New trailer springs and timber peices for the cradle .

                    
  I drove all over town today looking for replacement leaf springs for the trailer but could only find
           ones with bushings on one end . After thinking about it for a bit in the shop i decided
                                      i could make this type of spring work with my trailer .

 Of course nothing is ever easy when i got back and started to fit the new springs i discovered that   
        the bushing is too small to fit the existing bolt in the hanger so we drilled them out to fit .
                   I then set about adjusting the trailer again to get the weight spread evenly.

               I bought 3 sheets of structural ply wood for the new deck panels and for these .
They are the bits that will be through bolted to the cradle frame and then carpeted to support the boat when the beams are removed and i slide the hulls together then hopefully if the weather improves
                       i can go and do a test launch and see if anything needs to be improved .

Setting up the rigging and the trailer

                   The old deck is in the boat for now just so we can have somthing to stand
                                                      on while sorting out the rigging

                    The sails are hoisted so all the lines cleats and fittings can be put into place

                                        Everything appears to be coming together  nicely

         The boat is raised with jacks in its assembled state with the mast removed to set up the trailer .

 Now i need to square everything up so we can finish the cradles on the expanding arms of the trailer.

The poor old tiered leaf springs didn't take the load of the boat very well and sagged quite a bit .
                          So they will need to be replaced as part of the trailer overhaul  .

                    1300kg jack stands and a steady plank of wood (for safety you know)   :)  

                                        Next job , need to go into town to get some parts .

lashing protectors and leaky hatches

               Some 90 degree PVC flashing cut along one side to make it shorter and then
      into  short bits the corner is round and smooth and should provide the timber beam and the new 
                                                  paint some protection from the lashings

             Glued into place with some left over Sikaflex , Also fitting the beam cleats and the
                                             non skid paint on the beams is now complete  .

 The hatches that i bought turned out not to be watertight so i returned them and to my surprise not only got a full refund but also got a discount on some better ones so a big thank you to the team at Roadtechmarine  for all your help during the project .

 Not long to go now and we will be standing the mast and getting all the chain plates , rigging , rudders , deck hardware etc fitted .

Expanding trailer and more painting

 Alongside all the work on the boat i have been building an expanding trailer so that the boat can       
                                          be set up and launched with a minimum of fuss .

 The expanding "draws" on the trailer include the Mudguards so that the boat can be lower on 
                                                                     the trailer.

                   Also got some more primer done on the last few bits of boat including the mast 

Grippy stuff

 Masked and painted the first two deck grip panels so that i can stick the vents down tomorrow .

 The tiller arms are sanded and ready for primer . I keep finding things that still need to be sanded .
                                           "fun stuff" but surely i must almost be done .

         The steps/seats for both hulls were fitted and pine strips screwed and glued in for strength  
                                                 they will be epoxy primed and carpeted .

Rubber blocks and contact glue .

 The beams were originally resting on rubber blocks and each one is slightly different . Black rubber in various thicknesses is cut into many pieces ready to fit each beam .

 The  contact glue is applied to both surfaces after a light sanding yes you need to sand the rubber too.

After the glue has dried to touch 15 minutes in this case the blocks are pressed into place . You only get one go at this so it has to be spot on .

 The old steps/seats that rest just inside the main cabin way were OK but we had some ply left from building the rudders so we thought why waste it .

 The new steps will be neater lighter and stronger

One of the hulls did not have blocks in place to support the step so they had to be cut fitted and epoxyed to the hull . I can't use screws in this location so a bit of masking tape  is used untill the epoxy hardens . Hopefully the bond will be strong enough .

Final assembly part two

                                      Today The new dolphin striker is swaged and test fitted .
 

 The heat shrink tubing has a glue coating on the inside that activates when heated . No more sharp
                             edges or cuts from the stainless wire and a nice looking finish .

                The Lexan windows are fitted and sanded in preparation for the sikaflex UV primer .

                    A final layer of glass cloth ready to lay in on the bottoms of the main hatches .

                               And after the epoxy . Ready to be sanded and primed for paint .

After the primer the windows were glued in using the Sikaflex 295 UV for a flush fit .

Final assembly part one

           The front trampoline is coming along nicely . I have made loops at each end of some   
                 50mm wide load strap webbing and then sewn it onto the Sunbrella canvas .
                   This eliminates the need for expensive eyelets and the tools to fit them .

Today we fitted the lashing blocks onto both hulls . The blocks were countersunk and fitted with Sikaflex . This way if they get damaged or need to be replaced it can now be done without destroying half the boat in the process . The bolt heads were then sealed in with bog ready to be sanded primed and painted . 

The Front hatches are now sealed and screwed down making them watertight so i dont need a tarp      over them anymore .

 The wind gusts started to  get close to 40 knots this afternoon so we decided to call it a day and 
                                              cover the boat before the rain hits tonight

Electrickery

                    Q : What do you get when you combine a 5watt solar panel , Sealed lead acid 

                                         battery a brush-less dc fan and a cheap plastic vent .

                      A : Your very own solar powered cabin ventilation that will run at night .

                                   
                                  I also plan to add a USB port to charge a mobile device .

The painting continues

         

           This week the hulls got a second coat of gloss and the beams are nearly finished too .

The weather has been hot around 30 degrees most of the day great for getting the paint to kick off but there is no way to work without the gazebos in this heat . They don't cover the whole boat but we move them around as we go so we are always painting in the shade .

          Now that all the small bits have a good coat of paint they are ready to be fitted  .

                           The blue paint down to the gunnel really shows off her lines :)

A splash of colour

 After some sanding and masking tape the first coat of gloss is going onto the deck the color is reef blue . The unpainted sections will become the grip parts they will be horizon blue to create a two tone effect .