Archive for October 2016
When we poured the lead into the structural steel fin of the keel the heat from the lead distorted the 5 mm steel plate forming vertical ridges between the internal vertical steel structure. This week the fabricator let us use his paint shop to bog and fair the keel in preparation for shipping to the dock. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we added epoxy bog of different thickness to the hollows and today I completed the sanding and applied two coats of Interprotect. Next Tuesday we will turn the keel over and do the other side. Back on the hull I have finished the seat in the V berth ante room which will be the home for the hot water system. The cross frame that forms the front of the seat is bogged to the hull and fastened with cleats to the hanging locker and the mast support frame. It is all painted except for the base for the water heater which needs another coat so now I can complete the floor in this area. The other hanging locker on the quarter berth ante room had been grouted to the hull too. Because the bottom of the front of the locker lands on a stringer there was not a large filleting area so I glassed over the fillet to make it stronger. There is still a little return to do at the top to form a tiny shelf for items you want close at hand.
I have decided to swing the head door out the same way it does on our Jeanneau SO37 Passion. This means a small adjustment to the top of the door and a small repair to the top of the door frame. I have done a trial hang of the door so i know the top is going to work OK. What I do not know is if the bottom edge of the door will clear the engine cover and kitchen. The door is quite a bit wider than on Passion so there is scope for narrowing it up in the lower section below the kitchen bench height so it is still a work in progress.
The keel of our Didi 40 Cr filled and faired on the starboard side.
The first of two coats of Interprotect over the epoxy bog on the keel of our Didi 40 Cr
The delta bulb on our Didi 40 Cr has a tonne of lead inside the steel former. The bulb is particularly fair and needed no filler.
What more could you wish for? We had a pleasant warm Wednesday followed by a nice bit of breeze for the twilight race and then a calm evening for the BBQ back at Greenwich Flying Squadron. To add icing to the cake we had an exciting close fastest time win over our regular rivals, Aggrovation, Worlds Apart and Izzi.
At the start there was the usual disagreement as to how close we were to the start line but that was soon forgotten as we lead the fleet past Onions Point into Humbug. The following breeze in Humbug usually has the leading yacht blanketed by the fleet but to our surprise the fleet pushed up into the lee of the Greenwich shore leaving us clear air for a run down the Woolwich side. As we approached Cockatoo the breeze kept freeing so we could keep the genoa out almost to the corner so we had a handy 50 metres lead. We held our lead on the work back along the north side of Cockatoo and just cleared the piles on the ferry wharf by something less than a metre and in the process extended the lead to 100 metres. From this point the fleet started to peg us back.
In the lee of Balls Head the wind was particularly quiet and shifty. We could see the green division Tana in the doldrums ahead so we went wide but still came to a brief stop while the fleet behind closed the gap. Once through the wind shadow we skirted Goat Island giving the leeward side a wide berth. Now the whole fleet was closing with fresh wind from behind and they were fanned out across the course threatening from above and below. We did manage to sneak through with a small lead intact but now we had the reach home and the passage back through Humbug to contend with. From out of the pack Aggrovation came menacing us from above and Worlds Apart was menacing from below with Izzi surging on the gusts.
How close should we go to the shore between the Greenwich Point and the entry to Humbug? If we went too low Aggrovation would climb above us and if we went too high Worlds Apart would scoot around in the fresher air to Leeward. We managed to find a line that kept them both behind and were now hard on the wind heading to the Woolwich shore. We had just enough lead and were just high enough to be able to tack to port and then tack back under Aggrovation as they headed back to Onions Point. We could not clear the point and I had to tack away letting Aggrovation have clear air to attempt what I was not game to do. As it turned out they slowed trying to shoot the moored yacht off Onions Point and our two tacks were fast enough for us to hold on for an overlapped finish with our bow in front. Just behind Worlds Apart and Izzi finished fast while Gwhizz was just a minute behind and did well for a second on handicap.
The rare win on fastest times gives us a slight lead on the season fastest times series while French Connection seems to have the handicap result well in sight with just half of our points.
The observant ground support staff noted that Passion is sitting higher out of the water these days. We did take 200 kg of lead out after last season and some 100 kg of surplus equipment including a spare anchor and chain from the aft locker. Also the sails are all stacked on the bow instead of the main cabin so that gives her a distinct bow down attitude. On the night we were one light weight crew down so we were floating higher than ever. Well spotted Helen and Sue.
