Richardsons RC45 and RC35

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

Appollogies for posting that twice, don`t know what happened there

[C.Ricko]

We have pumped compressed air into the blow holes and not had much joy,

Today we disconnected the trolley and turned the mould over and onto its wheels, we have tried putting water down the mould but it is not working in the usual way so tomorrow we will be taking it out in bits.

Not as the plan was but not anything we cant get over.!

[jimbo]

Good luck with it Clive

[C.Ricko]

yesterday we used the gantrys and chain blocks to wrench as much of the plug out of the mould as we could in one piece! lots of cracking noises and a bit of banging etc we ended up with a large chunk which came away and we used the crane today to lift it out and weigh up what the next steps would be.

Here are some photos,

first is how it all looked before we lifted,

The second photo shows the extent of the stick up, we detached the transom and mid section to lift it separately, it was good to see it in the air as there is no doubt (in my mind) that she is going to be a fantastic looking boat.

Third shot was the last before my camera batteries ran out! just a bit closer showing off her lines and the dammage.

[newf]

Is there a plan "B" for the next one Clive ??

[senator]

Hi Clive, is the mould surface ok or do you now have much work to do to salvage it?

Ian

[goodall_m1]

Hi Clive, is the mould surface ok or do you now have much work to do to salvage it?

Ian

Looks like it is all going to be below the waterline so the punters will never know...

More realistically Clive, have you any idea yet what went wrong and why it wouldn't unstick?

[jimbo]

Bugger! I was hoping you were going to come back and say it popped out like a well greased carrot

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

JIMBO, LET`S NOT GO DOWN THAT ROAD THANK YOU VERY MUCH .........................................filthy beast.

[C.Ricko]

Hi All,

Plan 'B' is to make a fiberglass one, shorten it, and then make a mould from it,

Where the mould released the surface is fine and where it stuck we have been able to get it off in bits which will be ok after a compound and polish.

Next week we will prepare the mould to take the ring moulding, this will mean the mould bottom is already protected, also we can get the ring ready to start building the superstructure straight away and then sort the bottom of mould out later.

We dont really know why we got the stick up, there are a couple of ideas but the process is no different to what is normally done, it is just a bit of bad luck but nothing we cant get over, We started the hull 3 months ago and have had 2 weeks holiday so things are not too bad with regards to time scales.

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

Hi Clive, does that mean you can`t repair the plug, or is it just not financially viable?. Also, if you do make a fibreglass one and shorten it, could the shortened one be later used as standard grp hul, or would it not be strong enough?. Regards...........Neil.

[C.Ricko]

The wooden plug is not worth fixing for many reasons, If the fiberglass plug is built properly then there is no reason that it could not be used a it would be thicker fiberglass, it has been done a few times before for other boats.

[senator]

so what happens then clive. I take it that you make a hull to use as the new plug but do you then cut that down to the size you want, join it and then take a new mould from that. If that is the case isn't fiberglass a lot harder to work than timber? How do you loose the join?

[C.Ricko]

Hi Ian,

I have not 100% worked out the best way to do this, normally the gunwhale would be level front to back which would just mean you have a sliding transom on the mould which you moved along to vary the length of the hull produced, Our hull has a sloping sheer which means that as you slide the transom up the hull the deck level gets higher than the top of the transom (about 2 inches in 9 feet) the sliding transom would then be sealed in place with plasticine finished off with a ball radius. I recon on out hull we will lay up a transom then slide it up the mould and incorperate it into a moulding of the rest of the hull but we will have to be creative with the hull sides on the last 3 or 4 feet towards the transom.

With regard to finishing the hull surface to hide the join, this would be a basic gel repair only much easier as the gel being repaired will be brand new and from the same pot as the hull was made with so not hard to colour match (virtually impossible on a faded hull,even white)

Wood easier to work than fiberglass? it is deinitely cleaner but some people would say metal is easier than wood.. I recon it is easier to hide the join in fiberglass.

[newf]

Just been over there and had a look at the remnents of the plug, all I can say is it is a good job you know what you are doing Clive, I think I would just want to sit down and cry after all that work

[C.Ricko]

I think everyone involved has sat down and cried Col,!

Now we just have to get on with it

[Guest]

Hi Clive

you know when you started putting the fiberglass into the plug were you supposed to put some sort of none stick stuff in before?

Jonny

[Antares_9]

Wee bit more KY next time Clive, you know it makes sense.

[jimbo]

Hi Clive

you know when you started putting the fiberglass into the plug were you supposed to put some sort of none stick stuff in before?

Jonny

Being proffesional boat builders Jonny, I think they might have thought of that one!

[Guest]

Being proffesional boat builders Jonny, I think they might have thought of that one!

Jim I have neva built a boat before thats why its got one of these at the end of the sentence?????

you neva know if you were supposed to but some sort of none stick stuff down maybe they dint put enough on.

we all cant be smart be good looking have great jobs like some wheres my two finger gif gone

Jonny

[jimbo]

Tell you what Jonny lad. Next time your down there, go into the shed and gather the lads around and tell them why you think the mould wouldn't release

Don't forget to post up which ward you are on

[Guest]

Tell you what Jonny lad. Next time your down there, go into the shed and gather the lads around and tell them why you think the mould wouldn't release

Don't forget to post up which ward you are on

no comment

Jonny

[mbird]

Would the low temperatures we had have affected the release agent action do you think Clive?

[C.Ricko]

we think the most likely reason is that the styrene in the gel rejuvinated the paint and either stuck to it for that reason or it reacted with the release agent. but we find it hard to beleive, the reason being Styrene given off while the gel is curing is heavier than the air and it must have settled on the flats of the hull bottom but the shed is a bit drafty and unless there was absolutely no air movement then this should not have happened, also the paint had been drying for 12 days so we dont really know what the answer is.

[mbird]

Hi Clive, the only reason I mentioned temperature is that I know a fibreglass specialist from the local area, and chatting at the weekend, he mentioned that the release system that he uses must be kept relatively warm throughout the whole process, or it sticks.....