Winter projects

[roland_trim]

Neil points out the forum is a bit on the quiet side at the moment. So just a place to see what people are up to?

[roland_trim]

I have finally found a resin I may not be allergic to. It is not an epoxy, but also not vinylester!

New boat build will start when I have completed some test pieces.

[BenR]

What sort of resin is it? They used to make some vegetable oil based epoxies they were hypoalergenic but a bit elastic for anything structural iirc.

Couple of things to fix on Atum like a hole where the trolley has worn through the bow a bit and some fixing points need to be carbonned on next to the new hoop. I have also managed to deform another stainless shroud fixing point ring so I am swapping them out for 6mm d rings in the hope that these wont break so easily with 170kg on the wire. Finally on the home straight with the CNC machine so pretty close to getting some accuracy testing done on that ready to start making a mould and foam core for a new t-foil. I also need to improve the front of the trolley to stop it from wearing through the underside of the bow again. Perhaps some poly resin and CSM will do the trick. At some point (probably not this winter) I need to do a total referb to get her looking nice again.

[roland_trim]

Forgot to say - am planning on sailing Poppy at every opportunity. Last weekend the 33knot+ gusts meant both Marmite, Shiny and Poppywere sat on the shore of Chew. Really looking forward to some good club racing in 2014.


Ben, looking at Crestapol CP1250LV

Interesting when compared with the 5000 or 8000 resins. Will require an extractor fan to ensure I don't blow up the workshop or drown in the fumes.

I'll post the stiffness/failure data vs the resin we previously used in a boring thread later. Suffice to say it is about 90% of the stiffness and strength of the 8200 series resins, but has a longer "yield plateau" so may actually be more damage resistant (believe it when I brake it). Either way I can't get near epoxy without looking like Hayley has thumped me.

[Neil C.]

I haven't had too much trouble with reactions to resin (yet), but the thing I do find troublesome is if I cut glass/foam panels with a jigsaw. I get an unpleasant itchy rash up my forearms from the tiny shards of glass which have gone past my gloves and up my sleeves. Also makes me wheeze a bit despite using one of those basic facemasks from B&Q. Can't imagine what it's doing to my lungs. Maybe best not to think about it. It's too cold to do much glueing & sticking on Cellulite at the moment, but I'm cutting out all the little panels and stuff ready for a warmer day, or perhaps 24 hours of expensive heating of the garage.

[Torchy]

Like Ben I've a little trolley damage to sort as well as properly fit the rubber strip to stop it happening.

Really pleased with the plastic funnel transome port covers used for the first time at the nationals. Loco has never been so dry in light weather but I need to find a better way of fixing the shock cord in the funnel as the knots have been pulling through.

The new foil is the main project. The wooden core just needs the tip rounding and fairing and then it's time to get sticky. Fitting the lifting foil should be straightforward. I will go for the simplest possible foil angle adjustment initially and it will be inactive apart from (probably) scope for upwind/downwind adjustment. The rest is down to rudder T-foil, crew position and experimentation to see if a smooth on/off foiling transition can be achieved. The other adjustment will be lifting foil depth, starting at about 35cm and thinking that we might beneficially bring it to 25cm at times (in a blow?). Less than 25cm and my guess is there would be too much interaction with the hull.

My belief is that we will need to move to a surface piercing cow horn lifting foil to get a workable system but that's next winter. Ride 'em cowboy!!..........yeeee haaaa! (More likely 'yee haha'?)

The only other job is to route the rudder T-foil adjustment purchase to the gunwales. Coarse adjustment only as fine adjustment is on the twist grips.

[Phil Alderson]

I gave up on the cheap face masks cloth style dust masks, they never seal around my nose so are useless. For about £10-15 you  can get a rubber one with valves that will seal properly. give it a clean after use and keep in a clean bag and it will last for ages.

Winter projects, there are a few the boat has not been in a garage for almost two years.
I need to:

• repair some bow damage from the trolly and lobster pots.
• redo the repair to crewdeck at the back where it has cracked on the underside.
• Make a new forestay
• Remake the cascade for the T-foil

I would like to but probably won't have time to:

• adjust the main spreaders for a straighter mast
• change the cap shroud setup so they can be adjusted
• Finish building my new short centreboard.

[Clive Everest]

We too have a hole and a leak to fix from the inlands.

I am looking at putting a small electric motor on the T foil adjustment to make it easier and quicker to adjust by twisting the tiller extensions.

I am going to make the primary sail controls easier to adjust and am looking at putting an echo sounder for racing in Chichester harbour.

As yet I am undecided on whether to make a bigger bow foil. I have one designed but that is just the start of a lot of work.

[JimC]

but I need to find a better way of fixing the shock cord in the funnel as the knots have been pulling through.

The traditional method was a small wooden cone cut the same angle as the funnel with a hole through the middle for shock cord. These days I'd probably buy an extra funnel and use it as a mould for a little glass cone.

[Torchy]

Good thinking Jim

[Andrew Whapshott]

I am thinking of making a balsa cored foil for subtle (although yet to tell tom!)  And a cool 40cm balsa Cherub to fill the empty windowsill in the house... 

[Torchy]

I had wondered about balsa as a core........

[ross_burkin]

Forgot to say - am planning on sailing Poppy at every opportunity. Last weekend the 33knot+ gusts meant both Marmite, Shiny and Poppywere sat on the shore of Chew. Really looking forward to some good club racing in 2014.

Now finally settled, if you need a crew give me a call!

Also have some time to boat build 

[roland_trim]

Also have some time to boat build 

Excellent news. We'll add you to the Chew "who's up for the weekend email list".
Can't wait to have Fuzzy to play against as well.

[andy_peters]

We are going skiing and lead lugging.  No dinghy sailing or bimbling planned before March other than perhaps the BM this Saturday for which a fair amount of re-rigging is required following the strip for the re-paint at the SW.