Lower Hulls Almost Ready for Floors and Bunks

After hull assembly and set-up, the real work begins. The Wharram Tiki 30 catamaran is a stitch and glue boat, and this is where the glue part comes in. With so many fillets to make, mixing epoxy correctly and efficiently is the key to moving forward, and this is where the experience of our crew saves time. These guys already know what to do. Here Pascual is applying the first fill layer of thickened epoxy in the deep recesses along each side of the keel backbone.

In the photo below, you can see bulkhead fillets that will require only minimum sanding. The keel fillets will be built up in two or three applications, then sanded and laminated with a reinforcing layer of triaxial fiberglass cloth. The interior will be painted, rather than varnished, so the color of the filleting material will not be a factor.

Here is the epoxy mixing station. Thirty-five gallons of West System epoxy is a start, but will not be enough to complete the this build.

While part of the crew was working on the fillets in the two hulls, we kept a couple other guys busy cutting out parts that will be needed in the next few days. Parts that are cut and ready include all the ply crossbeam floors and webs, beam timbers, bunks and floors, bunk bearers and stringers and topside panels and stringers.

In the photos below, you can see the parts laid out on the tables, ready for coating and assembly. We expect to have floors and bunks installed early next week.