I am preparing for attaching the bronze soles. The 12 silicon bronze bolts are done. The holes for the bolts are drilled and threads have been cut. The holes in the hull are drilled. The surronding divinycell core is replaced with glassfibre-reenforced epoxi. Now I am doing a dry run. I will embed the soles in NM elastic epoxy. A problem is once the hardener is added to the epoxy the clock starts ticking. For this operation I need some help. At this time of the year most people seams to be more interested in Christmas than in building boats. We will se when I get hold of a trusty freind.
Picture below show the soleclose to its position.
An other thing. The function of the spreader I consider putting between the masts is to help one mast to get help from his twin brother to take up side forces. If however both ends of the spreader are fixed like a branch of a tree growing into a tree next to it like they were Siamese twins the structure will be able to take up torsion forces. That way the structure will be much stronger also lengtwise. That thought intrigued me. Here is an experiment. By connecting the mast like a ladder one mast is able to take up nearly twice as much lenghtwise force as if freestanding.
That the rigging becomes nearly twice as strong is a good thing. What is not good is that it becomes more difficult to handle. It becomes a ladder. The ladder is 1.2 wide. That is not that bad. At the ancient time of ketches many persons did not connect the mast becouse they reasoned if one mast breakes it will drag the other with it. But if it like a bundle is tied together it becomes stronger and may not brake at all. Also two mast may break at the same time in a capsize.
There is still time to reflect. This boat is to teach me general solutions that I can use after this planned 600 day voyage when I am not restricted to a ridicules 10 feet rule.
Below is a pictures of the experiment. The person in the door has kindly been giving me a hand lifting the bronze.
A view from the side. As can be seen with the same load the freestanding mast bends nearly twice as much. The couppled masts bends nearly the same although the load is only on one. Torsion does a great job.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind.