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2003/08/26 [ 4 hrs ]: Installed more battens. This morning I discovered I had screwed up the battens between forms 3 and 4. Last night I didn't take the plan sheet out with me and instead did it from memory. When I checked it this morning, I realized that the 4 of the battens were too short by about 3-7", so I had to spend an hour lengthing them. I think I'll photocopy the plan sheet and just leave the photocopy out in the shed.
2003/08/27 [ 3 hrs ]: I still wasn't happy with the battens between forms 3 and 4, so for a third time I redid them. Now it looks much better.
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2003/08/28 [ 2½ hrs ]: Finished installing this batch of battens. Once the foam is installed on the cabin top and side, I'll be laminating it before continuing on with the rest of the battens along the hull due to access restrictions. Also drilled holes in the battens and put tape on them all.
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| Fig 57: All the cabin side and top battens installed. |
2003/08/30 [ 6½ hrs ]: Installed the first few sheets of foam on the cabin top. I spent some time trying to determine the best way to handle the radius from the cabin top to the side. I looked at all the F-41 websites but ended up going with Karel's solution. This involved making two thin strips angled slightly to fit into the chine. From these two strips, large 1" Core-Cell sheets are glued on above and below. It ended up working well. Being able to use large sheets instead of having to heat form them makes it go alot faster.
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| Fig 58: Prefitting the two thin foam strips using a large foam sheet as a guide. |
2003/08/31 [ 7 hrs ]: More foam installed. Spent about 2 hours cutting out a template for the lower cabin side windows as I was going to install the HD inserts around the window frame as Karel did. Ended up not proceeding with the idea once I traced out the window pattern onto the battens and realized that I'd have to install several more battens so that the HD foam would fit. Also, having to specially cut the regular foam to fit around the window would take extra time. Instead, I'll just cutout the windows once the hull is upright and install the HD inserts then.
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| Fig 59: More foam installed. |
2003/09/01 [ 7 hrs ]: Heat formed some 1" Core-Cell strips into the forward deck section. It's quite a bit harder trying to heat bend 1" foam - I'm glad it's only a few strips I need to do. More work on cutting and epoxying the cabin side foam. Hooked up the external electronic temperature sensor to the bottom of the resin drum to track it's temperature. It's getting down to about 8 C at night now with a high of 26 during the day.
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| Fig 60: The top value is the current humidity level. The middle is the ambient temperature and the bottom value is the current temperature of the resin in the drum. This was taken late afternoon. At the moment, the resin starts at about 11 C when I go out in the morning - it's pretty thick at that temperature. |
2003/09/02 [ 4 hrs ]: More foam installed.
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2003/09/03 [ 2 hrs ]: Put in the last of the heat formed 1" Core-Cell strips. Had a nice visit from another (soon to be) F-41 builder in the evening who lives just across the river in Quebec. He has Sail #24 and is planning to start construction soon.
2003/09/06 [ 3 hrs ]: Cutout half the foam that runs just underneath the deck. It's all fairly flat so I used 2' strips of foam along this area. The final forward 6 feet or so had a slight curve so out came the heat gun again for some heat forming. Cutout the large 4'x6' panel behind the aft cabin deck. Also did my first cut of the A1200 Core-Cell for the carbon chainplate high density insert. When I ordered it, I didn't realize how expensive the stuff is. Compared to the regular A500 Core-Cell, it's more than 3 times the price. I don't think I'll be buying anymore of it but instead using marine ply in places above the waterline once I run out of it - but I think it should last for most of the HD inserts.
2003/09/07 [ 6 hrs ]: Epoxyed in all the foam I cutout yesterday. Started cutting out the foam for the deck and completed cutting the foam strips below the deck.
2003/09/08 [ 1½ hrs ]: More foam installed.
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2003/09/09 [ 1 hr ]: More foam installed. A deadline at work is taking up more of my freetime than I'd like...
2003/09/10 [ 1½ hrs ]: More foam installed. Did the radius section in the aft cabin wall - should look pretty good once it's sanded.
