The first dinghy is now out of the mould and ready for the next stage after it has cured off for a few days.

Just finished laying up the last two areas to get up to the required thickness 

The pulled it from its mould and on to the fitting out jig 

Having moulded the two seat/buoyancy tanks placed them in the boat to see if they needed  shaping to fit better the hull

 

The first stages of building the dinghy hull in the mould

First the two layers of Gelcoat on the mould

at so that it bonds with the gelcoat 

Then the second layer of CSM applied just as the first layer cured off. Then turn up the heating in the workshop for the rest of the day to keep the temperature up while the CSM and resin cures off then back tomorrow to apply the final two layers of CSM.

 

The start of the new dinghy taking place

Bring the mould into the workshop and the first job is to remove the old wax off the inside of the mould, then cleaning out the mould so it was ready to mould the first of two dinghies. 

After polishing the mould over the weekend and applying the release wax to the surface of the mould it was time to apply the first of two coats of white gelcoat to the mould.

After a few hours of curing of the gelcoat the second coat was applied.

Then the first layer of CSM will be applied to the mould and then the dinghy will start to take shape.

 

Just getting the angle of the engine mounts sorted

Before we continue fibreglassing in the engine beds, We have just dropped the engine in between the engine beds to sort out the engine mounts and their mounting steel angle iron to ensure they are in the correct position.

 

The dinghy mould polished and ready to be release waxed

Now that mould as been washed out and cleaned, it was brought in the workshop to be cleaned of any old mould release wax and compounded up to get it back to the black gelcoat of the mould.

After cutting back with a fine finishing compound it is now ready to be get its first coat of mould release wax and when it has had a second coat of mould release wax, it will then get its first coat of white gelcoat.

So over the course of the next week, it will be time to start moulding the first dinghy of the year. 

 

A new week ahead and going to get busy.

I have just got a commission to build one of my 8 ft dinghy for a client for Easter.

It is going to trimmed with FSC sourced Mahogany and locally grown and sourced oak for its quarter knees and breasthook and will traditional slated floor boards.    

The job is to prepare the inside of the mould to make it ready to be coated with release wax and the its coats of white gelcoat. Then hand lay up the hull and when it is cure release the hull from the mould and fit it out on the building frame.

 

The difference a week makes in the boatyard a bit of snow and the area slows down, however, not for long.

 It has been a bit of a week over at the boatyard and in the workshop, partly because I have for the early part of the week was not able to get to the boatyard and  workshop. When I able to get there. There was a few bits that needed sorting out. my temporary cover over my Yacht had got damaged. So that when the weather get better I will have to get out my welder and reweld some of the end sections which are short pipe spigots get have broken off. Not a major problem but one I could do without having to do. However, such is life. So a bit of Modifying to be done on the ends so it does not happen again. Apart from that the rest of the boatyard and workshop as faired reasonably well given the weather we have just had.   On the plus side I have just got a commission to mould a couple of 8ft dinghies for Easter. 

So when I get back to the workshop next week, it will be time to clean up the mould and get the gelcoat and matt and resin flowing and get the hulls moulded and then fitted out ready for Easter, So going to be busy for the time now and Easter moulding and fitting out the pair of dinghies. At the same time continuing with the fitting of the engine beds in the picnic boat and getting on with that boat as well.

Bedding the aft floor bearers and screwing the engine beds into the floor bearers

After shaping the bottoms of the aft floor bearers at the end of the engine beds, they were bedded on a thickened mix of epoxy and set them on to the hull.

Using the spreader panels to keep the engine beds in the correct position while the epoxy cured and then glass in the floor bearers and then once the floor bearers are glassed into position do the same to the engine beds.Thickened epoxy and then glassed into position.

Once the engine beds are glassed in position fit the steel angles on to the engine beds and so out the fitting of the stern tube.

 

Setting out the engine beds and position the engine between the engine beds

Setting out the engine beds with the spreader panels to get them in the correct position 

The engine beds lined up along the boat set off from the centre line

Lowered the engine into position to work out the height of the engine rubber mounts needed and the length and size of the angled steel needed to be purchased to bolt the engine mounts too.

 

The forward floor bearers now glassed into position and planning to thickness the engine beds

The floor bearers are now glassed into position and are ready to starting fitting the engine beds to the aft end of the floor bears 

Starting to plane down the engine beds to the correct thickness before shaping the bottom face to fit the hull. Once that is done then set in a bed of thickened epoxy resin and then lay up with 10 layers of 600g CSM and then fit the engine bed steel angle which the engine rubber mounts will be bolted through.

 

Making up white gelcoated panels for repairs to a Hardy Pilot galley unit

Making up white Gelcoated panels of different sizes to fit the holes in the galley unit of a Hardy Pilot which has had holes cut into the galley unit by former owners and this present owner wishes to re fill the holes and put the galley unit back the way it was originally build. 

The process to gelcoat a release waxed panel and then gelcoat the panel with two layers of white gelcoat then 6 layers of 600g CSM to build up the correct thickness required 

 

Two down just one more to go and then we will have the correct amount of panels to fill in the holes and return the galley unit to the way it was orignally.