It has been one very busy week.  I start my new job on Monday so we have been working flat out trying to “break the back” of the build. Just about everything has been on the agenda. Decking the new hull, making a new foil mold and making the gantry have all been happening in parallel. The new boat is being made with a few features done differently, and the wing lacing is one of them. Having the lacing go through the hull sides instead of the deck has meant I can remove the deck flare completely, but to do that has necessitated two 8 hour days of making deck flanges inside the hull for the deck to rest on. One key advantage of this method though is that there are no lacing holes into the hull, eliminating one of the main causes of moth hull leaks.



The top skin of the deck got laminated this afternoon with little to no resin to spare, but the resin fairy (aka Luka) is scheduled to make a morning drop off. So I can do the underside of the deck tomorrow or Saturday, “closing the lid”.



Now I need to track down Doink to get my hands on the foredeck mould …

After a week away up in Port Macquarie helping with the construction of a Farrier F22R. It was time to get back in the shed to get some work done.

The final frame has gone in, and been tagged, and I have almost finished work on the rudder adjuster and I started the bow forestay “fitting”, which has been built using an identical method to the chainplates on the F22R, although it has been rotated 90 degrees.

I also thought it would be a good time to “hit the scales” and the hull, with all the frames and CB case is 7.2kg, light enough to be lifted by my little helper (just).

I have 2 weeks of leave before I start my new job so the push is now really on to get the deck fitted ASAP.

The centre case is one of the key elements of any foiler that has to be 100% right. The fore – aft positioning affects foil spacing and mast balance, the angle of the case effects foil ventilation, and the height of the case effects deck curve, the height of the pin holes effects adjusters and can add unnecessary weight

Many many things that need to be thought through, and in advance as once she is in, things get a lot harder to change. That thinking process took a but longer than I would have liked, but she is in now, apart from the tagging of the frame and case itself.

When the lamination is done (tomorrow), the next “big thing” will be the work in the bow, to add the stem fitting, a couple of other reinforcements, and then it is time for the deck, then one of the jobs that I dread … tramp lacing holes.

The transom and rear frame are now all in and tagged, so my attention has moved to the front of the boat. As this boat will have a floor right to the bow, this presents the opportunity to move the front frame from adjacent to the wing bars, to under the wing bars and to actually form part of the wing mounting structure by actually poking through the deck.

So after work this afternoon I cut and fitted the front frames ( I am saving the biggest job, the centre-case for last ! ). To align the frame fore and aft, I used a combination of methods, the string-line and the trusty Laser “level”. With the frame tacked in place, I couldn’t resist taking a few artistic shots using the laser light.

So after a few weeks of no progress I managed to get a few hours in our in the shed this weekend. The flat panel that we made up has turned out a treat, and I now have most of the frames cut, fitted and or glued into place. Here is a run through of my build process.

Firstly I design the frames in the computer model, then I print out a template full size. This step isn’t really necessary, but as I have access to the model, it saves a lot of time trying to work out the exact frame shape. Once I have made the paper templates I transfer them to foam board that I get from an art or office supplies store. Then I trim and fit them to size and get them 90% right.

Once I have fit them, I trace around them on the flat carbon panel that we have pre-made then cut out the frames with the dremel and sand to fit. This process takes about an hour for each frame. (I have also cut the hull down between these two shots.

Once in place then I glue them in in place, with a fillet and then I will tag them in place one night this week. (And yes, I know that the centreboard case is missing )

So all in all some steady progress this weekend … next big job is the centre-case.