10/5/21- Chapter 1 Ends, onto the Hull
Finishing Chapter 1
With the application of glass onto both sides of the centerboard, Chapter 1 of the PocketShip build comes to a close as the weave is filled and sanded smooth.
Cleanup and organization needed
While that was curing I worked on some much needed cleanup from the sanding and glassing process. The scrap pile was in desperate need of some love. It’s sitting on top of the shipping pallets which need to go away. I also need the wheels to be able to occasionally shift the cradle in the garage space to work on the port or starboard sides.
Chapter 2 Begins!
I cleared space and removed the pallets. I swept up a lot of the boat glitter made so far.
I’ve heard horror stories about the panel used for the cradle snapping like twigs. Once assembled I’ll use some of the shipping scrap to add some reinforcements to the arms. Here I’ve joined the two parts that make up each of the two bow/stern cradles.
I added more of the strongback 2×4 and screwed to the flimsy, what I have determined to be template, pieces. Two is better than one. I then cut each to the exact length of the attached templates. From there, I verified the faces were square as any variance would cause alignment issues.
I used heavy duty locking wheels on all four corners of the cradle assembly. These handled the 900# pallet just fine and I have no fear of any issues with the hull. All four wheels will rotate but lock into the last position as the levers are engaged. This avoids any surprises with geometry and weight shift changes. I still need to add the reinforcements to the arms but need to get some shorter drywall screws first for the glue and screw while clamped process.
Here is the overall build space for perspective. The table in the foreground will be move perpendicular to the front after the main hull panels are glassed and sanded. While the panels are curing I will work on adding the blocking to the floor panels, coating them with epoxy, and sanding them smooth. The keel will be moved into position on the cradle starting the acceleration of the hull build.
