First Australian Swift Solo

I know I haven’t posted here for a while but I’m still at it.

Life in other areas has been extremely hectic for me so I haven’t been putting in as many hours as I should.

The good news is that the deck and the hull are bonded together and I now actually have a boat instead of a hull and a deck. The hole for the dagger board on the bottom of the boat has been cut and I’m in the process of tidying the boat up on the hull side before flipping it again to do the same on the topsides.

I’ll post some more photos soon. 

I’m in the process of fitting the hull to the deck. It is critical at this stage to not let ones impatience to complete the project overcome the extremely important process of making sure that the two pieces fit snugly together. I’ve been using a few techniques to ensure that this occurs. One of these is to mix up some flour and water and make little bumps that are strategically placed on the internal bulkheads to identify high spots when the deck and hull are test fitted. This has been very effective at identifying these high spots. I’ve also been reaching into the hull cavity through the hatches and using the digital camera to see whats going on in there. As the high spots are found the overall fit becomes snugger which will ensure a really good bond when I am ready to do this. 

This picture shows the loose fit on the main rear bulkhead.

This picture shows how the fit has improved after sanding some high spots. 

At last I can see the day approaching when I bond the deck to the hull and end up with a boat…..

I’ve finished bolting the hardware onto the deck and fixed it into the required backing plates which are fixed on the bottom of the deck. I just have a couple of small jobs to complete and I’ll then be fitting the two pieces together. 

 The picture shows the deck bottom with backing plates glued in place. The (dusty) hull is sitting there on the left waiting for it’s “lid” (the deck) The plastic bags that are visible contain the deck hardware which has been temporarily removed to allow the holes that have been drilled to be lined with epoxy to prevent rot issues in the future. 

I’m making steady progress on the project. There are no pictures with this update as fitting backing plates and similar just isn’t particularly photogenic.

This part of the project is a lot slower than I anticipated. It is crucial to fit blocks, mast steps etc etc in precise locations so I’ve been careful to make sure it all works well. I’m also doing a few things differently from the American boats so those changes take a lot of careful consideration before being implemented.

The job is nearly complete and once done I’ll post some photos of the fully completed deck prior to bonding to the hull.  

I made great progress on the Swift Solo at the weekend. The forestay is now attached to the deck.

I also had a realisation. Part of the reason progress has been slow in recent weeks is that I was worried about this particular job. If you aren’t too sure about something it is very easy to procrastinate. MISTAKE!!! It is much better to be brave and just get on with it.

The day of bonding is getting closer………

The forestay is a nice bit of gear. It is full carbon with metal sleeves a the back of the fitting which can be used to adjust forestay tension or the position of the jib.

I’ve been a little distracted in the last few months as I have bought a new family boat………..

One of these

Anyway I’m now back on the job and I’ve got a couple of pictures to prove it.

The launcher throat has been made and installed. It is also reinforced on each side with carbon. The jib track is also done and has been left at full width to let the jib fully blade out in the Aussie breezy conditions.

Most of the other hardware is also installed. I just need to finish off and then it will be time to bond hull to deck.

I’ve been contacted by the publishers of “Australian Sailing” requesting information on the building of the Swift Solo. They will be doing a feature on it in the next few issues. If you are in Australia keep your eye out for this feature.

I need to get it finished so they can do a sailing review of the first Swift Solo over here.

I’ve been busy in the last few weeks drilling holes in the deck for the various deck fittings that I’m installing. It is mostly done now and I’ll post some photos in the next few days…..

It has been a couple of weeks since I updated this blog but I have made some progress - a little slower than I was hoping for but I’ve been pretty busy in other areas of my life.

I’ve got the very cool carbon/kevlar hybrid cloth applied to the bottom of the deck now. The deck is now a very solid structure. In addition there is carbon reinforcing in place at high stress areas of the boat. I’ve cut out the backing plates for the deck hardware that is being used. The next step is to bolt the hardware into place and then I’ll be ready to fit and glue the deck and hull together.

This what the deck bottom looks like with the hybrid and carbon applied.

Another view which shows the carbon reinforcement better.

 When you buy the plans you get a deck hardware installation guide with photos inset which show where you bolt the bits and pieces on the deck.

 I’ve bought the adjustable carbon spreaders from CST Composites. They are  a very nice bit of gear. They are really light and adjustable so I can tune the mast to the exact characteristics that I will need.

The work in the last week or so has revolved around preparing the underside of the deck for the application of the carbon/ kevlar reinforcing. I need to fill in any voids so that there are no pockets of air trapped under the reinforcing when I apply the resin. Basically it is a question of some sanding and then filling any remaining voids with bog that you make up from the epoxy resin.

Once I’ve got this task all done I’ll be drilling and bolting on the fittings that go through the deck and then I’ll fit the deck to the hull.

The deck upside down on saw horses with the “bog” applied. The dusty hull is in the foreground.

 This gives a more detail view of what the bog looks like on the deck.