Cat under a cold tin roof

Last night, a weather system rolled in off the pacific north west coast packing 85 mile per hour winds. Good thing I wasn't out there doing a little off shore sailing. However, I awoke to find 16+ inches of snow on top of the shop roof and bony chills ran up my cold spine.

Rather than work on the boat this morning, I thought it best to spend 5 hours shoveling snow off the shop roof.

Here's why:

 

a 30ft. x 60ft shop sports a total roof surface area of 1,800 ft^2

and here's the rub:

I took a flat blade shovel and sliced out one square foot of this snowfall and placed it on the bathroom scale.  Turns out that one square foot of this wet Oregon snow weighed in at over 15.2 lbs.

Multiply that times 1,800 ft^2 and that comes out to be 27,360 lbs of snow on top of a tin roof shop  framed out with 2 x 4's. 

With a prediction of snow changing over to a wet mix of sleet and rain, this snow could potentially soak up another 5 or 10 lbs per sq ft creating a total snow load of over

 22 tons!

After shoveling the snow off the shop, I came inside for a cup of hot chocolate and noticed visible bows in the ceilings of our house, so I shoveled another 15 tons of snow off the roof of the house.  Since I didn't have a snow shovel, today I moved 37 tons of snow with an upturned push broom.

"Who said building a boat isn't fun?" 

Anchor roller

Here are the anchor roller plates being fitted with flanges that will allow the anchor roller unit to be attached to the under side of the bow beam.  In this photo, I have already formed one of the flanges to fit the mating curve and have yet to bend the the other one.  To promote maximum bond strength, I machined a surface texture onto the mating flange.  These flanges will then be welded to the anchor roller plates. Once complete, this unit will be bonded to the bow beam by wrapping the flanges with multiple layers of unidirectional glass and carbon fiber.  After that, I will most likely wake up in the middle of the night and apply additional wraps of epoxy and carbon fiber in my sleep.

anchor roller plates

Anchor roller mock up

Rather than using construction string for my anchor rode and old paint rollers to secure my anchor, I figure an upgrade is in order.

The power of Water.....@ 90,000 psi

Water Jet technology is truly amazing.  The particular machine that cut these parts uses 90,000 psi water infused with small rubies (garnet).  A tiny orifice allows the high pressure water and "grit" to simply wear away anything that come into contact with the stream.  This includes, but is not limited to, glass, steel, plastics, wood, stone and...........finger bones. 

Here are the side plates of the anchor roller.  Next, I will weld flanges onto the concave, curved portions of each plate so that they can be bonded to the lower side of the bow beam.  I may take these parts back over to the shop before I do this and have them cut lightening holes in them to save a little more weight. After this, I'll give the parts a good sand blasting and send them off to be anodized.

Here are a few components of my steering system.  Hint:  After they receive keyways, the blocks are to be bolted around the upper rudder shafts. In later posts, I will reveal the new steering design.

 Again, these parts were water jet cut from solid 2 inch thick aluminum plate!

Update:

Rather than run the parts over to the water jet, I just used a hand held saber saw

to cut a couple of lightening holes in the anchor roller plates.

This weight savings gained by the removal of two aluminum discs will allow me to carry one additional beer while marginally affecting strength. When installed, these plates will also have diagonal bracing that will transfer side loads back into the bow beam. 

Espresso blowing in the Wind

So, put your hat on a hat rack and promise not to run screaming away from your computer, your iPad, your nook or your kindle.  If you are not particularly electrically inclined, no worries.  I myself am a mechanical engineer and I find it difficult to even believe that electrons actually exist.

While building this boat, out of pure curiosity, I inadvertently cobbled together a working "prototype" of  an electrical system that was helpful in teaching me how to keep electrons flowing in the right directions.  In this example, I've put together a system that allows me to make an espresso from the wind. It would be fairly easy to install this sort of a system on a boat, a motor home or a small cottage in the woods.

All of this stuff is available on the cheap from various local hardware stores and big boxes.

So....as complicated as this may look, it's really pretty simple. It goes like this:

Wind  (spins permanent mag alternator)--->

rectifier turns this AC electricity into a variable voltage DC electricity ---> 

charge controller ( automatically gives the battery the voltage that it needs)  ----> 

battery bank ---> 

inverter ( turning DC electricity into 60hz 120V "houshold" electricity)----> espresso

* In this particular system, when the batteries reach full charge, the charge controller diverts any excess electrical energy to a water heater, thus preventing the battery bank from becoming over charged.

