Bulkheads complete

As planned, Dawna and I finished taping the bulkheads in the port float.  You can see we also added the lower gussets on the forward bulkhead.  As discussed in the previous installment, we used our super-sophisticated filleting tool (1-1/4" pvc pipe) to make nearly perfect fillets with absolutely no talent or skill.  I am not sure if you can tell, but the fillets made through small holes with the pvc pipe are actually slightly nicer than those we struggled with in the open.

For the gussets, we tried using some foam fillets to make the process of working through small holes semi-blind a little easier.  In this photo, the foam has been added to the pre-glassed gussets.  We then glued the gussets and fillets to the bulkhead and stiffener with a thick epoxy putty.  We also used some putty to fill in the gap in the corner where the bulkhead, gusset, and stiffener all meet.  Then we taped the gusset to the bulkhead and stiffener on both sides.

And here is a closer shot of the final result.  Dawna did all of the taping on both the visible side and the blind back side.  She was having so much fun, I went to pick up Catherine from school while Dawna continued taping.  And she finished just as we got home ... Jackpot!  It looks fantastic, and it is very stiff.  This was a lot of effort to get the tape on both sides neat and fully doped with epoxy.  And on top of all of this, we also started taping the deck seam at the stern with left over epoxy.

  Here is the view Dawna  (and I) had to use to work on the areas that we couldn't see directly.  I can't seem to get my hand to move in the correct direction when working from a view in a mirror, but Dawna did it like a pro.  Both the gusset and bulkhead taping turned out at least as good as the tape work done in the open.  The biggest difference is we are now hobbling around like old timers from contorting our bodies trying to reach all the nooks and crannies.  I can honestly say that this was hard to do well and generally not very pleasant.  The good news is there are only two floats to build.  The bad news is this was only the first.  And we still have lots of details to finish, plus the fairing and laminating of the exterior surface.

Stay tuned for shots of the port hull free from the form frame ...