Building a 47' Catamaran.......The realities!

[@stevemcardle2013]

We will need a showdown between yourself and Mads for the "o glorious sanding and man glitter" award 2024

[@saltlightdix4704]

Absolutely…….bring it on! Kev

[@davidantill6949]

@stevemcardle2013 which channel is Mads on please?

[@stevemcardle2013]

@@davidantill6949 Sail Life

[@saltlightdix4704]

@@davidantill6949. Sail Life

[@juanjosegarcia8499]

Mad is " sail life" he is a ver y very good man

[@jkerr7331]

Oh glorious sanding....😊

[@saltlightdix4704]

Mads has certainly made it a popular saying! Yep, lots of sanding Kev

[@normanboyes4983]

A day without sanding is a day wasted.😉👍⛵️

[@saltlightdix4704]

Hi Norman, absolutely.......and just look at the gym fees I'm saving :) Kev

[@claverton]

A huge project. I tips my lid

[@saltlightdix4704]

Thanks, yeah she is a big boat! Kev

[@derekfawell2853]

Hi Kev. Thanks for the 'glorious sanding' fix which will do me until Mads (Sail Life) gets started on his project!

[@saltlightdix4704]

You're welcome! happy to supply you with some torture board sanding........save going to the gym :) Kev

[@Tumbling_Dice]

Glorious hull sides!! Looks absolutely fantastic. You are very fortunate to be able to take part in such a creative process. I wish I could do the same.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Mate, wait till you see it with the resin on......even I'm impressed Kev

[@Lifesgood427]

Kev! even my arms and shoulders were nagging watching you in this one, that is going to be a beautiful craft once completed, good luck!

[@saltlightdix4704]

hahaha.....yeah it was a good workout. I have the resin on the sides now and it looks great. Kev

[@theromihs]

Great progress Kev! She looks like she's getting close to launch day.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Hahahahah.......I can only wish! I'm at least 1 day closer to launch :) Kev

[@RappinIggyG]

Looking good Kev! I don't know about up in Toyama, but the weather switched on the Autumnal Equinox to the day in Yokohama. Finally an atmosphere I can function in 😂 Your trip to the Sado Island environs reminded me of our epic adventure to Chiba from Manazuru, although with weather on the other end of the spectrum. Engine failure a few hours out and a mind bongingly 10.5 hrs tow from the Coast Guard. Also, many lessons learned! Love your energy and keep up the good work💪. She's looking fine🤌

[@saltlightdix4704]

It’s still lovely 30c today, cooling off around Wednesday.

[@juanjosegarcia8499]

I think... It's a fantastic cat! But you will need a lot of fiberglass and carbon fiber, because it's very big , and wooden boats is more heavy tham other lighter materials. And it's like the whales, it can't support its own weight, and when entering and leaving the water, it tends to creak and cracks. Be careful! and reinforce it as much as you can. Greetings from the Basque country in Spain! Nice job!

[@saltlightdix4704]

hi Juan Thanks for you comment and watching. Actually, it's a plywood and west system epoxy design. All the timber, be it plywood or timber will get a minimum of 2 coats of epoxy and on the outside 3-4 coats. This does 2 things, 1 is to waterproof the timber and 2 is to create a very hard surface which is impervious to osmosis. The boat its self will be quite light compared to similar sized production cats about 10t. When we rolled the hulls over they were only hanging from 2 points and there was not a creak to be heard. Stay tuned for more Kev

[@PN_48]

Sanding… man oh man, I do not miss the sanding😂 Looks good though mate - you’re making solid progress.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Thanks, wait till you see it with the resin on, it looks great. Kev

[@PN_48]

@@saltlightdix4704Can’t wait!

