The final version of the trim on the back end of the king plank. It will get white epoxy in the morning.
With the aid of the phone camera I could see under the sump and check the clearance.
Making good progress trimming the plywood edge of the deck on our Didi 40 Cr
With the cabin top edges trimmed the Didi 40 Cr is looking very finished
As I wound up activities yesterday I discovered the motor sump was sitting on the king plank that joins all the keel floors together. I had not trimmed the back edge as per the drawings. I was annoyed with myself for this so I timed how long it took to lift the motor and trim the timber. With the experience gained yesterday it took just fifteen minutes to lift the motor and 14 minutes to trim the edge of the king plank. Then the raw timber had to be sealed with wet on wet coats of epoxy and painted white with the epoxy primer. There is always a use for left over epoxy and primer so no time or materials were wasted. The only drawback was hitting my head on the support beams many times.
The rest of the day was spent trimming the excess plywood from the deck to hull join. The sound of the Makita blended in with the sound of the wood chippers cleaning up after last weekends storm.
That should have been the end of the story but when I put the engine back on the mounts the sump was still just touching the king plank. Version two was a more aggressive cut and a check of the clearance using the phone camera so now there is clearance.
With the help of crew from Passion we lifted the engine into the boat today. It took longer than turning the hull but we had a very sociable day. I can add a few photos of progress over the last week but it has been mainly trimming and sanding and painting so no big impact photos.
While we worked on Passion X two of the crew did our duty roster at RANSA for the Winter Wednesday race and with the fourth place awarded for doing the duty we are now third overall in the series after six races.
Engine bed on our Didi 40 Cr ready for the motor
The engine supported with chain blocks off the awning being lowered into the hull
We used a plank through the widow openings to support the engine inside the hull. We added a second plank through the next set of windows and a cross beam to get exactly over the engine bed.
The Yanmar YM30 AE-S on the engine bed. I need to lift it off the bed and trim off the aft end of the king plank which is just touching the sump.
Now that the companionway access, the two deck hatches and the nine port light holes are cut there is something to show for my efforts. This morning the temperature inside the hull was down to 5 degrees C so the first task was to turn on the heater. Next in the early morning gloom I used the laser level to check the alignment of the windows. The front one is fixed by the low deck height. The rear ones can be moved around a bit because the cabin sides are taller. I made a small adjustment to make the rear one level with the one in front and set to work cutting out windows. The arrangement is quite conservative but gives a pleasant appearance particularly from the interior. Last thing tonight
Out Didi 40 cr is starting to look like a yacht now that the hatches and widows cut outs have been made.
The windows and hatches in our Didi 40 Cr let in lots of light even in the late afternoon
Another view of the windows from the settee area of our Didi 40 cr
Engine beds ready for paint but there are lots of frames to be glassed to the hull
I used some left over epoxy from reinforcing a keel floor to seal the edges of the plywood.
I have also finished the fibreglass pan under the engine area and completed bonding the engine beds to the plywood hull with 2 mm of epoxy glass so that is ready for some white epoxy primer.
One side of a keel floor has been reinforced with 2 mm of epoxy glass in an exercise that took 2 hours. Based on this time there is a week of work just glassing floors to the hull. Not all my work is on show as I have been using small windows when I cannot make a mess inside the boat to finish other areas. I have started painting the underside of the deck at the transom. It has very low headroom and it requires a bit of skill just to get to the area. As I worked my way out of the space I filled any remaining holes with epoxy bog so that it will be ready for the final clean coat of epoxy paint.
Despite the forecast of wind and rain it turned out a perfect day for gluing up the large plywood panels on the cabin roof.
The second layer of 6 mm plywood was glued in place today and I used up 6.5 kg of epoxy resin. The cabin top does not look any different with the second layer so no photos. I do have the hatches and most of the port lights so I can cut the holes for these in the next week.
I am pleased with the appearance of the cabin roof from inside the hull and the roof above the “v” berth at the front of the boat. It will soon be time to clean these up and start painting. I am keen to paint over all the bare patches where the frames were supported on the building frame and I am still debating with myself how much of the timber to varnish as features and how much to paint the same as the roof.
Cabin roof above the galley in our Didi 40 Cr. I have started sanding the join in the frame in the head and you can see the start of the faring process through the door
The sloping cabin front is where one hatch will go. There is still some deck to lay at the front of the V berth. The bare timber patches are where the hull was supported on the building frame when it was upside down.
