Composite Boatbuilding 8

Hull & Deck Joint and its prep.

Before we join the hull and deck, we still have a lots of jobs to be done.

1.Prod Tube Install

With two pieces of MDF, we made one drill guide and made holes around the nosecone then cut it out.

Later, water passage should be connected to the prod tube to center case so that water gets in through the prod tube could get out through the center case.

2.Life Line tube

Later metal pole for life line will be fitted in the tube, so we fixed the tube onto the hull and made hole on the deck for it.

3.Cabin hole on the B/H 

We cut out big circle from the B/H, which will be an access to the cabin of the boat.

4.Other Hull Finishing up

We fixed B/H to the hull on the hull and girder. Then, we cut out the girder for center case fitting and vacuumed the floor.

So now, panel on the hull was completed and we did center case adjustment and cut out the center case inlet on the deck for dry fit.

Then we dry fitted the deck on the hull as below.

As you see, transom doesn't touch the hull, deck line is a bit higher than where it should be and there's gap between top sides and deck foam. To fix these things, we did many times of dry fit.

Then we rounded after face of girder to fit the coved transom as in photo below.

Then we carved some part of foam from b/H and filled it with rubberized epoxy rather than using flange.

Then we put the rubberized epoxy on the transom & girder flange and hull flange and went for hard fitting.

To fix the deck on right position and to make it jointed firmly, we used following methods.

Wood clamping on deck line.

Wedge to secure deck center line and fair line

Weight on the deck for firm and hard join.

After hard deck-hull joint, we still had following problems.

B/H doesn't touch the floor.

Deck doesn't sit on B/H properly.

To fix these problems, I think we added more foam  to the B/H and glassed it. And also we completed coving under the deck and hull joint.  When it's coved and glassed we put the heater inside of the cabin and sealed it with cardboard cover for inside cooking as in photo below.

Then we peeled of peel ply of the deck a bit and sealed gap in the hull-deck joint. Then, we covered it with masking tape to avoid glue contamination.