Spent today setting the molds back up, setting up the jigs to hold bulkheads for the epoxy, epoxying the two bow bulkheads and the one in the stern.

The most time was in getting the molds back on the station lines, re-leveling the boat side to side and for/aft. It really took a long time on the molds. Square, plum, pulled down tight – surprising how much the shape changed without them. As Kit warns us in her video, molds 2 & 10 were the fussiest. To hold the molds, I used my pneumatic stapler and fastened little blocks on both sides. Easier than screws, less obtrusive holes.

Then I got the bulkheads in. Measured six ways to Sunday to hopefully make them plumb and square. Then I used Thixio in a cartridge to lay down first passes of thickened epoxy.  Way easier and cleaner than mix epoxy by hand. Expensive yes, but for these fillets, keeping in mind some will be exposed, this seems the best route. Tomorrow I’ll be able to remove molds from 8 & 10 and 2 & 4. Then add the rest of the fillets, and then start on the center thwart and daggerboard trunk.

All in all I felt good about the days progress. Lot’s of checking, double checking. Kit really explains the need to be sure you know which line you are measuring to and from. Aft face of this to fore face of that, but don’t forget the difference between a mold and a station. Can’t tell you how many times I went at stared at the plans, remeasured, re-checked what I did in the boat. We will see tomorrow how well I did!