Making Fibreglass Parts

 I needed to make some stiffeners for both the keel bolt landings and the updated instrument transducer. Tools are pictured, key are the grooved roller, called I believe a "consolidator", as well as a big sheet of thick plate glass, which in this case, I covered with waxed paper to make cleanup easier. 

I avoid laying up in situ wherever possible as it is much easier to get a dense layup on the bench.

Read up on how to do this, but the key things are to alternate mat and cloth and to use the roller to compress the laminate and maximize the glass content.  You will see the resin float up to the surface.   Let it cure on the waxed paper and the sheet will be dead flat. 

This makes for a very stiff, strong sheet.  In this case I used 6 (I think...) alternating layers each, mat and cloth, and the result was about 3/16" thick.  I think it was 6 oz mat and 9 oz cloth.    I cut the parts out with a fein multimaster, and used an angle grinder to finish the radiused corners.  

If you are laminating onto curved sections of boat, or for whatever reason, need or want to do the layup on the boat, you can use this technique but lift the waxed paper up and apply the wet laminate like a band-aid, using the consolidator to help it conform to the existing structure.   

Tapered parts can be made by planning the work, and using progressively larger pieces of glass.  (or whatever)

ultra-thin flanges for a repair job.

The deck for the mast step.  Around 3/16" thick.

Two thicknesses epoxied together to be used for the second keelbolt.  This is about 3/8" thick, very flat and very dense. 

Hull reinforcement for transducer.  Wood works, but why bother...  

Cutlery Drawer Organizer in Acrylic

The arrangement and parts minimalization took a while to figure out, but I am happy with the result, especially given the drawer is located such that you cannot see its contents when you reach in.   

The organizer can be lifted out for cleaning.   The base is 1/8" acrylic, the separators are 1/4" and 1/2"(clear) and are solvent fused to the base with methylene chloride.

First-Aid Kit Mounting Bracket

 

Winter 2015.

This is an industrial-type first aid kit in a nanuk case, purchased through Vallen.   It will be mounted overhead at the foot of the quarter berth, (overfoot?) on the inside of the bulkhead that forms the back of the engine instrumentation/control wiring chamber.  (so the case will be upright, resting on the mahogany chock, secured by the velcro and the strap)

Two layers 1/4" acrylic, fused with methylene chrolride, industrial velcro and a captive webbing strap to secure.  Scrap mahogany chock, fitted to case. 

Took more time to simplicate the concept than than to make.   Out of the way, but easy to retrieve.

Vacuum flask/Thermos rack

 This is a simple project that has improved the comfort, safety, and livability of Windstar for shorthanded (or any) sailing.   It is simply a secure rack for two vacuum flasks.  I typically preheat these with boiling water then fill one with hot water and one with excellent coffee.  I keep a small electric "marina" kettle aboard as well as a stove top kettle.  Filling these is a morning ritual.

Having two flasks means the coffee is always ready as is water for instant foods or tea for those who prefer.  Also, one can remain undisturbed while the other is being used.   These will keep water very hot for well over 24 hours.

Pretty self explanatory, 1/4" acrylic, laid out, cut and drilled then bent on a strip heater.   

Deck fills and Adaptors

 

2019 Update

So, I replaced the pump put deck fill with a standard stainless steel unit and it turns out that the fitting has the SAME THREAD, which I now believe to be 1.25" NPS  (as in....  national pipe STRAIGHT)  The forespar part consists of a male to male 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" NPS reducer and a 1 1/2" female NPS to NPT adaptor.    Seems so simple now...  

See more recent  posts on replacing these deck fittings.

Original 2017 Blog post

It appears I am one of the fortunate few who has the threaded adaptor that actually fits the original 33-2 deck fill.   Finding a replacement is nearly impossible, apparently.   I finally got around to taking this thing to two hose and fitting supply companies in Toronto, and neither could identify it.   One tried hard and told me the thread diameter is 38.5 mm, 12 tpi, (yes, mixed the units) not tapered, and is not:
BSPP
MPSM
UNF

WTF?

