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  1. #16
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    Nov 2003
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    I'm BACK!

    The boats in their bare form were a little flexible... actually they reminded me of a contortionist I saw in China, but that's OK they aren't finished.

    Michael screwed the deck panels on temporarily, using a couple of gyprock screws in each corner, probably 6" apart, and the hulls are now so stiff they can be picked up by one corner and there is NO movement at all.

    Every time he moved the boats (in my absence ) he was frightened by/of the cracking sounds as the flexing put load on the epoxy joints, now they are quiet as little mice.

    One thing he did was put a permanent (stainless steel) screw in the inside of the boat at both ends, holding the ends of the sheer clamp (the bit stuck on the top outside of the hull) to prevent a tearing failure at that point when the tops of the bulkheads were being bevelled.

    The bare hull as shown weighs barely 10kg, and with all the remaining parts in it, we weighed it at 22kg. We expect that when finished it'll come in below 35kg which is a nice weight for two kids to carry on their own.

    Onwards, ever onwards...

    P (off with his beloved to get fish and chips for tea by the beach - Michael's coming too, but since he's a vegetarian, we're only getting him chips)


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  3. #17
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    Nov 2003
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    Last night, after having our fish and chips (just chips in Michael's case), slave driver that he is, he insisted that "we" do more on the boats. (Crumbs he's even got me working on the Eureka tonight!)

    While I swept, and tidied up a bit, and sharpened two spokeshaves a few chisels and at least four planes that had been used in the fairing of the end-grain ply sheer, Michael diligently went about sealing the boats.

    NOTE: Despite what you see in these photos, please DO NOT work with epsoxy without gloves. Michael horrified me by doing this without protection, however he is a VERY experienced epoxy worker, and was able to complete all the work shown in the pics, with the merest hint of epoxy contact on the tip of one finger.

    I had barrier cream, and wore gloves and expect that everyone else will too.

    Pics:

    1) Pouring on the epoxy and using a ply offcut as a squeegee prior to rolling. The molasses coloured epoxy is at least 9 years old, and I've been waiting for a job for it. Epoxy and hardener will keep almost indefinitely if stored in a sealed container away from light, and we had no problems at all with it. The yucky colour was the way it was delivered all those years ago.

    Note the patches where we have filled all the temporary screw holes and exposed seams with lightweight filler before sealing the outside.

    2) Laying out the glass tape. At this stage the whole boat had one even and fairly light coat of epoxy, just enough for the glass to tack to it.

    Note again: This is where Michael got his fingertip a tiny bit gooped. He did the right thing then adn DID NOT WASH WITH SOLVENT, using Boatcraft's hand cleaner formulated for this task.

    Solvent will dissolve the epoxy and can actually carry the compound through human skin.... nasty stuff.

    3) Glass completed on two seams, layed out ready to bend over the vertical surface.

    4) Trimming the last seam. I wish I could do this without getting epoxy all over my scissors, but I can't, so Michael did it!

    5) Rolling down the last seam. Note we are using a 4" foam roller, and very little expoxy. We followed up with another two light coats on each boat, when the successive coats were tack dry.

    Cheers,

    P

  4. #18
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    Nov 2003
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    So just after midnight (I told you he was a slave driver) we, well actually he, (I was sharpening stuff remember) had the epoxy and initial bogging done, so we called it quits.

    Pics:
    1) Two hulls in a cool boatshed sort of shot, all glassed with two coats of poxy waiting for the filler.

    2) A quite runny mix of filler, ready to go on to finally fill the weave pattern of the cloth (after three coats of epoxy have filled the actual weave). Note this is a fairly epoxy rich mix, so sanding/ cleaning up within 24 hours or so is advisable, as it will set fairly hard.

    Lightweight filling compounds are designed to be easily sanded, and the "drier" the mix, the easier sanding becomes.

    3) A plastic spatula is used to run around all the tapes, and any low spot that is visible at this stage.

    4) Bed time! All done, night night duckies!!

    5) Today, using a spoke shave to trim back the filler to get a fair transition to the panel without cutting into the glass. While the epoxy is only 24 hours old, it's fairly soft, and I know that some hand tool chaps cringe when they see this sort of thing happening to a precious tool, but that's why I have them.... to use!

