A disposable chainplate
Matt spent many hours in previous episodes making carbon chainplates to support the new rigging on his Duracell 60-footer, in place of the stainless steel ones. It was a long and complex process to get the right geometry. Unfortunately, at the final stage of cutting the notches for the shroud terminations, a methodological error rendered the part unusable. He made the cut using an electric saw, the speed of which, coupled with the thickness of the composite and the steel tube embedded inside, caused the part to heat up. To such an extent that the epoxy becomes partly liquid again, jeopardizing the mechanical quality of the future part.
A new chainplate
After digesting the failure for a few weeks, Matt remade the part and successfully cut it with a fixed saw, while cooling in water. The chainplates are then glued to the boat, and the deck is filled in. All that remains is to laminate the whole with 15 layers of fiberglass to spread the stresses across the hull, as seen in today's 2nd episode. After some difficulty in getting the first fabrics he had impregnated to hold before application, Matt decides to lay the dry fabrics and apply the epoxy in place. With the complex geometry of the area, the new method works better.
Watch berth ventilation
At the same time, Matt is working on a solution to ventilate the coffin berth under the cockpit. To do this, he installs a pipe behind the back of the cockpit benches. High enough, it won't let any water in. Matt plans to connect a fan to it.