The long autumn has been a blessing with respect to boat building conditions and I have been able to put in a couple of ten hour days. Monday was spent installing most of the double layers of plywood under the cabin roof. These are designed to take the load of the winches and cleats and deck organisers. I wanted to glue these into place before finishing the final 6 mm plywood layer on the cabin top for several reasons. The additional two 6 mm layers of plywood fix the cabin top shape and give a solid backing to which the final layer can be screwed down and any of the screw holes from fixing the backing plates will be hidden under the final layer. I have increased the area of cabin top that has the two 6 mm plywood doublers because as well as winches and cleats I need backing for the spray dodger arches and the spray dodger track. Also we will be putting a bridle for the mainsheet controls across the cabin top and that needs a pretty substantial anchoring point. The extra weight is insignificant and I get a smooth inside of the cabin top without any stringers or visible step changes in thickness.
I am thinking of getting the Yamnar 30 hp engine delivered next week. Before putting it in the hull I have to complete an epoxy fibreglass pan inside the engine mount timbers and give it all a few coats of epoxy paint. Also on order are the hatches and portlights and the stainless steel chainplates so there will be plenty to do.
Until I get the second layer of 6 mm plywood glued to the cabin top this is my only access to the interior of the hull
The first 6 mm ply wood layer on the cabin front of our Didi 40 Cr. The Deep LVL beam is a straight edge holding the cabin top level while the glue cures.
Our result last Wednesday was a thirteen place out of twenty one starters and I was happy with that result. There was really two races, one for the fleet that went for the freshening breeze on the north side of the harbour and one for the fleet that looked to avoid the tide on the south side. We beat the yachts on our side and the result was affected by the dying breeze. A dying breeze always favours the faster yachts in the division as they are home and dry before the breeze really dies. Yes I am happy that we beat Rainbow and Agrovation and Izzi and Trim across the line as these were the yachts we battled against on our side of the course.
Sunday’s West Harbour Winter Series was a similar experience only we added some extra elements of handicap. We did get a very good start and held our own to windward with the furling No 1 Genoa but we set the spinnaker from the lower halyard position when it could have gone from the masthead and when we dropped it we managed to get the rope on the furler wrapped around the base. What was surprising is that we lost not a lot of ground. With the new Passion X the lower halyard will be 350 mm higher than on Passion and the symmetric spinnaker will probable fly pretty well from the lower hoist.
Andrew Richardson from Lisdillon sent some nice photos of Passion taken at Port Stephens. The show the No 1 Genoa that we were using on Sunday and it is clear that the luff could be longer. There are also some good shots with the asymmetric spinnaker which looks strapped down a bit tight.
Passion at Port Stephens by Andrew Richardson
Is that spinnaker too tight?
Geoff on the helm at Port Stephens
The first layer of 6 mm plywood on the cabin top is completed so here is a photo taken after dark. The beam on top of the cabin is a deep section of LVL which is keeping the front edge of the cabin top straight while the glue is curing on extra layers of reinforcement underneath. The extra layers of 6 mm plywood reinforcement are held on place with temporary screws from below up into the smaller strips of timber on the front of the cabin top.
After the photos I added a couple of temporary timber stringers to the cabin top on both sides of the companionway to keep the deck as straight as possible while the glue cures. I will add two layers of 6 mm plywood under the deck on each side of the companionway to take the load of winches. Once the glue on these is cured the last layer of 6 mm ply will be added over all the cabin top and then I will be able to cut out the top over the companionway. Until then it is a bit of a wriggle to get into the hull through the small opening.
First layer of 6 mm plywood on the cabin top of our Didi 40 Cr
View of the first layer of 6 mm plywood from the stern
Sydney has turned on some great days for boat building. Not a lot of breeze and above average temperatures makes working outside very pleasant. I hoped for more progress but the task of fitting the edge clamps to the cabin front was very tricky. As soon as that was done I started on the first 6 mm ply layer on the cabin top and by dark had glued two thirds of the first layer in place. Elaine suggested I needed a post on facebook and a blog to record the progress so here it is.
At the rate I am progressing I will need the hatches and window openings cut very soon so that I have some ventilation down below. I need six large port lights and three smaller ones. There are only two of the larger size in Australia and there is a two month wait for replacements so I will order these tomorrow.
First layer of plywood on the cabin top makes it look very finished.
Cabin beams looking aft to the incomplete roof
We scored am improbable third place in the West Harbour Winter Series division 2 today. With a minimal crew we started with the anticipation of improving our handicap for the later races in the series. Off the start line it seemed that our expectations would be fulfilled. We were even more certain of a handicap improving result when we realized we had left the two big spinnakers on the dock. This was a serious seniors moment and one which left me anxious for the safety of the two spinnakers. We made do with the poled out headsail and it worked pretty well in the conditions. Most of the legs were either dead square or so tight that spinnakers were not a big advantage. The poled out headsail seemed to work much better than the assymetric spinnakers on the square legs. Consequently we had not lost a lot of time and had even gained on some Division 1 yachts that had trouble flying their assymetric spinnakers. The big move came around Goat Island where we have lots of practice on the GFS Twilight races. Here we skirted the becalmed fleet and passed all but the one that got away and finished half and hour ahead. We were kept honest by Red October in the hunt for second fastest and they did get us in the end when the breeze switched 90 degrees.
