Spindrift Progress (or lack thereof)

[Steve Day]

I made a minor milestone yesterday afternoon. The keel has been epoxied and screwed to the hull!

It seems like it has been forever since I turned the boat over back in October, but I have been mostly sanding and fairing the seam tapes to the remainder of the hull. It is a labor intensive process, and I was away several of the weekends, in addition to a couple of open houses we put on.

However, progress is being made. I am going to purchase the material for the centerboard this afternoon, so that I can work on that, too. I'm almost ready to turn the boat back over and start on the inside.

Here's a picture of the keel in place.

Steve

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[Greg Luckett]

Don't feel too bad. I am about 10 months behind schedule for just starting the Spindrift 12. Actually, at the rate the house remodeling, the big boat refurbish, and work is going, it may be next summer before I get started.....ugh/sigh. The good news is I am making progress on all the other projects.

Keep the faith. Your boat will be finished long before mine.

[Greg Luckett]

Wow! I just looked at the picture you included. She is going to be a nice looking boat.

[Steve Day]

I went out for a couple of hours yesterday and built cradles for the horses to hold the hull properly in the upright position. Covered them in carpet and turned the boat over. I am impressed with how light the hull is at this point.

The boat looks impressive sitting right side up! (I'll take some pictures tomorrow.)

I cut the strips for the centerboard and positioned them in the correct configuration for the next step, which is the epoxy. It looks like it will be warm enough for me to epoxy the board tomorrow.

Christmas was quiet for us with the kids too far away to come home this year. :cry: But I got to work on the boat!

Steve

[Guest rmarkn]

I bought plans for the Spindrift 11 in 1987, and all I ever got built was a 1"=1' model...

So, keep up the good work!

[Greg Luckett]

I bought plans for the Spindrift 11 in 1987' date=' and all I ever got built was a 1"=1' model...

So, keep up the good work![/quote']

:shock: :wink: Now I feel better.

[Steve Day]

Cm'on Greg. You'll get there.

I have been fighting cold weather to get epoxy to cure. I finally brought the centerboard and rudder home to warm temperatures to get them to cure correctly. The centerboard is straight, but I'm going to have to do the rudder again because it has a bend in it. :oops: Maybe I can make it straight by cutting the "bent" portion off and putting additional strips to the other side. :wink:

Ain't it wonderful building these boats?

Later,

Steve

[Guest]

Cm'on Greg. You'll get there.

I have been fighting cold weather to get epoxy to cure. I finally brought the centerboard and rudder home to warm temperatures to get them to cure correctly. The centerboard is straight' date=' but I'm going to have to do the rudder again because it has a bend in it. :oops: Maybe I can make it straight by cutting the "bent" portion off and putting additional strips to the other side. :wink:

Ain't it wonderful building these boats?

Later,

Steve[/quote']

Several comments here, that I would like to throw into the mix. Cool weather can work to your advantage, with the working times. I am still dealing with a not so warm working area, with my new shop. But also you can speed up the drying times, by placing you glue on a warming tray, like the ones your wife may use for foods after cooking multiple courses and needing to keep it all warm. Also a bun warmer works great, and you can keep the glue in it for an extended length of time. Also if you are working in an unheated area, bring your glue inside the house. I store spare gallons in one of those large blue or green rubbermaid bins with the lids, to minimize any leaks inside and always have some nice warm glue. Just take the whole thing out and work out of it, and then return it to the warmth when done. I also store my caulking in my truck windshield facing the sun, just before I need it.

We also have used old electric blankets to keep glue at a working temperature. Be careful of leaving these unattended though.

[Steve Day]

Good ideas, Oyster.

I had not thought of the warming tray or the bun warmer. Both are a good idea. My shop is 4 miles from the house, so it is difficult to keep the epoxy in the house until I need it. I am keeping it in the house when I am not at the shop, but it goes when I go and it has plenty of time to cool off before I'm ready to use it.

