August 17, 2019
I was excited to get moving on the electric motor installation, as well as completing the final repairs to the old outboard engine opening. Because the owner has selected the Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 FP (Fixed Pod), and equivalent 8hp outboard motor, there is not need for the engine opening in the counter of the boat. To date, I have begun to enclose the old opening by laying up a few layers of fiberglass from the interior of the lazarette locker. I will plan to lay glass on the exterior of the repair when the female mold for the Torqeedo's mounting block in glued in place. Gluing, with thickened epoxy, the mold in place was the order of business for the day.
I began by making sure the mounting block (black elongated oval shown below) sat in its female mold in a level orientation...and first making sure that the shop table sat level. Next, I removed the black mounting block from the female mold and then hot-glued the small level and wooden block construct, shown below, onto the female mold.
I returned to the boat and placed the female mold into position underneath the counter of the boat, secured by a couple wood braces.
The idea here is to use the small level, not hot-glued onto the female mold itself, to ensure that this mounting surface stays in its proper orientation as I brace it for a period of time to allow for the thickened epoxy to cure. The orientation I was going for was level on an athwartship basis.
A side view, below, shows the female mold dry-fitted and braced into its future home, with a slight downward orientation, to aft, of the mounting block, represented by the small wooden blocks.
Happy with how things looked, and the process for securing the position of the female mold whilst the epoxy cured, I moved forward with prepping the surfaces to be epoxied. I solvent washed the surfaces of the boat as well as the female mold, and made centerline marks to help guide the final fit and position of the female mold.
I then mixed a small batch of epoxy resin, and proceeded to wet out the mating surface of the female mold as well as the boat's surface. With epoxy resin on the surfaces to be bonded, I then thickened the epoxy resin with a combination of West System's 406 colloidal silica and 407 low-density filler. I buttered the mating surface of the female mold with the thickened epoxy, gradually increasing the thickness as I moved aft on the female mold. As can be seen in the picture above, there is an increasing gap between the female mold and the boat as you move aft. I placed the female mold into position, pushing it firmly into place, and dealing with the thickened epoxy squeeze out as I pressed it into place. The picture below shows the bracing to keep the female mold in place.
I made sure that the female mold was aligned on the boat's centerline - shown below.
I also made sure that the female mold was level in its side to side orientation. With the bracing doing its job, I carefully cleaned out the excess epoxy squeeze out. I decided to fill in the gaps on either side of the female mold in the next work session, while I also apply the fiberglass cloth, allowing for a unified chemical bond between the thickened epoxy and the fiberglass applied to the boat's hull. With the squeeze out cleaned up, I moved onto one more item in the repair area...
I prepped the recently enclosed outboard engine well with a good solvent wash, and then mixed another batch of thickened epoxy.
I applied the thickened epoxy to the surface with a wide trowel in order to fill the surface irregularities and to further prep for the application of fiberglass cloth. The next task for completing the electric motor mount and glassing in the old outboard engine well will be to fill in the voids with thickened epoxy and wrap fiberglass from the mounting block to the hull surface, and fill and fair the surface for paint.
Hard to believe, but I am nearing the start of the brightwork fabrication. I wanted to reintroduce myself to a stack of gorgeous teak, and to generally inventory the pieces. In the process of the inventorying work, I used the opportunity to offer the teak boards a better storage environment - higher off the ground and more securely wrapped. In the coming weeks I will begin fabricating coaming board and the various trim components.
Total Time Today: 3.25 hrs
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