what’s inside the beams

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Here are four copies of the web that will go on the inboard end of each beam. After curing each one gets an angle-bracket assembly on the end, and those will form the backing attachment point for the big 1″ thick main bolts (that secure the beams to the hull).

Tonight’s lamination, including cutting out 40 pieces of various cloth fabric and prepping the epoxy, was after dinner, from the 5th thru 9th innings of the Giants/Phillies game (bumgarner got the win). So about 1.5 hours in/out of the shop, which is about all I have available on weekdays. We’re not pursuing any vacuum bagging because I think it would take more time, so lots of little steps wouldn’t happen every possible day – and the boat would take more years! That’s the rationale, anyway.  So what happens instead of bagging?  Peel ply, then some plastic sheeting, and low tech pressure…

4 thoughts on “what’s inside the beams”

  2. Hi, I am much enjoying your blog which I only recently discovered. I know your beam build was some time ago, but I just wondered if you had any idea of the weight of the finished fore and aft beams. I have been constructing an F 39 on and off for a while now, and made the beams before the hull and floats. They are extremely heavy, even with the carbon fiber anchors etc, i think the forward ones must be perhaps around 70Kg and the aft about 50Kg! Seems rather on the heavy side when they are so high up on the boat?. Also noticed your comments on the gudgeon pins for the rudder, (with the cracking) When I reach that stage, I will certainly ask you what you would suggest to beef up this area.

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    • Hi Alan. I’ve followed your posts over the years too. I recall being aghast a long time ago at seeing epoxy spilled on a carpet inside what I assumed was a downstairs room in your house. And then the realities of my project hit, where of course “anything goes” with grabbing places to build boat parts, sacrificing tools and fabrics and surfaces to stray epoxy, and of course the endless dust of sawing and sanding.
      Your beam weight sounds just like mine. And the boat carries them just fine. I’ve come to learn that folding and/or demountable trimarans by definition have very heavy beams to get the stiffness needed. Tris with long ‘cross the main hull’ box beams can make them so much lighter, but of course will never reduce their beam or go over the road. Because i don’t anticipate ever demounting my boat, I shouldn’t have built a Farrier. There are much lighter and easier designs to execute. But I love my ship, and her blend of comfort and speed. So onward we sail.
      Yes, contact me when you get to hanging the rudder. My mistake was dumb, expecting the upper gudgeon mount would withstand the tremendous twisting forces. The fix I made last year was straightforward and has proven quite strong over the 3,500 miles traveled since.

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