Garage Works - 4/11/2025

I took the day off today (so I can whittle my use or lose down), and decided to get some progress done on some projects.

First up was adding fill to level out the slot for the track block on Roland's wing board.

Then I figured I should fix the 142 rear stabilizer.  This is the undamaged side.

Here's the tip that had a chunk missing from it yesterday.

After I got the carbon laminated onto the stabilizer, I went back to Roland's board.  I used the electric planer to get the foam leveled, so I can use the router to clear the foam.

Since I had all the tools in use, I told Prayot to bring the board he has queued up so he could get the thickness dialed in and the track box routed out.

And here is the stabilizer ready to trim. 

I already got it trimmed and sanded.  It could use a thin layer of epoxy to fill some transition lines - but other than that it came out nice and I even got the other scratches filled and the trailing edge tuned up.

I'll test it first - if it runs quiet and doesn't behave funny, I'll probably just leave it.

Garage Works - 3/20/2025

And this morning I got to reshaping Dennis's rear stabilizer.

For this work, the bench grinder is best.

Got outline dialed in and the tip foil redone with the grinder.

Then I used the random orbital to do the final shaping and the initial sanding runs.

When the shape was good - I went ahead and wet sanded to 1000

Once the sanding was all done I looked it over and noticed that the core just poked through the carbon.

I went ahead and placed a thin coat of epoxy over the core showing to makes sure it was waterproof. 

I had to file some of the epoxy creases off -

And Dennis already stopped by to pick it up.

Good stuff!!!

Garage Works - 3/19/2025

This was yesterday in the garage.

First up was getting the footstrap installed on No.40

This one is only on the starboard side and really only used for landing at WPB.  When I round up at the end where I want to land, I can use my right foot in the strap to keep the foil elevated when in shallow water.

Ready for testing.

And this was after the session at PV.

Dennis said he lost his foil board at the S turn and it messed up his foils.

He also said the Spitfire 900 wouldn't turn for him.

With both those issues, I said go smaller on the rear stabilizer.

And in a case like this, it is actually easier to grind the stab down to a new shape rather than try to rebuild it to where it was.

350P superimposed on the 375P

I'll trim it up today.

Garage Works - 12/21/2024

Got in some garage time also yesterday.

I focused on finishing Marvin's boards (installing signal windows).

Done - one on the Appletree (to add to the two I had done a while back), and 3 new ones on the Majek.

And I got the tip rebuild furthered -

Sanded down the fill and got the carbon patches cut out.

I'll epoxy these on today.