November 1999
1 hour: Putty port forefoot and keel filet.
6.5 hour: Fit and weldout port collision bulkhead. (been working around the roughcut panel for almost two years) Make up mainsheet arch and fit davits. The davits were not welded on as this was done inside the cabin and it just fits out as it is without the davits on.
6 hour: MOve arch outside and weld on extension tips on davits. Weld davits to arch. Weld up main boom end plate at gooseneck.
4 hour: Weld all the bits to the main boom. It is finished except for fairleads. This was bulit inside the cabin with one end stuck in and the other out in the rain.
9 hour: Finished boom goosneck toggle and monuted boom. Cut bunch of SM foam for cabin top. Decided to use board foam rather than spayed urethane. I requested 3 quotes and they were all around Can$ 4000 to $4500. One was a sorta over the phone, one was a fax and one guy showed up to see the job. Except for the liquor on his breath at 5PM he seem pretty on the ball with material specs and tips for prep. When I called him up in October he did not seem too comfortable with doing it in the weather conditions ( too cool ). He would need tarps heaters and 3 days of my time plus a suitable weather window. The cost would go up too as the foam expansion would not be as good. I asked him if he was sure he would be able to get it done in November and he could not make a firm commitment. Sooo with no fixed price and no assurance the job would be done I decided to go with board foam. This works pretty well in a sheet boat. Still it has to be bonded and then all the joints sealed to form a vapour barier to prevent condensation on the skin. Took 4 trips with the beater to get it all home. Foam cost this way is about Can$1300 plus a bunch of polyurethane gunk Sonolastic 150 at about $600 and about $400 of canned foam to cover over the edges beside the furring strips and in other areas. So its about 1/2 the cost and perhaps 2/3 the weight which are nice bonuses. Still takes a bunch of time though.
Putting the beater to work.
14 hour: Ron Apland came over to help paint. We are definitly fighting the weather. Just a few degrees above the minimus for the paints and fighting the showers too. Assembled mainsheet blocks and used boom to haul davits into rough position. Ground half of port hull and primed and first epoxy coat. 2nd epoxy coat on stb hull and first coat bottom paint. The bottom paint was put on ( carefully ) when the 2nd coat of epoxy was finger nail dry. ( nail dents and not tacky ).
White barier coat, white top coat, it is a little hard to tell where the paint is. Got to talk to the designer again.
8 hour: Ground last of port hull and got first epoxy coat on. It was very wet and muddy and had the ground fault circut trip a couple of times. Paint schemes is 80grit sand, 2 part acid wash primer, 2 coats Ameron barier coat epoxy ( 12 mil dry ) 2 coats EP21 zinc based antifouling. All the primer and barier cost about Can$400 and the 4 gals of antifouling cost Can$850. Did initial fitup on arch/davit.
3.5 hour: Weird day... heavy rain all day until I came home from work. Got out the tiger torch and dried off the main arch and started final fitup. Three goes later using the boom to haul the arch into the cockpit for trimming it was ready. Still not raining but a bit foggy. Torched joints and welded the arch to the aft beam ( 3/16" arch to 1/8" skin ) Kinda neat welding in the dark at 10:30 pm. Came out quite nice with no distortion of the rear beam skin. It is supported by the skin and the cockpit locker framing.
Arch, davits, solar panel mounts, and some pretty decent blocks. SWL 6000 lbs, yield 15,000 lbs.
3 hour: Reve mainsheet. Drill and tap and seal stb statroom hatch plex ( under a tarp ).
1.5 hour: Last coat of bottom paint on stb hull.
6.5 hour: Last epoxy coat on port hull. Weld mast cleats and winch pad to mast. 4 more cleat for a total of 7. Main halyard, Jib halyard, 7/8 spinaker halyard, masthead spinaker halyard, Main boom topping lift, Jib boom topping lift, lazy jacks. First coat of bottom paint on port hull. Did 1/2 of finish of arch davit joint.
6 hour: Last cap on davit, put on two forward hatch plexiglass. Paint not hard enough for 2nd coat of bottom paint.
4.5 hour: Weld in helmseat, cleats on davits, wetlocker framing. Store more insulation in barn. Nice day but too cold to paint 2nd coat on bottom.
6 hour: 2nd coat of anitfoul on port hull. Build aft cockpit rail. Butt ugly.... If it dosent grow on me I rip em off and start again.
2.5 hour: Insulation in the cabin top.
December
1.5 hour: Insulation
1 hour: Insulation
4.5 hour: Weldon and fab solar panel mounts. Bend fairleads from 3/8" rod and weld 4 onto boom to hold up mainsheet. Weldout locker supports in area of arch/davit. The arch/davit is supported by the cockpit locker where it meets the aft beam.
8.5 hour: Put glazing into 2 cabin hatches and 3 deck hatches.
6.5 hour: Clean aluminium bits off deck and reave main halyard and put swivel on masthead spinaker halyard. Gerard gave me a quick trip to the masthead. Can actually see the ocean from up there. Kind of an unusual sensation with your life hanging from a weld ( that you did yourself ). Finished tack end of jib boom and mounted boom. Sewed a couple more foredeck webbings in place. ( that will be fun to do in January and February).
2304 hours to date.
Copyright © 1997,1998,1999,2000 Tony Bigras.