[@davidantill6949]

Nice one Kev! I love the porthole shape... a very classic look 👍🏻. The modern large black plexiglass windows down the sides of the hull will look very dated in 10 years time. Yours won't. If that Beneteau had been cat you would have got to your destination using the second engine 👍🏻

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yeah I really like the look of them too. That is exactly what I was thinking sitting out on the ocean with no engine........I learnt a lot from that trip. Kev

[@markthomasson5077]

Glad you are using a bit of glass there. Mind if I was building from scratch, I would go a lot further with crash protection. I would stop the plywood at a bulkhead, say, 30cm back, and use foam covered in polyester or nylon fabric. Likewise a take a 30deg slice back, say, 60cm, or whatever to be well above waterline.

[@PN_48]

Absolutely. We had a Punch catamaran and the final 15cm of the plumb bow was shaped foam for exactly that reason. Even if it was dinked, it didn’t need immediate repair.

[@davidantill6949]

I suppose sailing into a partially submerged container or large log must be provided for. I would be tempted to fill any crash area ahead of a watertight bulkhead with expanding closed cell foam

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yeah, the design actually had a flat front on it, I added 90mm of timber so I could taper and round the front more. I didn't like the look of the flat, it also just adds a bit more protection. Kev

[@PN_48]

@@davidantill6949I mean hell, hitting anything hard at the wrong angle can cause issues - the Titanic comes to mine. Dix has made a good design here and I like how Kev built in some extra abrasion resistance (just in case).

[@markthomasson5077]

@@davidantill6949 never use pour in two part foam. After time it is no longer closed cell, and if any water gets in it stays saturated. And is hell to remove. Use blocks of Styrofoam that can be removed

[@robinhodgkinson]

Ah yes. Sanding. Any boat builder knows sanding is 25% of the build time and 50% of the grunt work. : ) I’d recommend you try a round ended pool trowel for large fairing work. They usually have a pretty big handle enabling you to get two hands onto them for extra “push” when needed. I had one about 400mm long (16” - for our metric deprived brothers in arms). Don’t shortchange the fairing the sanding. You’ll spend many hours admiring those sweet sweet reflections. And think of all that wonderful exercise you’re getting!

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yes I did go out and buy a larger trowel after I had finished....duh ! The resin is now on and it looks fantastic....I'm really happy. Looking forward to getting the paint on to really show up if there are any imperfections....I know there will be, but in a good starting position. Kev

[@robinhodgkinson]

@@saltlightdix4704 Yeah that first coat of paint is transformative. It goes from looking like patchy scrap wood to a thing of beauty. You will fall in love. : ) I'd suggest a good high build epoxy undercoat - sands off easily like chalk dust and is your final fairing coat. You can also apply more epoxy fairing over this ( to some degree) if you find deep spots.

[@markfrost9087]

Chapeau Kev, I don't onow how you and other boat builders can make it through this phase. There's a little nd of resilience required that i admit i do not possess. I kind of wish i did have that kind of resilience. Lord knows life has demanded it of me more than a few times.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Hi Mark, yeah it can be hard sometimes, but I just keep my eye on the finish line. As long as I get something done each day. Kev

[@RF-yh3qh]

hard work, I´m planning to do the same... you are doing a good work! keep going! regards from Brazil

[@saltlightdix4704]

Thanks, let me know when you start, I'm always interested in what other guys are building. Kev

[@robinengland5799]

That’s a lot of work for sure, it will be worth it when you are out on the water living the dream!!

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yep.....looking forward to that day for sure! Kev

[@mckenziekeith7434]

The tip I have seen, from those much more experienced than me, is to always glass over wood when temperatures are falling (sometimes you may be able to pre-heat the work area to make sure). They say that when temperature is falling, wood tends to pull gasses in, but when temperatures are rising, wood tends to let gasses out, thus bubbles in your laminate. This would also apply to coating wood with resin. Don't do it first thing in the morning. If possible, apply resin after the hull has reached its peak temp for the day.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yeah I had watched Ran sailing when he had that trouble. Actually I had applied the glass in the afternoon for that reason.....just not sure what happened.....anyway, fixed now :) Kev

[@johntenhave1]

