i550SecondAlarm

2010-09-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry these are out of order. I added 1/2 reinforcement to 124 and 169.5. I used Cypress because that was what I had. Slots cut in frames to depth of longitudinal supports. After the floor was in I really appreciated the extra support. I'm 225#. My regular crew is about 210. I also closed up the holes in frame 110. After realizing that I wasn't going to fit, and there was no way I was going to chase or fetch anything that got back under the cpit floor we closed em up. It was my sons idea, and a good one at that. He also suggested a hatch, live well (beer well) behind the keel box. It will be water tight. The boat will be watertight aft of 110. There will be inspection ports for hardware. 0-18 will also be water/air tight.

2010-09-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

The cabin top was tabbed while in place. I reinforced 89 and 110 and then loosely stitched the panels in place. I then used one inch drywall screws to hold the aft edge in place. I then cut 2x2's and lapped them and then screwed the cabin top to them from the inside. I removed the entire top and tabbed it. Sanded the inside tabs, protected the gaps with duct tape and placed it back on the frames. Removed the 2x2's and then taped the outside seams. I'm really pleased with the results. Thought I took pics but can't find them on hard drive.

2010-09-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Will have to fill in the cabin front. I didn't want to torque the ply any further, even used the ole Windex method. I will probably fill in with a foam block and glass over it. I'm going to have to place a hatch between 0 and 18 for access. I left 18 solid as I couldn't see myself crawling that far forward.

2010-09-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Aft of frame 124 is set. The cabin roof is just parked there for now. Front deck fitted but not epoxied. The cabin interior will be 100% completed before I set the cabin roof. I don't fit too well in the cabin and there is definitely NO WAY I'm getting stuck in there and having to call 911. NO WAY.

I painted over the hockey players and fans that were painted on the garage doors. Much brighter inside. Getting close to the flip. I was hoping to do it on Labor Day but it isn't going to happen. I picked up a C-Scow over the summer. The hull is so-so but the rig is absolutely sweet. A little heavy perhaps. The hardware is all Harken and in excellent condition. Two sails in excellent condition. It will need cut down and so on but the price was right. Included a trailer.

2010-09-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Coming along. Need to paint over the hockey fans and referee. I feel like they stare at me all the time. The cpit floor and tank sides are in. The cabin top tabbed "in place" but not attached to anything. Will definitely be easier than working inside the cabin.

2010-08-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

My apologies to my loyal followers and fellow builders. Thanks for being patient. Didn't touch the boat between Thanksgiving and Fourth of July. Son and daughter-in-law got me goin again. AND I have to get it done BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDFATHER :)

2009-11-08T14:01:00.000-08:00

Progress has been painstakingly slow. September and October flew by in a blink. Six gazillion Maple leaves raked, chase boat and Fireball covered and ready for winter, new hardwood floor in kitchen, dining room, and back entry, a few days work at the church, my real job plus overtime, side jobs here and there, and the honey do list! Wow I almost forgot about the i550 in the garage. Epoxy season is coming to a screeching halt here pretty fast. It has been down in the 20's a couple of nights. I'm just too far south of the Great Lakes to get the "lake effect late fall" but not far enough south to miss the "lake effect snows." I was able to get the fore and aft bunk/floor supports in. The floor panels are cut to fit. I need to do some sanding and clean up and then a coat of epoxy and put them in place. I added support under the mast just because ? Hopefully this week I can get the floor pieces epoxied in. My back and knees will not miss the Close Quarters Construction.

2009-09-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, the Windex question. A long time ago in a far away place we used Windex (ammonia based window cleaner) to flex plywood. The ply was ripped into strips to be used for concrete forms. The Windex was sprayed onto both sides of the ply. Enough was used to wet the ply but not soak it. The ammonia in the windex would soften the fibers and relax the fibers to conform to the bends or shape desired. Once the Windex dried, the ply would retain the new shape. Usually. Sometimes persuasion was required. I tried it for the ply torture between frame 110 and 18. It worked great. If my boat falls apart and you see me swimming, please stop and pick me up.

