Hob-nobbing while struts cure

Liam, Oliver, Elliot, Marcus (0.5 hrs each), Scott (6 hr), Kevin, Russ (2 hrs each), and Thomas (2.5 hr) | Photos

Liam and Rose men lightly sanded and then epoxy-coated the 2nd side of the crossbeam webs.  Then we used the extra epoxy to coat the outer surface of the lashing pads, the dolphin striker (including whipping) and striker mounting surface, and about 1/3 of the three uncoated beam planks.  Not too many clothes were trashed and Liam and Oliver seemed to enjoy working in old short-sleeved t-shirts as much as drinking some cold root beer.

Scott then tipped all coated objects with the alcohol brush and then Thomas arrived with a carbon fiber surf board.  We got to talking about it and then were treated by the first appearance of Russ.  Russ and Thomas quickly connected on diverse topics — from glacier bush-pilot stories to vacuum-bagging techniques.  Kevin then rumbled in and we ogled the new BMW.

Properly warmed up, we set about cutting more struts, gluing them in, and filleting.  Thomas also whipped a coat of epoxy on the planks started earlier, as well as the 2nd side of the beam planks we coated last week.  Later in the evening Scott polished the fillets and ensured all struts were aligned since we’re not stitching, but rather letting gravity hold the struts in place as they cure.  Next week we’ll try clamping on a plank!

Meanwhile tonight, over in the Ballard workshop, Mike glassed the 2nd side of the rudders.  The first sides are already glassed and faired!

Liam and Ryan hard at work

Liam (0.5 hr), Ryan (0.5 hr), Thomas (3.5 hr), Scott (7.0 hr) | Photos

Liam and Ryan got their first chance to epoxy coat part of the tiki. After Liam carefully ensured everyone had properly donned their gloves, the boys brushed on a quick coat onto the inner surface of the lashing pads and the dolphin striker mount. The pads should be ready for a light sand next week and then will be ready for gluing on… Scott used excess epoxy ( a lot) to coat the underside of the top beam planks, as well as the face-up side of the beam web.

Thomas arrived and we examined the Ulua’s crab claw rig (very simple and cool). Eventually we delved into cutting compression struts and by the end of the evening (~midnight) we had them all glued on to the first side of beams. Scott polished the fillets and then whipped the tip of the dolphin striker.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Mike was busy fairing the slowly curing rudders. Go team tiki!

Thomas (3 hr), Kevin (3 hr), Julian (2 hr), Scott (7 hr), Liam (0.5 hr) | Photos

Liam and I stapled clear plastic on the shelter and were very pleased with the resulting intermittent cascading rivulets. Having reinforced the rafters a bit with lashings, we all hoisted the starboard hull high. Then we carried the port hull out and placed it underneath the starboard one. The driveway is now quite the sight: the products of our hard labor are nicely on display!

Thomas did a great job on his homework. He cranked out a very solid looking dolphin striker from 1″ thick oak and a beautiful hatch that’s all tricked out with a double canoe icon glassed into the underside. We marveled at his bamboo pole sheathed in basalt sock and pretty much agreed that it would be righteously symbolic to combine grass and rock — trans-pacific elements from Asian forests and Hawaiian volcanoes — to form the power core of a Northwest explorer.

Reveling in the abundant space in the garage, we set up saw horses so that Thomas and Julian could finish cleaning up the beam webs. Kevin created a stable mount for the chop saw and started zipping out compression struts. Scott measured up the placements of the struts and after all had departed, cut the 3 beams to fit aft, centrally, and forward.

Liam (0.5 hr). Thomas (2), Mike (2), Kevin (1.5), Scott (3 hr) | No photos

Liam and Scott screwed 2x4x14′s to fence posts to make a hangar for the port hull. Michael Schacht stopped by to talk about Proas, Russ and Jim Brown, Aluna (the paragon of scrounge) and to recommend Bright Sides 1-part polyurethane paint. Thomas arrived bearing awesome lashpads, complete with countersunk holes pre-filled with epoxy so that rot would be prevented (by forming a tube of epoxy through which the bolts could pass. He also brought his beautiful surfboards for show-and-tell.

Mike then joined us and leaped into belt-sanding the rudders. Later he adopted them as his homework (glassing and sanding). After Michael departed, Kevin sped through sanding down the lashing pads with Thomas, and then place them by drilling the top hole all ’round the port hull. Slightly short machine screws prevented us from glueing them in place. Scott surformed the beam webs and we all hemmed and hawed about whether to use mahogany for the beam planks, among other esoteric topics.

Scott kept his promise to Thomas to get more organized with a Gantt chart, catalyzed in part by Mike’s vision of having the Tiki on hand for his getting-formally-hitched-wedding on August 1, 2010. Grasping the vast array of things to be done, Thomas adopted a hatch cover and dolphin striker as homework, and Scott vowed to get the proper screws and glue the lashing pads in place before next Tiki Tuesday.