M/V She:Kon - If you can't stand the heat....

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the boat shed! So if Global Warming is a myth where is all this heat coming from? It definitely is unusual for this part of the world to have serious heat and tornado warnings!!!

The thermometer in the shed showed 32 C (90 F) and add on the humidex & the fact it's about 5-10 degs warmer in the boat I'd venture a guess it was 42 C (107 F). Zoinks!

32 C = 90 F

Yesterday I worked on getting some fasteners made that'll hold down the waste tanks. These will come up through the deck of the tank bed and will need to be fastened so that they can be tightened without the ability to get a wrench on the head of the bolt. Stealing the idea of a 'blind nut' I made up something I think will work.

Prototype fastener

Using a cutting wheel on my air grinder I cut slots in the washer and bent little tangs downward that'll dig in when you tighten the nut.

A dozen, six for each tank

I'm definitely not a welder. Find it hard to see what I'm doing with my poor eyesight. My right eye has a cataract and I'm near legally blind in that eye. Anyhow I struggled through and got them made up.

One of my better efforts

I don't know if stick welding stainless steel is harder than mild steel but I had a lelluva time getting the stick to spark up. My little $100 Powerfister welder only goes to 65 amps, the lowest rating for 1/8' stainless electrodes.

The First Six

I test fitted the tank to the bed deck and it actually fit. Sorry forgot to take a pic.

I glued the bed decks for the port side fuel & b/w tank down yesterday afternoon so I could go in this morning and sand them up getting ready for fillets & tape. I knew it was going to be warm today so I got an early start till my neighbor showed up to chat! *Sigh* Anyhow I enjoy his distractions.
Had to make a filler piece for the fuel tank deck to hull side and get it glued in. Fillets & tape.

Port side fuel tank deck

Port side b/w tank deck

As I was taping in the tank decks it was so hot the epoxy was kicking off in the cup. When it does this there's no way it'll wet out fiberglass. I got almost all of it on but eventually had to quit with about 3" to go. I'll sand that off and finish up tomorrow.

I think this will be the last blog entry for this year. Time to switch my attention to getting our RV, Meander (Me and Her) rigged for our trip out to Grande Prairie AB. We'll be travelling mostly through the US this time. Planned stops near Deadwood SD so we can see a few sights, Mount Rushmore, Mastadon graveyard & Devil's Tower etc.

If you feel so inclined to follow us on our road trip here's the URL to the blog site Lori writes.

https://adventuresofmeandher.blogspot.com/

So I didn't get as much done as I would have liked this year. Got a lot done all the same. It was a short building season with work and our road trip coming up. Next year will be better (fingers crossed). The starboard side tank decks should go a lot faster now that I have an idea of how to make them. All the components are in place for the drive train which is good. It's coming along.

Thanks for sticking with us. I know it's slow going sometimes but there is still a heck of a lot of repetitive work and sanding ahead. *Eeesk the 'S' word*

Standby.....

Stbd F/W tank bed & chocks

So I'm just getting setup in the boat shed early this morning when I see Jr go shooting off across the back yard and next thing you know it he's on top of the boat shed.

The birds go crazy when he's around and he chases them up there!

So now he's truly stuck. Can't figure out how to get down. I put the extension ladder up on the far side and he takes off to the other side.

Yeah, I'm stuck. So what?

The boy is definitely not the brightest crayon in the box. *sigh* I managed to get him down via the step ladder from the leanto.

Anyhow, I got the starboard F/W tank bed glued & taped.

Starboard side F/W tank bed glued & taped into position.

I'll finish that up tomorrow.

While I was waiting for the fillets to firm up I started on making chocks for the tanks.

First chock gluing up

They're nothing fancy. Just there to keep the tanks from sliding around. I'm going to screw them down so they're easily removable if we have to take a tank out.

Six down, ten to go!

It's just one of those piddly ass'd lil' jobs that has to be done. I'll do the rest when there's time in between other jobs.

I did get to use my VEDB's!

VLDB's

Very
Expensive
Drill
Bits

These  the tapered/countersink/plug cutting kit from Lee Valley Tools. $149

I don't usually buy such good tools but I figured with the amount of joinery I have ahead good tools are probably a good investment. Gonna get one of those pocket jointer thingies too!

That's about it. Time's running out on boat building this season. *Sigh*

Thanks for looking in.

Standby.....

M/V She:Kon - Some Odds & Sods

I guess I'd be the 'sod' part of that title. *sigh*

Only 2 weeks left in our boat building season. So much to do. Scrambling around trying to get as much done as I can before I have to shift my attention to the RV and getting it ready for the big trip out west.

Today the Project Manager decided to pay a visit to the Big Blue Boat Shed. He immediately started issuing orders & griping about the lack of progress on the project. I suggested he roll up his fur and pitch in. That didn't go over well. :-(

That's a serious look! I better get to it!

