Osram VII


1604.5 hours to date.

July 12 1999 9 hour: Wife help to line up rudder tubes as I welded them to the bottom skin. Cut and fit stb rudder tube. Cut and fit bits for port cockpit coaming. Decided later to skip the coaming ( just something to trip over ). Built hatch latch catch for SS cockpit locker on port side, thats almost finished.

Rudder tube going in.

July 13 1999 11.5 hour: Weldout watertight bulkhead at F6 on port hull. weld in other rudder tube. Start weldout of bottom seams. Wife supplied the tools while I welded and chipped in my face. weldout last of bridge deck inside joints and stb cockpit locker inter welds.

July 14 1999 9 hour: Take up shape in keel. Put last framing in cockpit bulkhead. Went horizontal in centre section to control bulge from shrinkage. Put in last 4 cabintop stringers and finished weldout of all the cabin top stringers.

Working on the keels. Will be triping over these for a few months.

Companion way hatch. 4'3" high on an angle, havent bumped my head (yet).

July 15 1999 2.5 hour: Weldout middle three cabin frames to skin.

July 16 1999 3 hour: Cut and weld forward cabin hatches.

July 17 1999 10 hour: Weldout about 40' of knuckle and start putting in cabin side hatches. Use flat bar and clamps to adjust camber above and below hatch. wife helped tack sheet to tbar on cockpit bulkhead. Wobble city due to shrinkage across beam. Added bunch of horizontal Tbar to control. Looking pretty good now.

Working on the knuckle.

Cabin side hatch.

July 18 1999 9.5 hour: Sited helm seat in cockpit. Wife helped a bit with hatch and again while welding bottom. Bent up two front cabin hatch frames. Welded up 3 hatch frames and put two in cabin front and put in some hatch hardware.

There you go.

July 19 1999 2 hour: Bottom weldout.

July 20 1999 2.5 hour: Bottom weldout.

July 22 1999 1.5 hour: Bottom weldout.

July 24 1999 6 hour: Weldout top of cockpit bulkhead. Weld doubler onto mast near gooseneck. Weld reinforcement on F5 of port hull for chainplate.

July 25 1999 9 hour: Prepped and pressed SS bushes into small chainplates. Cheap Canadian Tire 6 ton jack has died by busting its seals. Welded in 3 chainplates. Welded goosneck bits on mast.

Main shroud chainplate.

Goosneck bits.

July 29 1999 7 hour: Very rainy day. Threaded wheel shaft for edson nut 1-14. Welded out davit top pieces. Made jib pedestal base. Worked on pedestal steering. Welded mid to base and installed plastic bearing. Fitted top taper section.

July 30 1999 8 hour: Sliced port cabin seam to allow for shrinkage. Cutouts for aft cabin side hatches and welded in stb frame.

July 31 1999 7 hour: Weldon port cabin hatch framing and weldup hatch frame. Weird shape. Has some twist. Adjusted one hatch with snips but will need good gos to pull down plus extra gasket thickness. Work on control of wobble and sproinging in a couple of spots. Wore weldout on F5 to deck on port side.

1702 hours to date.

Copyright © 1997,1998,1999,2000 Tony Bigras.