April 9, 2020
Continuing on the landing platform, I set out to further the construction by fabricating a few cleats that would serve to secure the various components when assembled. I also worked on installing the battery tray for the 12V DC system. I was pressed for an area to locate the battery that would not require a tremendous amount of construction, while also trying to keep the location at least close to centerline. I finally settled on the space below the cockpit floor, just aft of the larger 48V Torqueedo battery.
I first measured and cut four cleats to use for the landing platform. I eased the edges with various grit sandpaper, generally preparing them to be epoxy-glued in place.
The two shorter cleats would be set inboard of the landing platform's side panels. Their function would be to keep the side panels in a plumb orientation, allowing for the landing platform's top panel to function as a lid. I removed the epoxy barrier coat paint down to bare fiberglass for bonding.
In the photo below, I have orientated the cleat in its final position to show its function.
With the smaller cleats wrapped up, as well as the slightly longer cleats that would be placed on the landing platform's forward panel, I moved on to the cross braces for the 12V battery tray. I wanted the battery tray itself to be removable, so the idea was to secure the tray to two fixed points, one forward and one aft. The aft brace was the first to be constructed, and so I chose a 3" tall piece of teak stock for the material. I used a scrap piece of cardboard to template the turn of the bilge, and after dialing in the shape, I then transferred it to the teak. It took a bit of iterative sanding, but I eventually arrived at a good fit. The forward brace would also be cut from teak. I choose a thicker piece of 7"-long teak and cut a rabbit in the forward face of it. The brace would be pressed into the aft lip of the fiberglass cabin sole and wrap about an inch under the sole. I would butter thickened epoxy in the rabbit and press it into position to cure; the forward face of the battery tray would be secured with fasteners to the forward brace.
After completing fabrication of the forward and aft braces, I set the battery tray and braces together in their eventual assembly.
After making some marks around the aft brace, where it contacts the hull, I removed the epoxy barrier coat to prepare for gluing it in place.
I protected the various surfaces that might be exposed to thickened epoxy during the glue-up process, and then wet out the surfaces to be glued with epoxy. Next, I applied thickened epoxy to the aft brace and cleats, then set them into place to cure. I will come back tomorrow to wrap the outboard ends of the aft brace with 1708 biaxial cloth to further strengthen its bond to the hull and to keep the battery safely in place.
The slightly longer cleats that I had initially prepared were then installed on the interior face of the forward panel of the landing platform. These two cleats will have fasteners installed through them and into the vertical face of the cabin settee - two fasteners per cleat. That would complete the social distancing boat work for the day.
Total Time Today: 3.75 hrs
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