More cockpit

Three more panels fitted today.  Cut outs and fillings for the bilge pump on the front port panel. This is quite time consuming work, but I think it should be possible to start fitting the second floor layer tomorrow.  I have considered painting the inside of the under seat compartments before fitting the tops, but if I'm able to tape in there I will be able to paint as well.  Just a fast fairing before closing off I guess.

Aft view

And the area for the flush mounted bilge pump.

Cockpit

I finally got a few panels glued in the week before last.  Since then I've spent a week at Voss, attending a seminar and skiing.  I was hoping to get more done the last week end but I caught a nasty virus and was forced in bed.  I'm writing this from my hotel room in Kiel, Germany, but I'm going home this week end and who knows, may be a bit of more work will be done?  Silas has had trouble programming the rudder mould file for the CNC router, but he might get it sorted out soon as well.

The panels lined up for pre fitting:

Detail of the athwartship sub bulkhead and external safety compartment opening:

Four panels glued in, taped on the inside only.  Seen across the cockpit from port side:

Making parts for the cockpit

My experiment on the doorway groove turned out to be a success, at least until I get the Lexan and are able to try if it actually works.  Close up of the groove, cockpit to the left and doorway flange to the right:

 The perimeter of the door opening:

And I got mail!  A roll of stitched 45/45 200gsm T700 from Formax destined to be the skin of the foils.  Beautiful fibres;-).  And Silas is working hard to get the rudder mould ready.

The cockpit is a lot of work.  I've spent three evenings now and still don't have anything to show. And I haven't even started thinking of the coamings.... What takes time is the fine trimming of the panels, making drain holes, making more panels after first making cardboard patterns (Ian Farrier's full size patterns provided with the plans are really great, these panels are not standard hence no patterns provided), back filling all open edges, making safety compartment etc. I filled the join area and laminated the inside of the safety compartment hatch recess:

 This picture shows from top left: 6 HP Selva two stroke for the mini tonner we (some friends in Levanger with different kind of sailing interests and experience, from kite sailing to circumnavigation) bought last fall, and the sails for the same boat, The aft cockpit seat fronts with drain holes added and back filled, a panel for the safety compartment with hole for the hatch back filled and finally under building vacuum the two under seat bulkheads for dividing the space in inside and outside storage.

Doorway

The brief intermission finally came to and end and I could start the doorway flange lamination. Mould is in place, imperfections filled and I have started laying carbon.

Menno was kind to share the difficulties he experienced at this stage, and I had exactly the same problems but thanks to the warning I had the necessary remedies in hand to overcome the problem.  Now curing. 

The cured first part of the flange:

And a detail from inside, not yet trimmed:

Then, rather than finishing the inside layers of tape, I moved on to finish the outside.  The F-22 comes with a lot of nice features like integrated chainplates and rudder gudgeons which I really like, and I would like to do as much as possible that way.  Hence, I make the groove for the lexan doorway panels an integrated part of the construction.  I started out making a mould to sit in place for the lexan.

It was temporarily fixed to the opening from the inside:

Then I made a flange outside of this mould.  It will be trimmed back to make a 1 cm deep groove around the opening to receive the doorway panels.  I will drill drain holes in the bottom part.

 

Detail of the flange/groove.  Seen from top, up is the doorway flange, aft is the cockpit side.  The bottom of the groove is epoxy filler and several layers of carbon 'A' equivalent is making up the flange.  I first tried to make it using some heavier carbon I had lying, but I have never used this fabric without vacuum before and that also proved impossible as the fabric was just too stiff to make it follow the curves.  So I spent some time making this and I really hope it will work.  If it does, several loose parts (wood/plastic and aluminium parts screwed to the hull) are eliminated.

Starting doorway flange

I faired the doorway cut out (made the cuts straight) and rounded the exterior corner with the router.  This is a very powerful tool working with thin laminates and light foam.  You can see at the bottom where the roller guide of the bit slipped off and a lot of unwanted routing happened in a fraction of a second.  Will be filled before laminating.

Then I made the mould for the flange from timber.  This will be covered in packaging tape and temporarily screwed to the inner face of the main cabin bulkhead, and the flange will be moulded over.

Finishing the forward passageway flange

Today I got some good use of my power file again as I trimmed back a few fibres from the outside taping of the flange.  Then I added the second layer of DB at the lower ends, as well as the UD connection between flange and bunk top.  I went on to round the aft corner of the bulkhead, filled all voids in the flange and laminated the last pieces of DB carbon to finish the laminations of this flange.  It still has to be trimmed at the front end.

Cabin seen from aft end of port settee

 

Just forward of the front beam bulkhead there is some room that I will use for storage.  I figure a couple of shelves narrowing in towards the hull, extending to the flange and being parallel with the centreline, will be a good solution.  This is the area in question.

Next up is getting the cockpit together.  But I think it is wise to make the doorway flange first, so that is what I will do next.  I also have to make a few more panels for the cockpit (separating bulkheads and one additional safety compartment panel, as well as the back rests and coaming tops.  It is advised to make glueing flanges before fitting the cockpit seat tops, but it seems to me easier to suspend the hull from the ceiling up side down, working trough the cut outs to make this taping.  Previous experience indicates that making these kind of flanges up side down is not an easy way. Then I have to make an arrangement for the head.  I will not, unfortunately, be able to fit the holding tank I bought, I might make one to custom fit the hull.

I'm afraid the next couple of weeks will be much less productive than the previous as work and other commitments will keep me out of the workshop most of the time.

Demoulding flange. Success.

I have not had time for any more building, but popped in and removed the mould.  I was very anxious to see how the fibres had been lying back there, and it was as good as I had dared hoping for. >95% of the flange seemed perfect, the rest with minor irregularities. Just have to radius off the bulkhead, fair and cover the inner side now.  This is the finished opening size.

This is showing part of the flange from front side, inner layer of unidirectional carbon fibres visible.  Also parts of the outer tape.  Parts of this need some trimming with my power file.

 
This is showing minor irregularities and lack of putty fillet at the lower starboard part of the flange, at the transition to the forward bunk.