Yesterday and the day before I managed to figure out the tank bed structure and get it tabbed into place. It's a bit of a hodge podge but for someone who's never done this before working on stuff that isn't level & plumb is a bit of a challenge.

Sub framing for the tank bed. This one is for a F/W tank (44 USG)

This morning I glued up the top and filleted & taped it into place. Once that's set up I'll radius the leading edge and apply tape there as well.

Tank bed fitted into place.

There's a fairly hefty gap on the right corner. That's what happens when you have a chunk of cured epoxy filler on the bottom of your level and you don't notice it. *sigh* Had to fit in a few pieces but they'll all be secured adequately enough.

I cut the holes for the retaining straps. These are large enough for 2" straps and are big enough to make fishing them through easy.

Tank bed in place.

Having mixed up too much epoxy I gave the tank bed an extra coat of the stuff. It'll all be sanded & painted before the tank goes on.

While that's curing up I pulled the rudder out from under the boat and decided to give it an extra coat or two (2) of high build epoxy primer. This was the last of my supply.

Rudder getting 2 more coats of primer.

Weather's coming so time to lock up the shed. I still have visions of it flying off in a storm just like Dorothy's house in The Wizard of Oz. *sigh*

Standby....

She-Kon: Back on Planet Earth

Ok, that's enough nonsense. Back on planet Earth in the 21st. century some progress has been made with the boat project.

The stern bearing carrier doesn't sit flush to the keel. The angle of the prop shaft is 8 degrees. I tried a few times to build in a wedge that would correct for this with little success. Yesterday I glued in the bronze nipple that connects the shaft log to the bearing carrier.

Cleaning up the bearing carrier

I used a liberal coating of mold release was to ensure the bearing carrier would separate from the epoxy I used to glue in the bronze nipple. The bearing carrier was used to ensure proper alignment of the shaft etc.

Mold release wax

This is good stuff anytime you've got a part you don't want to stick. I think it's about 98% carnuba wax.

Here you can see the gap between the bearing & the keel

Using a very think mix of epoxy, glass beads, colloidal silica and fiberglass strands I made a mix that I could pump into the space. I used packing tape to keep it from running out. It'll be rough but I can fix that up later. Once it has it's rough shape I might put a layer of carbon fibre over it.

Packing tape used to mold in place the bearing carrier

The rudder has been a royal PITA. A helluva lot more sanding than I ever imagined. I ended up chasing my tail around and around trying to get it fair. Finally I had had enough and had to give up.

Up until today I had no real idea if the rudder would actually fit. I hadn't dry fitted it yet. It was made to the designers specs so I had to place my full faith in him. As it turned out it fits. It's tight getting the bolts in but I can manage. Not really a one person job but a few ups & downs of the step ladder doesn't hurt the waste line! :-)

Success! It fits!

Still some fairing and painting to do on the rudder but I just couldn't help myself fitting it in to see how it looked. Man, it's been a long tough journey to get this far. Little milestones like this is what keeps me going!

Thanks for looking in. Appreciate any/all comments/feedback.

Standby....

She:Kon - Interior Design

Now most people who build their own boats take their ideas for interior design from a number of sources. Magazines, other boats, web sites or boat shows. We decided to deviate from the norm (which is normal for us). Below you'll see what we're planning for the interior of She:Kon.

Engine Room:

Now this looks a lil' far fetched but it's the forced perspective that makes it look bigger than it actually is. The lil' Yammy will fit nicely in this space!

Engine Room. 

Helm Station:

From the outset the boat has been designed to accommodate two helm seats.

Helm Position

Deluxe Captains Accommodations

One must certainly be comfortable on those long sea passages.

Captain's Bunk

Captain's Day Cabin

Galley

Especially important to have a nice bright and colourful place for the Cook to prepare delicious 5 course meals for her Captain!

Galley

Dining/Rec room

Personal space can be at a premium on a boat. We've decided to include a nice dining/recreation space.

Dining/Recreation room

Entertainment Center including Ultra Smart TV w/Intergalactic Internets

Main Power Distribution

Often an afterthought is the main power distribution around the ship. This one console will help eliminate all those pesky lil' gremlins that seem to creep into every boat build!

Main Power Distribution Panel

Engine Room Access

Every space on the boat should be accessible by Jefferies Tubes. She:Kon is no different. We've standardized and selected this design for space access.

Jefferies Tube Access

Other/Misc.

There are many other features that will be included in the interior design that will likely be featured in further updates. Here's a few to keep you coming back!

Does Nothing, Goes Nowhere

Computer Navigation System MkI w/Tribbles

Admiral showing off her high tech button pushing method!

And last but not least the dingy.

Admiral chose it herself and it's her personal favorite!

And if you think it is all BS, you'd be wrong and I'm prepared to defend my designs and my vessel!

Prepare a full Photon Torpedo spread! Target their Red Junk sails! Fire!