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| Fig 63: The corner radius section of the aft cabin roof. Should look fine once the foam is trimmed, sanded and faired. |
2003/09/11 [ 2½ hrs ]: More foam installed. Realized today that I'd forgotten to put in the HD chainplate insert in the deck portion of the foam. I think I'll just cutout the A500 foam and replace it with the HD insert.
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| Fig 64 |
2003/09/12 [ ½ hr ]: Picked up a power planar last night and tried it out at lunch to start trimming the foam - works well.
2003/09/13 []: No work done due to family visit this weekend.
2003/09/29 []: Due to various reasons ( work deadlines, weather, etc ) I've been unable to get any boat work done in the last two weeks. I also have to admit that once I realized that I wasn't going to be able to get a week's vacation off at the end of September to try and finish the 2nd hull half, it did kill the motivation a bit. Anyways, I've started work to convert half of the garage into a winter workshop where I can complete all the bulheads as well as work on the daggerboards, daggerboard cases and rudders, amongst other bits and pieces. It looks like it's going to start going below 0 C later this week, so my first priority is to setup a heated 'box' in the garage to keep the epoxy warm. Then I need to build another 8'x12' vacuum table and fiberglass rack.
2003/10/04 [ 4 hrs ]: Built a 7'x6'x3' box for the epoxy drum using pieces from the old hot box I had in the shed last year. Still need to add the insulation.
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| Fig 65 |
2003/10/18 [ 3 hrs ]: After a fairly busy month of work and other tasks, things are starting to slow down again. Started building the new vacuum table ( 8' x 12' ) - just need to add the top.
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| Fig 66 |
2003/10/05 [ 1 hr ]: Picked up 3 sheets of melamite from HomeDepot for the table top. I should be able to get all the prep work dome by the end of this weekend ( including building the fiberglass rack ). Then I'll start vacuum bagging the bulkheads. The plan is to get one or two done a week, then onto the daggerboards.
2003/12/06 []: Had a nice visit from Colin Wartman from Napanee ( about 2 hrs away ). He built a F-9a back in 1994 and is planning on builing a F-39 next year.
2003/12/15 [ 3 hrs ]: I'm still around! Unfortunately, my work load has increased, not decreased as I expected and because of that, I've lost a week of vacation which I was planning to use to start on the bulkheads. But anyways, I've now got the garage all setup to begin vacuum bagging. I plan to really start on those right after Christmas as I have a week off. I've also started on a wiring plan which I'd like to get completed by then so that I can install any needed wires ( mainly for lighting ) inside the bulkheads. Once done, I'll add the wiring diagrams to my F-41 page. Anyways, here's a few pictures:
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| Fig 68 hmmm.. snow - I'm hoping that in a couple years, I won't be seeing that white stuff again for several years :) It's been very cold for the last week or so, even getting down to -19C for a couple of nights ( plus a high of -14C on Saturday! ) |
2003/12/27 [ 3 hrs ]: Moved all the cutout bulkheads from the shed into the house. Took me awhile to figure out how the forward and aft bulkhead pieces went together ( I had to pull out the full size patterns to determine which piece went where ). Ended up discovering that I was missing two small foam pieces for the forward bulkhead that I was sure I had cutout, but after multiple searches through the shed, I still can't find them - I'll have to cut them out again :( Also moved the final bunch of stuff from the shed into the garage that I'll need to start epoxy/bagging work again. Brought and filled another propane tank - I should really just rent on large propane tank for the winter. I'll look into that soon.
2004/01/03 [ 2 hrs ]: Made up my first batch of epoxy in
almost 4 months! I made it a little to thick - which I blame on my
lack of practice :) Just used it to glue all the aft bulkhead pieces
together. After about 12 hours, I moved them back into the house
where they can stay warm. I'm waiting a week before I sand them to
allow the epoxy to fully cure since I don't want green epoxy dust floating
around the house.
Fig 69 Shows both aft bulkheads having their pieces
glued together. At the back of the vacuum table, you can just see the
forward bulkhead pieces which will be glued next ( after I recutout
the missing pieces ).
