TMS-20 update 6/3

I’ve been off on comp time / vacation for the week and only left home two times. Once for the dentist and the second time for another roll of sandpaper - beside that I’ve been working on the boat. So either I’m driven to get this thing done or I need a new life. So today I’ll journey out again to make a Mount Gay Rum, Home Depot ( the man’s Macy’s), and a cigar run just to prove I’ve not become a possessed hermit. Last post I was talking about notched spreaders and this post I have some pics of the boat with faring from a notched spreader then taken out to “almost” fare.
On this half of the hull (port) I used Gorilla glue to join the foam strips together instead of epoxy. Gorilla Glue sands at about the same rate as the foam so I was able to do much more faring to the actual foam which saved time and it gave better results. Then I used a notched spreader to put my first layer of bog on the hull and fare that out. Then I went back and filled the rows created by the notches and continued to fare the hull. That is about where I left off.
I wanted to get more done this week but epoxy just dries so fast and sand so hard. I am using an air file to rough it in then switching to a manual long board. I am actually getting two applications of epoxy a day with fast hardener so that is not bad and I’ve not lost a batch yet. There are few little spots to hit on the side of the hull above the chine with epoxy then it is good enough. From the chine to the keel there is a lot of faring to be done yet. So my plan is touch the few spots above the chine then build a second rack and set the hull back right-side up. I have the forms I just need to build a frame to mount the forms. Next wet out a few strips of fiberglass on wax paper laid crossways on the deck for supports - so I can make a rack to hold the hull upside down. Flip the hull over on the rack upside down. If I get that far by Sunday before I go back to work I’ll be happy with that. Then I will finish faring out the keel and carbon fiber / vacuum bag the keel up to the chine.

Getting there

After 9 days of nothing but faring – bog, sanding, bog, sanding, beer, bog, sanding, bog, sanding, beer, cigar……..I have the most of the port side done. The boat is up right for a few days while I make a cradle to hold it upside down so I can fare out the keel, officially join the two halves then lay-up the bottom. Here are few pics of the boat. I’m starting to get excited again! The first pic shows the mast above the boat and shelf sure would look nice mounted on the boat! But I’ve got a lot of work to do yet but I’d guess I’m at the half way mark now. The second picture shows the designed water line. I wonder how real that is. The water line is the mark in the frames that is holding the hull.

few more

Mike,

Really nice work there. Can't wait to see the final product.
TTS

Making a form to hold the hull upside down.

Taped carpet strips to the hull in the location on the hull above main bulkheads.
Covered the carpet and area with a sheet of wax paper.
Then cut three strips of biaxial fiberglass and wetted it out.
Popped it off to remove wax paper and trim.
The next step will be to attach some type of frame / support to fiberglass form to keep it in shape.

Just thinking these could be future hold down straps for the trailer.

Thanks so much for sharing all of this with us Mike! I garner a lot of inspiration and good construction tricks. What weight cloth were you using for this application?

Dave

Dave,
I've had this roll for a while and I know I don’t have the label and without digging for the invoice I think it is Biaxial Fabrics stitch-bonded 18 oz cloth with a 3/4 oz. mat on the back. I first bought it to build the boat with before I decided to go carbon. The layup still has a little flex to it. Ok for a strap but not strong enough for a support for the weight of the boat.

Last night I took a X-mas paper tube and cut it in half length wise then slotted it to allow a curve to fit the form. I started to glass it on and it was deforming. Damn they do not make paper tubes like they use to. That trick use to work. So I pulled it off and gave up on that idea. I have to think about it today I have two ideas:
1. I could take a piece of scrap pressed wood cut out the brace shape plus 1/4 inch and use a few "balls" of bog to hold the brace in place, then cut it away when I'm done. I did that with the temp bulkheads inside the hull halves when they came off the frames. To remove the frame I have a “rope” saw I slip between the two to cut them apart then grind the bog down smooth.

2. Lay a strip or two of carbon fiber over the form and that will stiffen it up. Then I still have figure out a way to attach it to the frame. Work is slow today so I've got time to mull it over in my head.

Who's your supplier for cloth? I've been using Fiberglass Supply in Bingen, WA.

Dave

They say it is possible to laminate foam in between skins of fibre glass to stiffen a laminate, and that one day it will replace cardboard tubes and that you might even be able to build a whole boat that way some day !

Paul too funny - Never believe in what "They" say or we would all be sailing around in 1/2 a catamaran and the America’s Cup would have been won by a proper yacht not a Tri.....HA - living on the edge.

I'm just using what I have around the shop and I'm out of foam. I don't want to buy / store any foam until I'm ready to build the forms for the AMA molds.

Dave I have two suppliers for most of the stuff I use - Merritt Supply in Florida they have several sites one close to my house in West Palm and one close to work in Ft. Lauderdale so that works for me. They also give a great discount even on West System Epoxy. They also do web orders: http://www.merrittsupply.com/

I get my carbon from a buyer on the west coast of the US that buys seconds - end of rolls or excess rolls from large production shops. Raw carbon cloth does have a shelf live so large shop like to unload what they have between jobs. The roll I bought was for Beechcraft and it was supposed to be an over under weave and one row was over two so it was counted as a second because Beechcraft rejected it. I got it straight from the mill for $18 a yard. I have a link to her on my website. Carmen has always found super deals on carbon that is what she does for a living. You do not have to buy a whole roll she lists what she has.

Instead of half of a cardboard tube, maybe you could use a water noodle float cut in half? It is flexible (so easy to conform), inexpensive and easy to find.

I ended up using pressed wood and cut the shape of the form then used epoxy to attach the form to the wood.
I will not be able to reuse the straps for a hold-down but I have some very stable forms now to hold the boat on the jig upside down.

Been a busy weekend most likely will not make much more progress I had to go down the RCI Allure of the Seas cruise ship to work some today. My first time on the Allure what a cool cruise ship