Hello Row,
Yes, it is like a 3D printer. The guys at work had some old material that they had to throw away, and offered to make my keel with it instead.
Posting a couple of brand new pictures. Still a lot of sanding to do, but it is getting there.
Well, no work on A2 for two days. I hope to sand the hull tonight and also work some more on the keel plug. Posting a picture showing the underside of the keel.
I finally got to sand the hull with 80 grit paper. Some spray filler ended the work on Australia II tonight. Finer grit tomorrow and another coat of spray filler.
The keel is not mounted yet. I will keep sanding until I’m happy with the finish of the hull plus keel, before doing the keel install.
More sanding last night, and another coat of spray filler.
Excellent progress - I’m beginning to feel guilty, the sum total of my workshop time over the last few weeks is, er, nothing (other than a bit of tidying!!).
Looks like Australia 11 will make it to the water before Enterprise…
Regards,
Row
Row, it is not a competition. 
I cut away the trim tab last night. I’m having second thoughts on that one. It will make the mold a lot more complex. I have not made up my mind yet.
Posting a picture of the cut away trim tab.
Glued the keel when I got home from work today. Pictures will be posted tomorrow.
I finally decided to put the trim tab back on the keel to make it easier to create the parting lines for the keel. I’m thinking this will be my first three piece mold. There is still some areas that are not perfect, but it is getting there.
Well, I spent 3 hours sanding today. Putting the trim tab back on the keel and getting it to look like the drawing again was quite a job. I finished the day with a coat of New Sweden S5 blue (previously South Australia). The color was picked because it is good to have a dark paint to see imperfections, and that it was on 50% off when I bought it a few weeks ago. Warm weather here in Sweden should mean fast drying time. Terrible orange peel finish… I will wet sand and put a second coat of blue on it by end of the week.
I really don’t think you’ll regret the trim tab decision, being able to adjust it while rc sailing will almost certainly only serve to act as a brake. As for the orange peel, I’m convinced they’re a direct result of the appalling spray nozzles on rattle cans - at least it’s nothing that a bit of wet & dry abrasive won’t take care of.
Three part mold? Seems rather brave!! Would it not be easier to mold the hull & wing keel separately? I’m sure that would be so much easier.
Looking forward to the next updates…
Cheers,
Row
Hello Row,
yes, you are most certainly right about the three part mold being difficult. I have to figure something out… The paint is two component polyurethane paint. I think it was too hot outside (very unusual for Sweden…) when I applied it.
It was applied with a short haired roller. I used the same roller for Columbia with a lot better result, but the weather was a lot colder.
After a wet sanding and one or two more coats, I’m hoping it will be mold making time.
At lunch time today I took a walk over to a neighboring company that produce fiber glass products. The owner of this company has become a friend of mine, since I have bought a lot of supplies from him over the years.
He convinced me a three part mold is doable. It will be quite a task to create a nice looking parting line at the fins, but I think I will have a go at it. I would like to produce a mold that includes also parts of the deck, making the boat a pretty easy build
once the hull comes out of the mold.
The problem with the blue paint is gone… I have finished the removal of it by sanding and more sanding… Applied a coat of spray filler this afternoon.
very pretty…
Thanks, tomorrow will be more sanding and a coat of white two component polyurethane paint.
The heat wave here in Sweden has slowed the project down a bit. I have since these pictures painted the hull white and I’m currently sanding the plug.
Looks like it’s beginning to get nice and shiny - you’ll get there!
Sounds like you’ve got the weather we’ve just had - humidity was just too high for epoxy…
Cheers,
Row
I did sweat and I did sand for about an hour and a half today. Thanks Row. I’m posting a couple of pictures of the boat right side up (with a broom stick to help)…
The build continues. It is warm in Sweden and the build is progressing at a calm pace. I removed the hull from the build beam today. Started cleaning up the deck line. I will use a fein tool to cut the frames. Hopefully within the next couple of days.
Slow progress due to very nice and warm weather here in Sweden. Going swimming in the Baltic has been prioritized over building RC sailboat… I have cleaned up the deck line and cut all the frames. I’m preparing to lay a deck on the plug, at least partially.
I want to include a portion of the deck in the finished product. This will make the boat a lot easier to build.