Sometimes it’s possible to worry too much about these projects. Last time we wrote of not knowing a reasonable technique for bulking up the daggerboard shape. After some careful measuring, it needs 5/16″ at the most, and most of the add will be 1/4″ or less.

We dug around in leftover building materials for some 1/4″ divinycel 80 (5lb density) foam core that had been saved for anymore interior panel making. Fortunately for timely efficiency (hard to get this stuff quickly) there was just enough.

The little pile of scraps was all we had left of three 4×8′ sheets from 2015.

Next we made a fresh vacuum bag with the last of the Stretchelon plastic, but it wasn’t quite big enough. So for a first, tonight we’re trying standard 4mil plastic sheeting from the hardware store. For a simple, flat part like this it’s working fine.

Thanks again to whoever dreamed up laminating curved panels under vacuum pressure. So satisfying to watch it work. This extra foam core will be very well formed on to the board.

Along with running out of vac bag film, we’re out of the fabric breather that lets air flow inside the bag, and soaks up excess resin. A quick web search at lunch today turned up an airplane builder who uses paper towels! He said use four+ layers. It was soooooo much easier to keep in position tonight, and nearly free. We’ll let you know next time how it worked.

In that last shot notice the darker seams in between the pieces of tan foam. That’s epoxy being forced up, and that will make the shaping process more difficult. The tools need to move between the hard glue lines and softer foam without gouging. There’s the downside of using all the scraps instead of single full sheets. We’ll just have to be careful.