After a mammoth effort of sanding and two pack epoxy painting I have finished some areas of our Didi 40 Cr enough to install fittings. The starboard locker, the gas bottle locker, the area under the quarter berth and the quarter berth top lockers as well as the head hanging locker have had their final coat of semi gloss epoxy. With that done today with Kevin’s help we installed the back stay tangs, the stern shower panel, the transom engine vent cowl, the fuel tank breather and the VHF antenna for the AIS system. These are all on the transom.
Next we installed the Shore power plug and the RCD cabinet ready for a licensed electrician to wire up the 240 volt circuits. On the stern quarter we installed the engine exhaust fitting and secured the exhaust hose. Later in the day I connected all the exhaust hose back through the water lock muffler to the engine wet exhaust. Bar an extra hose clamp the exhaust pipe is finished including strapping the water lock muffler to the keel.
Before Kevin left we installed the manual bilge pump in cockpit and the engine control cables. We had trial fitted the engine controls before but had to relearn the process with a few false starts. Now it is complete with the throttle and gear shift working as they should. I had hoped to get the fuel lines fitted but it was a big enough day and I was pretty tired from climbing in and out of the locker. There is no way that these are one man jobs and I am very appreciative of the help.
Looking ahead there is another days work fitting cleats and pad eyes but beyond that I have to get on with the undercoat and top coat in the saloon area before we can have a major assault on the rest of the fittings. Next week we will start the final fairing of the keel so I am not sure how much time I will have for painting.
Tonight was one of the more tricky twilight races with some pretty big holes in the breeze and some large changes of direction.
We were early on the start line and had to slow down to stay behind the line while Worlds Apart came in below at great speed, tacked onto Port right in front of us and cleared our bow with ease. We tacked in their wake and followed them into Humbug. Aggrovation was first into Humbug and sailed low along the Woolwich shore. We got a squirt from behind and went above the fleet only to run into our own dead patch just as the fleet below picked up the new breeze around Greenwich Point.
On the reach to Cockatoo Island no one could match the speed of Aggrovation and we were sailing along in Worlds Apart’s wake. Along the Cockatoo shore we got our one lucky break of the evening with another private gust from behind in close to the island. A few yards to leeward Worlds Apart was in dead calm with Tartan and Izzi while ahead Aggrovation had her own good breeze. Tartan emerged first from the group and tried to sneak inside us at the west end of Cockatoo Island but we kept them out and went off after Aggrovation.
On the work to Goat Island we stayed in phase with the breeze and were not troubled by the following fleet but Aggrovation built up an even bigger lead.
Worlds Apart and Izzi followed us out of the lee of Goat Island and we had a very nervous run back to Humbug. Our line back to Humbug was a little oversquare with the breeze so we gybed the boom leaving the genoa poled out to starboard and sailed a slightly higher angle for a while then gybed back with the genoa still poled out but this time to windward. This allowed us to sail a slightly higher line into Humbug and enabled us to just hold out Worlds Apart.
Into Humbug we sailed square to the Woolwich shore then dropped the pole off the genoa and hardened up along the shore. It was pretty crowded at Onion Point with Black and Green fleet yachts converging but somehow we managed to keep Worlds Apart just behind us at the finish.
The third second place on fastest time has us in the lead on fastest times but perhaps we have used up all our luck for the season in the first three races.
Our Didi 40 Cr topsides painted with Perfection but not perfect. Still very happy with the result
A bit of the starboard side of our Didi 40 Cr after painting today.
For the first time in at least a month we had perfect painting conditions today. The 50:50 undercoat and topcoat mix had cured enough for a light dry sand with 400 grit paper and the surface was wiped down with a tack cloth. The first side was painted when the O rings in the spray gun gave in to the strong solvent and blocked the air flow. This was rather inconvenient as I had already mixed the second batch of paint. When I realised the spray gun was not recoverable I reached for the spare and found that blocked. Fortunately I usually expect the worst and had a brand new back up ready.
Now the new gun worked just fine except that the paint flow was a little greater and I was putting on little more than I had with the old gun. I soon adjusted the number of passes but in the transition from slow gun to fast gun I have a section where the paint is a little thicker than ideal.
Post the painting I recovered the No 2 gun and will give it another clean before putting it back into storage for another ten years while the gun with the dud O rings will have a quick trip to the dump. Memo to self. Don’t leave the gun full of solvent overnight.
