Warren's Build Log, CAN 573

[Warren Nethercote]

Sometimes life gets in the way ... I've made little progress beyond contemplation for three weeks, but then I broke out my welder.

Welder? Yes, to build a couple of rotisseries so I can roll the boat and fit the keel. Two lessons learned: the supporting structure for rudder and prod is probably strong enough and the CG of the hull is below the cockpit sole.

Enough for today.

[Warren Nethercote]

An i550 may be short, but rolling it on edge gives a better idea of scale: short but not small!

Rough cut the exit for the foil and a first trial fit. I will have Melges 20 or PDX-style 'clamps' around the fin head in the keel box, but a fin-shaped exit through the hull bottom. Hopefully my clearances will not be so tight that it sticks.

With the boat now in 'skinny' mode I will potter with keel fitting while I weld up a trailer on the now-available floor space.

[Tim Ford]

Brilliant idea, Warren! And you are right, while the LOA is not a lot, the boats feel big sideways.
The "rotisseries" are terrific and my only regret is not thinking of it 7 years ago!

Always a pleasure seeing your progress and your ideas! Cheers!

[Warren Nethercote]

More welding, this time for trailer cross-members. No close-ups of welds allowed!

[Warren Nethercote]

After more drilling and cutting, this evening I mocked up the main body of the trailer with the suspension units. After adjustments we will square it up it up and tack weld before cutting and fitting the tongue.

The trailer will be galvanized - I regret that I was unable to source galvanized torsion suspension units.

[Warren Nethercote]

I keep thinking that I'm ready for welding and then I discover yet another hole, or holes to drill. Tomorrow, or .... ?

[Marino]

I am impressed, now I will fly over and check those welded pieces.

[Warren Nethercote]

Sometimes it's wise to reflect on make or buy decisions. Just like a boat, welding up a trailer is not just about the frame, but about picky minor components too, like my combined winch post/forward mast support.

And design on the fly can catch you out. I was driven by a desire for at least 63 inches between the fenders so that the boat could sit low on the trailer for easy launching. Sixty-one inches would probably have worked just as well, and I wouldn't have had an 82 inch overall width. So ..... now I can't get away with just tail-lights and need clearance lights and the three magic 'over 80 inches' lights on the rear end. I bet those don't last long in salt water.

[monsters inc]

Hi Warren, I used the removable light bar idea on my boat and trailer. I utilized the rudder mounts for support, and tie the outer ends of the light bar to my spin blocks. The lights never see the water. I have a forward mast mount similar to yours, but the rear mount is part of my keel crane. You are doing a top notch job. Cheers Mike.

[Warren Nethercote]

Mike, a Brit-style boat-mounted light bar is the ideal solution but Nova Scotia trailer regs require that lights be 'permanently mounted' to the trailer. And we have a biennial (biannual? Every second year) safety inspection, beginning with first registration.

I am contemplating carefully checking my width requirement to see if I can cut 2 1/2 inches out of the centre of the trailer. But butt welds are my nemisis ...

Edit, Oct 4: Nope. I did a direct measurement on the boat and the trailer frame. The trailer overall width is going to be 84+ inches, not 82, and taking 4 inches out of the frame width won't allow the boat to fit as low as i'd like. So 80+ inch lighting it is ....

[Warren Nethercote]

More picky bits. Fitting fender supports to the channel that links the torsion suspension units to the trailer frame. My weld quality is 'coming back' so to speak so time spent on diversions like this will pay off when I weld the tongue to the frame.

[Warren Nethercote]

Boy, I'm slow at this. But it's a positive sign when you can put the trailer frame on jack stands without bits falling off. Galvanizing this week? Or is that forecast a jinx?

[Warren Nethercote]

Light at the end of the tunnel.

The trailer frame can now go to galvanizing but I am dry fitting the bunks so I can drill mounting holes before the frame is galvanized. I have lined up a neighbour's flat-bed trailer to take the frame to the galvanizer's - it's a bit unwieldy for the top of my truck! About three to four weeks turn-around for galvanizing, so I can catch up on some other things.

On another matter, I also follow the LocostUSA forum. The host for LocostUSA recently had a disc crash and we discovered that the last back-up was 2 years ago - two years of build logs and conversations down the drain. Everything is in suspended animation while we wait, and hope, if the host can do better. I wonder what back-up practices are for the i550class.org host? The i550class.org forum hasn't been too active of late, but it does serve as an important record that goes into much more detail than the usual Facebook post.

[Warren Nethercote]

I've been busy with diversions - primarily building a new hull for my DN - but today I got the trailer back from the galvanizers. $237 CAD, taxes in, for what in the end was 351 lbs of trailer frame and 'bits.' At that price its hard to justify painting, although you need to keep galvanizing safety requirements in mind if you are using rectangular hollow section - no closed spaces are allowed.

[Warren Nethercote]

Not quite finished yet, but at least rolling so I can have my garage back ...

I wanted a long trailer for launching and easy reversing, but also wanted compactness, so I went with a fold-away tongue. The torsion suspension units give a nice low ride height, although doing wheel alignment was a bit picky.

[Marino]

Warren is the upright post used to support one end of the mast when travelling?
Will the other end of the mast lay on the boat?

[Warren Nethercote]

Marino,

Yes, the forward post carries the mast. It is high enough so that the mast can project forward above a car roof. The after end will be carried on a support attached to the boat. I am going around in circles on that design, but will make a decision when I must .... The Portland boats (PDX) use a common mount for the outboard motor and the after mast support. Others have used the rudder pintles, although that means you cannot tow with the mast down.

[Marino]

Thanks Warren, something to consider for transporting the mast.

[Warren Nethercote]

It's been a while, but I haven't been unproductive. Just different stuff. Built a new DN hull and two runner planks, and made two big road trips for ice boating. One to Wisconsin in December and the second, more recently, to Montana for the DN North American Championships. Finally made it into the Gold fleet, but then got spit out the back by the big guns. But fun, even with a 9,000 km (round trip) drive.

This weekend I (with help) finally attached the bulb to the keel. Drilled the fin for the keel bolts but wasn't brave enough to rely totally on hardware bonding and buried nuts in the fin. Filed the keel recess with a West/high density filler mix and then bolted the fin to the bulb. Now to clean up the fin/bulb fillets and fill the bolt recesses in the bottom of the keel.

[Warren Nethercote]

Watching paint dry (and again, and again ... )

[Tim Ford]

Lookin' good Warren! Do you know the total weight of that bulb & foil complex?

[Warren Nethercote]

No idea of weight. Don't have a suitable scale. Fingers crossed ...

[Warren Nethercote]

The cycle of (boatbuilding) life: sand, paint, sand, ...

[Tim Ford]

No idea of weight. Don't have a suitable scale. Fingers crossed ...

I wouldn't worry about the weight....it's not like there are armies of measurers out there, looking for an i550 to DSQ due to a few misplaced kilos.
Still, it is nice to play by rules, I wish more folks in these parts took that stance.

[Warren Nethercote]

Borrowed a scale from a naval architect friend, who uses it for weighing inclining experiment weights. Keel weighs 178 lbs. Whew ...