Parts cut for mounting modules

 In addition to the progress on the port float, we are preparing to fabricate the first parts of the main hull. If you recall I was vacuum laminating various panels a couple weeks ago for the "central mounting modules" (patented by Ian Farrier).  These modules provide the load bearing structure supporting the beams on the main hull.  There are some big loads on these components when the wind is trying to heel the boat over and the leeward float resists by push into the water.  Ian includes lots of warnings with skulls and crossbones to make the point that these modules must be built carefully and to his design.  I spent the past few days carefully laying out the components and cutting them to size (note the tools in the photo were mostly supporting actors, the table saw and band saw played the lead roles).  Many of the cuts are at odd angles, so I had to carefully think about how I was going to make the cuts to ensure accuracy.  Here you can see most of the parts just about ready for assembly.

The highest load components are cut from 4.5 mm-thick solid glass reinforced laminated sheet.  This was one of the panels I made on the vacuum table.  Ian's instructions estimate the solid sheet will require about 9 layers of 12-oz bi-directional glass.  In actuality, mine required 12 layers, with alternating layers of bi-directional (0-90 deg fibers) and double-bias (45-45 deg fibers) fabric.  I am not sure if the extra layers were needed due to the vacuum press, or due to the fibers being more uniformly spread out in my double-bias glass, and hence thinner than the bi-directional glass.  In any case, the panels is solid and heavy.  Feeling the weight of the solid panel compared to a foam-cored panel really shows the difference in weight of a solid laminate boat compared to a cored laminate boat.

In addition to the numerous small parts, there were also four large sections that form the backbone of the modules.  These sections are about six feet long, and will eventually span the main hull.  Next time I'll show you the high-load bearing pads I am currently fabricating out of lovely white oak (very old-school, indeed!)

The fairest of them all ... with ports

 I know it has been a while since I last updated our progress.  It's mostly been sanding and fairing, so not too much more to say that I haven't already.  The good news is I finished fairing the port float last weekend, and it looks great.  There is some minor touch up remaining on the deck, but mostly in the vicinity of the ports, so I decided to address these issues when I blend the ports in to the hull.  Fairing went somewhat quicker (or at least less painful) on the port hull.  I didn't do as many iterations of applying filler followed by sanding.  To summarize, I did the following:

1 - Fill holes and seams in foam,

2 - Initial fairing of foam with extra-long fairing board

3 - Fill significant low areas in foam and fair,

4 - Laminate outer surface and install bow,

5 - Skim coat entire surface,

6 - Sand with fairing board,

7 - Fill any remaining low spots,

8 - Final fairing pass.

 Here is another view of the port ports!  I followed the same basic steps I used for cutting the openings in the starboard float.  I am still working on blending the ports into the hull form like I did on the other float.  Once I get the epoxy putty shaped, I will apply glass tape on the inside and glass fabric on the outside to reinforce the openings.  Then this float goes on the shelf while we move on to the beams and main hull.

Skimming and vacuuming

 This was a pretty good weekend for making progress on the port float and the beam support modules.  Here is a view of the bow after the outer side of the float was skim coated with a somewhat thin epoxy filler (1.125 cups microballoons + 150 mL epoxy).  The intent with the skim coat is to fill all the texture and provide enough thickness to blend in the edges of the reinforcements without excessive thickness that will just be sanded off.  I did the deck surface first (3 batches of 300 mL epoxy each) and then rolled the float over and skimmed the side (4 batches).  I will probably need to do a second light pass on low spots, but it should be minimal.

 Here's the skim coated float looking from the stern with the starboard float in the background (like a before and after shot).  I had planned to skim coat all three sides, but the day job interfered on Friday.  So I will try to coat the inner side one evening this coming week.  That will give the epoxy plenty of time to cure before the weekend when the real fun starts - more fairing!  But this is the last big fairing task on the floats, so I'll take my time and get it done.

Here is the vacuum press hard at work on the last side of the last set of foam boards being laminated for the support modules.  As I mentioned earlier, I chose to laminate each side individually rather than drill a million holes.  I did the first side in the morning and the other side in the afternoon.  This worked very well and was somewhat easier than trying to wet out the glass on both sides while trying to beat the cure-time clock.  Most of these boards are 72 inches long by 14 inches wide, so it takes some time to wet out two layers of glass on each side.  At the back of the table you can see the finished boards waiting to be cut to final shape.  The next step is to make a sheet of solid fiber-reinforced epoxy board for some very high load components.  This solid fiberglass board will also be made on the vacuum table to ensure it is flat and has the optimum ratio of glass to epoxy.

Send in the reinforcements ...

 This weekend we had to split our attention between the new boat and the old.  The first snow arrived slightly up the mountain just in time for the end of the sailing season.  So we pulled the monohull out of the water and brought her home. Back at Ye Olde Boat House, we finished shaping the bow on the starboard float.  With the hull rotated in the proper, upright orientation, I glassed the bow with two layers of 12-oz. bi-directional glass.  While waiting or the the first layer to kick, I laminated the various reinforcements in high load areas, and where hardware will be installed.  We are now ready for skim coating and final fairing (which is no trip to the fair!).

