Feb
1
Written by:
Tom
2/1/2012 8:01 PM
Systems Program
Well, as you've seen from Beth's reports, there's a lot going on over at Systems. All those photos of well-ordered wires might make you think it's all clean and tidy there. It is, as long as you're willing to do the work to make it that way. For instance, the class will be replacing all the systems on the IYRS launch soon, but the launch had been in the water all last season. It was Not Clean. So, all hands on deck (and below deck) to scrub it from top to bottom in preparation for the upcoming work.
Beth will be filling us in on this in more detail soon!
Composites Program
Not too many action photos today, since everyone was in class when I stopped by.
That doesn't mean we still can't take a look at what they've been working on. The molds for the Moth hull have been cleaned, polished, and a test panel has been laid up to make sure that the mold release works properly.
It does. What you see here is the carbon fiber layup inside a purple vacuum bag. The carbon fiber is black, but you can't see it because there is a layer of white breather cloth on top of it. The breather cloth is a high-loft material that allows air to pass through it, and essentially distributes the vacuum evenly throughout the bag.
And, in case you didn't know this, the pressure that's applied on the layup when the bag is evacuated doesn't come from the vacuum. The pressure comes from the weight of the atmosphere pressing down (actually, from all directions) on the part. That same weight is pressing down on us right now, only we don't feel it because we're equally pressurized inside our bodies and it all balances out. If we lost internal pressure (say we were hooked up to a vacuum pump), the pressure of all that air around us would squish us like a raisin. Yug. Let's not do that.
The 2-part console mold is almost finished. You can see the fiberglass matting on the left side, ready for resin.
The wet balsa core in the sailboat has been removed, the inside of the upper fiberglass layer has been cleaned. Once the deck holes are sealed up, it will be ready for re-coring.
All those light spots are holes made from deck hardware. It's pretty easy to see how the core was compromised.
Restoration Program
The sailing dinghy's spars are coming along well. Here's the gunter, with a slot for the sail's bolt rope.
In case you don't know what a gunter is, it's the equivalent of a gaff, but on a gunter-rigged boat.
The sail has a bolt rope sewn into it's edge,
and this rope is captured by the hole that runs through the gunter. The sail comes out through the slot.
This student is fitting a stopper into one end of the gunter.
Speaking of the dinghy, she's all riveted up now, and off of her molds.
Her waterline has been marked and carved into the hull.
The waterline looks straight or curved, depending on your view. In fact, it looks curved from any view that is not in the plane of the waterline.
The view from the plane of the waterline:
The boat had previously been flipped upright, but on this day, she was turned upside down in preparation for cutting the centerboard slot.
You can see the centerboard trunk that will fit into the slot clamped to a bench in the foreground.
The planking on the Watch Hill 15 is coming along nicely. The mahogany garboards and sheers have been installed, and the cedar planking is being spiled and attached.
As one plank goes on,
another is spiled.
Some of the planks do not go full length. These planks meet with a butt joint in between frames.
The butt joints are all reinforced with backing blocks.
These blocks are shaped to fit the curve of the planks. They support the joint and keep the butt ends from moving independently of each other. That sort of movement would allow water to works its way into the boat. The blocks are primed before being installed.
When they're installed, the students will bed the blocks by putting a layer of flexible bedding compound between the blocks and the planks. The planks are then fastened to the blocks with screws.
The lobster yacht's frames and floors have all been primed now.
The first planks are being installed as well. Here's the forward section of the garboard.
There's a good bit of twist in the planks at the forward end, so these are steamed before being fit.
Like the WH15, this boat will also have 2-part planks that meet with a butt joint. These students are working out the bevels and backing out for the aft section of the garboard.
They're not happy with the thickness of the piece.
Only one more to go, and all of the floors will be finished and installed.
The first years are mostly finished with their construction drawings, and they're back out on the floor. Here's a sample of what they've been working on.
Pretty sweet. Still, as nice as these are, I think everyone's happy to be working with actual parts again.
And like before, it's all planking, all the time.
The inside faces of the planks get backed out (made slightly concave) to fit the curve of the frames.
The forward end (also called the hood end) gets clamped in first when the plank comes out of the steamer.
While one student locates and clamps the hood end, the other supports the plank, and then gradually pushes the plank down onto the framing. This process applies the twist and bend slowly and with control.
There's always an instructor or 2 around to check in with the students when they run into a snag.
There's also drawings to remind people about taking bevel wood and shaping wood into account when making their planks.
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