Explore the latest in autonomous vessels and marine research platforms.
By Dermot Tynan • August 12, 2013
It's been pretty quiet here on the blog front for a couple of months due to work and life pressures, but efforts on the hull and keel have continued unabated.
Much to report since the last post, including two transatlantic attempts (neither of which have succeeded, yet).
By Dermot Tynan • June 19, 2013
In order to test the spiffy, new Wind Direction Indicator mentioned in The Marvel of 3D Printing..., I assembled the mechanical components (without the potentiometers) and mounted it outside. As we live in a wind-swept area, with a high concentration of sea salt in the air, it was a useful test of how the system would perform. What I couldn't test was the effect of high temperature/humidity in a salt-water environment. To do that, I'd have to move to the Caribbean (which seems like a good idea, given the Irish summer we've had so far!).
By Dermot Tynan • June 7, 2013
As the hull is now watertight, and we're mere weeks away from having a sealed hull with keel and rig, it's OK to start looking at actually getting this thing to sail.
Up until now, I've been somewhat obsessed with getting the physical aspects of the boat to a certain juncture. The reasoning is simple; until there's a boat, all of this other stuff is just a waste of time. Well, now there's a boat...
By Dermot Tynan • June 3, 2013
After a lot of sanding, fibreglassing and applying resin, the hull is looking like it is ready for salt water. As you can see from an earlier post (Hull 001 is almost ready for fibreglass), the hull is formed by gluing thin balsa strips to the plywood bulkheads. These strips give the hull its shape, and also provide a modicum of structural integrity. On the outside of this balsa, are 3 layers of 300g chopped-strand matt, finished with a layer of fibreglass tissue. Each layer is impregnated with polyester resin. Likewise, the inside of the hull is coated with two layers of 300g CSM. Ultimately, all of the balsa wood is covered with at least two layers of fibreglass, which is a good idea because fibreglass on its own isn't that strong, and is susceptible to rotting, particularly in warm, humid waters.
By Dermot Tynan • May 30, 2013
So, while debating the different merits (or otherwise) of various mounting solutions, someone suggested using a 3D printer to actually print the housing for the masthead wind direction indicator. The more I thought about that plan, the better I liked it. As it happens, 091 Labs in Galway have a working 3D printer, from the Mendel90 family. What's more, they are trying to get a 3D printing service off the ground! I wasn't customer number one, but I was probably pretty close.