Ken Lincoln, the boat building whiz at the former Olympic Boat in Port Townsend used to complain that every time I went to a composites seminar, his workload increased. I think he was talking about in the late 80s when I learned at a MACM conference that post curing room temperature epoxy improves it’s properties,  just like it improves those of exotic epoxies. One more job for him to do. Ken would also grumble about the best seminar at the last IBEX. More to do.

The best seminar at IBEX 2013 was the one on bonding to infused parts.  The speakers were, and I think this is a hot link….

It had an armload of information that changed the way I do laminating.  First, infused parts are harder to bond to as the degree of cure is greater.
One change for me was the solvent cleaning of the part. Typically I have used a solvent dampened cloth to remove the sanding dust, and clean at the same time. Two for one.

Bad idea as the solvent can force contaminants into the sanding grooves or even the fibers. Solvent clean before sanding. One more job.
Also, the best solvents don’t flash off immediately as JB Carrell (right spelling? I forgot to get his card) of MAS epoxy reminded me. He has a Green Clean product that cleans better and flashes off much later. I will find that link when I get back to office.

Next, I always assumed that grinding or sanding the part was a one-time thing. You do it and it’s done. I was wrong.
One of the speakers anthropomorphized it something like this. “Imagine the electrons in the part are like kids at a rock concert. If you stir them up, they will raise their hands up. The electrons get excited by recent sanding and bond better, but will lose interest after a few days.” I knew that grinding would give a mechanical bond, but grinding or sanding just before secondary bonding also gives a chemical bond. That is a much better bond. Sorry Ken. That might mean grinding or sanding twice.

I had to be away for a couple of days. I got all the books and DVDs out, but the study plans had to wait until I take them to the printers. Will print and post the lot on Monday.

Faamu Sami, now called Pipeline 3 , KHSD 46 tri, was relaunched at the Lyman Morse boatyard recently. You can’t see much about the new bows here, but this video is all we have. I wonder who did the new laminate design work? I did the new lines. I think. http://www.lymanmorse.com/boatDetails.php?boatID=165#prettyPhoto/0/

Proboat Radio is no more. But you can visit all of the archives of Proboat Radio.

I got to go on a couple of them. 

 http://proboatradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ProBoat-Radio-Archives-October-2013.pdf

Typically my cats, and others, get burdened with enormously heavy aluminum and tempered glass sliding doors at the cabin back.   And we try to save weight everywhere else.

These structural plastic trucks and track channels look like a great way to escape heavy, clunky sliding doors. I will design some details soon to use these. Teak Isle.  www.teakisle.com

These plastic high temperature exhaust parts caught my eye at IBEX. I will find the link in my bag of handouts shortly. No more ugly engine rooms.

IBEX organizer and renaissance person Barbara Jean Sunshine Walsh “At #IBEX13 I had some postcards on my desk with a notice “Postcards from the Future” and invited speakers to fill in their home addresses and give me a topic, with the promise that I’d write them a postcard poem — In The Future — not to exceed 34 syllables. Nine of them took me up on my offer. This is the first one, based on a true story, told to me years ago by Clean Marine Systems’ David Flagler after his wild ride on a boat designed by Kurt Hughes. The best part of the storytelling was just as he finished, we got out of the cab, walked into the Miami hotel where everyone was staying, and there was Kurt sitting in the Lobby. Great moments from IBEX Past.”

I love these luscious glow in the dark switches. I want them all over my present composite project. Wes Garde

Everybody who could not make it to IBEX can see what the now paperless IBEX handouts were. http://bit.ly/I13HandoutsChart

You, and I, can see what we missed.  You if you didn’t go; and I, the ones that I didn’t sign up for.

 another great video from Simmo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WpFmCX6AM8  At first I didn’t notice Simmo roaring up behind the also racing Dragonfly 920 Extreme like it’s at anchor!

2nd place for Muffolo at first day of Coppa Dallorso 2013 Regatta (28 nautical miles of racing course) just 9 minutes gap from the first much bigger Trimaran (Dragonfly 920 extreme) battling to the end and beating a 50 footer mega oceanic trimaran, a 8 meters trimaran (Dragonfly 800), and a 7,50 meters catamaran!
1st place in the second race of the next day, with 54 minutes gap from the second (Dragonfly 920 Extreme), a day characterized by strong gusty winds and gales. Starting with strong offshore wind that made us battle side by side at a speed of 18.3 knots, then, near Monterosso, weather wanted to vent all his anger with a huge storm, with gusts detected at 63 knots. Luckily we managed to haul down all the sails on time and we avoided going to the rocks dragged from the fury of the storm, but the scenery around us was really looking like “the perfect storm” movie: sails flapping hard enough to sound like thunders, blowing up sails, boats drifting at the mercy of the gusts at 90 ° heeling with crews in total panic calling for help, and all this in a visibility up to 20 meters! The whole thing lasted a full 30 minutes!!
After this we hoisted the sails again and we resumed our race surfing between 12 and 18 knots until the arrival, finding that the direct challenger was still behind us.
The photo shows one of the rides at 18 knots before the perfect storm arrived.
A Huge thank to FORMULA sponsor for supporting us giving us blue new wonderful sails and SAILORWEAR SAILS for finishing them!
And thank to my father for building Muffolo SUPER STRONG 15 years ago!!