After lunch I mixed up the last of the Interprotect epoxy primer for painting the second coat on the underside of the deck in the saloon area. That done I had had enough of wearing gas masks all day and took to the garden.
Now I have been neglecting the garden during my boatbuilding but I need a place to store all the offcuts until we get a bin to take everything away. As my storage place was overgrown with weeds the logical solution was to get out my 35 year old two stroke trimmer and do some power weeding.
On the upside the garden will look neat when I take all the tarpaulins down and remove all the masking tape and plastic off Passion X.
There is still some two pack epoxy to paint in the bilge areas but for the most part the rest of the interior painting will be single pack paint and I have an enormous area ready for undercoating.
For a light air night we had quite an interesting sail around the western islands. At the start we positioned ourselves at the club end of the line but in the light conditions had trouble tacking to the line at the start signal. That meant we had to take the stern of Takana and then the stern of Saoirse. All was not lost though as the yachts that carried on on starboard right up to the club found the same light air that had prevented us tacking quickly. And so it was that Aggrovation and Takana lead us out of Humbug by a small margin. Worlds Apart did not want to be left behind and made good time through Humbug to make it a foursome. There was plenty of shifts on the tack towards Cockatoo Island and on the work along the Southern shore of Cockatoo and it was Worlds Apart that prevailed. We were not far behind Aggrovation and with the big black genoa poled out felt we would catch up quickly. The out of the blue Izzi appeared and carried fresh air right down on top of the two of us.
From Spectacle Island to Clarkes Point there was nothing to separate Izzi, Aggrovation and Passion. Just ahead Worlds Apart was maintaining a handy lead she had taken at Schnapper Island.
Now some would call it luck and others cheek but our tacticians noted the breeze was fresher on the south side of the course and there was a large wind shadow in the lee of Onions Point so I was directed to take the long way along the Greenwich shore. As luck would have it the wind followed the shape of the shore and we were able to carry the genoa poled out for much longer than we had expected.
When we had to drop the genoa to starboard it was a big shift so we were now beam reaching to the finish.
In that cheeky finish we passed Izzi and Aggrovation to score a second fastest behind Worlds Apart.
Meanwhile back in the fleet the breeze had sprung up and the huge margin we had over the fleet disappeared and none of the early finishers featured in the handicap honours.
I hope that the top coat of two pack polyurethane turns out as well as the first undercoat. Friday was marginal painting weather due to the breeze but under the tarpaulins I managed the first coat of undercoat quite well and am pleased with the result. The weekend was for Laser sailing with both days gusting up to 25 knots so by today I needed a rest. After coffee we found a package on the front doorstep and it was the mast base for the new rig. It is a very fine base indeed and the Ronstan blocks fit perfectly on the swivelling studs.
For a rest I picked up the mainsail and boom bag and some more top coat for the topsides. Hopefully that is the last I will need for the exterior. After the weekend the undercoat was ready for sanding and this afternoon it sanded down very well. The overspray on the masking plastic sheets was however peeling off in thin flakey pieces so I had to remove all the masking and will need to redo it for each of the next two coats.
The new mainsail was laid out for inspection and the ball slides for the batten ends removed from the cruising sail and added to the new racing main. It is a big sail and weighs 32 kg so we will want to put it on the boom once and leave it there.
For interest I photographed the cruising main on top of the new one. The cruising main started life as a large roach main on the standard SO37 rig. We added 1.7 metres to the mast height and extra panels were added to the foot. It worked very well so I had another 900 mm added to the foot so we could use it as a cruising main on the Didi 40 Cr in case we should we ever take off for a long cruise.
Very happy with the two pack polyurethane undercoat on our Didi 40 cr
A very nice mast base was on the doorstep this morning
The new fat head main with the pin head cruising main sitting on top
This shows the size of the original SO37 main compared to the new fat head main on the Didi 40 Cr
Aggressively sanded first coat of primer in the quarter berth ceiling
2 mm of epoxy glass across the keel of our Didi 40 Cr to be sure to be sure.
Two coats of primer under the V berth deck of our Didi 40 Cr brightens up the whole area. The colour will be softened by the light grey mattresses and side cushions. The hatch fits just perfectly.