I have just caught up with this bit so a tad late tot he party, but here are couple of suggestions which might help. Firstly get familiar with using guide coats ( a fast drying spray can of black ) secondly consider using “gib’ stopping tools such as a trowel to apply your fairing compound. Thirdly heap it on and sand it back rather than thin layers sand then layer etc. Fourthly consider getting an air powered long board sander Bluepoint (AKA snap on) make a great tool. Fifthly there is a difference between flat and smooth. Get it flat first 60 - 80 grit and then smooth so when you are sanding aim to sand parallel to the deck with 45 deg strokes in a cross hatch manner . Too much of the vertical stroke sanding runs the risk of finishing up with vertical smooth corrugations constant checks with a long flexible straight edge along and parallel to the water line will help you a great deal. Remember that when we look at the finished product we are going to cast our eye along the length of the hull so those are the lines to concentrate on. Also make every stroke count. If you doubt this pop out to your car and just make one stroke across the roof with your sanding board. Ergonomics and efficiency are very important with this sort of job, sand smart. You are doing a super job. Hope these ideas are of some help.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Hi John, thanks for your tips. I will be employing guide coats when I start painting. The beauty of using plywood is that the sheets are very fair to start with which gave me a good reference when sanding the bow and chainplates. The upward strokes are just to blend any horizontal highs that might be there but tried to keep that to a minimum. On the chain plates, (it wasn't that obvious) but where the carbon fibre strapping was I had the make a nice blending transition from about 12mm to nothing at the bottom of the carbon fibre, this is where I did use vertical strokes to achieve a nice blend. Other than that I would try to go at an angle in a horizontal motion . I had lots of practice when I was working as a pattern maker. Keep the comments coming! Kev

[@johntenhave1]

@@saltlightdix4704thanks for your comprehensive reply. Your handskills are obvious as is your work ethic. I think the underlying point I was driving at was that is is just as much work, time and expense to finish up with a great finish as it is to finish up with a substandard outcome. Pattern making is the pinnacle of woodworking skill and that is not in question. Fairing hulls is another profession / trade/ skill set. There are common factors but they are different. We may as well copy from those who have gone before us. The following link illustrates what I was talking about kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqvQg5KaaZJ6gassi=9XNoGvWNpuuACB6r. Matt is a shipwright and is doing wonderful work on a legendary racing yacht Duracell. he has employed professional hull finishing folk so it is an opportunity to watch the professionals at work. I take your well made point about the fairness of the plywood and your diligence in getting the underlying structure true has already paid dividends. The challenge is to blend those already fair facets into a unified fair hull. I am sure you will finish up with a stunning result. your progress and the results to date have been astonishing. The gotcha in all of this is that the last thing we do is the first thing that everyone sees, and that is how the whole project is judged - so finishing is disproportionally important. but I am sure you know that ;-) keep up the great work.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yeah, the final finish is what I'm working towards, so it affects everything I do leading up to that. I always enjoy reading your comments, and I'm the first person to admit I don't know everything and I like to listen and learn from others....its a trait I have held to for many years. Kev

[@jacquesdebruijn1783]

Kev, at 1:30, is that the Toyama Shinko LNG Terminal? What a great place to build a boat!

[@saltlightdix4704]

Its the hokurikuden (power station). Yeah its pretty great to have the door open and look out over the port during summer......winter is a different story Kev

[@rhyslightning3379]

Hope you have some elbow grease left over to lift a beer at the end! The finish you you have achieved will be well worth it when the paint goes on - great work, Kev!

