Moving along

Three separate mockups and we finally have a tank on order from Ronco Plastics. After grinding away the mess in the v-berth and doing a trial-fit of the tank Randy Palmer used in his CD36, I discovered that the tank still wouldn't fit, the forward edge too tall to fit under the bunkboards. So, I made a mockup of the tank that Patrick Turner used aboard Salt Shaker, model #B126. Although it's not perfect, it will certainly fit in the space without interferring with the bunkboards or the plumbing fittings. I will, however, be forced to build a shelf for the tank to sit on as well as add some supports along the sides since the angles don't quite match up with Ariel's hull. It's more work than I was planning on, but c'est la guerre.

Like a surgeon

I realize this is hyperbole, but after taking the grinder to Ariel's hull I can understand why surgeons don't like operating on their own children. I've done plenty of grinding on the Alberg 30 - fifteen plus hours - and none of it really phased me. But taking the grinder to the area under Ariel's v-berth this afternoon took some fortitude. Talk about anthropomorphization! Fortunately, the job is done (at least that part!) and the operation was a success.
There were a few complications, however. The mastic, or polyester resin blob, or whatever it was that bonded the old holding tank bed to the hull, refused to be removed easily. I had hoped to chisel off large chunks before using the grinder to sand down the remaining bits because the dust generated by the grinder is absolutely terrible. It's one thing to bury the interior of the Alberg in a thick layer of fiberglass dust, but to do so aboard Ariel is tantamount to sinning (do I sound like a total wuss yet?). Not that the old girl can't handle a little work but, again, she's part of the family. As feared, the chisel was a total no-go. The only option then was my 36-grit flapper wheel on the 4-1/2 grinder. But even it nearly met its match.


By my estimate, the guys (or girls - can't be too PC!!) at Cape Dory must have troweled at least 10 lbs of mastic on the sides of the hull before dropping the holding tank pan in place. And most of it served absolutely no purpose; only a fraction of the material actually contacted the fiberglass pan. The rest of it was a rock-hard mass nearly an inch thick, covering an area about three feet long and six inches high on both sides of the hull.
Two flapper wheels (I switched early to speed up removal), a trip to Lowe's, and three hours later, and the forward cabin looked like an explosion in a flour factory.


**5.16.06** In retrospect it's clear that I should have spent as much time as necessary to cover everything I could get covered before I began grinding. As it was, I only sealed off the forward cabin with a drop cloth. It would have been well worth the extra effort and time to tape plastic over the shelves and ceiling in the v-berth! Darn. Lesson learned.