We have been blessed with really warm (for Nebraska) weather so far this winter and I'm hoping for at least another week or so, before the cold stuff comes. We have seen highs consistently in the 40's the past few weeks.

Thanks for the tips,

Steve

[Guest]

Set the box on a floor outlet in the tupperware box at home. It will not cool down that much, with the voids in the box around it for a quite a while. Put some old towels to hold the temperature in the boxes also. Sometimes the towels will end up with a little googe on it. But when you sit it on a working surface we use aluminum foil also ono a 1x6 or 1x 8 short board, or just work out of the box.

[Greg Luckett]

Why the foil, Oyster?

[Guest]

Resin cans and bottles have a tendancy to have some residue of resin and hardener that ends up running down the sides over a period of time after either pouring from it, or expansion and air bubbles causing a little leakage, unless you clean it up all the time. Also pumps will get air pockets in them, and with temperature changes , resin or hardener will ooze out from around the shaft. Depending on the types of dispenser, it will also run down the sides. The aluminum foil place under the containers, is disposable and keeps the residue from saturating into the woods. You may not use the same wood again or you may use a good piece of plywood in your working area to sit the cans down, even in the summer time. It has been my biggest buggerboo that these little areas of sticky goop just bugs me. I hate sticking my hand in it, but will do it without a thought.

One thing also you may wish to do with the pumps is to take them apart and clean them from time to time, so that you will get uniform pumps of materials. This also keeps you from wrestling will them when attempting to get them back to the tops because of the blockage of airways, when using a lot over a long period of time, for a job. This is also why I use the measure system, also, with any clear cups with measurements taken by a ruler, say 1/2 inch incrememts, or either tape placed on the sides of the cups at certain measurements.

If the mixing cup is uniform size at the bottom and top, the marked off paint stirrer or sitck made for stirring the glues are marked at a equal ratios with a permenat marker.

[Greg Luckett]

I have used wax paper, but most often now just use newspaper. Is there an advantage to the Aluminum foil over paper?

Thankyou.

[Guest]

It just doesn't leak through like newspaper. I have never tried to wax paper, since it slides so bad and will not stay wrapped around the container when need be. We use some of the wax paper in clamping laminates, though, with plywood washers, or 2xs with bar clamps. I guess its just what this old dog picked up at the time, and stuck with it.

[Charlie Jones]

I have a small non functional chest freezer where I store my epoxy and other glues in cold weather. I can put a drop light inside with a 60 watt bulb and keep the whole thing toasty in sub freezing stuff. Of course we seldom get below freezing for very long at a time, but it really does make a difference.

[Greg Luckett]

It just doesn't leak through like newspaper. I have never tried to wax paper' date=' since it slides so bad and will not stay wrapped around the container when need be. We use some of the wax paper in clamping laminates, though, with plywood washers, or 2xs with bar clamps. I guess its just what this old dog picked up at the time, and stuck with it.[/quote']

Well, this old dog is willing to try something different....I like your idea using the foil and will give it a shot.

Thanks Oyster!

[Guest]

Charles great choice. And if you don't have one, go by your land fill and find one. The five cubic foot one is the right size. But I am restricted with space and don't store that much anymore. Update Charles, pictures, now that we have totally hijacked this thread?

[Greg Luckett]

Charles great choice. And if you don't have one' date=' go by your land fill and find one. The five cubic foot one is the right size. But I am restricted with space and don't store that much anymore. Update Charles, pictures, now that we have totally hijacked this thread?[/quote']

Perhaps we should change the subject and continue on a different thread? In any case, this has been a good discussion....thanks everyone, and Steve.

[Steve Day]

Perhaps I should have started with something like "How to keep your epoxy (maybe even 'buns') warm."

That's certainly where it all ended up.

There are a couple of great tips in this thread.

Thanks for the discussion,

Steve

[Guest]

It was all my fault. How far are you from Omaha? There is a great fellow on the "other site" with a big sailboat for that area, that built it hmself. He post as Norm Messinger. He is always looking for another case of a near mental illness. :wink: