Much Doing

 Following up from the last episode where the solar panels were installed .....

A 100 ampere hour LiFePO4 battery rests comfortably in its' new home in the starboard hull. The solar charge controllers attached to this battery have Bluetooth. This feature allows me to monitor the battery's state of charge as well as the solar output through a tablet in my living room.  These days I'm up before the sun and have watched the solar system go through the off, bulk, absorption, float and off states of charge.  This might be the sort of thing that only an engineer would enjoy and find highly gratifying as the system works  perfectly.    

It seems I have some wires in the background lacking neatness.  This adds to things on the needing attention list.    What should be done with the newly installed power?

 The goose neck lamp and power outlets are functional.  I learned that the lamp has a dimming function for those who wish to set a mood.  It also has a red light to preserve night vision or to better establish the mood.  Long time readers may remember that the power outlets have a USB outlet and a 12 volt cigarette lighter outlet.  These could be useful elsewhere.

Outlets are located fore and aft in the cockpit.  These outlets will keep the navigation tablet powered as well as powering cockpit lights while anchored.

 I was surprised to learn that I had bought more outlets than I intended.  Outlets are now installed in both cockpit aft lockers.  These outlets could be used to charge the outboard batteries over a period of several days, but I consider this an unlikely event.  Lights and other rechargeable items could be plugged in and locked up while the boat is unattended.  I've developed a wish list for items I might leave plugged in here.  There are electric thrusters that strap onto your arm and pull you through the water like a one armed superman.  Electric air pumps allow you to stay submerged for extended periods.  These are just a few ideas if I should be on your Christmas list.

There is no shortage of available outlets.  The power available in this small solar system is sure to impose limitations on what can be accommodated from my wish list.  

Gluing jigs are sometimes necessary when assembling items.  Here the outlet boxes are surrounded by scrap wood screwed to the table to hold the pieces square.  Rubber bands provide a clamping force.  The scrap wood is covered with packing tape to prevent adhesion to the outlet boxes. 

I decided to deviate from the plans here and build a mast tabernacle.  I believe the tabernacle will provide a more stable configuration as I single handedly step (raise) the mast.    

The squared off section is the beginnings of a mast.  The tabernacle saddles the mast step on the forward cockpit crossbeam .  In time a clamp will be replaced with a through bolt after the tabernacle is epoxied together.  The mast will pivot on the through bolt as it is raised from a horizontal position to a vertical position. 

The plate facing the cockpit will receive hardware for handling the halyards (sail raising/lowering lines).  I await the hardware to complete the tabernacle in the next episode.

My remaining marine plywood is 3/8" thick.  I didn't feel like this thickness was enough for the loads encountered so two thickness were laminated together to achieve a 3/4" thickness.  Thanks to router patterning bits it is easy to turn out identical parts.

Not shown in this initial stage of the parts bearing the word master, is a square cut out that allows the mast to pivot to a horizontal position. 

Here the tabernacle parts are having six ounce fiberglass applied to the edges.  Push pins hold the fiberglass in place as the epoxy is brushed on.  Cuts are made on both sides of the fiberglass where there is a transition from a straight run to the curved section.  Epoxy is applied to the straight sections first to stabilize the fabric's position then the push pins are removed and additional side cuts are made along the curved section so the fabric will lay down against the piece.

The tabernacle "fork" pieces on the right hand side received stiffening from the application of 1708 fiberglass fabric on both faces.  1708 is a much heavier fabric that I applied in three layers to protect the keels in groundings.

On the left is the electric outboard control unit.  The throttle levers are too stiff to operate without the unit being tied down.  In operation, this unit is held to the aft cockpit locker lid by a thumb screw.  The thumb screw goes through a hole in a plate extending below the control unit's base.  This plate does not allow the control unit to sit stable and flat when stowed away.  

To the right is the control unit stowage stand.  The slot receives the projecting plate and limits fore/aft and side to side movement.  The remaining elevated surface supports the control unit base.

Here the control unit rests on its' stowage stand just behind the motor battery.  This large locker is getting filled up before I'm even started.

Here we are again with gluing jig and the beginnings of the stowage stand.  What is different is a white template under the plastic that directs part alignment. 

Bimini Me Not

 I'm running out of things to build, but an amount of work remains in a large list of small and important things.

 Above is the gaff spar.  This is a spar at the top of the sail that increases the sail area while reducing the sail height.  The reduced sail height lowers the sail's center of force thereby reducing the capsizing forces.  This is an old school type of a sail rig.  The banana shaped piece will be held between the forks by a pin and slide against the mast as the gaff/sail is raised or lowered.  It is shown here after fiber glassing and primer painting.  I await the sails to install additional hardware and the paint top coat.

Each gaff leg is a lamination of three thickness of mahogany, it is just too stiff to bend in a single thickness.  The legs were individually laminated while clamped to blocks screwed into the work table to form the desired shape.  Above, the legs are epoxied together to complete the gaff.  This is followed by rounding over the edges to fit comfortably into the sail sleeve.   

I've always thought that a bimini would be necessary to provide refuge from the intense sun.  My thinking was that this would come as a later addition.  I happened to come across a bimini at a price and color that I could not pass up.  It is far easier to make provisions for this now rather than later.

Initially the bimini frame was too large to be accommodated in the available space and it made access into the cabins more difficult.  After much consideration and frame cutting it was made to fit, but the supplied bimini fabric top may be scraped.  The top will be a future project to develop sewing skills for other projects to come.  The bimini will provide coverage for over 50% of the cockpit area.  One down side is that the mast will need to be extended so the sail will pass over the bimini.  This has been done on other Tiki 26s.  I'll just need to reef the sail at lower wind speeds than in the standard mast configuration.

The bimini stows away in the forward position leaving the cockpit and mast operations unobstructed.  Reasonable access to the forward trampoline, lockers and head are possible by this arrangement.  The burgundy bimini cover still fits in spite of my modifications.

No, these are not tasty treats.  The ingredients are mahogany, fiber glass, epoxy and fairing compound.  These are the raw bimini mounting blocks before they are sanded and adhered to the cabin sides.   In the background is part of a full scale bimini frame drawing and its' hinge points.  This drawing was very useful in determining the frame cut lengths.

It was not possible to hold the floppy bimini assembly in the installed position without mounts.  Interference with other necessities were not apparent until the bimini was in position.  The sheets control the jib sail position and the bimini frame limited the paths the sheets could take to control the sail.  Crippling the boat's sailing ability is not a viable option.  Much time and effort went into the bimini, but this arrangement will be abandoned.  All is not lost as the bimini may reappear, but be more like setting up a tent at some future time.

Notice anything new and different here?  That's right, 140 watts of solar power installed on the locker lids!  Each solar panel has a dedicated solar charge controller to keep the battery charged.  If one panel is shaded by the sail, the other panel can still provide charge current.  A third charge controller is installed that may service a future panel on the aft trampoline.

One difficulty that had to be overcome was the very stiff solar panel lead wires.  These wires are meant to endure constant sun exposure and do not allow tight bend radiuses.  Above are the holes the wires pass through in the locker lid.  Initially a straight hole was drilled through the lid and then a small rasp was worked through the holes at an angle so the wires could be installed in a more horizontal position.  

The solar panels and lead penetration covers are held on by Very High Bond (VHB) doubled sided tape.  It is said that VHB tape is used to install windows in skyscrapers.  It is a one shot installation with no post installation adjustments.  To insure good alinement wooden locating guides are taped to the lid before installation.

Here the panel is installed with the lead penetration covers.  The covers are installed at a distance from the panel that gives the tightest lead radius that I feel comfortable with.  This image may better illustrate the need for the nearly horizontal lid penetration holes previously discussed.

It seemed wise to do some heavy boat material shopping as tariff stupidity is bandied about.  The following items should be in my hands in the next month or so:

- Main sail with burgundy gaff sleeve, sail cover, sail number 449 and inverted Wharram logo (for those two readers who know the boat's name)

- Jib sail with burgundy furling strips on the foot and leech

- Roller furling jib foil

- 100 Ah 12V lithium battery

- Locker latches

- Primer and paint 

Tillerating

 Anchor Locker

In a previous episode the anchor locker was featured in a paint primer state.  It has since been finished as you are soon to see.

This is view into the anchor locker with the anchor roller assembly to the left.  An over center latch, in the upper right, hooks onto the anchor chain to secure the anchor while stowed.  The cleat in the lower right serves as a backup securing point for the anchor rode (line) while anchored.  The anchor rode is attached to an anchor bridle extending from each bow as the primary attachment points.  Such an arrangement is necessary on catamarans to keep the boat from slewing back and fort relative to the wind.

   The anchor locker lid is hinged at two points so that it folds in half towards the aft end.  Two latches are installed adjacent to the center hinge ends to prevent the locker from being blown or washed open.

Above is the installed anchor locker with a nonskid lid surface.  I'm torn between really liking it and thinking it might be over the top.

 Swim Ladder/Cat Walk

Side rails are install on either side of the swim ladder.  These rails will serve as attachment points for the aft trampolines.  Hardware is installed on the rail, after crossbeam and ladder to raise or lower the ladder from the cockpit. 

Tillers

Now that the hurricane season has passed, the sun shade is re-erected.  The rudders are lashed onto the hulls to support the cantilevered tiller arms.  The tiller arms are reinforced with lashings fore and aft of the rudder heads.  The tiller bar joins the tiller arm ends at a comfortable arm rest height in the cockpit.

As with the crossbeams, the rudders are lashed to the hulls.  The rudder lashing are in a figure 8 pattern to form an effective hinge.

