The weather cooperated this weekend, so we were able to make some more progress on taping the bulkheads inside the starboard float. I'm sure the skiers would have a different evaluation of this weather. Here is a shot of the shroud bulkhead after we filleted and taped it. This side is easy to tape thanks to the large access hatch. As we showed in earlier posts, most of this work is done through 6" diameter inspection ports with a mirror.
Although the mid-day temperature in the boathouse is getting into the upper 70's, as soon as the sun goes away the temperatures plummet. So I am running a small heater inside the float to allow the epoxy to cure. In this view the lower half of the access hatch is reinstalled as I close up the hull to insulate it from the cold night. We keep the heater set on low power and set the thermostat on 65 F to minimize the heater operation. We just want enough heat to keep the epoxy chemistry cooking. I also set the heater on a scrap of 2x6 so it isn't in direct contact with the epoxy and foam hull. I really don't want to look outside and see the warm glow of our boathouse burning down!
And here is the starboard hull with all of the access ports closed up and the ends covered with towels. Its cozy warm inside, while the boathouse drops below freezing.
We should finish up the bulkheads and deck seam next weekend. I had to make a new set of gussets to finish the bulkheads since the original pair fell victim to the sawz-all a couple months ago. Here you see the new gussets in the vacuum press. I'd like to add a heating pad to the inventory of tools to keep vacuumed parts warm. For now, I'll settle for a slow cure until the boathouse warms up tomorrow.
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