build status

[Chad]

The glass looks great, I agree on the peel ply making the result turn out much nicer, and without the need for all the weave filling coats.

Carbon on the outside of the boat doesn't do much. To resist hull panel flexing, it needs to be on the inside of the panel. But since it's so stiff, if you put it on the the inside it needs to be strong enough to withstand ALL the load the panel will see, since the ply won't contribute anything by the time the carbon has exceeded its strain limit. Another example of the string and rubber band, supporting a bowling ball.

Areas where the outside skin is loaded in tension, such as the girth between chainplate and mast step (compression post base) might benefit from some directional fibers. I doubt it's worth the trouble, though.

I will say that from a rule point of view (either rule), unless your boat is pretty heavy it will be beneficial to spend some weight making the bottom very stiff. Unfortunately epoxy costs lots more than lead, but stiff panels are faster than flexy ones (it's been tested), and it's much faster to have the weight evenly spread across the bottom than the punitive weight distribution of the lead.

[Kevin]

The reason I remember glassing my hull fondly is because it was a trans formative day. The boat started all faired and ugly and I was just sick of the way it looked. Then the glass wet out and voila it was a solid boat hull. The day I painted the first coat of paint on the bottom was a similar experience. All the stuff disappears and you have a solid smooth and awesome boat hull before you.

Nice picture and great timing. I think that will be this weeks pic.

Personally I found the aft panels very flexy during construction and added stringers from 124 to 214. I also had a little carbon uni tape left over and layed that out on the inside of the bottom panels in a "can't hurt, might help" kind of way. When finishing the hull bottom I found it to be very solid.

Good luck with the fairing and finishing. The peel ply looks like it worked out great. Very Cool!

Kevin.

[ryderp]

I agree, it went from looking like plywood to looking like a boat. I was just commenting that with all of the unusual stances needed to coat the bottom of the boat without getting coated yourself, I was pretty sore this morning (like yoga but with sticky liquids that turn to plastic in the wrong places if you don't move fast enough). However with the wonder-drug ibuprofen, I feel much better already and in the future will be able to wax nostalgically about the day.

I think that I'll pass on the carbon bottom. I was amazed at how much stiffer the hull panels are now. Hopefully they are fast.

Phil

[Tim Ford]

Personally, I am going to reinforce the chines on the exterior on my boat before I glass the whole darn thing. I just dont trust the tape job I did on the interior--it was my first real taping on the boat (3-4 years ago?) and suffice it to say, I've gotten a lot better. Plus it was some absolutely shitty biax that I bought from WEST or somewhere, the stuff I got from JTD is much better. I'll radius the chines a bit and lay down the tape. Fair it in and then do the sheets of cloth.

what the hell, right?

[Kevin]

As long as you are happy Tim, we are happy I know my first taping jobs were crap and I spend moons fixing them up. I wonder if the biax tape you got from JTD was slit by C1... Something to research.
k.

[Tim Ford]

So, are most people NOT taping chines on the exterior? Just relying on the interior taped fillets and the 6 oz exterior sheathing?

[Chad]

I planned to tape them, for added toughness as much as strength. I figure most of the trailer or camping bruises will happen at the chines.

And then between the tapes I'll apply a layer of e-glass uni fore and aft (to avoid having to backfill the raised tape strips), then a layer of woven glass over the whole enchilada.

[Kevin]

I overlapped my layers at the chine so it's double thick. After glassing I did some additional chine shaping as well. So far I've had no bumps or bruises to the chines. The gunwales stick out so far because of the angles that I find the side panel is where contact is with docks and such. And traditional bumpers don't really cut it.
Kevin.

[ryderp]

I have an overlap at the chines for most of the length of the boat as well - just due to the way I laid out the cloth.

I never thought about standard bumpers not working, but I can definitely see that.

[Kevin]

If I can, I hang the bumper on the dock instead on the boat so that it has a chance of hanging in there. But it's not optimal. I've seen some pictures of the aussie boats with huge wings and they have no hope with a bumper either. Local place is a short dock that's plastic so that hasn't created any issues. But I can't leave the boat there unattended either.

[jray]

Take a look at Taylor low freeboard fenders. They worked well for me last fall. I like the extra protection they provide.

[Marino]

The plywood is being bought this week and hull #307 will be started in Toronto, Canada. Looking forward to racing other i550class members.

[slowpoke]

Welcome Marino! Great to see a boat being built in Toronto!

[jray]

Congratulations on the build starting up. It is a great journey. You are not to far away from some boats already sailing. Just remember with this crowd (pictures or it didn't happen) If you have any questions just ask. There is alwase someone here that can give you good advice.

[Chad]

Cool! We've talked of Cleveland as a Midwest and northeast meetup spot- it looks like that's pretty close to Toronto as well.

Get building, and take pics!

[Marino]

will do, got to keep the competition up to date on the progess

[Kevin]

It's just that we like to live vicariously through the adventures of others now that the "joy" of building is behind us. Of course if you saw my task list, you would think otherwise.
Kevin.

[jray]

I couldn't find a thread that goes with this, so figured this would be a good place. What I'm looking for is information or ideas for closed cell foam that I can have cushions made for in the cabin. The foam I used last year worked great, soft on the knees and not bad to lay down on but it loves water. Good thing I didn't have covers made for them. Any ideas for a material 1 1/2 to 2 in thick that I can make floatation cushions out of?

[Tim Ford]

jray, there is always Sailrite http://www.sailrite.com/Foam-Closed-Cel ... l-1-2-x-56 and beacon http://www.beaconfabric.com/vindex.html?cat235.htm but you should shop around for something cheaper. I bought some stuff from Sailrite back in the day for my keelboat...turned into an expensive proposition but the old cushions got mildewed and looked toxic. Wife sewed the covers which made it cheaper, but it still hurt....I mean it was cushions.

[Chad]

I got stuff from Sailrite in the past as well. Not particularly cheap with their foam prices, but they have stuff that few others have.

Remember that closed cell doesn't breath. If you sit/lay on it, the skin in contact gets wet from sweat. They also have a very open type foam that lets the water pass straight through, so unlike a sponge it holds almost no water. Not good for flotation, though! But very nice to sleep on.

[jray]

Looks like I will have to look hard at what I want vs what I need. Planning several overnights this summer so that figures in. I actually was planning on making covers for the different pieces, which I did not have last fall. That may help some. Thank you for the great sights to check out. One of my thoughts was why not have extra floatation along with some comfort. I will measure it all out and figure the cost. Great Stuff!

[admin]

People probably already saw this on Fakebook, but anyway, boat got flipped over the weekend, no injuries except for a few slugs and earwigs.
tf

[Mist]

TF, Congrats! -Tim

[Chad]

Go, the admin!

[slowpoke]

+++!!!!!