If you want to create your own little renewable energy power station, here's what you'll need:

The Stuff

Wind generator:   Although you can spend incredible amounts of money on sleek plastic wind generators, I've discovered that a more robust, efficient and powerful generator can be built from pre molded carbon fiber blades, a hub and a permanent magnet alternator. Here's a great source:

http://www.windbluepower.com/

Water heater: I found this little heater in a dumpster next to a building renovation project and I replaced the 120v AC element with a 12v DC element that I found at an RV store.

Battery Charger: auto parts store, WalMart and pretty much anywhere that sells stuff for cars.

DC Fridge:  this merely represents a typical DC load. I got this from WalMart.  It is a really crappy automotive fridge that is supposed to sit on your car seat and keep a six pack cold.

Espresso Maker:  Christmas present.

Charge Controller: "Wind Blue" ( do a Google Search)

Gas Generator:  Harbor Freight Tools ( also really cheap ) used here as a back up in case the wind stops blowing and stopping the flow of your espresso.  (somehow, making an espresso from fossil fuel doesn't see so appetizing)........in fact, I think it's just wrong! 

Inverter:  big box, auto stores, hardware stores, eBay  Cheap ones produce a "modified" 60 hz. sine wave ( made up of a bunch of modulated square waves) while more expensive ones create "true" 60 hz sine wave

Rectifier:  also got this from "Wind Blue"  It's a really compact unit with a few aluminum fins that help dissipate a little heat that is producedduring the conversion of AC to DV voltage.

The fine print......

None of these components  shown here were designed to withstand the marine environment and I've mainly been using them just to teach myself about renewable energy systems. I also use it to power my shop tools just for fun.  The good thing about using off the shelf consumer components is that if the smoke leaks out of some of this stuff, you can always go buy a new one without feeling too bad.  Unfortunately, to build a system that would be more suited for use on an ocean going vessel, you would have to multiply the price of all this stuff  by 10 or 20 if you wanted to order components from marine supply stores. or....I guess you could mount all this stuff in a waterproof pelican case, throw it on board and go for it.

Time sanding or time in the sand under a palm tree?

The curse of a custom build cat.....  After telling myself that I was not going to spend inordinate time fairing , sanding and trying to make the interior like the surface of a Steinway piano, I accidentally spent three days fairing, sanding and making the interior surfaces of the forward starboard cabin like a Stienway piano.

Tomorrow, I'll put the final finish paint on the interior surfaces of this forward, starboard cabin.

Earths orbit around the sun

I feel the need to apologize for the lack of progress made good towards getting this ship into the waters.  My excuse has been the annual decrease in the ambient temperature which tends to reduce my ability to really get things done.  Epoxy becomes difficult to work, paint fails to cure, glue doesn't stick and my opposable thumb and fore fingers become ineffective tools.

I see no way to prevent the orbit of our earth around the sun.  Endless summers await us when this cat slips into the sea......ah, the thought of spring time in New Zealand and Australia.

Please offer my gift of an uplifting film entitled "Accidental Eden".  If you find yourself in the northern hemisphere at this time, make yourself a cuppa and take the time to watch this video.

Unfortunately for us Americans, this place is off limits so for the rest of the worlds travelers, please take care of this place before the embargo is lifted and the cancerous growth of american development threatens to destroy this gem.  It's places like this that inspire me to finish this cat.

for the full episode, copy and paste this link into your browser bar:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/cuba-the-accidental-eden/introduction/5728/

Happy Holidays to all!

Learning curves

Here's a rugged and practical edge detail that I came up with for various storage compartment openings.  The final detail will include netting that should keep gear in place in the event that we encounter waves on the ocean.

Here are five learning curves.  I decided to thermo form 3/4 in. PVC pipe for use as edge detail around the openings in composite panels.   As you can see, it took me a while to work out a method to produce smooth curves. After many failed attempts. I settled in on the following technique.  I found that uniform curves can be made by filling a section of pipe with sand and capping the ends.  I then used a heat gun to heat the bend area. In order to produce a uniform bend, it was necessary to apply differential heat to the bend area. To keep the inner bend radius from wrinkling, if the outer bend area is kept slightly hotter, this allows it to stretch while the cooler inner portion resists the compressive forces that would otherwise cause the pipe to wrinkle.

Once I produced shapes that matched my openings, I then set the guide of my table saw to allow me to cut a section out of the pipe to create edging.

Here's one of the interior storage openings fitted with the edging.

and again, here's a few examples of this edging being used around two storage compartments that are located inside the cockpit.

Hurricane Fortress

Here I am confirming the geometry of the bow anchor rollers.  I've taken the basic measurements provided by the plan set, plotted them out full scale on a scrap piece of OSB and used this to check the fit of my fortress XF-85 hurricane anchor.  After making slight adjustments to the pivot points of the rollers, I created a computer model that I can use to generate a cutting file so that the parts of the anchor roller assembly can be water jet cut, welded, anodized and then bonded in place to the under side of the bow beam.

