Hello Frank, long time! And we could do with an update from you as well - hasn't it been as long? A shot of your NEW retirement cottage, some improvements to the Flicker - and likely works on even smaller craft! Could use some inspiration.....
Woodn't bore you with the usual impairments and disfunctions last year - admit I did
more shuffling than hustling thru this mortal coil. But here it is February again - after the longest
series of freezing nights and cold days noticed robins bathing in the fountain out front in the morning sun - that's a sign of spring in Coastal California.
So I'm fairly bouncing up the ladder at the boat in San Rafael. When I'm there.
Bill is on my case! I have no cosmetics to photograph.
So what might happen is that we can post some shots of the mast reno, so far as it's gone.
Also made some thin plywood cases for mounting/protecting naked modulars of a Specter Ventura acquired years ago. Have to reacquaint myself with Specter, whose shop is around the corner in San Rafael.... I turned in the membrane, at their suggestion, to come back later and pick up a fresh one when I was ready.... but only the shadow knows when ebb is ready???
But will stop by and see if anybody remembers me! Fitting a desalinator into the Ariel is
a bit like building a house on your head.....
I'll have photos of some of THAT.
LITTLE BOXES
So, I've been making these cozies with 1/4" or 6mm meranti - somewhat like stitch & glue. Boxes are all about right angles, merely
introducing short sides to long with epoxy gel. No stitches, just hold shapes together at right angles with square chunks of wood.
Keep the squeezeout minimal. Position on a flat mylar covered surface. When set, run a clean fillet on all inside corners with more gel. Let this set.
As always use laminating 2 to 1 no solvent epoxy.
Now roundover the outside corners with the router. Clean it up and scuff the surfaces, laminate 6oz woven fiberglass cloth inside and out
by laying on the dry material. Dab with loaded brush. Pliable plastic spreader excess gently away. Trim cloth with orange scissors as you go, try not to lap the cloth, it'll be hard to sand flat. But it can carefully be done. Or lap seamlessly over to an edge where it can easily be trimmed when dry. Don't try to cover the edges with fabric.
The major deal - as with stitch&glue - we are using the fabric to integrate the joints. NO fastenings. Elephants can sit on these cases.
When you paint, if you haven't filled the surface, the result is a very nice industrial texture look!
However, for other projects you can transform thin meranti by skinning both sides with 6oz - and proceed as if it were normal plywood.
The stuff is maybe 1/16" thicker and has doubled in strength and hardness, Still easy to glue, but it's elevated into another kind of hard stable material.
Painted on a coat of Aluthane which makes strange cases even stranger looking, like cast aluminum or sumthing!
If I could do it all over again, the whole interior of litlgull would be done this way. 'Cleatless' will rule!
While gluing little boxes for a desalinator isn't exactly exciting - the method is note worthy - sure not the first doing this - often reinvent the wheel!
The transformation of filleted meranti, glass & epoxy into a synergetic construct is amazing! Unbelievably stiff and strong.
Stitch & glue is a game changing method of building watercraft. Filleting panels & skinning with fabric is the same game. If only I'd been aware - the whole interior of A338, with all its natural planes and angles could have created with 1/4"& 3/8" ply and glass, hardly any bloody cleats anywhere to complicate vertical to horizontal tansitions. Half the weight of what I've burdened litlgull with!!
M-1
Spent some time looking into polyether-based adhesives and sealants - some of which are now building trades GREEN mainstream.
Recently used ChemLink's silyl terminated polyether 10oz tube M-1, filliing a seam on the cabin sole. Very reasonably priced. $6, I think, local roofing supply. No smell, no solvents, essentially no VOC, non flamable. No UV problems, won't get yellow, moisture cure, said to have strong adhesion to virtually all surfaces including a number of plastics, excellent flex. excellent durability. Only polyether that is 3rd party (LEEDs) certified Green. Alcohol cleanup. Blue tape masking pulls off leaving a clean line...after partial set.
My focus is on its ability to be used underwater. Solvent based 3M4000 silyl terminated urethane polyether advertised for (immersion) thru-hulls and requires toluene or acetone for cleanup. Both these products will bond thruhulls to fiberglass - which I don't think is a good idea.
And M-1's ability to be used as a truly allpurpose caulk, sealant, adhesive remains to be forum confirmed, but it's looking real good. Will not be used for thru-hulls either. [Plan on well-known construction butyl tape, under the flange only]
M-1 not marine marketed like the 3M polyether at three times the price.
(Research ChemLink's Duralink an extremely elastic sealant/adhesive for on-deck metal to frp fittings like stanchion bases, cleats, pads, track. Butyl shouldn't be used on fittings that might move in use. Super stick
butyl tape like MaineSail's Bed-It could be used for stanchion bases and other under-stress fittings. imco)
Out of the tube gun, it's clean, non-viscous, easy to tool. If I remember experiences with polysulfide, the messiest unfriendliest most unforgiving tube rubber on the planet, M-1 is 180 degrees from polysulfide in handling. Works clean rather than messy. M-1 bonds to stuff, it's not a bedding compound.
Won't it be great to reach for one type of goop where 4 or 5 used to poop?
Promise activity here with photos ASAP.
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