Most of the fleet in the Division 2 failed to finish or were left so far behind that our unfavorable handicap did not matter.
Just think how awesome we will be when we remember the spinnakers!!
I am varying the window layout on our new Didi 40 Cr. It will be a quite conservative arrangement but one that has been used on many production yachts. To check the visual appeal before ordering the windows I made up some mock windows from cardboard and cellophane and stuck them to the cabin sides. It was a useful exercise which resulted in me moving the positions around a little for a better look.
Friday was a big day with Kevin giving me a hand to glue in the cabin sides. There are two scarf joins in each side and these had to be glued in situ. To ensure a clean join we covered the joins with baking paper and screwed backing pieces of 12 mm plywood across the four joins. Today was a big clean up day with lots of sanding of excess glue and trimming of the excess plywood on the sides. Later today there was the final fairing of the cabin top beams and the shaping of the beam clamp at the edge of the cabin top. It is all done and I fitted a panel of 6 mm plywood to the cabin top to check all the contact surfaces. It is looking good to start the first 6 mm plywood layer on the roof on Monday.
Checking window spacing on our Didi 40 Cr
Bow end view of the window spacing trial
The trip to Mexico for the Laser Masters Radial World Championships was a chance to escape from the approaching cool weather in Sydney I still have a warm glow from the experience of the sailing there and the venue would rank as one of the best I have sailed at. The closeness of the accommodation to the boat park, the quality of the food and the excellent sailing conditions all went together to make it a memorable event. It seemed that every day the breeze filled in at 1 pm local daylight saving time and we commented on being able to set the clock by the arrival of the breeze.
On Sydney Harbour today there was a pleasant warmth left over from our long summer but the breeze was anything but predictable. What breeze we had was a a small fraction of the forecast and it came from all directions. We made an excellent start on the boat end on a beam reach and managed to keep reaching up to the leaders every time the breeze faded. So fickle was the breeze in the middle ground that we passed some of the 1s fleet that had found their private zones of no wind.
We were in exceptionally good company at the top of the harbour in front of our regular competitors and alongside clubmate Agrovation but the reach back home proved to be more challenging.
Against the outgoing tide the 1 knot of wind was not helping us make much headway. We tried to pole out the genoa but the wind would not cooperate in strength or direction. We tried to poke it out to leeward but the breeze would have none of that but we found little gusts of South East breeze to keep moving back towards Steel Point. Just beyond the point the breeze switched to South West and came with some force to help us to the Rose Bay rounding mark. In the switch of the breeze Agrovation gained a few metres and went on to beat us over the line. We were left with a beat back to Point Piper to the shortened course finish at the rounding mark to record a third on handicap and a rare finish in front of the more fancied company in the fleet.
Trial fit of the first of six panels that make the cabin sides
Fiddly little laminated corner supports for the post and beam of the cabin top.
A month less one day has passed since any constructive work has been done on our Didi 40 Cr. Immediately after the Port Stephens Regatta three of the crew boarded the plane to Mexico for the Laser Masters World Championships. One of the crew was fourth in the over 75 years category. Elaine thinks they should all get a prize just for being there but the Laser cubes are strictly regulated so that they retain their value. In the 65 to 75 age group I fought it out with fellow crew member for fifth and sixth place. The number of entrants meant only four cubes for our division but fifth and sixth places are no mean feats and we are very satisfied with the results.
Jet lag has kept me subdued for a couple of days and Wednesday was the first of the RANSA Winter Wednesday races. Thursday was spent on administration matters for the GFS presentation afternoon in a couple of weeks so today was the first chance to work on the new build. I did complete the really fiddly task of installing four 50 by 25 posts to support the cabin top beams. There is no easy way to get these straight across the hull and up and down but with plenty of straight edges and clamps the job was done to my satisfaction and dinky little laminated corner reinforcements were added. All the stainless steel screws are hidden so I still have the option of varnishing the laminated roof beams. As evening falls early after daylight saving ends there was just enough time to cut our one 12 mm plywood panel for the cabin side. I scaled a development off the small lines plan and that worked our very well only needing a single trimming against the deck to get a close fit.
