Seaclipper 16 Build

[Don Silsbe]

Brodie and I have been plodding along.  The access holes have been cut in, reinforcement rings made, and cleat locations established.  The underside of the decks have received two of three coats of epoxy, and all backing plates are glued down.  Soon it will be time to tape and sheath them!

[AmosSwogger]

Nice work Don.  

[Don Silsbe]

I’m creeping up on gluing down the ama tops/decks, but I’m proceeding cautiously.  Once certain areas are glued shut, there’s no turning back; there’s no access.  So, I’ve been making epoxy-bushed holes for all the things that’ll be screwed to those decks, tweaking, fussing, etc.  Tomorrow is probably deck day.

 

This morning, I topped off all the screw holes with 404-thickened epoxy.  

This afternoon, Brodie (my grand-neighbor and assistant) and I moved the side panels for the vaka (main hull) into the garage.  

We then cut out the vaka’s bulkheads and  bulkhead stringers.  After he went home, I glued them all up.

 

 

[Don Silsbe]

The lids are on, trimmed, and holes filled.  Now for the sheathing.  Plans call for 4 oz cloth over 4 oz taped seams.

[Don Silsbe]

I’m starting to tape the seams with 4oz prior to sheathing.  This is laborious!

[Don Silsbe]

Long day today.  It started with my sanding the edges of this tape, to get a smooth transition.  Next time, I’ll use Peel Ply.  This afternoon, I sheathed the outboard sides.  The transition is smooth, so I’m happy I spent the morning sanding.  Sort of.

[Don Silsbe]

I’m doing a fill coat per Russell Brown’s method.  I used WEST 410 filler mixed 1:2 with epoxy, by volume.  (I was instructed to pack the measuring cup, and not loosely fill it.) I rolled it on with a mohair roller, and went over it with a fine foam roller.  The results are outstanding!

[Don Silsbe]

I’ve reinforced the bottom corners, and am working on attaching the vaka’s stringers to the side panels.

[Don Silsbe]

The amas are finally done.  They are ready for final sanding (outdoors, later) prior to primer.  My neighbor-helper has been a great help.

 

This makes room inside the shop to go 3D with the vaka.  That should happen in a few days.

[Don Silsbe]

The vaka parts are ready for going 3D tomorrow!

[Don Silsbe]

All the hulls on this boat have two stems—  an inner and an outer.  The inner is used for assembly purposes, to properly define the hull shape.  The outer stem is a sort of cap, that allows for some shaping.  They have two tapers.  Today, I accepted the challenge for the vaka.  I was very proud of my work.  During the high-fiving process a moment of clarity occurred.  I had forgotten to allow for the thickness of the hull’s sides!  So, I get to do it all over again, but making it 1/2” wider. 

Also, for this build, I’m using a few of Russell Brown’s techniques.  One of them is to use flat-bottomed paper cups for mixing epoxy.  My bride is very cooperative in helping me obtain these.  (Her’s is the smaller of the two.)

[Don Silsbe]

Today, the hull went 3D, thanks to Brodie, my helper.  These little sawhorses are only 24” high, and they’re too tall!

[Captain Tim]

By the smile on Brodie's face I'd have to guess he knows how lucky he is to have Don Silsbe as a neighbor

[Don Silsbe]

@Captain Tim— I introduced him to the concept of a Sky Hook.  LOL

[Captain Tim]

Just make sure you tell him that a "sky hook" works best with shore line

[Don Silsbe]

Today, I went into the rabbit hole named storage compartments.  It was fun.

[Don Silsbe]

I glued in the bulkheads today.  I still need to tape them.  That’ll be tonight, after dinner.

[Don Silsbe]

I’m clipping right along on the trimaran.  The bottom is on, and I‘m working on the c/b trunk, to drop it in place.  I’m setting it up to take the slick B&B Starboard pivot cap with o-ring.

 

We’ve also been discussing storage options, cubby bin sizes, and such.  I made some foam core mockups.  We had an excellent video conference.  Ended up changing things a bit as a result.  It was cool.  Have I told you that the centerboard trunk is 47” long???

 

 

[Don Silsbe]

More c/b work tonight.

[PadrePoint]

Looking good, Don. A lot is accomplished.