[@saltlightdix4704]

Thanks, I had been putting off the chainplates knowing it was going to be a big effort. I have 1 more big fairing/sanding job to do, the wave breaker... psyching myself up for that one :) Kev

[@henrikfridmann3194]

👍

[@justinoflaherty663]

Hi Kev, just a general enquiry … is it the intention to glass the outer hull, if not, how is the outside hull to be finished? Thanks J

[@saltlightdix4704]

Hi Justin, no the plywood is coated with 3-4coats of West System epoxy then painted. Kev

[@kankama1]

A couple of things - I am not sure I like the way you use your longboard. It seems like you are using the edge (and going vertical) to sand the filler around the chainplate and pussy footing around. If you want to fair the chainplate in seamlessly you are going to need heaps more filler. I prefer to use a 5mm notched trowel when lots of fairing is required. Then don't use you arms, walk in and rock side to side on your feet, pushing with your arms in tandem, but don't do arms only - it's a killer. So for me, notched trowel filler all over the section, then 40 grit on the board and rock back and forth, getting down to 60 and maybe 80. Leave the ridges a little high before filling as the filling process leaves slight hollows between the notches. With a notched trowel it is a one stage process to fill, one stage to longboard and then two stages to fill in the spaces between and fair again. I could do that job in bits of three to four days. At the end of the video it seems like you are going to apply resin over the ply. Please don't do that. If you think that is good practise get someone to bang you over the head with something - a soft mallet, a rubber thong, anything but don't lie to yourself. I reckon the biggest con artist in my builds is me. You MUST glass the ply. Anyone who tells you you don't have to is an idiot, really they are. The ply will check and split and in a few years you will need to do a total restrip, right down to the ply and then glass the boat and do a total repaint. You will hate your now self for being criminally stupid to your future self. Yes I have tried it, and now after being pelted by reality I never, ever, ever leave any exterior ply unglassed. Don't listen only to those who agree with your plans to save time - listen to sceptics too.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Thanks for your detailed comment. Yes i was using the edge a bit where the carbon fibre was blending into the hull. Its about a 12mm step. In terms of the epoxy only comment, I researched the designs and I made a decision on the Dix design. It is a bit of a stretch to call Dudley Dix an idiot. There have been lots of Dix boats of all kinds made in this method for many years and I have not come across any that have suffered the problems you have stated. In the words of Billy Joel " You maybe right, I may be crazy" but sometimes in life you have to make a decision /plan and stick to it. Kev

[@kankama1]

@@saltlightdix4704 Designers often just design and don't use their boats long term. Dix started off with a dinghy design that used polyester tabbing instead of epoxy. I was part of a magazine that was pushing the design in the 90s when I was making my first epoxy cat (I still have it). That was so wrong it hurt and there was no reason any competent builder would recommend polyester to bond plywood. The mag got blow back from competent bilders who told us off because we recommendeed the design. I totally stand by my comment that you would have to be an idiot not to understand plywood and checking as a designer. So flip it the other way - I have been hanging around plywood multis since I got my first Piver trimaran in 1983. In that time EVERY time I have left plywood unglassed it checks and causes issues. Or the case of every plywood boat I have been asked to look over, or the other 3 multis I have built and used, or all of my friends plywood boats. Am I an idiot when I have seen and dealt with checking many times? One mate got a 25 year old tri with non glassed decks - the decks were totally checked and required glassing during the recon. The ply had started degrading but he caught it just in time, but it was a major bit of work. I reckon a big problem with your build is that you have no community of builders to help you. I did when I did my first build 27 years ago. I had friends and acquaintances come around and offer tips, suggestions, praise and sometimes a reality check. If I was there I would try to be kind in many ways - you look like you are doing a good job, but not glassing this boat will be a real issue. Why go to all this trouble and allow your investment to be severely compromised by dodgy techniques? So reach out to a plywood builder - pay for advice from someone who makes ply designs - maybe Wharram would be a great choice. Contact and pay Hanneke Boon for advice, ask Russel Brown from PT watercraft, do your research! I seriously wish I could go back in time and give myself an uppercut because I was blind to some realities when building. I think you are in this state now - I have built many ply boats, but more importantly, I have seen what happens and how much work I have had to do, when ply boats are not protected by thin sheathing cloth. When the ply starts checking, and water starts getting into the ply from the cracks in the epoxy layers, will Dudley Dix come along, fix the boat for you and pay for it?

