More Progress

After a slack day yesterday I have got back into it today.

The spinnaker bridle subdeck plan has been dropped as I don't think it solves the problem. The hulls are naturally strong in this area due to the two sides and deck being so close together. Spreading the load down the hull will be taken care of with the stringers I have installed. I think the main problem with this attachment is the anchoring of it as it is such a small area. So I have set the attachment in epoxy and also pined it to both stringers. The block of epoxy will be anchored to the deck and both sides as shown below.

Forestay bridle bulkhead. I have placed a 3mm ply plate on either side of the bulkhead. The bulkhead was quite secure, but I was worried about the bolt holes. There are two layers of 4oz glass between the ply and the bulkhead.

Lastly I have started laminating the rear beam bolt blocks as I want to install the beam next weekend.

The photo shows 30 layers of 6oz being pressed. From this I will cut 4 50mm x 25mm blocks to bolt through and glass to the bulkead and hullsides.

The 30 layers has come out quite thin (Maybe 6mm) so I might double them up to give 12mm.

Someone was telling me at work last night that the current weather pattern we are experiencing is forecast to stick around for 2 - 3 months. That totally rules out assembling the beams outside. (The beam boxes are glassed in with the decks off. Regardless of the sort of covering I put on, I am certain to get water in the open hulls which I really want to avoid at this stage.)

So it looks like a little remodelling will take place in the upstairs living room this week. Might start a whole new trend in decorating.

The other thing I want to do is measure the bend of my mast. Luff curve really. Should have done it before I dissassembled)

I reckon I can stay and step the mast against a wall, connect downhaul and mainsheet, secure well, and measure. (At the moment this is a non critical job best undertaken with a couple of beers and some friends standing around in the rain disscussing the best method.

The reason for the above stems from the growing amount of time I am spending lurking around the yahoo sailmaking discussion group. Some really interesting stuff and knowledgable people. (Especially with all the work Rolf has done on his tornado sails).