    That's also why I had to spend quite some time sharpening seven plane and spokeshave blades yesterday; end grain ply and cured epoxy takes a heavy toll.

    After tidying up the whole of the seams this evening, Michael sanded a bit till I co-opted the sander to touch up a bit of Eureka, then we called it quits.

    Tomorrow evening the fun bit starts again, we'll probably make the centreboard cases and rudder box, and maybe get a start on the internal framing and bouyancy compartment.

    Oh, and we've heard back from Shorty at PDRacer.com, and we've officially been issued with hull numbers 75 and 76! We're on the map!

    Cheers,

    P

  5. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Warwick, QLD
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    45
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    3,462

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    Crumbs he's even got me working on the Eureka tonight!
    You need to have Micheal visit more often then
    Have a nice day - Cheers

  6. #20
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    Nov 2003
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    Today Michael did a lot of juggling of ply. He's had a cutting plan developed since day one, but the moment of truth has arrived. We won't have a square foot left out of our three sheets, and he's juggled the size of the aft compartments to suit.

    The bulkhead for the compartment (the triangular bit in the middle of the side deck) is made of two pieces, such is our determination!

    You'll see in an evolution of an idea used very successfully in boat #2 we have used the offcuts from the hull panel as a nice curved deck. (It's OK, it won't be bent when it's finished, there's no framing there yet.)

    The other pic shows the template for the side panel, and if you look carefully you'll see that by flipping it over we'll get the other panel. What remains will be almost the total waste for the ply.

    We were aiming to angle the side panel at 18° but just didn't have enough ply so 10° it is. This will hopefull give us a bit of a boaty feel and won't be too hard to build, now that the hard bit's done, and Michael can publish an accurate setout drawing.

    Tonight we'll get to on the Centreboard case and ruddercase probably.

    Cheers,

    P

  7. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
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    Sydney, NSW, Australia
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    Very enjoyable thread to follow Midge.

    In fact, I think it has to be the front runner for Thread of the Year (so far).

    Can't wait to see them rigged and launched.

  8. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Garvoc VIC AUSTRALIA
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    Quote Originally Posted by craigb
    Very enjoyable thread to follow Midge.

    In fact, I think it has to be the front runner for Thread of the Year (so far).

    Can't wait to see them rigged and launched.
    Dunno bout thread of the year,
    but then again why not.

    But the outstanding thing is Midge is gunna finish a job
    Regards, Bob Thomas

    www.wombatsawmill.com

  9. #23
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    Nov 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by echnidna
    But the outstanding thing is Midge is gunna finish a job
    Thanks chaps.... but I think it's Michael that's going to finish it, or at least make sure it's finished!

    He's currently out there doing what I said "we" were going to be doing!!

    To be fair to me though, I've just come in, and have been cutting aluminium angle to make rudder gudgeons tonight. We (I)'ve decided that buying the off the shelf ones is not in the spirit of this thing, so we'll use a timber block on the front of the rudder case, and four 1/8 aluminium angles with a pin through them... The photos will explain all eventually!

    Cheers,

    P (Oh I did do a bit on the canoe as well tonight!)

  10. #24
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    Sep 2002
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    Minbun, FNQ, Australia
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    Here is a little philosophy on finishing things.

    http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...238#post267238
    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

  11. #25
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    Nov 2003
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    Sydney
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    Junk






    No it is more of a sampan.

  12. #26
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    Nov 2003
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    Australia and France
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wongo
    No it is more of a sampan.
    All the more reason for you to build one.... you could take your kids on felly lides up the liver!

    P

  13. #27
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Sydney
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    Midge,
    Either change the "Pretend my avatar moves" line, or turn off the animation on the mozzie!
    I just spent 10 minutes staring at stuff trying to figure out if it was the avatar that was moving!

    Oh, and good stuff on the PD WIP thread.
    Maybe you could draw attention to the PD concept with Outward Bound, the Scouts and the like. Great potential for young people learning and doing stuff.
    Cheers,
    Clinton

    "Use your third eye" - Watson

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/clinton_findlay/

  14. #28
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Kuranda, paradise, North Qld
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    62
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    Clinton,
    Midge's avatar doesn't move, what have you been smoking/drinking/sniffing?

