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Aussie CS 20-3#5 "Dragonfly 2"


Drew

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Alex, lookin' good, but I agree with Steve. These boats are well designed based on years of experience in this type of construction. It is best to stay with the building sequence as in the building manual. And the panels and other parts are strong enough as specified. You don't need to substitute thicker wood or reinforcement. The structure needs to be flexible as you add bulkheads, cockpit module, etc. If you fillet, glass, or bond "ahead of schedule", you stand the chance of forcing incorrect curves or warps in the hull. Some of us have "second guessed" Graham and found that he "had it right" all along.

 

Anyway, keep up the good work. Go "one step at a time" and you'll really enjoy your build and have a boat to be proud of. We all await each others updates and enjoy the on-line fellowship of a great bunch of "messers".

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Pete, here (Cs20.3 #4),...

When I picked up the hull at B & B, Blks ##1 & 2 were in place, filleted and glassed on both sides. So were the chines and keel from stem to transom. The keel had a very wide and robust fillet and glass tape. The transom was wired in place and the cabin knees (Blk #2) were braced together to prevent "flutter" at highway speeds. The hull and cradle together we're easily loaded on the trailer. She was very steady on the 300 mile trip home.

With the transom removed, the module went in just fine with just a little flexing of the hull sides. After insertion, I followed Alan's advice and did not (and haven't yet) even tac weld the sides of Blks ##4 & 5 so that the sheer strakes and sides can join along their natural geometric 3D curve. Any gaps at the hull side to bulkhead intersections will be accommodated by gap-filling fillets and glassing.

Before insersion I laid down 10 oz FG over the hull bottom [which would be] under the water ballast tank -- then two coats of neat epoxy over the entire interior of the hull. Before applying any epoxy, I had carefully marked every line where the hull would intersect with the module, intending to sand all those intersections [after applying the epoxy and BEFORE insertion]. But I forgot to do it (probably because I forgot to make and follow a check list). It was a big headache because I had to raise the module about 3 to 5 inches in order to get [under it] for the sanding. Very awarkward! Once done, all went well. Graham remarked that by epoxying the interior first, there would be a more thorough penetration of epoxy into to hull where the edges of the module meet the hull. Those edges were percolated before insertion.

This is just history -- but maybe it could be of some help.

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Yes Steve, that is what I plan to do. I have only lightly glued the edges as I joined the chine. Next step is to put in the cockpit module and temporary bulkheads before filleting and taping the chines. I have done the keel, on the assumption that the cradle sets the shape of the under-hull. Howard, I have put about 20 lb of lead on the centreboard. I think it would be way too tender for my liking without it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, progress is a good thing, and I am very happy with the progress to date so I thought I'd share a photo. She is fair and true, and it is always nice when the centre line of every component lines up and equidistant from the chine and gunwhale.

post-4623-0-68440900-1453543435_thumb.jpg

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Thanks Steve. I decided that I would epoxy all surfaces before installation. I will now fillet all corners and run epoxy into every join and crevice, put a thick coat of epoxy over everything then line the bottom and sides with 4oz BID cloth and put a thick coat of epoxy over that. In other words, I am relying on many coats of epoxy to waterproof all surfaces, not relying on glass cloth, which can allow water to penetrate if there is a small area that is not properly saturated.

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By the way - I just want to put it out there that I love this design. I love the lines and the structure, so thank you very much Graham. Opening out the boat was one of those "OMG" moments. I am building mine with a little extra strength to handle Australian east coast conditions, which can get choppy, but overall I am loving the way the design comes together.

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  • 1 month later...

I love reading about the progress you guys are making. No boat progress here. My lovely wife thought I needed a break from building a boat in my spare time. Now that you have spare time, how about converting part of the BBQ area into a cabana or retreat, or whatever. I call it the little house on the prairie. Can't wait to get back to boatbuilding.post-4623-0-16768200-1458091496_thumb.jpeg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some advice needed. I'm wondering when is the best time to flip the boat and prepare the undersides, glass to the chines and maybe even paint up to the gunwhale. I could do it now, before fitting the sheer strake while it is lighter, or wait until I have built the cabin. With a little reinforcing, the gunwhales will be strong enough to rest on bearers, but the sheer won't be.

What have those who went before done about this?

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I flipped Breeze with the cabin top and coamings built, but before adding the deck forward and the tabernacle. I glassed the hull up to and over the joint between the sheer strake and hull And painted it. I think this works best unless you have a very simple way to flip your boat.

 

You can follow my build from here: http://messing-about.com/forums/topic/9480-core-sound-17-mk-3-summer-breeze/page-8

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  • 2 weeks later...

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