Standby.....

Images captured at the Star Trek Experience, Ticonderoga

NY.  https://www.startrektour.com/

All Star Trek Original Series imagery Copyright CBS Consumer Products.

http://www.cbsconsumerproducts.com/startrek/star_trek_original.html

Catch Up Not Ketchup

I have to apologize for ignoring you all. Got focused on getting some stuff done and doing YouTubez. I'm sorry. I will try to do better.

I'll try to catch you up. I know I'll miss things but this is about the best I can do for now.

So when we last left off I was making gaskets for the rudder stuffing box. That went Ok. I tried to true it all up with the mock up shaft I have. It's off a wee bit but by having the large thick gasket in there I can tweak it a little.

I really messed up big time with the stern bearing carrier. Cross threaded the thing trying to attach it to the stern tube. Should have known better. Ordered a bronze pipe to use but order was cancelled w/o me catching it. Waited two weeks before Paypal sends notice. Doh! Ordered something else I hope I can make work.

While I was waiting for the part that wasn't coming I tinkered with some of the other stuff. Bits & bobs that had to be done.

One of the fun things we got to do was wrap the rudder in glass & carbon fibre and infuse it.

Rudder ready to be wrapped in glass & carbon fibre

After a day and a half of prepping the rudder it was time to infuse it with epoxy. Lori joined me in the boat shed and after a final navel gazing session we got to it!

The infusion went better than I thought it would. Changing the oil in my vacuum pump made a big difference. Things I would do different next time are:

1. Invest in some release film
2. Put in small resin trap after vacuum outlet
3. Use woven carbon fiber instead of twill

Other than that it worked well. Unbagged it two days later.

Today I've sanded and roughly shaped the rudder and applied the first coat of fairing compound. It's raining like crazy so I don't know how long it'll take to kick off.

That's about it. Sorry it took so long.

Standby...

Arts & Crafts & Sandinsanity Returns

Today started out with a few Arts & Crafts. Making a rubber gasket for the rudder shaft stuffing box.

1/4" rubber for gasket

Prety simple but you'd be amazed how many people don't know how to make a gasket.

Cut hole for shaft

Bought these handy hole punches at Princess Auto. Indispensable for this king of work. The gold coloured sharpie shows up well on the black rubber.

Looking down with rudder box in place

Ready for installation (not yet though)

Next thing I had to do was scrounge through my collection of bronze fasteners. I got these from a generous fella on the boating forums. Probably coulda used more but didn't want to seem greedy.

Small collection of bronze fasteners.

Some of these will be used for the swim platform and the bronze screws for the rudder stuffing box as shown above. The others I don't know yet. I also received a few stainless steel screws suitable for holding the engine in place.

What it all looks like mocked up.

Mocked up

This backing block will get at least one layer of carbon fiber and a few layers of glass. It'll definitely be strong. 

Next step onto fairing the rudder (again). I've ordered the carbon fiber for it. Would like to do a resin infusion on that so keep an eye out here for more details.

And today's special feature. The Sandinsanity Returns!

Standby....

Rudder & Drive Shafts

First task of the day is to locate the proper position for the rudder shaft tube. Thought about it and thought about it and decided to go with the plumb bob & ole' Dead Eye! I have to be careful and fill in the oversize hole in stages. First will be to put two layers of 18 oz glass over the hole. Problem is there's a 2" fiberglass pipe that extends below the bottom. Ok, Arts & Crafts day!

Cutting holes in glass for bottom patch

 I eventually rounded off the patches above. Below I'm covering the fiberglass tube with packing tape. This will prevent the epoxy from sticking to it until I want it to.

Packing tape release all

 The next challenge I have is how to provide some clamping pressure on the patches until they cure. Working upside down under the boat is not one of my favorite things to do.

Foam rubber pressure

So what I decided to do was use some foam rubber from the Admiral's sewing room to push up on the patches until they cure.

Foam putting pressure on patch

As you can see above the foam pushes up nicely on the fiberglass. The plastic sheet insures it'll separate easily.

Counterforce

To counter the force of pushing up on the patch and fiberglass tube I laid on about 80 lbs of lead. That should hold it in place.

Once that was laid up and curing I puttered around with the drive train. Just mocking it up for now to see how it'll all come together.

Python Drive with drive shaft attached

I've seen this setup in my dreams for years. Now after something like 7 years of kicking this thing around my basement it's finally in the boat. I had to lift the engine to get it lined up.

Python drive shaft installed.

This drive shaft is exactly 1 meter long. Just so happens that's exactly how much we stretched the hull. I wanted the engine to remain in the same position as the original design for stability reasons. Underneath the engine we'll have a 50 USG water bladder for ballast and fresh water use as well. Bringing total F/W onboard to 175 USG including the hot water heater.

Sorry, no video today. Maybe next time.

Standby.....