SO!!, WHAT COMES NEXT?

The moulds have been readied for taking mouldings by smoothing and getting ready for the job, lumps and bumps taken out, hollow spots filled and sanded all over.

Given 5 layers of wax pollish, and now had the final PVA release agent painted on.

Next tonight will be the gelcoat, and unlike the cabin mould which was bolted together, the two halves will be left detatched for the painting of the gelcoat

AND the first layers in a certain fashion of the grp matting, and this part will be explained later and for good reason why.

Hopefully, SUCCESS!!!.

I have laid up the two halves of the hull seperately. leaving the stem, stern and keel still without matting on them.

Why???, you ask.

Well, the hull is so deep with vertical sides for most of the length that had I sat the hull mould on its keel bolted together and then laid the matting and resin in, it would have peeled away from the mould at the bulwarks level, as it did when I first started moulding the Clyde lifeboat hulls 12 years ago.

This was because of the weight of the sodden resin filled matting not being able to hang on to the gelcoat at the bulwarks.

However, the Clyde didn't have belting around the sheer line as this one does, and thus adding extra weight to the lay up, which would definately come away at the sheer line, taking the belting with it.

Laying the mould flat on its side, as two parts has elleviated this problem, and although it adds a little more time to the lay up process…….rather this, than a knackered moulding.

Hopefully with a bit of a clean up of the jointing flange, I should be able to bolt both sides together this afternoon, and join both halves of the moulding together with strips of mattimg and resin.

Are you all ready for this, boys and girls, coz I am buzzing, myself.

Needed sometime alone this afternoon without any interuptions, and so after I had taken my daughter to work, I came back to split the moulds.

But before lunch I laid up the matting for the second of 3 cabins I need to proceed and to be able then to put moulds and plugs away for the time being, until I decide what to do…….bearing it takes almost five days of on and off work to get a set out, and in those 5 days I can do sod all else in my workshop as all the equipment and useables take up the whole workshop.

And this afternoon and evening, I'll wax and paint the PVA release on to the moulds before painting on the gelcoat before I go to bed tonight………will sleep well tonight.

ANYWAY!…….For you all a short video and some photos of the first moulding out of a new set of moulds.

Hope you like them, I give you the RNLB Princess Mary of Padstow !!!

(1) Facebook

(1) Facebook

these are two different videos, although the number  shows the same. 

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 09/10/2022 17:05:27

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 09/10/2022 17:07:42

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 09/10/2022 17:09:08

HAHAHAAA………….I must admit, Ray, I've been called much worse in my lifetime………….sort of fits my personality.

must admit, think i'm going round in circles thinking of a coracle, lol.

My workshop is begining to look more like S.E.Saunders by the day!

One hull out of the moulds, the 2nd of 3 hulls ready and splitting the moulds ready to emerge as soon as I can get it on the workmate, and the 3rd of 3 cabins in the mould and going off as I speal on, lol.

The 3rd hull will go in the mould tonight when I gelcoat it, and do the moulding tomorrow.

Well well, I split the mould this morning, and trimmed all the wast off the new hull.

They are now becoming easier to split and remove, the more they are waxed….
3rd and final hull going through the process of being readied for the gelcote tonight, if not before.

Made a mould today to replicate the rudder that I had made for the boat in wood, and it cast well in polyurethane resin.

Blackpool Show was a great weekend, due much to the organisation on the thursday and friday of Dave Stav|ros Jones who managed to get all the table possitions for traders and clubs to set out their stalls, and make the setting up on the friday easier for those coming in and out.

Sadly Dave officially retired after the prize giving on Sunday, due to his health and well being, so one hopes that other persons will come forward next year to hopefully do what dave has done for a good number of years to make sure everything runs smoothly over the weekend.

However the show went well and many great models of all kinds, [not just ships] for everyone to feast their eyes on, and some good traders offering show prices.

I myself showed the hull and cabin for the RNLB Princess Mary which gained some interest and encouraging comments.

And then i set off to by some supplies to bui;ld mine and one for a friend. SLEC for ply wood and epoxy, Tony Green Steam for supplies of plasticsard. Mike McGough for a box of EMA Plastiweld, Mike Alsop to order a George reign RNLI Flag for the lifeboat, and lastly to Propshop to buy shafts'tubes and 55mm bronze propellers…the only company that i will entertain for my boats props……..they are just beautiful works of art.

And today i started using my plasicard and glue for making some benches and graitings plus companionway covers for the two boats…building has begun again after a weekend of meeting old, new and good friends, models of all kinds mixed with great cake supplied by Martin Kinghoward, all mixed with a great deal of merryment merth and happiness, but also tinged with some amount of personal sadness.

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 17/10/2022 21:56:25