 I also spent lots'o time cutting fabric in preparation for laminating the foam sheets that I prepped last week.  Here is a shot of the vacuum laminating table all set up for vacuum work.  These will be the largest pieces I have vacuum laminated, and the sheets will take up most of the table (note vacuum pump relegated to the floor).  Rather than spending the next two weeks punching holes in the foam for two sided vacuum laminating, I decided to just glass one side at a time.  Although it will take twice as long under vacuum, I think I can finish in a long weekend.  I'll wet out the glass on the top surface, place under vacuum until initial cure, flip it over and repeat.

Here is a photo of all of the glass, foam, and vacuum layers pre-cut and neatly stacked, awaiting the start of the vacuum work.  This represents about four hours of measuring and cutting.  I could take up tailoring, but I doubt the fashion industry would go for glass-reinforced plastic suits (okay, maybe some fashion sub-cultures would go for it).

Shaping the port bow

 This past weekend I attached the foam bow and finished shaping it to match the hull.  I also sanded the entire hull in preparation for skim coating and final fairing.  I wanted to get the bow glassed and the reinforcements laminated, but we just didn't have the time.  The white stuff on the bow in the photo is a skim coat to fair the bow to the hull.  I already did this on the other side.  All in all, it is pretty easy to cut the bow to shape with a hand saw by using the hull as the guide for the slope.  I cut about 2 inches at a time going from keel to deck.  Making small cuts allowed me to correct frequently before going too far off course.  After trimming with the saw, I spent some time sanding the foam closer to the final shape with the long board.  It is important to minimize the sanding on the adjoining glass surfaces, especially around the high curvature areas at the deck and keel.  The filler putty then cleans up the details and fills any gouges and unwanted cuts.

Here is another view of the bow with the skim coat. In the zoomed view you will note it is still rough because I have yet to sand this side fair.  You will also notice the red and blue stripes along the leading edge.  No, this is not the new Captain America paint scheme!  I used the lines to help monitor the symmetry while trimming the foam.  The red is approximately the centerline, and the blue lines are the next layer of foam.  It isn't perfect but it is helpful.  After sanding and any follow up filling, I will stand the float up so we can laminate the bow with two layers of glass and apply the other reinforcements on the deck.  Sounds like I have plans for the weekend, yet again ...

Laminated port float

 This was a very productive weekend as we glassed the port float.  Here are a couple of views of the fully glassed hull with reinforcing along the side.  Dawna had to help a friend on Saturday, so I laminated the outboard half by myself.  I found that I could laminate approximately a meter of hull in 30 minutes with 600 mL of epoxy.  Final score: 4 hours of epoxy work and three bubbles.  Dawna and I did the inboard half together at a rate of about 20 minutes per meter with 600 mL epoxy.  Final score: 3 hours and no bubbles!  It is very difficult to see air bubbles under the saturated glass fabric, and my crappy eyesight doesn't help.  The bubbles are easy to repair, so no big deal, but I much prefer a perfect lamination.  The stern end is another tricky spot due to the point.  I think I laminated it three times on the starboard float before I got it right.  It is easy to sand through the glass, and the fibers tend to not stay where I put them resulting in air gaps in the lamination.

The laminated hull is very fair, so I don't think I will need to do too much tweaking.  We will skim coat the entire hull once the bow is installed and the various reinforcing patches are laminated.  But I am hoping for minimal sanding aside from the initial skim coat.  I hope to attach the bow cap and add the reinforcements next weekend.  Of course we only have a couple of weekends left in the sailing season, so we might head to the lake for a daysail.  Sounds like another busy weekend coming up ...

Keel'd over

 We finished fairing and sanding the outer side of the float with a single pass of putty.  I must be getting better at applying the fairing putty because it only took about an hour to fully sand the float, and very little putty was sanded off.  Next we flipped the float over to work on the keel.  Here you can see how we supported the float with a couple braces on each side.  Bracing the hull like this made it much easier and quicker to grind down the keel.  Once braced, it took about an hour to form the keel with the belt sander and the 30" fairing board.  The black "handles" sticking out are actually pieces of insulating foam so I don't impale myself on the protruding braces.

 After fairing the keel, I carefully inspected the entire hull (except the deck) and filled any remaining imperfections, open seams between foam planks, screw holes, etc.  I only used a single batch of putty (150 mL epoxy + 1.25 cups microballoons) for the entire hull.  It should take a very light sanding with the fairing board to fair these patches.  Once the putty cures, I'll sand the keel and lower hull.  Then we will turn the hull back on to its side and finish sanding.  After that, we will be ready to laminate the outer surface with 18-oz. glass.

After I finished the last patches, I prepped all of the glass fabric.  The big rolls are the 18-oz. glass that will cover the entire hull.  There are also several smaller pieces used for reinforcing the hull in key areas.  I am excited to get the hull laminated for the sense of progress it provides.   Of course after laminating, we skim coat it with fairing putty and I am back to fairing.  At least the cooler temperatures make the work more pleasant.  And we are close to moving on to the main hull!