Documented Building Times in different materials

[rwatson]

Originally Posted by Manie B

here is a great site that i picked up from Duckworks
this chap build a beautifull sailng TRI
http://www.voile.org/trimaran/

Thanks Mainie

This 22 foot tri took 1500 hours using foam. The builder logged the hours, and has some great hints on avoiding the "timesinks" he found. I believe some quotes on strip planking at about 4 hours per square metre based on my experience.

I have to make a hard decision on materials and methods for a 28 foot trailer sailer. 1500 hours sounds a long time - 50 weeks at 30 hours a week.

For my next project, I am favouring developed shape, foam panels glassed on the outside on a flat surface , laid in a 'basket', and glassed on the inside once they are in place. Sort of like stitch and glue with foam.
eg
http://www.voile.org/trimaran/progre...ber11_2005.htm


I would love to hear ideas from other other builders, or links to documented building times, and 'shortcuts'.

[mydauphin]

Interesting construction method, but I don't think it has many strong points to attach engines, masts etc... I didn't see the inside I suspect there was a lot more glass or carbon fiber inside. I built a similar type construction, spent a lot of more on epoxy than I thought.

[rwatson]

Seems to be a bit going on in this area in Queensland using Duflex. They will only supply glassed on two sides - something to do with their 'construction method'

http://www.duflex.com.au/duflex/prod...tructural_foam


They quote quite a few builders at

http://www.duflex.com.au/duflex/amateur/projects

makes me a bit more confident

[mydauphin]

I would love to build a dingy with these.

[masalai]

rwatson, - - Have a look at Tom & Judy's, "the scrumble project" (a 44C in Darwin) via the Bob Oram site at my signature area and also a less heavy thread on my build of a 39C, Mine should be in the water around April 2010 and Neil B's 44C, on the Sunshine Coast is also scheduled for launch on 1 April 2010 but will probably be complete well before then, Neil is building solo full time with occasional casual help for sanding and fixing the bigger bits in place... The shed I am building in may become available early 2010, once I am to lockup... I started on 23 April 09 & Neil a bit sooner...

[Alan M.]

This site has very good records of time spent building a Duflex Schionning 1230 kit..

http://www.mahnamahna.com.au/building.html

[rwatson]

Originally Posted by Alan M.

This site has very good records of time spent building a Duflex Schionning 1230 kit..

Many thanks Allen - that is a great reference site. He spent about 1000 hours more than the 23 foot tri, which is interesting.

I was hoping that the Duflex approach would avoid a lot of sanding and fairing, but it seems not. Mind you, he is doing two multi chine hulls, and taping the seams.

I might be able to do better on a monohull. I will be reading this site with great interest.

[dskira]

Trimaran are pretty deceptive in term of building time. Lets face it, you have to built three hull inset if one, and what ever the beam, a hull still a hull with more or less material. But the hours remain almost the same for each hull as a normal beam boat. the attachment of the three hull together is always a challenge, and by that I mean a lot of work and sometime money if the engineering is sophisticate. Avoiding the interior in the amas save time.

[masalai]

rwatson, The Bob Oram reduces the level of sanding somewhat with the female frame system - not quite as anal in getting it down to the last mm, and the bulkheads are put in afterwards and the finish looks very fair, it is mostly the joins and joining tapes that need to be faired into the flat panels... The work in 'the scrumble project' is the 44C in the Duflex website, and Tom is doing a PERFECT job... Mine is a professional job, but I opted for a slightly lesser amount of fine detail work in the finish... about 6 weeks to join the hulls...

I am not sure that duflex would be the best material for a monohull? ballast and concentrations of load? but then I am no boat designer, just 6 cents worth?

[rwatson]

Originally Posted by masalai

I am not sure that duflex would be the best material for a monohull?

Thanks Mas - will be looking at those sites in detail too.

My project is a trailer sailer, with water ballast, so it wont be carting half a ton of lead around on a trailer at least.

Because its containerable, the narrow beam cries out for lightweight above the waterline (righting moments and all that sort of stuff)

The research continues - anyone have a team of self replicating nanorobots that can eat fibreglass within 1 mm of a specified hull shape and excrete a smooth, hard faired finish when they are done ?

[masalai]

working on that one, excrete, OK but hard faired finish is a bit like micro ridges - still more research needed...

[mydauphin]

If you work on hull upside down and then flip hull, the amount of time in build a male hull is cut in half. When you weld, fair or paint right side up everything is twice as much time. If you can keep hull on a pivot it will help a lot. This is also going to sound dumb but it is true, if you build boat inside, you will save months of work of build.

[rwatson]

Great point Mr MD.

Only last week I asked my NA to put a circular 'side' on the moulds, so I could rotate the whole hull during constuction.

Experience on smaller boats has proved this point over and over again