Some great photos!

While non-curing paint maladies caused us to miss our sea trials deadline (7/17), we’ve made a lot of progress in the last couple weeks. Matt and Mike have been putting in many hours in the Ballard shop hammering out the platform. Scott and pals have been getting the hulls ready for primer, including stitch/gluing the platform supports, and testing the size/alignment of the new trampoline.

Last Tuesday Mike and Scott stripped the first attempt at putting Easypoxy (sandstone) over recently cured System Three epoxy. Matt used the jig saw to custom fit the side platforms to the hulls and beam struts.

Then on Sunday, a grand entourage assembled to paint the hulls with Easypoxy undercoater (primer). Enzo, Francesca, and Liam rolled on the primer, while Matt, Mike, and Scott dashed about trying to tip the paint before it dried (and it dried fast — tack free in <1hr). The primer seemed to take well to the old cured epoxy which had been sanded down with 60-80 grit. In 24 hours it was hard to scratch it with your finger nail.

Tonight, Matt, Mike, and I replaced the side section of the platform and found them still too flexible, despite Mike’s beautiful glassing/fairing of the upper surface. Then Thomas stopped by to help us work out a couple methods for drilling and lacing the holes for the rudder hinges. Along with the platform (which seems way too weak as designed), the rudder lashing guidance could be explained more to the reader.

I rounded out the evening sanding down both rudders, which Mike had faired previously. They are looking good and will soon be sporting a Wharram emblem of sorts…

Dual tiki teams spun into action tonight as the July 17 sea trial date approaches.  Mike worked solo in Ballard, sanding the abundant fillets and multiplying inner surfaces of the central platform section.  Over in Scott’s basement we built 75% of a crab claw  main sail — after a fair amount of chatting and deliberating regarding plans, implementation schemes, and the relative merits of frugal-scrappy innovations (Thomas “galvanized” Nielson)  vs autocad-engineered solutions (Kevin “the ubergazebo” Flick).

Sail sewing

Grommet punching

More photos

Eric, Kevin, and Zander caught up while testing out Annie’s two sewing machines while Thomas and Scott laid out the “small” crab claw sail for Tiki 21 specified by Wharram/Boon.  We staked down the tarp, laid down the 15′ lashed bamboo spars, marked the offsets for luff (~16cm), foot (~16cm), and leech (~40cm) with dry erase marker, and then marked the sail edge curves with the natural bend of the spars and/or by hand-bending a long 1×2 batten.  Following a combination of guidance from Thomas, Gary Deirking, and polysail.com we put 1.5″-wide carpet tape along the curved marks, added 1/4″ braided nylon rope (Do-It brand), folded edges over the rope, and then took it down to Eric.  We tied the rope with a single fisherman’s knot and then reinforced the corners with 3″ Dacron tape.  Eric then sewed the taped seam near the edge using #92 UV-resistant polypropylene thread in the Pfaff hobby 1122 and we all put in brass grommets at 20cm intervals along the foot and the luff.

Also, last Thursday Scott stopped by Matt’s garage in Ballard and put in 5 hours stitch’n'gluing the center platform compartment separators and side platform section 1×2 reinforcing.  Matt provided a couple hours critical assistance, levering stitches closed with pliers and helping smooth out the massive colloidal silica fillets.  Then there was a weekend a couple weeks back when Mike and Matt retrieved, cut, coated, and otherwise prepped the platform materials, clocking at least 12 person hours.

Stitch and glue on center section, 9" ply on sides

Working en masse in Matt’s capacious Ballard boatworks (garage), we rapidly assembled the pre-coated and cut platform pieces that Mike and Matt had so diligently prepared over the weekend.  In a matter of just a couple hours, we cut the 1×2″ reinforcement bits, drilled and stitched, and then glued the center platform together.  We decided to utilize the space between the webs for extra storage space, so are holding off on the fairing that the plans recommend.  We also refrained from cutting the hole for an outboard as this is going to wind and oar powered.

With some extra microfiber-epoxy paste, we glued on the 9″ plywood reinforcing strips in the middle of the platform’s side panels.  We then retired to the kitchen for a feast of spicy-gorganzola chicken wings and cheese curds, prepared by the grease masters Matt and Julian.  In combination with some extra beer, this caloric feast really raised the bar on the standard tiki Tuesday!

We finished the evening and tried to metabolize a bit by cleaning up the bonds and fillets with scraper and isopropyl alcohol.  With some additional fillets — and possibly a built in cooler!? — the platform should be ready for some preliminary tests next weekend!

Julian and Matt wet out the fin

Thomas (2 hr), Mike (2 hr), Matt (2 hr), Julian (1 hr), Scott (3 hr)

We sanded down the fairing coat and then re-coated with epoxy, adding filler to a few low areas. It was so smooth and shiny you could see yourself reflected in it!

We also wrapped the skeg in black carbon-fibers and were very pleased with it’s sleek shark fin appearance.  Next week we can fair it in as well, flip the hull and attend to some errant drip lines, and then be ready to paint!  Perhaps it’s time to shop for some System 3 primer?

Uncured consternation

Matt, Mike, Scott, Kevin, Thomas (~2 hr each)

Somehow throughout the last week I managed to ignore the few sticky spots that seemed to not be curing.  Surely they would be nice and hard, ready for a light sanding by Tiki Tuesday!

Well, when all had gathered and gloved up to finish off the sheathing of the port hull, the death knell sounded.  The sticky patches were still sticky.  How were we going to sand these areas?  Like an obsessive child beginning to pick at a scab, we scraped gingerly at the edge of the fiberglass.  It was appalling to see the edge come up and wide swaths of the glass lift off!

Most of the night was spent devising a way of getting the goo off and getting back down to bare wood.  The best technique was to use a razor-bladed paint scraper preceded by blow torch.  This generated slightly less carcinogenic fumes than the conventional method of slathering the situation with acetone.  But the fire risk was pretty high…

We finally re-applied a coat of epoxy in the affected areas (mixed carefully by Matt, NOT Scott-who-botched-the-last-batch-because-he-drank-too-much-beer).  We all fervently hope it will be totally cured by next week so we can get done what was intended for tonight.

Matt, Mike, Kevin (3.5 hrs each), Scott (5.5 hr), Zander (photos) | Photos

Sanded down hull and rails, especially the lower edge of the keel strip.  Glassed inboard hull with hardener #2 and overlapped full width of the glass on outboard hull.  Kevin did precision surgery on overlapped glass at keel/bow joint and on forward corner of skeg base.  Matt bought us righteous pizza!   Mike stayed up late before his Chicago trip.  And Zander and Matt got some pix of Scott, who was thereby inspired to stay up late, trim the green edges, and roll on a second coat of epoxy.

M&M get dusty

Scott (4 hr), Thomas (3.5 hr), Mike (3 hr), Matt (3 hr), Kevin (1 hr) | Photos

Biggest turnout in a long while meant we really blazed through the work, as well as the beer and Halloween candy.  Thanks to one and all.

Moved starboard hull out to driveway and port hull into garage.  Formed the keel, bow and skeg.  Sanded down the hull sides and parts of the rail, mostly using 40-60 grit (Thomas trick was to use cut belt sander with one on each side to strop the keel and get a nice round, symmetrical curve.  Rolled 1 coat of S1 on both sides of hull (as outboard ply was pretty dry with raised grain).  Recovered outside from VOC brain liquidation.  Glassed keel with 15cm tape.  Filled miscellaneous divots and outboard stitch holes.

Next time we should be ready for the big glassing job — sheathing the port hull!  We’ll also try to straighten the skeg and reinforce it with carbon fiber.