PocketShip Build in Europe

[BillR]

If you are not following the rebuild of Tally Ho, you will want to watch the three episodes about pouring their keel.

Part 1:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vbUyt4nJlNs

Part 2:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T99XCJJDGLU

Part 3:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl1ytAcjQmc

You will want to watch all the episodes. In one of them, and I can't remember which, they discuss the precautions you should take when pouring led.

[dbeck]

Here are three posts as an update on our build in Germany.

We are always impressed by the fast progress of other builds. But for some reason, our pace is always slower than expected. Although our workshop is well organized, small things turn out to be time consuming.

The bow section took a lot (!) of time. Nothing is straight, curves everywhere. This shows a trial fit of the lower breasthook. The clamping setup included an inverse C clamp instead of a temporary spreader stick.

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The cleats took time too. As a modification, we decided to install cleats as a support of the deck between bulkheads 1+2. A long temporary spreader stick was used to maintain proper shape of the side panels while the epoxy cured.

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The bow section with all cleats installed.

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After this photo was taken, we have planed all cleats to have flat surfaces where the deck will sit on. The final shape of the side panels turned out very well; only minor trimming of the deck was required when we did the final trial fit.

[dbeck]

This is how the bow section looks today.

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I believe pocketship provides ample of space, but... As one of my experiences with sailing, well defined spaces for storing important things you need while underway are important. Shown is a small storage space we have created above the smaller cutout in bulkhead 2. It rests on two cleats and a terminal prevents things from sliding off, when we'll have wind from the port side. It is secured by two screws and can be removed through the larger cutout (just in case). The inspection plate at bulkhead 1 got installed too.

We definitely want our boat to remain afloat and upright even with heavy structural damage. We managed to get about 112 liters of foam in the bow section (the manual wants 4.00 cubic feet, which is ~116 liters, so we did quite well). This picture shows the tunnel, at the very end one can see the screws of the temporarily installed bow eye.

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We've already prepared 41 liters of foam pieces under the footwell (the manual wants 40 liters, but our footwell will be wider).

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[dbeck]

As stated in the manual, the cabin floor is a big project.

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Our kit contained floorboards from ash, which got fitted, sanded and the edges rounded-over using a router. Three coats of oil were applied as final treatment. According to the specifications, the resulting surface should be heavy-duty, food-safe and resistant to substances such as red wine, let's see.

As a caveat, some of the provided floorboards turned out to be slightly shorter than needed. We've scratched our heads and discussed all sorts of options. But finally we decided to accept this as a unique feature. It does look a bit odd, but we'll get used to it - the aft space of the cabin will anyhow be crowded with all sorts of things while underway.

As a modification, we have included an additional lift-out section between bulkheads 2-4.

For securing the floor boards, the manual proposes bronze screws, but we've used stainless A4 screws with Torx head. When installing the floorboards, we applied lanolin wool wax to screws and the pre drilled holes. The intention is to seal the screw holes from water that may enter the cabin in rough conditions.

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Cheers,

Dietrich

[Dmitriy]

But for some reason, our pace is always slower than expected.

I believe that every builder can say this about himself in various situations.
Don't worry! Good job and good upgrades!

[dbeck]

... as an example, the manual - page 67 - says

Stitch in the rest of the bulkheads and forms.

It's just nine words, but it took us about two full days until we were satisfied with the fit.

[dbeck]

Finally its getting warmer and we can resume work with epoxy and paint.

Here is a small modification to the plans: We separated both lazarettes from the area under the footwell.

On each side, a piece of plywood is glued to the 'outside' of the footwell; the other edges received a fillet and a bit of glass. This creates a watertight and sealed compartment below the footwell.

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This modification helps in keeping the lazarettes tidy and clean; nothing can escape into the foam filled area below the footwell. Moreover, having the stern region separated into three distinct parts adds some safety to the boat.

[dbeck]

Hello Boatbuilders,

all decks are on. We have changed the sequence and did the following prior installing the decks:

• The undersides of the decks were painted, leaving out the surfaces meeting the deck framing,
• the openings for the lazarette hatches were cut; this allows to take care of the squeezed-out epoxy when installing the decks and
• the footwell was filleted and glassed; it felt more comfortable to do this while one could still work from the cabin floor.

This photo shows the decks upside down, sides swapped, prior installation.

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Finally, the installation went without screws, using the weight of our future internal ballast. On the forward side, a combination of some timber and c-clamps was used to let the installation cure in its final position (without bending down). The lazarette openings allowed for some clamps too.

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Cheers, Dietrich

Edit: After cleaning away the squeeze-out and removing the tape, this is how the space below looks like; only minor paintwork is missing. The white color creates a pleasant bright space; search & find of missing things below the deck will be a lot simpler.

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[dbeck]

As this topic is about documenting modifications from the plan/manual, here is another one. We have glassed the deck already at this stage. Glassing (and sanding) this large flat surface will never be easier than now. Prior glassing, a small fillet was added between deck and side panels and a large radius fillet at the transom. This was allowed to cure for a few hours, then smoothed with the alcohol-finger trick. Immediately after, the glass went on, over the fillets, extending onto the side panels and transom. We use this procedure a lot, as it saves time, avoids sanding fillets and is supposed to achieve a stronger bond.

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[dbeck]

April has been quite busy. We've installed the upper side panels, the cabin rear wall and the seatback frames in the cockpit. Fillets and glass is done, everything went according to the manual, except two things.

First, the joint between cabin rear wall and cockpit deck received additional glass tape at the inside of the cabin. Unfortunately, this is barely visible in the picture below.

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Second, the deck of the bow compartment was already glassed prior installation of the upper side panels. Then, the side panel went on. The joint between foredeck and upper side panel just received glass tape over the fillet (the inside of the upper side panel was already glassed about one year ago).

BTW: The soldering iron shown in the background of the figure above was very useful for removing stitch wires 'glued in' with epoxy (this happens sometimes, when we treat the joints with unthickened epoxy prior tack welding).

Cheers, Dietrich