In most situations, this size anchor will probably be entirely too large but since I am planning on sailing this boat into the Gulf of Mexico, I don't want to have to drag this boat off the beach and into the water again.  It's a real inconvenience to have to stop what you're doing and spend time and energy getting a boat back into the water after one of these pesky little hurricanes.  

Atlantic Hurricane season ends today

Although "Mariana" is currently in build on the Pacific west coast  (Hood River, Oregon. USA,)   Our first year plan is to  make our way back into what I consider to be my "home waters" of the gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Here's this years hurricane season compressed into 4 1/2 minutes. 

Forward port side cabin

Here's the view as you walk into the forward, port side cabin.  Rather than go with the traditional stark white interior, I chose a neutral sand color that will be a little easier on the eyes. In this photo, the light is coming from the kids room which is accessible by a ladder stairway.     

The entrance way to the kids room is up three carbon fiber ladder rungs, onto a small landing and then a step up into the cabin. This forward cabin will have two "pipe berths" that can be rolled up and snapped to the walls; converting the space into an open area. This cabin has it's own hatch so it will have good natural light and plenty of cross ventilation.

An innovative interior finishing system

 With the cold air starting to flow south over the north Pacific Ocean. the  Oregon weather is beginning to feel real.  However, since the boat is composite foam core construction,  closing the door to the forward port side kids cabin and placing a small heater inside, kept the cabin space a nice 77 deg while the exterior shop temp is around 30.

Since I wanted to focus my efforts towards projects that can be accomplished in the interior of the boat during the winter, I took the opportunity to experiment with a coating system that I could use for all interior surfaces.

Rather than spending another two years trying to sand all the interior panels slick as glass, I wanted to create a coating that would provide a slightly modeled, but smooth textured surface that would help blend slight variances due to specific glass reinforcements.  In other words, I want this boat to be a sail boat, not a New York townhouse or a condominium tied to a mooring ball.

Success:   For interior surfaces, I chose a two part high solids, chemical resistant, industrial epoxy floor coating intended for aircraft hangars.  It's tenacious and tough as nails. I experimented with the addition of glass micro balloons as a thickener and I found that  mixing one part high solids resin with one part converter and 2 parts micro balloons resulted in a nice, thick, lightweight epoxy paint.   I then used a 3 inch;  3/8 nap roller for application and  it produced the effect that I wanted.  My goal is to maintain an ability to take a pressure washer after just about every portion of this boat.

 Here is an example of a super lightweight foam core epoxy/composite interior bulkhead panel with the finished coating.  

removing the cabin window support molds

After the high density edging has cured, the wooden support molds can be removed with a few swift karate chops

Once these wooden mold pieces have been carefully removed, the strips of synthetic roofing can then be peeled away.

In this case, the window pillar now has high density edging which will allow the window sheeting to be bolted in place. ( notice the unidirectional glass that makes up the outer layers of this structure)

playing catch up

Occasionally it's good to look back and knock out a few jobs that have been left behind or postponed. From a psychological standpoint, this is an important thing to do because as the project progresses, if a thousand undone tasks stack up, an overwhelming feeling of despair will creep over you in the night.

   

a study of compression

 
above, the edge strips around the bridge deck cabin are being held in place by strategically placed sprung pieces of wood.

makes for an unusual sight

Better is the enemy of "good enough"

In a few occasions, the plan set offers the builder  a choice between "good"  "better" and "best

In this instance, the note provided by the designer describes a few options to dealing with the openings for hatches, windows and any other openings that needs to be made in the hull or deck.

Here in lies the curse!  As quality of any structure approaches infinity, time and money expenditures increase exponentially.  Therefore, in the relatively short lifespan of a human, it becomes impossible for anyone to sail the ocean on a perfect boat.  

That said, since this boat is being built by ME for ME (and family and friends, and anyone else who wants to go sailing). Sometimes, the sea does not "play well with others". She cares nothing for boats and her primary job is to break them into smaller pieces. 

In spite of this, since my family's lives will depend upon the safety of this boat, I'm   going with option 3 "best" on this one.

Port side hatch cut out, edge routed the foam. filled with high density epoxy / micro filler,held in place with a strip of roofing membrane backed by sprung sections of thin wood.

 once the strip is removed, the result is a nice smooth square edging.

 

Since "best" means glassed edges over high density filler. its necessary to break the edges and create an approximately 1/8 in radius to the inside and outside of each hatch opening.

