501.5 hours to date. Just another 1500 to go :)
The mast tubes arrive.
April 19 1998 2.5 hour: Cut grass around boat and apply roundup. Clean up work site and move some of the tools back out to the workshed.
April 30 1998 1.5 hour: Welding practice.
May 2 1998 4.5 hour: Adjust alignment of hulls. Winter storms had moved bows over about 3" on the blocks. Connect up welder and practice. Do initial trims on port bow cone.
May 3 1998 10 hour: Do initial trim on stb bow cone. Practice weldout sequence for bow cones. Final trim and tackup most of port bow cone. Nice to finally have a bow.
May 9 1998 11 hour: Finish tackup of port cone and bend in forefoot radius. Start interior pass below knuckle. Its really tight in there as this is not the lap joint as designed ( see Nanaimo Sheet Metal reference earlier ). The interior welds are a bit ugly but sound. Backchip and weldout below knuckle and weld interior of cone above knuckle.
May 10 1998 6.5 hour: Pull in forward 3 feet of stb bow topsides and do final trim of stb bow cone.
May 11 1998 2 hour: Tackup of stb bow cone.
May 12 1998 2 hour: Weldup interior of cone below knuckle.
May 13 1998 3.5 hour: Weldup interior of cone above knuckle and backchip and weldout below knuckle.
545 hours to date.
May 16 1998 7 hour: Took tbar for forward deck beams to Lifetimer Aluminium to have them rolled to 20' Radius. They had done 2x2 tbar with 1/4 wall before for their own use. They could not roll 2x2 3/16" straight. Made up a jig and started to bend it with some help from 'Jack'. Was able to use all but 2 feet of the 24' tbar Lifetimer twisted.
May 17 1998 2.0 hour: Bent some more deck beams.
May 18 1998 6.5 hour: Bent another two lengths. Just about done.
May 20 1998 2 hour: finished bending deck beams.
May 21 1998 1 hour: Start leveling and proping to take twist out of port hull.
May 23 1998 4.5 hour: Finished alignment and fitted and welded in two frames near F2. Bit of rain.
May 24 1998 Heavy rain.
May 30 1998 6.5 hour: Adjust port bow inside sheer rail. Out about 3/8" at bow. Fit a couple more deckbeams.
May 31 1998 9 hour: Weld rest of stitches on top of top stringer on port forepeak. Weld in 5 more deck beams.
576.5 hours to date.
June 1 1998 1 hour: Fit a couple more deck beams.
June 2 1998 4 hour: Fit rest of port hull deck beams and weld in all but front 3 ( save for when bow cones are fully welded out. For welding the T or the deck beam to the 1/8" plate just below the sheer am using .030 20V 9.5 feed with about 3/4 of the arc directed at the 3/16 material on the T. I am weaving a fair bit to build a wide beam and am using a backing bar to help spread the heat.
June 3 1998 10.5 hour: De-torque stb hull and weld in all stitches in top of top stringer in the bows ( because it would be hard to wel with the deck beams in ). Fit and weld in 8 deck beams in stb hull.
June 6 1998 7 hour: Touch up interior welds on bow cones. Ground out with die grinder and pencil tip. This tip throws tiny aluminium needles rather than chips. Fit rest of stb bow deck beams and weld in all remaining except for front 3. Had some problems with the cheap grinder, turned out to be aluminium bits in the on-off switch area.
599 hours to date.
Copyright © 1997, 1998 Tony Bigras.