    Mick
    "If you need a machine today and don't buy it,

    tomorrow you will have paid for it and not have it."

    - Henry Ford 1938

  15. #29
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    Nov 2003
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    What an interesting weekend we've had! Spent all of it in Brisneyland, went to a great party on Saturday night, and after putting ourselves up in a flash hotel, paying for fuel, a bottle of wine for our hosts at lunch today and breakfast this morning, we parted with enough dough to build another PDR and a bit more!

    In the meantime, we did do a little Saturday morning:

    Remember those glued-up foil blanks from one of the first posts? If not, we ripped a whole heap of junk 1500 long 19mm thick finger jointed radiata into 22mm strips, and glued it all together with a bit of trick edge-matching to get our 22 x 270 x 2000 long blanks.

    Well Saturday was the day they gave me my comeuppance!

    NOTE: just about every puddle duck built to date seems to survive quite adequately with either a square edged board, or a crudely rounded one. We are both of a view that while there is nothing wrong with that approach, and while it won't make the boat go any faster per se, you will still get where you are going earlier using a properly designed foil shape, as the boat should climb to windward at least several degrees higher.

    We look forward to proving this when the first non-foil boat hits the water, or may well do a "Derek Style" objective test ourselves.

    In any case, I just happen to like shaping foils, and although I'm a bit rusty it's a pleasant and quite productive way of whiling away a few hours.

    Pic 1: I happen to have a foil template from the goat island skiff plan which Michael agreed would work splendidly on the little boats as well. (The Skiff Plans are worth buying if only just for the template, or Michael will provide one at a modest cost.)

    The template is glued on a scrap of ply or in this case 6mm MDF and is cunningly designed so when the foil shape is perfect, and the thickness correct, the "tail" will sit flat on the benchtop.

    Pic 2: Nothing like burning a few electrons to get the rough shape done expediently.:eek:

    Pic 3: Then there's absolutely nothing better than shaping away with that quiet swoosh for as long as it takes. Be careful that the dustmask and earmuffs don't fill up with sawdust though.

    Pic 4. Stop and check every few swooshes, with the blade set very finely as you get to the end of the process, here I am marking high spots with chalk. Here the first trailing edge is getting close to right.

    HINT: White chalk is a fabulous thing for drawing on timber because it goes clear when wet, so it becomes invisible under epoxy or varnish! (Try before you rely though!)

    Pic 5: The end profile. This was taken before final trim with sandpaper and long-block, and there's a bit of a knobbly woof happening at the leading edge, which is the most important bit of the board to get exactly right.


    Continued below....

  16. #30
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    Nov 2003
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    Australia and France
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    Continued from above....

    Pic 1: I told you earlier we had a secret wing keel thing happening! Actually I cut the tapers and shaped the board and rudder in one piece and cut it later, because I think the longer bit makes it easier to get a true section rather than stopping and starting at the ends of two shorter boards.

    Using only a simple template, I've never had the desire to build a router jig or whatever. I'm way out of practice, and these took close to three hours from start to finish, but I'd be surprised if the second pair take more than half that.

    I'd also be surprised if even a first timer would take longer than my effort!!

    Pic 2: The finished boards: except of course for glass, fill, sand, fill, sand, prime, sand, touch up, sand, paint.

    Pic 3: Michael in the meantime had been beavering away in the corner of the garage, working on the centreboard cases (note the insides are fully epoxy coated prior to assembly).

    Pic 4: Oh, and he'd also completed gluing the coamings to the side decks, and making the front bulkheads for the side tanks.

    Note the coaming will act as a structural beam to hold all this stuff up, although we'll probably stick a couple of 'glass pads under where we'll sit just to be safe. (Glass wouldn't be necessary with 6mm ply)

    So we've been at it one week, one weekend and say say three nights to get all the bits ready to assemble. (No work at all after Saturday morning this weekend remember!)

    We still have the mast bits to scarf, and the rudder cases to make, but we are pretty much on track to have boats that look like boats on Saturday.

    We are now gunning to go sailing on Sunday whether the paint is dry or not....

    Keep your eye out for our next exciting episode!

    Cheers,

    P

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