[@saltlightdix4704]

Again thanks for your comment. I would be interested in hearing some more, could you email me [e-mail] Kev

[@fisheater844]

What grit are you sanding with Kevin?

[@saltlightdix4704]

@@fisheater844 it’s 80 grit Kev

[@dancarter482]

Light at the end of the tunnel and it's not an express train mate! Just think, you could be one of those poor sods who only ever do fairing full time - hard labor for life!

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yeah I don't think I could do it for a living......that said it is very satisfying when you finish. I am my own worst enemy in terms of finish quality......i have had guys come in look and feel the fairing and when I say I'm not happy, they laugh at me and say its good already.......it the pattern maker in me Kev

[@MrArch56]

Mate I need a rest after watching this and a massage as well. Is that just 1 hull I hope it was both

[@saltlightdix4704]

Hahahaha...... me too! Yes, both hulls are done, I mainly focused on the 1 bow and chainplate.......so double what you saw :) Kev

[@markthomasson5077]

Don’t youyou use a long straight (plasterers) float to apply the filler? Save lots of sanding

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yeah, just bought a larger one, after I had finished.....doh! Kev

[@markthomasson5077]

@@saltlightdix4704 haha…Ben there..done that

[@erichdatzkow3836]

Mit einem breiten spachtel nachziehen erspart man sich viel schleifen

[@zanebrimson7777]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/epywlISqhbeGnassi=4qGkzQTo7jWz2xiF Has used the Flexi for curved areas, to both fair and sand.

[@saltlightdix4704]

Hi Zane, is that SV Lynx. I don’t have a lot of curved fairing to do from now on. I have bought a larger trowel which should be enough going forward. Kev

[@zanebrimson7777]

@@saltlightdix4704 Hi Kev, it’s SAIL life. He did do a total fair on a mono hull, yes everything curved. And that’s the link. But he recently bought an Antares 44 that was totalled in the Bahamas, that the previous owner bought for 14k$. He’s got as much work ahead of him as you do!

[@zanebrimson7777]

You will see in the video he has a power sander that is long and flexible. Give it a look. By the way, Dan from Tampa says hello and that he has not missed any of your videos!

[@saltlightdix4704]

Yeah I have been watching Mads and Bryan, its great Mads has been able to pick up after Bryan and finish off the Antares. Byran used to give me a laugh, he was so untidy in the workspace where as Mads is the opposite. I think once they give it a great clean out, the boat will hopefully not look so daunting. Kev

[@TheNugget360]

Are you not going to fibreglass the whole boat?? I hope you are or you hit anything and the puppy is going sink like a brick… one floating log is going pierce the hull so easily 😮

[@derekfawell2853]

I thought Kev answered that a while back. I think he said 'no'.

[@mckenziekeith7434]

You better let Dudley Dix know that his designs don't work so he can stop selling them. By the way, where did you get your degree in Naval Architecture and how many of your designs have been built so far?

[@zanebrimson7777]

Also call the Gougeon brothers too!

[@mckenziekeith7434]

In all seriousness, keep in mind the following: Catamarans have two hulls. Many designs (not sure about the dix 47) have watertight bulkheads. Catamarans do not have ballast. Therefore, catamarans rarely sink. A hull rupture would still be a serious issue, of course.

[@PN_48]

@@derekfawell2853I missed that episode. Does Dix not require a full fibreglass sheath layer on top of the ply? Or is it just a couple of layers of epoxy resin?

[@nlanni]

Painful to watch. 28 minutes of sanding. Not interested in building my own, but simply curious. Looks like I pick the wrong video to watch.

[@saltlightdix4704]

What a great comment, that is what I was trying to achieve. Boat building is sometimes long periods of monotonous sanding and fairing. Whilst you are not interested in building a boat, I wanted to convey the sometimes hard work required for those thinking about it. Whilst it is hard doing this for days on end, the satisfaction when it’s complete is very rewarding Kev