The gas locker on our Didi 40 Cr Wide Stern version. Just the two pieces of plywood were needed to form up an air tight locker. I will move the stringer out on the transom about 30 mm to give clearance for the gas bottles at the back as well as the front of the locker.
The underside of the gas locker on our Didi 40 Cr Wide Stern before final fit and structural epoxy adhesive.
I am pleased with the gas and fuel locker on our Didi 40 Cr Wide Stern version. The enclosure was completed with just two pieces of 12 mm plywood and as well as enclosing the gas bottles in an air tight locker they provide additional support for the wide T shaped cockpit. I will glass the bottom of the locker both to protect the timber from the metal gas bottles and to bond the 12 mm ply to the frames, cockpit side and hull side. After a final fit today I ground off the two pack epoxy primer to give good adhesion for the plywood and later the glass on the bottom which will be turned up onto the frames. I then glued the 12 mm plywood in with thickened structural epoxy and in a few hours the locker was completed. There is one post completion job to do and that is relocate the deck stringer above the gas locker to give a few more millimetres of clearance. I will run the stinger parallel to the cockpit top so that I can put gas bottles in both ends of the locker without having to move one out to replace the second one.
I am still harbouring ambitions to get the 12 mm plywood on the deck around the cockpit area. That means fitting all the deck stringers since the plywood will extend into the area adjacent to the cabin. Both the 35 mm deck stringers and the 44 mm beam clamp that sit under the carlins need to be fitted. These are long lengths of timber so today was spend planing and routering edges and making splice joins in the long lengths. These are curing as I write and by the morning they will be ready to drop into place.
I must remember to drop the fuel tank into position as it will be easier before the deck goes on. Mine is a stainless steel one located in the very front of the locker just behind the wet locker. There are a couple of small cleats that need to be added so I might make an early start so the glue on these is cured in time.
And a final reminder to myself I need to clamp straight edges to all the frames so that the stringers will hold them straight. Yes even at this stage the unsupported edges of the frames can still move around and this will be the last chance to keep them straight.
Splice joins on the stringers for our Didi 40 Cr clamped together on a straight piece of LVL
Long stingers spliced together ready for final fit to the deck frames.