a few more....

Just a few more pics of what I did this after noon. Wow 2 bloog posts in one day, must be sick or something.




A rough trim to see what I've got. I have room to trim a bunch more off the gunwales. Since I'm using a tramp now (lots of thought in that one, just stopped fighting the reality that I will be doing a ton of light air "non trap mode" sailing here), I'm probably going to take another 5" off the overall beam.




All my bulkhead and frame templates fit, so that's cool. have to work on the new transom and foil case templates.




Not sure of my shell weight. My scale only goes to 11lbs and I'm pretty sure I'm over that, but my nine year old says its pretty light. Have a scuff and bog session planned for tomorrow, might even get some fairing in depending on the temps.

I got a 29er for training.

Oh..wait..wrong picture. I meant this one.



For those who haven't tried singletracking on one of these 29inch wheeled bigfoots I highly recommend giving it a go. Rolls over everything, climbs like a mountaingoat, and corners like a shifterkart.



Here is the pile of carbon I pulled off the boat after the first attempt at bagging on the hulls outer skin. I tried a new really aggressive peel ply without doing a sample. (***note. don't ever just believe the materials data sheet***) anyway, to make a long story short. The resin uptake on the new stuff was just enough to suck most of my bonding layer out from between the foam and the skin. Nice foam coat, nice cloth wet out, nothing left to bond the two together. But a really nice peelply finish.......



Time for attempt #2. This is Conner, a local "science kid" who wanted to fill his brain and get his hands sticky so he can finish the glass/ply johnboat in his garage and start making carbon bits for his high school robot competition. He came over to help and get his "carbon monkey" started. I think he had fun, it was nice having another set of hands.



Popping went fairly easy, just came right off with the help of a couple big wedges. (I love Freecoat, best release system out there) I had flashbreaker taped my trimline. When I pulled the tape off the tool it also brought up some of the duratech with it in spots. Oh well, it can be patched if I ever use these tools again for some reason. The inside looks awesome, the ouside needs some work. I'll never use male tools again, but they were good learning system for a first go.


Needs to be trimmed and scuffed so I can slap on a couple layers of quickfair.








just need to bag the foredeck and some flatplate, make and bond a bow piece, and then the real fun begins.....

yup

So this is high density core replacement I've been using. Good stuff. All the same compression characteristics of ply but at half the weight and no rotting.



I sanded out some 1/16'' x 1'' grooves where my seams overlap, easier to fair a depression than a high spot. (technique stolen directly from Chris Mass.....thanks)



If you look close you can see where I put in the through plate for the foil case. Took some 1/8'' Coosa foam and bonded it into the channel I routed out. I backed it with 2 layers of 3k per side, should be nice and strong down there now.






Pumps running and I'm going to bed. Can't wait to pop it tomorrow and see what I got. Its like Xmas. Now if my quickfair would show up.

roto what?

Stuck far from the boat until Monday so figured I'd catch up on my bloogin. Earlier in week while waiting for a batch of bog to hit, I figured I would trim some of the parts I've been putting off. Got out the Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel and started going to town......and blew it up. It was off to the hardware store to pick up another one. I blow up a Dremel every couple years, so I pretty much expect it. I was thinking about just getting a new angle grinder and a trim router to replace it so that I wouldn't be going to get another one next year.....anyway, I ran into the Rotozip which came in a router/cutting disk combo pack. Its always the motor that goes, and this one has a big, speed controled motor with replaceable brushs so I figured what the hell. Bought the combo kit and one of the diamond edged tile disks and went back to the shop to try it out.



The cutter worked great, went through everything like butter. It even left a nice clean cut on the hybrid, which usually ends up all hairy like kevlar. I did find the disk housing/guard a little cumbersome. It tended to get in the way a lot. Luckily it comes off.



The Roto also comes with a router base/jigsaw handle. I used it to route a spot in the bottom of the hull where the foil case comes through. I plan to bond in a piece of carbon plate as core replacement. The Rotozip worked like a champ, the base isn't that precise, but I'm thinking of milling a nice aluminum one up for precision work. I also tried the spiral cutter on some foam cored test plates I had around. Grease lightning. Should come in real handy when I'm cutting out bulkheads and the internal structure.



And on the actual build front....the foam is fared and ready for carbon. Monday when I get back home....I promise. I've also been reworking the design, so I'll be posting some of that here soon as well.