Thursday, September 13, 2007

Working on deck inserts

After finishing the port hull deck planking today, here's how it looked:

That deck curve turned out nice, if I do say so myself. :-)

Next up were the high density inserts. All I've done so far is cut the holes for the inserts - nothing has been bogged yet. As mentioned in my last post, I'm still wondering what other deck hardware I need to make allowances for. So I spent an inordinate amount of time today staring at the deck layout sheet in the plans, and researching on the internet to see what size various fittings are, what they are used for, etc.

Here is the mast step insert cut-out:

Here you can see the bow deck center cleat cut-out:

Yeah, I admit it's probably over-sized -- I tended to err on the side of caution, in cases where exact insert dimensions were not specified.

I didn't realize before, but now I know that with a center cleat you need chocks or fairleads at the edge of the deck to guide the lines so they don't chafe on the hull. Haven't installed those inserts yet for this hull half -- the ideal time would be before bogging in the bow deck foam, so I will probably wait until the hull half is unmolded.

Here's the winch insert, and the cutout for the jib track insert:

One question that's been nagging me all day: what's a "jib track" used for? Seriously now, don't laugh - I'm honestly wondering about this. I'm guessing that the sheets from the jib attach to it, and are then guided back to the winch(es), but why does it need to be on a track? Does it slide back and forth freely while sailing, or is it a tuning mechanism that you adjust periodically? Would love to hear an answer from someone more knowledgeable than I.

I did all of the deck planking from outside of the mold -- awkwards at times, but doable. Once I started working on the h/d inserts, I decided that I needed to get inside the hull. I'm using a 6" wide strip of marine plywood, cushioned at both ends to avoid tearing at the glass:

So far it seems to hold my weight (about 21 stone) okay, but I'm careful to only step on top of the form frames. I'm glad this worked out -- was worried about this part.

6 comments:

Jay said...

Ok, I think I figured out the jib track thingy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_traveller

Note that the plans only call for a 12" long track...guess there's not much of an adjustment range needed.

Jay

Anonymous said...

Hello Jay,

The traveller in this wikipedia page descibes the mainsheet traveller, which runs across the boat. Your traveller is the jib sheet traveller. It is used to adjust the downward angle of the jib sheet in order to open/close the leech (aft edge) of the jib.
The control range needed is not so big.

I hope this is clear enough, my english is not so good...

Hans

Anonymous said...

and BTW :
It is indeed a tuning mechanism that you adjust periodically.

Hans

Anonymous said...

Hi Jay,
The jib traveler is used to adjust the downward angle of the jib, but it is even more important, if you are using a jib reefing and furling systems. If you reef your Jib, you have to bring to traveler more to the bow.

Roger B

Anonymous said...

Hi Jay,
I think everyone above has said what the sheet track is generally for. My take is that the 12 inch adjustment is for finding the best trim, given the cut of your sail, for going upwind. The small jib is for driving the boat upwind. Look how far inboard that track is. Tuned up this boat is designed to perform.

Grant

Jay said...

Thanks all for your comments, that helps. You can tell I've got a lot to learn! :)

Jay