Oh Bother - Eleven plus sidetanks

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JimC
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Oh Bother - Eleven plus sidetanks

Post by JimC »

Having finally got some building plans for the Eleven Plus (thanks Ed and various internmediaries!) They have told me what I already greatly feared... You can't replace the side tank plywood on the Eleven Plus without dismantling virtually the entire boat:-)

The tanks are literally side tanks, the are a D cross section and curve back under themselves and meet the topsides rather than the floor.
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The way its built is that the buoyancy tanks are created as an sub assembly and then built into the frames at an early stage, and the hull skin goes on almost last, floor first. There's no access to the underside (they have an underside!) of the side tanks without removing the floor

I haven't double checked this bit, because my bow and stern decks are good, but it looks as if the hull skin was almost the last thing to go on, after the decks, because they show the spray rails on the foredeck being screwed in from underneath which would be very difficult.

Its a clever way of building the boat, but a sonfabitch for heavy maintenance.

I really ought to replace the side decks... Can anyone think of an alternative to taking off the top layer of ply and vac bagging a new veneer on? That's way outside my comfort zone.
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Ed
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Re: Oh Bother - Eleven plus sidetanks

Post by Ed »

@jimC
That's way outside my comfort zone.
Really shouldn't be Jim! Bearing in mind, the wonderful fat-arsed IC you have recently built - which would be way outside my comfort zone! there is no doubt that you have the skills.

It honestly isn't that difficult in technical terms, it is just the practical terms of how do you get the bag on in a way that does not leak, hasn't got any voids and applies the right pressure - in the right place.

I have done it a couple of times, after some initial encouragement from Wizz. He used to use vacuum to dry out hulls for osmosis treatment!

The other issue is that of course it is hard to get leafs of veneers wide enough to do a whole deck, so you will have to have some joins - not a technical problem, but solely a visual challenge.

I had a tutor who after I had proposed a particular brief for a module once said "But Ed, that is trivial" and I would think: 'It may be trivial to you...cos you have done it, but it's bloody rocket-science to me cos I ain't'.

Give it a go.

eib
Ed Bremner
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clibb
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Re: Oh Bother - Eleven plus sidetanks

Post by clibb »

I'm by no means an expert, but I'm sure I've seen Eleven Plus's with strip plank side decking. These were built up on and end and middle frames from both top and bottom. meeting in the middle.

Nick C - Intl.14 - 839
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