5 Attachment(s)
Tabernacle/strongback work
Cut thru the deck today, and trimmed back the cabin liner from where the bearing surface will be. Figure to do the glasswork below first; there is only 1 thin layer of glass on the overhead now, so by doing it this way (bottom first) I think I can re-induce the original curvature in the cabin top. It had depressed about 1/4" with the OEM structure.
So, pics...
First, Katies new dinghy...
Attachment 6808
The area of deck to cut away - added about 1" all around the tabernacle base. Cut on the red line with the SoniCrafter tool, using the half-circle blade. Hey Tony - see how close I was to the hinges? Maybe 1/2". I have even more aprreciation for this tool after today - more on that in a bit.
Attachment 6809
Outline cut, & first try at top skin removal. I was really hoping I could manage to peel up this whole piece and then re-use it elsewhere, but the 40 year old FRP was just too tenacious. I wound up cutting with the tool and fighting to get this little piece off. Going from this point, ripping about 1/3 of the skin off, it came off very irregularly, tapering up from the edge to just a last, 1 thin layer of glass at the end. Hmmm...
Attachment 6810
Broke out the SoniCrafter, and BAM. Perfect tool for this. Use plunge blade, Insert into core, cutting that free all the way across, then cut across the skin at about the point which would have been maximum plunge, and you get nice clean blocks of skin and core.
Attachment 6811
A 6"x2.5" block takes maybe 1.5 minutes to remove, and the surface underneath you can almost eat off of. You can use the blade to clean off the underskin.
Attachment 6812
More coming...
What happened to the pictures on this site?
[I asked Bill. Got the idea that Kurt removed them !]
I sometimes hit the blue line on the Discussion menu that says who's on line.
A 'guest' was logged on here.
When we log on cold we are directed to the beginning pages.
All of your earLy photos are replaced with a little red X.
Last page at the moment has your mast-step surgery into the cabin top.
Quality shots of quality work taking the mystery out for anybody needing a fix in this area
(which is probably nearly everybody.)
who hasn't thought they could do it - until now.
Important shots imco.
Kurt, I hope you post the conclusion of the repair.
And show us more or your intriguing and innovative
ALUMINUM TABERNAKLE in place.
How you attach the unit.
The mast in place.
AND HOW YOU RAISE AND LOWER YOUR MAST!
'I really wanna know"