Garage Works - 5/2/2024

With some help from Marlon, I got the slots for the footstrap insert reinforcement blocks routed out this evening.

And after dinner I got the boxes set in place with epoxy/milled fibers.

The slots were a little too perfect - no room for squeeze out.  And they are about a millimeter too shallow (the blocks were proud by about 1mm).  I'll use a surform tomorrow and get those all shaved down flush.  I'll also get the footstrap insert slots routed out and get those inserts epoxied in tomorrow.

Hypothetically, I could still have this board laminated by the end of this weekend.

Garage Works - 4/20/2024 (part 1)

I spent a bunch of time in and out of the garage getting No.36 dialed in.  I chased several high points leftover from the rough shaping.  Then I used 180 grit to do the fine sanding over the whole board.

These pictures are not of the board as it stands now - I played with several iterations of where the inserts would go.

The back footstrap inserts will end up going where the polyurethane fill block will go so I won't have to use the divynicell - that'll help save a little weight.

Instead I ended up pushing the d-cell blocks out towards the starboard rail for my strong stance (regular foot) - should be able to jump this one, but I'll have to experiment with what feels better.

I'll cut out the hole for the track block and the footstrap insert blocks tomorrow.

This one is definitely looking more like a mashup of No.34 (front end and rear deck) and No.32 (rear half of the board).

I'll try and get these inserts epoxied into place this week.

Garage Works - 9/19/2023

I took another lay day today - even though the wind was up, I really want to get this board modification/repair done before the weekend.

I cleaned up the epoxy job from yesterday (with the planers).

Then I routed out the slots for the inserts.  I wiped down all the surfaces that were going to touch epoxy.

I measured out 1.4 ounces of aluzine and added three scoops of milled fibers.  Then I set the inserts in place. 

I also added a cap sheet of carbon over the inserts.

Turned out nice!  The delamination under the lower strap position is total fixed.  and with the insert sandwiched between carbon/innegra-carbon and divynicell, this strap is going nowhere.

Tomorrow I'll get the mast track cracks coated in a thin layer of epoxy (to seal it).  I figure this is worth a try before just going in and placing new boxes.

After that, I grab a deck pad, install it and let the epoxy harden in my autoclave (garage).

I also sanded down the repair on Roland's Unifoil Hyper 190.  I don't have pictures, but I started with 40 grit on the electric sander.  I got through 220, then I shifted to hand wet sanding through 1000 grit.

There were some really awkward gouges on the foil, but I think I got most of them sanded out.

Garage Works - 9/18/2023

Yesterday I decided to focus on getting Roland's board closer to being finished.  I also figured my body needed some recuperation time from all the winging/foiling I have been doing - so it really was a good time to get Roland's board furthered down the path to completion.

I routed out the reinforcement block slots.  Then I fitted the patches - these are the innegra/carbon fabric.

This step provides another way to help disburse the impact loads.

And I epoxied the blocks in place.

Next step is getting the inserts in place.

Garage Works - 8/10/2023

And taking a break from foiling, I even got a lot of work done on garage projects - this is La's surfboard.  I'm smoothing out the old delam repair and a couple of small dings so it is water tight... she may actually go and use it soon....

Here it is sanded down -

A layer of 4 ounce glass and a coat of epoxy goes a long way to smoothing out the older repair.

These are the two forward rail dings - I should barely have to sand these - mainly blending them in with the rest of the board.

And I epoxied in the footstrap reinforcement blocks into No.32

This weekend I'll cut out the slots for the inserts, get those cleaned up and epoxied in place.  I want to also get the mast track boxes cutout and the boxes epoxied in on the bottom deck.  If I get there, I should also laminate the board.

I'll add the fill coat on La's board, and cut the finbox slot on Ken's board.

That's a lot of stuff to get done (in addition to renting a giant ladder to fix my gutters, pressure washing our teak lawn furniture, watering La's plants, yup.....).

Garage Works - 8/1/2023

Since I couldn't go foiling today, I figured I should go full bore on No.32 and get this thing finished.

I had originally planned on just marking the locations of the footstrap inserts -

But I went ahead and routed out the slots.

Not bad spacing.  It's not so tight that I can't put a layer of fiberglass under the blocks, but not loose that it'll take a bunch of epoxy to fill.

Those of you with discerning eyes will have noticed the two extra blocks out towards the nose.  These are for mounting the Foil Drive battery box.

I even had enough sunlight to rout out the SUP handle.

Pretty amazing how much work can get done when I'm not out foiling ;)

Garage Works - 6/27/2022

And this was today.  I sanded the excess resin from Kalani's wing board and Roland's wing board and surfboard.  Then I added more fill coat to Roland's surfboard.

On the wing boards, I added some 2 ounce fiberglass to make sure there are no more leaks.  You can see the four spots I addressed weeping.  Some light sanding tomorrow, followed by clear coat and this should be done.

And here's Roland's tail repair.

Cover patch on this one too on top of the milled fiber fill.  After some light sanding , I'll spray paint this and call it done.

Once these are done, I can go wing (just in time - the wind is supposed to really turn on starting Wednesday).

Garage Works - 6/26/2022

This was yesterday - epoxied in the d-cell reinforcement blocks for the foot straps.  I placed innegra in the bottom of the slots since there really isn't a weight penalty.

Then I hooked up the vacuum to Roland's wing board to pull out whatever water was stuck inside.

I sanded down the repair work on Roland's surfboard.

I also added fill to Kalani's wing board to close off the spots that were weeping water.

There are alot of projects in this picture (two prone foil boards that need to be cut out of the blank, No.25, Roland's wing foiling board and surfboard, Kalani's wing board, Eddy's wing board...)

Garage Works - 6/11/2022

The family took off for activities early this morning - that left me with time to test out the new lawn mower and get some work done in the garage.   First up was cutting the d-cell strips I epoxied together. 

I cut four of the strips to lengths that will work for footstrap reinforcement block inserts.

That's a lot of footstraps...

Then I cut the last two strips to lengths that can work as cutouts for the ends of the mast track reinforcement blocks.  I'm not entirely sure these are needed - but I may try this as an add on the next prone foiling board I build.

And after all that, I worked on the fitment of the Kujira front foils onto the Stringy fuselage.  I've gotten the 980, 1095 and the 1440 to all fit well on the Stringy fuses - the 1210 is revolting against me on this (and that foil is the almost singular reason I got the Stringy fuses).

I also got the Stringy GoFoil (direct mount on the Project Cedrus mast) fuselage shimmed up - gonna need that today...