Tips Sail

The fourth strake was laid out on the two outside edges of the remaining sheets of plywood. Only enough fiberglass was used to cover what will be cut out. The remaining material will be used for bulkheads, the decking, and deck supports.

Each pair of strakes was clamped together, and small holes were drilled 6" (150 mm) apart, 1/4" (6 mm) from the edge. These holes were used to wire the strakes together.

Here are the first two strakes wired together in the basket mold. I used the green steel wire used in gardening to tie back plants. The steel wire is stronger than copper and can take more tightening before it breaks.



Another view, showing the wires twisted together to secure the strakes.

View from the side with all four strakes on each side wired together. Like magic, all the strakes fit together. Starting to look more like a Yakaboo! Note the rounded lower front corner of the bow.

No epoxy has been applied yet. All the strakes must fit properly when wired together since errors can't be corrected easily later on. Fortunately, everything fit together tightly and lined up with the mold.

Cutting out the fourth strake, planing all the strakes for proper fit, drilling the wire holes, and wiring all the hull panels together in the mold consumed seven hours.

Click on any picture to enlarge it. Blog starts with the 9/23/08 post. Your comments/ suggestions are welcome.

The bottom received a coat of epoxy and a good sanding. All the seams were filled with the wood flour/ silica/epoxy mix. The front and rear stems were contoured into a smooth curve.

When the bottom was completely prepped, I rolled on the 6 oz. fiberglass cloth. Three coats of epoxy were added to fill the weave completely. All the little lumps and ripples in the surface were then sanded smooth with the random orbit sander.

The deck was then sanded. I removed the brass screws that held the deck on, and filled the holes.

I designed a wave deflector in SolidWorks, to keep water from entering the cockpit. The parts are made of 1/4" (6.4 mm) thick mahogany. The included angle between the parts is 120 degrees, and they tilt forward at a 45 degree angle.

A pencil mounted on a spacer was used to transfer the deck curvature onto the parts.

No bandsaw? No worries!

A sabersaw mounted upside down in the vice was used to cut the curved 45 degree angle on the bottom of the wave deflector.

I really hated to cut through the deck, it looked so smooth, but the front mast step has to go there.

View of rear deck showing the filled screw holes.

The front deck. The beauty of the wood is starting to show through after a coating of thinned epoxy.