1 2 < Building Blind Date Report 3, page 2 > 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Jan Schippers & Rudolf van de Brug building a Visionarry named Blind Date.
Rudolf writes:
The main bulkheads were glued and taped in place, the already fitted sole acting as a guide for them to take the correct angle. We started on the interior fitout beginning with the shelves forming the galley counter top and bottom. Cupboards were built against each bulkhead. A navigation station and a built in refridgerator were fitted. The interior is kept simple with no extra wood trim which is expensive both in money end weight. Fresh water will be kept in jerry cans under the sink. For cooking an alcohol burner is chosen. The toilet will be porta potti style.
Apart from the counter top which is 10mm, the interior is made from 6mm ply. The ply was coated with epoxy(500gr/m2) and sanded ready to paint before cutting. Painting the interior will be done in a later stage contrary to earlier plans.
Next we joined the 'righthand' bridgedeck base to the hull. The matching cabin we built on the floor using the molds on a simple strongback. Flat surfaces we had aready made in foam and glass when there still was room for a large table in the workshop. So what we had to do was to strip plank the curved part between the cabin side and -deck. The curved part was glassed to the foam parts and bogged.
The entry bulkhead was cut from 6mm ply and glued and taped to the inside of the hull. We strip planked the seats on molds with dimensions given in the drawings. When glassed, they were bogged and sanded. The cabin top was put on the bridgedeck and held in place at the centre line join with small pieces of ply. Doing so we got a smooth join on the inside. The 3mm extra thickness of the foam is easy to deal with on the deck. When everything was in the right position and level it was secured and joined together with fillets and glass tape.
With the cabin deck in place we fitted the seat. The volume and size of the boat began to show and impressed us. Because of the relative small workshop we were sometimes forced to adapt the working order mentioned in the drawings. We now had one bridgedeck cabin fitted and were very curious to see what adding the other half would do for the cockpit. The space inside the bridgedeck cabin is huge. After fitting the other side in similar way we agreed this boat is going to be a very commodious floating holliday home. Every join was filleted and taped as specified in the drawings. At this stage we fitted the part of the main bulkheads protruding into the bridgedeck cabin.
Now we started working on all the details that emerged when large parts ran out.Lots of rounding off , fillets and tape. Grips at the entrance bulkhead as a handhold when stepping in and out of the hull, at the same time strengthening that bulkhead.Two steps glued and taped to the hull side. Making the entrance through the deck the right size by adding foam and glassing. Hatches to close the entrance. Foam and glass stiffeners under the cockpit floor.
When things on the list of stil to do became smaller in size and number, we started building the cockpit cover. The molds were screwed to 18mm panels cut to the size and shape given in the drawings. The cover top was strip planked and glassed. When it was cured and we took it off the mold to glass the inside, the windward side of the cover sprung back as if it had not been built on the mold. We decided to cut it away and replace it with foam persuaded to take the shape with a heat gun. This went very well resulting in a nicely rounded top.
In the mean time we began fairing. The cockpit cover top is in position above the hull on a temporary frame. By the end of the week we will start adding the sides. Building time so far 1000 hours.
Regards, Rudolf
1 2 < Building Blind Date Report 3, page 2 > 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Thanks to Paul ten Hoorn for supplying the photos.