In the early morning before it was noise making time I reviewed all the purchases I need to make and later in the day ordered the 30 Hp Yanmar diesel and associated fittings. I have paid a deposit and the engine is on hold until complete the engine bearers. The plan is to take delivery after the bearers are installed permanently and drop the engine straight in.
We had another memorable week at Port Stephens for the annual Sail Port Stephens regatta. This year we joined in the race from Newcastle to Port Stephens on the day before the regatta. This was our first Category 4 offshore race and the low seas and light conditions made it a very easy one. We pretty well matched a Beneteau 36.7 which is good benchmark for us but were well beaten by the Jeanneau Sunfast 37 with a huge overlapping genoa. The regatta proper started with the Commodores Cup and an offshore race around the three islands off Port Stephens. We were caught out by the fresh breeze and struggled with an oversize genoa. A reef in the main helped but we scored an own goal when we shook out the reef prematurely. The handicapper had some pity on us and as the breeze lightened for the next two races we scored a second and third for a fourth overall. The last race was a beat up the bay and a beat back as the breeze and tide changed in unison. In the smaller sub group of the Jeanneau yachts we were punished less by the first race result and won on a countback. That won for us our third bucket from Port Stephens and the three are stacked into the one shelf in the family room. The Port Stephens Regatta proper started on the Thursday with the first of two offshore races. Both were sailed in good conditions. In the first we were lucky to spot the fleet leaders becalmed and sail around them. The second was a long beat out and rewarded the yachts that has the courage to take the header all the way into the north side of the bay to escape the tide. We were not so courageous. The last race in the bay had a couple of triangles with a lot of spinnaker work. We picked the breeze on the first windward work but missed the big right shift from the approaching rain on the second. We carried the mighty asymmetric on the way home and mowed down the Sunfast 37 which carried only a large genoa on the leg. It was tight but a terrific leg made all the better by the leaders falling into a hole on the finish line. In the tight racing the handicappers achieved a good result as we were just 27 seconds out of third place overall. For the sake of 27 seconds we went from third to eighth in the regatta. The asymmetric spinnaker is working much better since we took it off the furler. The extra luff length without the top swivel and bottom furler drum and gear means the luff can be carried straighter.
Because three crew are going to Mexico for the Laser Masters Worlds we did a one day motor sail from Port Stephens back to Sydney. The breeze was too far south so we motor sailed with a double reefed main and entered Sydney Harbor at 8pm. Today there was enough sun to dry out the spinnakers on the back lawn and to appreciate how big is our awesome asymmetric kite.
Just the two of us on the way from Sydney to Newcastle
Running home after the last offshore race
Crew concentrating on the spinnaker set on the last offshore race
The awesome asymmetric out to dry. I knew that garden had to go.
The symmetric spinnaker struggles to cover the same area as the asymmetric
Three Sail Port Stephens buckets in four regattas neatly stacked in the bookcase.
Cabin beams on our Didi 40 Cr
Cabin beams on our Didi 40 Cr viewed from the foredeck
Just a quick post to show photos of the cabin beams that are now installed on our Didi 40 Cr. All the prefabricated beams and beam clamps have been used so progress will appear a little slower while I complete the framing for the sloping cabin front.
The beam in front of the companionway has an unsupported span of only 600 mm and locks into the fore and aft frames that form the head and quarter berth ante room. I made these of 12 mm plywood so the structure is very solid
The timber that joins the cabin sides to the cabin top has been glued into notches in the frames and three additional laminated roof beams have been fitted. All of a sudden the cabin is taking shape. As a bonus I am slowly getting back some space in the garage as the five laminated roof beams move to the cabin top. The eight beams were laminated at the time I cut out the plywood frames. Three beams were needed to attach to the frames and I produced the additional five using the same jig.
The first frame in from the companionway sits on the fore and aft plywood frames that form the sides of the head and the quarter berth ante room. This beam had to be installed before the beam clamp at the cabin edge so that the beam clamp can fit in notches in the laminated cabin beams. The rest of the laminated frames have no structure under them and they can be lifted into place. Cutting the notches in the laminated beams is a work of art. The notches slope two ways and have rounded inside edges to match the routered edge of the beam clamp. Patience is important and my legs are sore from climbing in and out of the boat test fitting the notches to the clamps. A cutting blade on a multipurpose tool has been very useful for trimming the timber carefully to shape.
I have adjusted the laminated beam spacing slightly to suit the hatches available in Australia. They connect only to the beam clamp and one set of beams that run down to the carlins so moving them a little has no impact on other aspects of the structure.
Two more beams to go and I will start working on the sloping front of the cabin top.
The first cabin edge beam clamp installed on our Didi 40 Cr
Both cabin edge beam clamps and additional laminated cabin beams installed on our Didi 40 Cr