It is like groundhog day around our Didi 40 Cr yacht. Every day I wake up and have to sand the same parts of the boat. Sand the raw timber, sand the primer, sand the second primer, sand the undercoat but at least that should be the end of the cycle. Today for variety I sanded the topsides from stem to stern with 240 grit paper on the random orbital sander with the vacuum dust extraction. At least that was out in the open and I was able to stand for much of the operation. The topsides are now ready for the first coat of two pack polyurethane undercoat which will go on the first fine still day.
Inside I sanded the underside of the deck in the V berth area and in the lockers on both sides. That is a tricky operation requiring a certain flexibility and patience. The random orbital sander did help to speed up the job but there is still quite a big of hand sanding needed.
I completed the last of the filleting of the locker fronts to the hull and deck over the past two days so the underside of the deck and the fillet areas of the lockers got their first coat of primer. One more coat in the lockers and I will be able to undercoat the whole of the V berth area back to the mast step.
Back in the quarter berth I added 2 mm of epoxy glass to the last section of the keel. The keel now has either 12 mm ply or 2 mm of epoxy glass across the grain on the inside. This matches the 9 mm ply plus 1 mm of glass on the “V” on the outside of the hull forming a sandwich. The interior cross grain reinforcement is not required by the design but if it is a good idea for one side of the timber then it is even better on both sides.
The last task of the day was to add a second coat of primer to the roof over the V berth and take a photo. Using a roller and brush it is not too difficult and even inside the lockers the roller works quite well.
I have rescheduled the launch date to post Christmas. I never expected it would take a month to paint the deck but it did and I figure it will take a month to paint the insides even with the head start I have with primer over most of the furniture. I need to finish painting the undersides of the deck and cabin so that all the fittings can be bolted on. There is little point in launching on Christmas Eve and then going to Adelaide for the Laser sailing so mid january seems like a good time. The Dock was very happy to reschedule as they are very busy to Christmas and the mast manufacturer had not started so it seems they are both happy.
In the meantime the mainsail is finished ready for inspection and the boom bag should be done by the morning
The reason we set the No 2 genoa last night was because we did not want to put in the three long battens in the leech of the No 3 Genoa. We figured No 2 and a reef would do if the breeze stayed up at the 25 knots we saw across the deck up in the Lane Cove River. As it turned out the No 2 was the perfect choice for the evening. We were sent out on a short course around Cockatoo and Goat Island in anticipation of the breeze dying. Well it did abate but not by much. We made a well timed start and Izzi, Avanti, Saoirse and Passion rounded Onion Point line abreast. We had Izzi to windward and Saoirse to leeward and were delighted to keep clear air and climb over Saoirse. When we had to tack we took Izzi’s stern and came back in front on the next tack. We rounded Cockatoo first but with the big sails on Saoirse blanketing us we did not get far away. Saoirse, the leeward yacht took us up into the wind shadow of Cockatoo allowing Izzi to fly down the Balmain shore and into a never to be headed lead. We managed the doldrums around Goat quite well and emerged with a good lead over Saoirse but with Worlds Apart charging through. Fortunately for us Worlds Apart was kept on starboard tack by the Green division Rex well past the time to tack for Humbug and while she made up a lot of ground by bearing away a few degrees we did manage to keep our nose in front courtesy of a final whirlwind around Onion Point. First honours of the season went to Izzi with their new mainsail I spotted on Ben Gemmel’s facebook page.
At last i have non skid on the deck.
Non skid finished except for the cockpit floor and boarding platform which will be in light grey.
Friday started as a bright sunny day and despite the possibility of rain I applied the last coat of two pack polyurethane to the non skid area on the deck. Rolling the overcoat on the non skid was a quick process and I was soon having a morning coffee and reading the Financial Review. Mid morning the clouds rolled over but the rain stayed away all day much to my relief. It took longer to remove the masking tape and touch up the gloss stripes between the non skid patches than it did to do the whole deck but by evening the job was finished and the paint well dried. In between I was patching and undercoating the cabin sides inside and also started priming the ceiling in the V berth area so I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day. I had hoped to get up to the gloss on the cabin ceilings but some last minute spot filling was needed and that did not cure in time.
It has taken a full month to do the deck with four coats of primer, two of undercoat and two of top coat. I had to do the cabin top non skid separate from deck non skid just so I could work safely around the deck. The undercoats and top coats needed two days cure before they could be sanded so the time just dragged on. The end result is pretty pleasing and the cabin top has had long enough cure to be able to be walked on. In a couple of days the deck will also be trafficable and at last in safety.