Hull construction is now fully underway and things are looking up. At the end of the layup process, we had our fair share of concerns. While the fiberglass went on exceptionally smooth (thanks to the efforts of Nate and Zach), the vacuum bag didn't exactly function according to plan: as in there was no vacuum. The result was a surface that intermittently smooth and gridded. Still, it matched the hull form nearly perfectly, with far fewer bubbles than the last time we did this.
And thus began the long and arduous process of removing the foam from the boat. Each member had their own preferred method, mostly involving chisels, hammers, wedges, drills, and jigsaws...or some combination thereof.
By the end of day 1, less than half of the foam had been removed. We payed special attention to leaving several foam cross-sections in the hull so they can act as bulk-heads.
After everyone left for the night, Robbie and I decided to do a simple waterproofing test: pour a bucket of water into the hull and see if any leaks out.
Unfortunately, it did. You can see the droplets forming on the outside of the hull, meaning that water is passing through the hull.
During our Saturday session, the rest of the foam was removed (with the exception of flooring support). It actually looks like a boat now! Most importantly, it's shaping up to be our best boat yet!
After the Activities Fair we held a "Donuts and Fiberglass" event to show interested students the lay-up method documented in the last blog post.
New CMSSers get ready to begin the layup.
Triumph!
Using the heat gun to mold the core to the half-pipe.
Moar molding!
Dunkin Donuts: the ultimate social lubricant.
Bonding with interested students over the boat.
Creating the vacuum seal.
The finished product.
The finished product, unbagged.
Hauling the boat to the first River Test of the year!
In the water.
An unusually lovely day for Pittsburgh.
Backin' her up. I hope he's got on water shoes.
It wouldn't be CMSS without noms.
