Another Milestone

Today I resined up the first glass. Took a while but went well.
Trim, fill and fair the chine then start on the topsides.

Started Fitting Glass Triax to The Bottom

Chines Glassed and Filled

Chines Glassed and Filled ready to be fared followed by glassing the bottom with 810gm/m2 Triax.

Breakthrough

In the photo the 65mm Forstner drill bit burst through bulkhead #7. One can see the tip exactly below the pencilled boat centre line. Sometimes things go just right.

Boring the Shaft Log tunnel

This works for me. It takes a bit of pushing a 65mm Forstner Bit as well as a grunty Makita drill.

Copper Hardware

Making copper washers from flat bar and cutting copper square bar to make nuts. A friend will face, drill and tap these on his lathe.
The bolts are next on the list. They will be made from 1/2 inch rod.

Some Hardware

Today we picked up the propeller, shaft, shaft log, seal, bearings etc from the Engine Room in Northcote. Exciting.

23' (584mm) propeller

38mm shaft and fibreglass log boxed for its roofrack trip home.

Anode, nut and key.

One of three shaft bearings

PSS Shaft Seal

Shaft Coupling - Beautifully engineered

Details

260mm Radius curve on the stem. Looks OK to me. From the bottom to the deck is about 2000mm.
This photo only shows about 600mm.

Working on the next chine preparing for the 160mm glass tape.

Chines

The first rebate completed in preparation for glassing the chines with 150mm x 625 gsm double bias tape glass tape.
Using an electric planes set to 2mm along  a straight edge screwed to the hull.

Next Project

Bit of a milestone to day. The hull ply is completed. All done.
Next comes filling and faring some low points and adding hardwood to the stem before rebating and glassing the chines.
After that I will be glassing the hull. That's a bit of a way off yet and another project.

Another days work.

First ply skin to the sheer glued on the starboard side. Now fitting the port side. Filling in!

Lots of glue to clean up when Spindrift is turned over.

Gunwale to Sheer

Have now started fitting the first ply skin between the gunwale and the sheer.
Starting to look like a boat with two skins from the gunwale to the bottom complete.

Second Skin - Starboard Side

Second 9mm Skin - Starboard Side has begun.

Mount Meranti is getting smaller.

first skin is on the port and starboard topsides.  Next week I start the second skin.

Inside Photos

All the ply is on the bottom so now fitting the port side ply. Nothing to show yet so here are a few inside pics. Lots of glue and smudged hand prints.

Moving On

This part of the bottom is complete bar fibreglass and paint. Now started on ply layer two on the port side.
Plan to also start fitting the first topside sheets starting at the starboard bow tomorrow.

Port Bottom

The last 9mm ply is added to Spindrift's port Bottom. Starboard bottom next for the second layer.
Some faring is also underway.

Scarfing 9mm Meranti Ply

Here is how I scarf plywood for our new Spindrift. There are 8 sheets of 9mm Meranti ply stacked here. Previously I scarfed 15 sheets at once in the same manner.
Click the link to see a time-laps video.
https://youtu.be/MMySa37rwbM

Bow Lamination finished - On with the next

Started to fit the second 9mm ply layer to the bottom. Need more scarfed ply so in the process of scarfing 15 sheets at once.
I have found that there are two limiting things as to the number of sheets of ply that can be scarfed at the one time. They are: How far does one want to walk with the electric planer and is the shed long enough. I joke. The 15 sheets is easy though. There is still sanding to do to finish the scarfs.
The stem is still to be fitted. That comes last.

 

Port Bow Laminations

Two layers of 9mm Meranti ply laminated on the port bow. Now for the starboard side.
I am getting better at spiling and laminating. Job improved as I progressed.



 

First Ply Layer to the Lower Chine

The first ply layer to the lower chine is glued down. Now to stat again with the forward lamination then ply sheets to complete the second bottom ply skin. This should be a little quicker as there will be no clean up time used along frames and stringers.
The air stapler is good for the diagonal  lamination but does not have enough pull for some of the full ply sheets. Easier as I move aft.
Pretty sure I will do 100mm vertical lamination instead of diagonal for the second bow layer. Open to comment on that. It will certainly be faster as the ply lies with less curve if at all.

Second and Third Port Sheets of Ply

Big day today. Two sheets glued. Just a small bit to go then onto the starboard side. Here is a time lapse video of the afternoons work. Had to cut most as it did go on a bit. The mornings work in Spindrift was gluing the second ply sheet to the port bottom. The afternoons work was adding the third ply sheet. It shows wetting out, applying the mixed glue, lifting the sheet into place with tackles and screwing / clamping down. Used a Spanish windlass on the vertical beam clamps. Just one more short bit at the stern then on with the starboard bottom.
https://youtu.be/rwdgF3i7CN4

First Sheet Glued

Next sheet goes on tomorrow.
Had to use screws to pull this toughie in. Lots of twist. From here on it will be easier, except for its mate on the starboard side.

Fitting the ply to the first chine.

Fitting the ply to the first chine. Except for the first sheet the ply is located using treenails (Trunnels). The sheet adjacent  to the diagonals has a lit of twist. Brute force and Spanish windlasses pull it into place.
The travelling tackles work well for carrying thes large sheets. I am able on my own to lower them directly over the trunnels before touching the frames. This will be necessary so that I don't scrape the glue off when manoeuvring the sheets. All sheets are off now to trim to size / shape then the gluing starts.

The tackles at work lowering the ply onto trunnels

The tackles at work lowering the aft sheet

Spanish windlasses clamping the forward sheet with a lot of twist

Next Step - Sheet ply

Beginning the next stage. The photo shows the beginning of scarfing 10 sheets of ply for the hull. Then turn it over and cut scarfs on the other end.