The deck fills themselves look an awful lot like the forespar MF-830 series.

http://www.forespar.com/product602.html

UPDATE

OK, it looks like the 33-2 deck fills were made by a New Zealand-based company called RC marine, which was sold (along with Ronstan) to a corporation called Fortuna, which went bust mid 90's.  

The RC product line (and maybe others) was subsequently bought by Forespar in California, who continues to produce the same deck fills under the Forespar brand.  They are not widely distributed, and are difficult to find, and the connection to RC, surprisingly, is not readily findable on the internet.   In any case, the current Forespar Deck fills and associated spares are the compatible with our OEM RC deckfills.   (thanks Randy)

I have ordered a pump out adaptor.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE

May 6 2017

Got it.   Behold the elusive forespar MF-830, no doubt the prefix relates to its availability.

The pic is a bit dark...   As delivered the Forespar MF-830 adaptor consists of two pieces, screwed together.  It requires the addition of a cam lock hose connector to connect at the pump out.

What you get is a male to male adaptor, the small end of which (top thread in the photos) engages engages the deck fitting.  The large end (You can see a few threads)  engages  the second piece, which is a 1.5" female to female coupling.   

I wondered why the coupling was included - could the 1.5" male thread not fit a female cam lock hose connector?  Why three parts when two will do, as with my metal fitting in the photo above?

The 1.5" thread on both the coupling and the adaptor is not a standard north american tapered thread. (NPT style)   A cam lock hose fitting with a north american make thread will only fit if the tapered NPT male is threaded into the untapered female.  (like the metal example) The untapered male thread will not fit into NPT female thread. 

Anyway, it fits, it works, its available.   The readily available make plastic cam lock fittings thread perfectly into the coupling.  (the end facing down)  Nice thing is it is quite light.  I will attach a float, and the metal one will become a spare.

Fitting which fits.

Fitting which fits not.

2020 summer pics and video

2018

 

Cockpit Locker bulkhead

 Cockpit Locker Bulkhead

On the 33-2, there is a hatch on the starboard side cockpit seat that opens to the hull and equipment below..  .    This hatch provides access to engine, transmission, coolant overflow tank, propshaft and stuffing box, water heater, refrigeration compressor, engine cooling water intake through-hull fitting and strainer, fuel tank, steering cables and water pressure pump.  In Windstar, the dedicated start battery and xantrex battery charger also reside here.   

This is also where fenders, docklines, and anything else that's otherwise homeless would be stowed.  

That's a lot of stuff.

There is opportunity to better utilize this space, and what follows is a first step, and a pretty basic project..   

The project involves replacing a minimal removable plywood bulkhead, with one which incorporates some storage and organization.  This provides a home for winch handles, drop boards, bolt cutters, a pipe wrench, jacklines/dock lines, a deck brush, and the emergency tiller and wrenches.  The completed bulkhead in use is pictured below.  

The emergency tiller required a fixture to hold it in a way that it could be quickly accessed in an emergency.  .   Photo below is laying up a holster for the emergency tiller, bolt cutters and pipe wrench.

Off the form and trimmed.   Next step is to cut to length and paint.

Mounted on the new bulkhead, rough trial fit for experimentation.  This bulkhead is both longer and taller than the original.   Note, the tiller does not work in the location shown because the deck obstructs it from above.   No biggie, just used one of the other holsters.  You can see in the photo below, (only) the fitted wooden cleats that fit closely against the fuel tanks to form the pocket for the drop boards. 

Nearly done.  This is the starboard (outboard) side, you can see the tiller, dock line/jack line  hangers and a shallow plywood box for winch handles or any other loose items.   If you look closely beneath that box, you can see clips for the deck brush.   Not shown in this photo, and the pocket for the drop boards.     Note the cutaway at the bottom.   This provides access to the area below the fuel tank for the stowage of a spare anchor rode.

forward you can see the holster for the emergency tiller, there are two more such holsters on the opposite side.  

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