November 17, 2003
As is evident in the pictures, the boat is getting very near the decking stage. Over the last several weeks the battens have been cut and fitted onto the boat.
The battens were cut down from pieces of Spruce. To get the battens to the proper size required tremendous amounts of planning. In fact, after one day of batten work, we had three large garbage cans packed full of Spruce chips!
Only four battens had to be spliced together, the rest are all single piece. The spliced battens are the four that run the full length of the boat on the sides.
The next step is to seal all the battens individually with West System epoxy. While this is taking place, the boat will be flipped over and hung upside down so the inside can be sealed. Mike Campbell of the Miss Budweiser crew will probably do the painting. He will be spraying an epoxy based substance that gives the appearance of Varnish, will protect the wood from UV radiation, and seal all the wood.
Once this is done, the battens will be glued in place and it will be time to deck.
The other project of the day was the oil tank. Dixon finished a cardboard mock-up of the tank to ensure it would fit properly and have the necessary properties for good oil circulation. Now an Aluminum tank will be welded up. Also, work is being done on the original ADI tank to seal up the leaks. This will be placed on the right side of the boat near the cockpit and held in with T-55 bleed bands!
Read MoreThe battens were cut down from pieces of Spruce. To get the battens to the proper size required tremendous amounts of planning. In fact, after one day of batten work, we had three large garbage cans packed full of Spruce chips!
Only four battens had to be spliced together, the rest are all single piece. The spliced battens are the four that run the full length of the boat on the sides.
The next step is to seal all the battens individually with West System epoxy. While this is taking place, the boat will be flipped over and hung upside down so the inside can be sealed. Mike Campbell of the Miss Budweiser crew will probably do the painting. He will be spraying an epoxy based substance that gives the appearance of Varnish, will protect the wood from UV radiation, and seal all the wood.
Once this is done, the battens will be glued in place and it will be time to deck.
The other project of the day was the oil tank. Dixon finished a cardboard mock-up of the tank to ensure it would fit properly and have the necessary properties for good oil circulation. Now an Aluminum tank will be welded up. Also, work is being done on the original ADI tank to seal up the leaks. This will be placed on the right side of the boat near the cockpit and held in with T-55 bleed bands!