As the boat goes through a turn, the outside rudder travels through a larger radius circle than the inside rudder.  This requires a difference in deflection for the inside and outside rudders.  The geometry of curved tiller arms achieve this deflection differential.  This is similar to the steering on an automobile. 

The tiller arms are constructed of two lengths of 3/4" thick mahogany joined together at the cockpit end.  The 3/4" thick material is too stiff to readily bend so thinner laminations are used.  Blocks are screwed to the work table to clamp the arms into the desired shape as the epoxy sets.

The tiller bar pivots on pins installed in the tiller arm ends.  The pins must be inclined at the same angle as the rudder hinge angle in order to function without binding or breaking.  This was accomplished by drilling through a mahogany block at a square angle. The blocks were then cut at the required hinge angle before the blocks were epoxied to the arms.  The holes then served as a drilling guide to continue the holes into the tiller arms.  The heads were cut off two bolts and rounded over to serve as pivot pins when epoxied into the drilled holes.

The tiller arms are the only exterior components I have not sheathed in fiberglass.  It might have taken better than a week to complete such a process and I might have ended up with tiller arms that would no longer fit on the rudders.  The mahogany, two coats of epoxy and five coats of paint should offer good enough protection from the elements for a number of years. 

Catwalk/Ladder

This September marks the seventh year of this boat building obsession.  I had to knock off for a while as I was seeing double and could not recognize people across the room.  March was the month for me to not renew my driver's license and from then on I mostly walked to places as needed.  My vision issues continued until July when I got patched up by cataract surgery.  My dusty shop was not the place to be after such surgery.  Thankfully, I had a friend who travels to Belize City once a week and he conveyed me to the eye clinic a number of times. 

Above is the 2022 Great Wall Motors (GWM), Cannon Poer, pickup truck.  I'll leave it to my readers to determine the country of origin.  This is the vehicle that transported me to Belize City for fun with eyes.  I was impressed with the fit and finish, how quiet it is, the comfortable ride, the multitude of features and the great acceleration.  My friend upgrades his vehicles at two year intervals and he planned to buy a new Cannon pickup.  My vintage Chevrolet S10 pickup has been problematic and suffers a rain water leak that wets the seats, dashboard wiring and floor boards.  Attachment to the S10 never developed, but it served the purpose of not appearing flashy or affluent.  The Cannon was offered at a great price providing a leap frog upgrade for me.  The flashy and affluent appearance thing may have gone out the window.

I likely, may never become a truck guy and this truck exceeds my truck needs.  It is powered by a two liter, four cylinder, turbocharged diesel coupled to an eight speed automatic transmission providing the great acceleration.  I'm now riding in air conditioned comfort.  The Cannon is the top of the pickup line equipped with lane keeping, bird's eye view and backup cameras, four wheel drive, keyless start/entry and many other features I'm still exploring and learning to use.  The key fob expanded my key wad by one third and resulted in inadvertent horn honking as other keys pressed against the fob.  I now carry the fob in a separate pocket to avoid the startling horn episodes.  GWM offers fully featured pickups at a price and value that U.S. producers do not match.  Interestingly, the GWM dealership is owned by the progressive Mennonites from Spanish Lookout.

 The boat build continues with cutting into the last full plywood sheet and using up all of the fiberglass fabric (more needed).  Is the project end near?  Much remains to be done and my latest efforts have focused on building a catwalk aft of the cockpit and extending to the aft most crossbeam.  I intend to install a barbecue on the aft most crossbeam.  But wait, there's more!

 The catwalk is also a boarding ladder!  This will greatly ease the process of removing one's self from the water.  This image also shows the beams, to either side of the ladder, that will support the aft trampoline(s).  The beams are not shown in the previous image as additional fitment is required in the catwalk configuration.  Additional hardware is on the way so that pulling on a line will retract the catwalk or releasing the line will deploy the ladder.  It might be that a partially deployed ladder will make a great seat for barbecue activities.

This is the raw stack of parts that must be assembled, sheathed in fiberglass, repeatedly sanded and painted.  The eagle eyed will notice that the finished product has one less tread than shown here.  Somehow I made a mistake, but lucked out where the dimensions are such that one less tread fits the installed position.  

Fixtures were made to epoxy together the treads.  The fixtures hold everything square during the curing process.  The treads pivot on 1/2" fiberglass rods that extend into holes drilled through the side rails.  The rods are epoxied only to the side rails to hold the whole assembly together.   

There is much painting ahead. High temperature and high humidity are not desirable conditions for this activity.  A used portable air conditioner was purchased to reduce the temperature and humidity in the shop.  The air conditioner is too small to cool the whole shop, but it is located adjacent to my work area.  A downside is that I have to keep all the metal window louvers closed while the AC is running.  The light and the views are so much better with open louvers.   An upside is I don't have to run around opening and closing the 21 louvers each day.  I collect the AC water condensate in a five gallon bucket.  I could have enough drinking water to last me a week by running the AC a few hours.  It seems to be working!