios of my micro, to be used on the main hull.  Light, easily sandable when mixed correctly, and cheap compaired to finished compound.

Faired down, ready for the big fill

 The hibuild on the bow pole was sanded to 180 grit, and a few imperfections filled.

Coated with another layer of hibuild primer.  This is also to serve as a transport surface when delivering the parts to the paint shop.  It will there be sanded and one layer of Speed Undercoat and two layers of TopGloss will be sprayed. I will not reveal the colour, but I'd be surprised if the designer disappoves..

Mast calculations done

I had help from two engineering capable friends and they made models of the specified carbon stick with spreaders and my larger double tapered profile with central web. I was there too, enjoyed the repetition and far beyond in mechanics.  Then they put some forces on the models to see how they handled.  My new and improved, 40% reduced from the initial lay up, design is a bit stiffer (less bending at the same forces, 188 vs 240 mm at 940 kg of wind pressure, a momentum of 2800kgm, the "cold top"- direct translation from Norwegian - not a part of the equation (righting moment of the F-22 according to Ian Farrier is about 3200 kgm)) sideways than the specified mast. The longitudinal stiffness is far too high trim wise, but it will be a very good support for the reefed main or the masthead spinnaker. I will pick up the mast project again as soon as I get all those parts of a trimaran out of my workshop.

Saturday, December 04, 2010

New plans. Finishing floats, bow pole, rudder case, rudder. Back to the mast

November is over, leaving the memories of the coldest November recorded in more than 270 years, with the highest energy prices recorded ever.  And December starts out just a bit colder. BRRRR!!! And $$$ keeping the workshop heated.

The main hull is still left out in the cold. I decided it was better to not remove parts from the workshop before they were finished now.  I've been building for four and a half years now, and not finished one single part yet! That is soon to be changed. 

 Port float deck first round of hibuild primer

 Starboard float outside, first round of hibuild primer sanded.

 Starboard float deck massive inserts and ventilation hole made.

 Port float inside: The June 2008 epoxy coating is now sanded, ready for hibuild primer

Starboard float starting to apply hibuild primer to deck area.

I made the holes for the rudder rope handle.  Holes lined with pieces of PVC tube.  Then one side was smoothed and faired.

Holes with lining, aramid reinforcement and some filler applied at the transition from reinforcement fabric.  The downside of using aramid (Kevlar(R)) clearly visible at the upper right corner, one touch with the sanding board and the hair rises.

 Filled (super thin), faired and covered with hibuild primer.

Detail of board head

I finished off the filling and fairing of the carbon fibre bow pole.  It was a bit uneven outer surface due to the malfunctioning heat shrinking tube I was using, and hence not perfect but hey, it's not a piano, it's a bow pole!

 Now covered with hibuild primer

Detail of my custom carbon anchors for screacher tack and bob stay.

And also working on the rudder case.

 Glueing up the blank for the tiller stub from rudder foam cut outs.

 Shaping the tiller stub foam

 Final shaping with trial fitting.

The laminated tiller stub trial fit.  Still to be glued and laminated to the case.  Cut outs in case for hinges still not finished. Then mods for accepting the tiller has to be made to the stub.

I've had some slack these days, hence some progress.  I will work a lot again, starting this morning at 0700.  It will be a challenge to find time for the boat in between things the next few weeks, and then it's Christmas.