Project DIY Carbon Bowsprit ...

[Iain C]

Bit of an update....

So I mentioned that the vac bagging had not gone entirely according to plan. I'd got a bit greedy and done 2 layers of carbon in one hit and although it was mainly very nicely consolidated down onto the existing pole, it ended up with a couple of wrinkles. It's much harder to get this right on something small and round compared to doing a rudder or similar. Now, for some reason, when I posted some pictures of my failure on my sailing club page, it got loads of sniggers and winks from the girly contingent. Obviously I'm at a total loss as to why this may have been...no idea...although I have a feeling then when girls go off to the loo together in that mysterious way they are going to talk about carbon fibre layup and anything that doesn't er...measure up...is going to be the source of much ridicule. Interestingly, they also said I should leave it as is, but then some of the chaps I sailed with seemed less keen to do any foredeck work involving...erm...putting the pole in the ring and said it needed to be a better finish for them to want to handle it...

Anyway, I dutifully sanded off the lumpy bits, and added another layer of carbon, and this time just wound parcel tape around the peel ply. It came out looking far better...

I used a router to machine the recesses of for the track into the pole ends...rough and ready but as they will be epoxied in it doesn't really matter. A few coats of varnish and we now have this, which I am very pleased with. Next stop is glue the ends in, perhaps a bit more varnish, and on the boat fit the 2nd hand spinlock jammer on the cockpit coaming, run the tack line back, and sort the pole stowage (stainless lifering mounts) and inboard end to the deck (dinghy pole fitting and fold down padeye) and we should be good to go. I'm not sure it's any lighter than an ally one, but it should be a hell of a lot stronger.

Next photos will be the kite flying from it hopefully!

 

[Aja]

Bit of an update....

So I mentioned that the vac bagging had not gone entirely according to plan. I'd got a bit greedy and done 2 layers of carbon in one hit and although it was mainly very nicely consolidated down onto the existing pole, it ended up with a couple of wrinkles. It's much harder to get this right on something small and round compared to doing a rudder or similar. Now, for some reason, when I posted some pictures of my failure on my sailing club page, it got loads of sniggers and winks from the girly contingent. Obviously I'm at a total loss as to why this may have been...no idea...although I have a feeling then when girls go off to the loo together in that mysterious way they are going to talk about carbon fibre layup and anything that doesn't er...measure up...is going to be the source of much ridicule. Interestingly, they also said I should leave it as is, but then some of the chaps I sailed with seemed less keen to do any foredeck work involving...erm...putting the pole in the ring and said it needed to be a better finish for them to want to handle it..

Fnarr, fnarr

Anyway, I dutifully sanded off the lumpy bits, and added another layer of carbon, and this time just wound parcel tape around the peel ply. It came out looking far better...

I used a router to machine the recesses of for the track into the pole ends...rough and ready but as they will be epoxied in it doesn't really matter. A few coats of varnish and we now have this, which I am very pleased with. Next stop is glue the ends in, perhaps a bit more varnish, and on the boat fit the 2nd hand spinlock jammer on the cockpit coaming, run the tack line back, and sort the pole stowage (stainless lifering mounts) and inboard end to the deck (dinghy pole fitting and fold down padeye) and we should be good to go. I'm not sure it's any lighter than an ally one, but it should be a hell of a lot stronger.

Next photos will be the kite flying from it hopefully!

Seriously, looks the biz.

Donald

 

[Iain C]

Minor change of plan on the inboard end. There was going to be a dinghy spinnaker pole end fitting on the inboard end clipping to a fitting on the deck, but with the application of some power tool butchery and the KISS principle, we have this instead. The small 8mm hole below the tack line hole accepts an 8mm fast pin which keeps the whole lot located.

Oh, and that's not my deck with catastrophic caulking failure, it's my patio table

Once I know it all works I'll bring it home and tidy up the cosmetics a bit.

 

[Iain C]

Well, it's on, and fits perfectly. Annoyingly, we did not get a chance to actually try the kite on it, as the wind gods had got in a grump and annoyingly Gosport to Hamble and back (for a wedding reception) over the weekend turned out to be upwind both ways, without sufficient time to go and point the wrong way for a bit. So it will have to wait for my West Country trip in a few weeks!

 

[Seajet]

Zoidberg,

could you check and probably reinforce the bow roller, put a strong point on the foredeck ( or adapt mooring cleat / post ) and use them to secure a removable pole sprit ?

I found I can set my tri-radial asymmetric just on a strop about 1' long from the reinforced bow roller just ahead of the forestay, surprisingly it works well - a retractable pole like the International 14's I used to crew would pierce the coachroof requiring all sorts of nonsense like ' waterproof ' grommet seals so that's right out, a pivot up pole from the forestay chainplate might be a go-er though.

 

[markhomer]

Zoidberg,

could you check and probably reinforce the bow roller, put a strong point on the foredeck ( or adapt mooring cleat / post ) and use them to secure a removable pole sprit ?

I found I can set my tri-radial asymmetric just on a strop about 1' long from the reinforced bow roller just ahead of the forestay, surprisingly it works well - a retractable pole like the International 14's I used to crew would pierce the coachroof requiring all sorts of nonsense like ' waterproof ' grommet seals so that's right out, a pivot up pole from the forestay chainplate might be a go-er though.

I fitted a selden bow ring on a custom bracket on top of the bow roller on my B38 (similar vintage to yours ) , I noticed that the whole bow fitting had lifted slightly on the pole side (port), not a lot but enough for my critical eye , was going to through bolt the deck plate to pull back down and stop happening again note on my b38 most of the deck plate fixing seemed in aft area


on another note , anyone got any 55mm od carbon tube , i need 60 cm ???????


Cheers

 

[markhomer]

Zoidberg,

could you check and probably reinforce the bow roller, put a strong point on the foredeck ( or adapt mooring cleat / post ) and use them to secure a removable pole sprit ?

I found I can set my tri-radial asymmetric just on a strop about 1' long from the reinforced bow roller just ahead of the forestay, surprisingly it works well - a retractable pole like the International 14's I used to crew would pierce the coachroof requiring all sorts of nonsense like ' waterproof ' grommet seals so that's right out, a pivot up pole from the forestay chainplate might be a go-er though.

 

[zoidberg]

If those weebly Mini650 wonks can manage it, so can I!

 

[wayne_c]

Hi Ian
Another Bav32 owner here and looking to install a similar setup to you. Cold you give me a little more detail of the bow ring fitting you used and how you attached it to the deck please? Photos would be great if you could. Am in Portsmouth so if could see installation that would be even better.
Thanks
Wayne