Hull form

We are making the first steps in building the hull form ribs that we will use to assemble the hull. 

The OSB work surface is glued to the floor, half meters marked, centerline snapped and marked, and the first few ribs are installed. The first and last rib is placed according to the previous surveying measurements that we made. The 4.0 meter rib is installed as a reference point, but will need to be adjusted later. 

Tomorrow, I will run a reference string on each side of the top of the ribs. I will then base all of the other heights off of that plane. 

Quick work as we move forward. 

Progress

I will add pictures soon, but this is where we are:

After a long workday yesterday, I finished the stabilizers. They are fully glassed and sanded. They are ready for the outfitting process. 

The last four ribs for the hull were cut last night as well as setting the OSB work surface on the floor. After we snapped a chalk line on the concrete, we lined up the 24" wide sections of OSB on that line. To keep it where it is, without dropping tapcon screws into the concrete, we ran Gorrilla glue along the edges of the OSB so it would expand and hold it into place reasonably well. That is curing overnight. 

Next steps: snap a chalk line for our center line; mark the perpendicular lines where the ribs go; set the 5.0 meter rib; set the 0.0 rib; and run guide strings as reference points for the rest of the ribs. 

Once that is all set, we will set the height of each rib based on the relativity to the strings. The top of each rib will be on the same plane. 

This again solves the problem of building on a crowned surface without dumping money into building a 35 foot level work table. The OSB sheathing on the floor and OSB for the ribs only set us back $30. The 2x4s that we are using in holding them up are scraps left from previous projects. Thanks again to my brother, Jay, who assisted in the brainstorm session that resulted in this way of solving the problem. 

Happy Easter!

Fiberglass night

Now that it has warmed back up from an early Spring freeze, I have been able to start applying epoxy. 

The process seemed smooth, but I won't really know until it cures and I cut away the excess fiberglass. The ends wrapped well and the process went quick. 

I should be able to get the second one glassed tonight as well. Depending on how late it is, I might close the midway door and continue working on the hull prep work in the front of the workshop. 

Stabs...Only Glass Remains

The decks are installed on the stabilizers. The edges are rounded with the router. The edge of the glass is taped with duct tape to have a consistant line one inch from the deck. 

With the cold and snow chances tomorrow, we will not be able to epoxy it until it warms back up. 

I'm happy with how they turned out since it was a new building style for me. 

The Hull work area is the next focus. Once it is established, we will start rolling on the bottom of the hull. 

Henry looks ready to move on to the hull!

FAQ: Will you be done in time for the 340?

Yes and no. 

Done is a finite term. Completed. Finished. 

Will we have a V-16 to the point that it will carry the three of us down the 340? 

Will it have three seats and two pedal stations? 

Will it have the required gear to enter the race? 

Will it make it on the car from Springfield to KC? 

The answer to all four: Most likely. 

Will we be 100% satisfied with where we are on the boat when we get to the starting line? 

No. 

After we work through the production stages of building the Third Wheel, we run into a massive undertaking in outfitting and testing. I would have liked to have a better jump on the build and spend my weekends nudging the 30' long craft into Fellows lake to sus out the unique idiosyncrasies of this boat. This would give us time to modify and establish a vessel we can trust and perform in with confidence. 

We would still not have it figured out. The reality is that we have our backs against the wall. This boat will be better suited for a run in 2015. And it will be. 

I am not throwing this year away just yet. I am being realistic of the testing phase of a home built boat and the MR340. To best understand how it will perform in the 340, we need to get it through the 340. Training runs are not enough. 

Will all goes as planned? This is one area that we can be absolutely certain. It will not. Thousands or millions of variables await us as we approach the race as well as surviving the 340. We will meet these in stride and push forward still. 

We will work around our schedules to ensure that we will be "ready" to try to survive the 340. 

Why do you keep writing "survive?" Absolutely! In my opinion, regardless of proper training, gear, health, technology, weather, knowledge, prior success, guts, and glory; you will need to survive. Every year, there are a multitude of the 400 boats that do not show. Some do not start. Many do not finish. Do not be quick to think that it is for one reason that folks do not finish. It is NOT just the ___________(fill in the negative of one of the attributes from above) who do not finish. 

Last year, I left the last checkpoint and one of the elite teams was pulling out. They were on pace for a sub 48 hour time. 

There were five pedal drives signed up last year. Three started, one finished. It could be the clock that gets you. Maybe a failed calorie or hydration plan. It is a different animal every year.

Survival is key, but not all will. 

Tim and I are centered in the foreground at the start in 2012. We then survived. 

So will we be "done" by time the race starts? 

We will try to survive. 

Fiberglass Stabilizers

We've been moving forward with work on "Third Wheel." The skeleton frame pieces are coming along, just four more to cut. The obvious progress includes continuing to organize the full length of the workshop and fiberglassing the stabilizers.

Yesterday, I set up the back part of the workshop to get ready for fiberglassing. I put the stabilizers on jack stands to elevate them off the surface of the floor. Then I laid the fiberglass out on the first stabilizer and cut it to size. I repeated it for the second. After that, I started the slow process of smoothing out the fiberglass to prep it for epoxy. 

 Rob came over and got a workout in mixing cup after cup of epoxy. The glass smoothed out well with few mistakes and rough spots. Learning the process of glassing vertical surfaces added experience to my ever growing knowledge as I continue down this road of building. I always enjoy watching the fiberglass go from opaque to translucent while wetting out the epoxy. 

Work keeps progressing. I'll trim the excess and glue the top onto the stabilizers tonight after the epoxy cures.

Saturday progress

Several parts of the project at once:

 Rob was coating a layer of epoxy on the inside of the hull as I finished cutting the foam bulkheads for the hull. After completing the bulkheads, I started cutting out the skeleton pieces for each of the spots. I have 7 more to go. 

What are you looking at? The skeleton pieces will be mounted between 2/4s to keep them vertical as you see. The heights will be adjusted before mounting. Instead of building a workspace on a non-level surface, I have decided to create a level surface by adjusting the height of each skeleton to a level line. The driveway is crowned halfway back. These pieces will solve both problems. The boat shape is cut in each on a line corresponding to the waterline for the hull.