THE RIG

Here are some photos of the rig i built for the boat to try and answer some of the questions people have been asking on the i550.org forum.

Top of the mast where the masthead goes. (i forgot to take a photo of the masthead!)

Spreader clamp tip. the wire goes up the middle between the two cap screws and is tightened up to stop the wire running up and down in the tip and stops the rig movement more.

how the spreaders attach and the track.

Gooseneck and the gooseneck stays with their attachment point. simple and easy.

Main spreaders. you can see the t-ball backer for the lowers just below the spreader.

Mast join. sleeved up the inside and riveted together.

top of mast again. the tball backer seen here is the termination point for the backstays.

Rig, looking from the masthead down.

Top spreaders with forestay and cap shroud attachment points.

Top slot is the forestay attachment, bottom slot is the slot for the jib halyard sheave box.

CENTREBOARD CASE

Next Job was to install the centreboard case. We first med up a fitted sleeve by wrapping double biaxial glass around the keel blade. While that went off we installed a nice big block into the floor laminated from 2 pieces of 12mm ply. If we were going to hit the bottom we would rather the case split than the blade tear back through the hull and slice it open. Once this was made we glued it in, let it set, marked out the slot and cut it. We then installed the glass case off the keel blade and let it set.

It was then time to glue in the thwart infront of the keel box and finish the top of the case, which was the same as the 1" laminated floor block but was only one piece of 12mm. everything was filleted with nice big fillets and glassed with nice and strong double biax.

INSTALLING FRAMES

Next job was to install the frames by filleting and glassing them. This wasn't very hard, everything held its shape since glassing and we only had to trim the corners of the frames to fit in because of the fillets.

We then installed the meranti gunnel landings which were stripped down to 2"x 1" and scarfed together to make the whole length of the boat. Landing were glued on for the deck at every frame and we ran the cockpit floor supports and runners. Note also the butt-joins we used to join the hull panels instead of scarfing.

GLASS 'N' FLIP

Once we had the panels zipped, filleted, and taped we then glassed the hull. We glassed the hull in a morning, although a very warm Queensland summer! Glass was first cut to the hull shape, this was a two person operation. Once we had the glass sorted it was my responsibility to constantly mix epoxy, while 3 others glassed the boat. I mixed in 1L amounts every time as this was the maximum i could mix without it flashing off in the hot sun. We used foam rollers to get the coverage. Once it was all on we then Peel-plied the hull. Following weekend we pulled off the peel-ply and lifted the hull off the jig, which was very rigid even with only 2 frames in it.

BOX IT UP!

Once we had the frames on the jig aligned, the hull panels joined it was time to start putting them on. you'll note a lot of the other builds are neater! this is because all of them have been built upright, most have been inside and this was the first boat built and a lot of bridges were being crossed as we built her.

we joined the panels with the zip ties and bogged her up inside and out. Note in one of the photos you can see the big patch of bog up at the bow due to the hollow that develops as the ply is tortured to which every builder has encountered and overcome. also note the three 3mm deep cuts on the bottom to reduce the tension in the ply as it is tortured athwartship and longitudinally.

The Trashbaby build.

Just thought i would post up the build from start to finish over the next week or two and whack up some videos ect of regattas we have done just to keep you all motivated and help out those who are building or thinking of building!

We started off lofting out the panels and frames, and then set up temporary frames onto a jig with the real transom on the jig too. We went with the jig on a frame from the sheer fact we were building outside in my nanna's backyard and the ground is definitely not flat there!