2004/01/09 []: Temperature is currently -27C and the weekend doesn't look any better ( -29C for Saturday and currently -34C predicted for next Thursday - all temperatures are _not_ including windchill which would put them down into the -40C range which for you Fahrenheit users is the point where Celsius and Fahrenheit are equal i.e. -40C == -40F ). So it's to cold to even heat the garage - though I'm going to try on Sunday when we're suppose to get a brief 2 day warm spell of -10C.
2004/01/18 - 2004/07/25: Setback - Shed Collapse and Damage Repair
2004/07/30 - 2004/08/07 : A weeks vacation in England. I found time to drop by Southamption and see the new F-33R Carbon Tiger II on Friday just before it headed off for a week of racing at Cowes. Spent about an hour talking to Brian Haynes and taking many pictures.
2004/08/08 []: I came to an agreement with my neighbour to use his large heated workshop this winter to build the bridgedeck so I can catch up a little on my schedule - good news!
2004/08/15 [ 5 hrs ]: Heat formed 11 strips and epoxied in 7 of them along the top bow section. Also epoxied in two additional strips I had formed last October. Did a rough trim along the top bridgedeck join line. Other assorted bits and pieces ( mainly still cleaning up from last year ).
2004/08/16 [ 2 hrs ]: Heat formed final 3 strips along bow top and epoxied in all remaining 7 strips. Bow top is now done.
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| Fig 84 All the bow top foam strips are in. |
2004/08/18 [ 2 hrs ]: Attached the new strips from behind and removed the front side battens. Trimmed and sanded the bow edge. Played with my new Bosch portable power planer - works nice. Started installing the lower battens in the bow section - I'll be putting a full 4x8' sheet of CoreCell into that area and then finishing up with strips along the keel. Once that's done ( aiming for Sunday ), I'll then cover all the inside foam with the fibreglass/epoxy hull laminate schedule while I can still reach it. Then I'll finish up the foam next week - it would be nice to do it all at once, but I'd rather not have to walk on the bare foam ( and I can't dangle from the ceiling :).
2004/08/19 [ 1 hr ]: Installed the remaining battens needed for the sheet and taped them all up. Trial fitted the 4x8' sheet of CoreCell.
2004/08/20 [ 3 hrs ]: Epoxied in the sheet.
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| Fig 85 The foam sheet is in |
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| Fig 86 A closeup of the modified forms showing the removable keel part of the forms to allow easy access after hull halves are joined |
2004/08/21 [ 9 hrs ]: Lots done today. Finished up making the modifications to the first 6 forms. Installed and taped up all the remining battens in the bow area. Heat formed and epoxied most of the bow keel strips ( 3 left to do ). Other bits and pieces.
2004/08/22 [ 4 hrs ]: Heat formed and epoxied in last remaining 3 foam strips along the bow keel edge. Trimmed and sanded the aft cabin top and worked on smoothing the cabin side radius curve. I'll have to come back to this curve and fair it a bit with some epoxy. Began to sand everything to prepare it for laminating this weekend.
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| Fig 88 Unlike last year, I've left the barrel of epoxy resin in the garage and now fill this 5 gallon container with resin ( Ric from Noah's gave me this old East System C-Pack empty container that he had spare ). It's much easier to dispense the resin now as I can shut off the flow much quicker and more accurately then the original rotary barrel pump. Plus the barrel stays nice and safe ( and at the correct temperature ) in the garage. |
2004/08/23 [ 2½ hrs ]: More sanding and trimming. Removed all front side battens. Spent an hour doing some tent repair work.
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2004/08/24 [ 4 hrs ]: Filling in screw holes with an epoxy filled syringe... Since I'm between work projects at the moment, I'm trying to get 2 weeks off asap so that I can get this hull done before winter. It got down to 4C last night :( I mentioned last year that I had forgotten to add in the HD insert along the deck roof for the composite chainplate, so I cut out the regular foam and glued in the HD insert.
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