Back to Home Page

Back to Casa Cat Building Log

 The "Casa Cat" folding and trailerable cat for the home builder.

 

 Hull Assembly
   Typical panel. With all the panels precut from the plans, we're ready to start assembly.
   Glue and temporarily screw one end bulkhead and bed base.
   Glue and temporarily screw other end bulkhead.
   Glue and temporarily screw watertight bulkheads and w/t compartment floors under bed
   Prop the bow and stern up, glue and temporarily screw the lower floor, collision b/h (not shown), w/t bulkheads and stern landing. Temporarily screw bow deck into place. Coat internal surfaces with epoxy that are inaccessible once inner skin glued on.
   Glue and temporarily screw hull inner side skin on. Remove all temporary screws once the epoxy has cured, fill the holes and remove the bow deck, epoxy coat(s) to required surfaces, cove lower bow floor with cabosil thickened epoxy, drill bow drain holes on inner hull skin, glue and temporarily screw bow deck. Use pipe cleaners to wet out holes with epoxy and for the few stainless steel screw holes that are left permanently in place. Where a bolt hole is required, drill an oversized hole, wet out the hole with 3 coats of epoxy then fill with Cabosil thickened epoxy, allow it to cure, and then drill the required size bolt hole.
   Shape and roughly fair bow, hull skin to deck, transom and landing and bed side to b/hs, floor and roof. Lower the hull to the ground and roll it over. This can be easily done by one person. Fit and glue keelson (1 full scarfed length) and shape it and the chines.
   Apply a second coat of epoxy to internal surface of hull bottoms, and a further third coat to internal surfaces of water tanks
   Glue and temporarily screw hull bottoms. Remove screws when epoxy cured. Glass tape to chines, keelson, bow and stern, followed by glassing the hull bottom to the waterline. Glassing the whole hull really only aids in abrasion resistance, at the expense of weight, so is not worthwhile for this craft.
Fill and fair hull bottom to waterline.
   Apply 1 coat of anti foul when the epoxy is still just tacky.
   Cove bed floor to inner hull skin and b/hs, cove fore and aft bulkheads to outer skin with Cabosil thickened epoxy and glass over the coves with double bias tape, wet on wet.
   Double bias tape over Cabosil thickened cove.
   Roll the hull onto it's side. Apply any epoxy coats required. Mixing all 2 pack products by weight is very accurate, especially for small quantities. Glue transom step, roof hatch opening surrounds etc in place as usual with temporary screws and remove latter. Cabosil epoxy coves (fillets) to internal corners on hull. Double bias tape to fore and aft b/h corners where hull to pod connections bolt on and to all corners and edges of bulkheads. Glass tape to bow, hull skin to deck joins, transom and landing corners, and the hull is complete, ready for the next stage.
   
   

 copyright 2010 The Coastal Passage