TMS-20 / The Man Shed Update

Well I'm back at it sort of it’s been 6 weeks since I had my shoulder redone and I’m starting to get back around. It still hurts and I can’t sleep that well yet but it’s getting better. Still in PT doing stretching soon I'll be ready to switch to strength building. Then back to sailing, that will be nice!

I finished Mark's A-Cat mast and he has been out with it and it stayed together. I don't think he will have a problem with the repair area. It's nice to have my table back again.

I cleaned the shop and put the ½ hull of the TMS-20 on the table. I shaped the outside of the hull and now I’m bogging it out. It is easy to shape with bog on it as the foam strips and glue sand at different rates. I’m just doing a little at a time at this point. It helps stretch my shoulder but I do not want to push it. Hopefully in another few weeks I can man the sander a bit more.

Later.

Mike

welcome back! glad you are healing well!

Thanks Andrew!

Now if I can just adjust the sleep thing. I go a few days with just a couple hours until I zombie out.

Hi Mike! You've probably answered this before, but what kind of foam are you using? I ask because I need to replace the deck on my Tiki.

The Tiki was home built (not by me) and is generally well made. However, the original marine ply deck rotted away long ago and I wanted to replace it with a non-wood material.

Pete,

Divinycell 3/8" Plain H-60 on the main hull and H-80 on the ama's. Here is a good link for it: http://www.merrittsupply.com/Divinycell-C720.aspx
If you don't buy from them at least you can see what product line the foam comes in. I use west system with 407 for the bog. Just use regular wood working tools, saws, ect...

Mike

I was interviewed by Joe at http://smalltrimarans.com/blog/ and he gave me a very nice write-up on my TMS-20 project. Look for the story

Building a Sleek 20-Foot Trimaran in “The Man Shed”

Good Luck!

Thanks Mike. What's your best guess as to comparable strength? If I'm replacing 1/2" ply will 1/2" divinycell sandwich be equal strength?

Pete,

Basically the strength is from your lay-up. There is a formula - when the skins and foam are added together the thicker the foam the stronger and stiffer the laminate as compared to a straight laminate. Some say you cannot do better then wood. Foam cost more but it is lighter and does not rot. Do you have a picture of your project perhaps a before is it a Wharram Tiki? I found a builders / Wharram website http://www.wharram.eu/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl

There are things to plan for with foam such as masts, fittings, hardware, Crossbeams, ect...

From what I've seen most of the Tiki boat are built on frames and bulkheads so foam should not be a problem. One other thought is Balsa coring it makes a stronger and stiffer deck but it is subject to rot.

Mike

To answer your question yes I'd go with the 1/2 foam as your core thickness would be the same.

Go to this site and look on page 18 for an illustrated explanation of how the core thickness effects stiffness.
http://www.marinecomposites.com/PDF_Files/G_Composite_Materials.pdf

Mike: The deck and rudders need replacement, the rest of the boat is sound.

Seeker: Thanks for the link.