I've pre cut my hatch edging. This 8 oz.  45 * 45 bias glass tape conform nicely to the edges of all the cabin top hatch, the cabin window and deck hatch openings  

Here's the starboard owners cabin hatch opening after the glass has been applied then topped and smoothed  down with peel ply.

Forward deck hatches

The F-44SC includes an option for forward deck hatches and in anticipation of equatorial stuffiness, I elected to include them.

To account for the openings, a total of 17 layers of unidirectional glass is specified to strengthen the forward decks.

Had I anticipated the need for these reinforcements, I would have applied them before the sealing primer so to insure an absolute bond, I sanded the deck back down to the glass with 36 grit.

After applying 9 layers of unidirectional glass along the edges of the hatch opening, I topped it all off with a continuous piece of peel ply which will reduce the need for sanding.  The other 8 layers of unidirectional glass will be applied to the inside edges, the opening will be cut, the foam will be hogged out and replaced with thickened epoxy then the edges will be wrapped with double bias glass tape.

Since it's a cat, the same holds true for the hulls mirror image.

Who's the fairest of them all...

Fairing the port side hull

first "V" groove skim coat of epoxy / micro ; inner starboard side hull

Twister

 One of the tricks to smoothing out imperfections in the hull shape is to apply filler with a notched blade. This creates triangular ridges that make sanding large surface areas fairly easy because you're just knocking off the tops of the ridges rather than having to sand a solid surface.  In this instance, I'm using a mixture of a little more than two parts micro balloons to one part epoxy; mixing the heck out of it with a drill and paint stirrer. I decided to tint this layer so that I could distinguish between each application of fairing material.

 

Application of the filler seemed to work out best with a trowel that I made from an 8 inch sheet rock blade.  I found that 1/8 in. notches every half inch worked well.  I just cut them in with a file. 

 

 Once this fairing compound was applied and cured, I used a 4ft. sanding board to fair the hull by hand. With the ridges running fore and aft, I worked the sanding board at 45 degree angles from left to right and right to left.  I made the sanding board from a lightweight cedar board and a carbon fiber tube. I also discovered that I could introduce a precise curvature in the sanding board by securing a small strap across the tube with sheet rock screws. By adjusting the tension of the strap I was able to create a slightly curved board that followed the overall shape of the hull.

With an ipod and a little shoulder work, I was able to smooth the hull down until the high points just began to show.  At first, it seemed to be a daunting task to hand sand two 44ft hulls, but breaking the job into a few sessions over a couple of days made all the difference. After a few days of this, If asked, I would have to decline an offer to play a game of Twister.

After sanding the tops off the ridges, I used a straight blade to fill in the grooves with untinted epoxy micro mix. 

 This resulted in a good start to a fair hull.  From here, I'll use finer and finer grit paper to eventually arrive at a surface that is suitable for a final top coat. 

Test fitting the battens

Here I am sitting on the head of the main sail with my buddy Cory Roesler ( the primary instigator  of the sport of Kite boarding ) and the man himself; Romeo Rubichaud of RBS Batten Systems.  http://www.rbsbattens.com/  We rolled the main sail out in the grass, stuffed the battens and checked the lengths of each batten.   By trial fitting each batten, RBS was able to make final adjustments to the lengths to insure a perfect fit.  We also discovered the need to grind a slight taper on the forward ends of the two lower battens so that they fit snugly into the batten receptacles. 

It's good to have the help and support of some of the most respected innovators in the modern days of sail. 

Bow tube web detail

The bow tube is further strengthened by the addition of two webs that provide a base for the forward walkway between the two trampoline nets. In this photo, you can see 24 oz triaxial glass draping down from the port side web. I then used a dusting of  3M 77 adhesive to hold the glass in place while I smoothed it under the bow tube and back up along the starboard bow tube web.  With the glass in place, I saturated the glass with resin, covered it all with peel ply and worked things in place with a plastic "bondo" spreader. 

I then laminated the inside of the webs using one continuos length of triaxial glass.  To create bonding flanges, I screwed two temporary boards (wrapped in packing tape as a release) along the top edges of the webs and worked the glass up the sides of the webs and inwards.  

After removing the boards, the resulting flanges that were created needed to be roughed up in preparation for bonding the top deck plank in place.

Here I am about to mix up some low density pour foam. 

Since I didn't want to have to worry about water making it's way into the void created by the bow tube and the webs, I decided to fill the space with foam. It's often difficult to anticipated the volume of foam that is produced when mixing part A with part B.  

After the foam hardened, I used a hand saw to cut off the excess,  then I finished things off with a rough sanding block to produce a flat surface in which to bond the center bow net plank.