2009-09-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Much neater and smoother fillets with the #12 copper wire. I set the frames in the back half and wired them in. I believe the issue at frame 89 would be greatly reduced if the frames were wired in before the chine seams were epoxied.
The boat was supported at the stem, frame 18, frame169.5 and the transom. I'm 225 pounds and could walk in the boat when it was stitched with #12. The plastic wire ties would slip or fail. At this point the stem and transom and chine seams are completed. The frames are stitched with #12 copper. I used between 12 and 15 stitches per frame. The boat is really stiff and has almost zero twist. I used 4" 45/45 biaxial on the chines, stem and transom. I checked for square with the Beckwith String Method. It measures within 3mm. I also checked cris-cross from the transom/hull side furthest point, to the opposite frame/hull side furthest point and was not more than 4 mm off on any frame. It's square. 4mm in 18 feet is pretty good, don't ya think?

2009-09-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

This is a stitch over a plastic wire tie. The seam has been sanded so it appears as though the epoxy did not penetrate the tape. It did wet out very nicely. The tape measure actually covers the bottom of the stitch. The fillet is huge and yet the stitch caused the tape to "tent" and actually lift off of the fillet. I don't like the idea of the tape lifting off of the fillet. It can't be good. When I sanded the seam, I actually sanded through the tape in several places. Definitely not good. This is definitely a great learning process.

2009-09-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

This is a #12 copper wire stitch with fillet and tape over top. At about the 11:00 o'clock position is a hole for a wire tie that was used around a 3/4 or 1" dowel. The dowels worked great as far as lining up the hull bottom to the sides. I would use them again but only for alignment. I would use #12 stitches between dowels that were perhaps 12 inches apart. I really liked the security of the #12 wire vs the plastic wire ties. The fillet and tape seam was also much neater.

2009-09-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

At this point I switched from plastic wire ties to #12 copper solid wire. I can really twist them tight and they don't slip. A 1/8 hole is plenty large enough to allow the wire to pass through.

With only the front half of the chines epoxied in and the frames just wired in, boat is surprisingly stiff. It is really motivating and just dang right exciting to be getting this far.

I built to this point on an 18 inch raised, square, and level platform. Is that a "strong back?" It made assembly easy on the back. Now it is a pain in the butt as I have to use a ladder to get in.

Notice how frames 89 and 110 line up.

Tortured ply

2009-09-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

The issue with a big gap at frame 89 was easily corrected with a ratchet strap. I drilled a 5/16ths hole in each side and slipped in an eye bolt. A couple of LARGE washers on the back and ratchet strap between. A couple of cranks later the gap was gone.

At this point I was not real pleased with the fillet and tape mess I had created. I have had problems with the wire ties slipping or breaking and personally I don't like the size of the ties, the holes required, nor the span required to get a tight joint. I take all responsibility for this as I'm sure it is due to my inexperience. But it is fun.

At this point I "think" assembly would

be more efficient if everything was tied together and then epoxied. Just a thought.

2009-09-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Please be patient with me until I figure out how to use this blog. I'm going to be chronologically challenged for a while.

The frames are lofted and cut. I cut a small slot (one kerf) at the centerline of the bottom of each frame. The tang of the tape measure fit in nice and snug. This made it very easy and accurate to measure out from the center of the frame.

I used a 3" hole saw to cut out the small holes in the frames. Tear out was a problem on the bottom as I didn't use a backer board. Watch you don't break your wrists, the hole saw really grabs in the ply. The big holes were made with a paint stick compass. I drilled a "zero" hole and then one to get the required diameter. I cut the circles and other holes with a saber saw.

Frame 18 was left solid for now. The upper holes in 110 and 124 were not cut out. I may widen the cockpit at the cabin. I'll see what she looks like when I get that far.

I cut out two frame 214's and then laminated them together. Should have laminated then cut them out. I'm just learning but I'm having a blast so far. I cut out the frames, bottom, and hull sides with a circular saw. I started with a plywood blade but it got hot and started to warp and gave me a sloppy edge. I switched to a 24 tooth, thin kerf, construction blade and had excellent results. I thought it would create a lot of tear out on the back side of the ply but it didn't. The thin kerf allows for really nice clean cuts and is great for the gentle curves of the boat.

2009-09-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Found a really cool tape measure at Home Depot. It measures in inches on the top and centimeters on the bottom. Then I stepped on it. Depot is only three miles away. Yeah, they know me by name, LOL.

I converted all the measurements to mm/cm. I believe it is much more accurate. Errors are much smaller. I did however need to use my reading glasses.

2009-09-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Bottom and sides stitched together. Stem is also epoxied in place. The Beckwith String Method is in place and the boat is within 1/8 inch of square.
Epoxy package arrived on Thursday. Need a couple of un-interupted hours to get the chines set.