December 17, 2002
The project of the day was to laminate and fit battens. A few of the battens were one piece oak. However, many were laminated up from three layers of oak.
For the lamination, a batten already laid was used for the shape. This batten was taped over, and the tape waxed, so that the lamination would not stick to the boat. Then, the three pieces of oak were glued together and placed on the boat, clamped horizontally in many places so that the cross section would maintain a rectangular shape. A few clamps in the vertical direction were used to hold the batten in place.
After everything was aligned, the horizontal clamps were carefully turned into the vertical position shown in the photos to hold the batten in place. The excess glue was cleaned off, and work then began on the next batten.
Once a batten had fully cured (overnight), the tape was peeled off (with the help of a heat gun!) and Mike did final fitting, the batten was sealed with West Systems, and permanently attached to the boat.
Read MoreFor the lamination, a batten already laid was used for the shape. This batten was taped over, and the tape waxed, so that the lamination would not stick to the boat. Then, the three pieces of oak were glued together and placed on the boat, clamped horizontally in many places so that the cross section would maintain a rectangular shape. A few clamps in the vertical direction were used to hold the batten in place.
After everything was aligned, the horizontal clamps were carefully turned into the vertical position shown in the photos to hold the batten in place. The excess glue was cleaned off, and work then began on the next batten.
Once a batten had fully cured (overnight), the tape was peeled off (with the help of a heat gun!) and Mike did final fitting, the batten was sealed with West Systems, and permanently attached to the boat.
