The port side beams are being fitted in to the float now. Since all the steps are being repeated from the other side, things are going much faster. One example is cutting the glass fabric and applying the epoxy out on the work table. Once all the pieces are wetted out, they get tucked in to the plastic wrap for transport inside the float. Kind of like a nicely prepared take out meal, ready for the picnic.

Yesterday’s work was installing the cross-float webs (shelves) on each side of the bulkheads that bisect the float sleeves. All of this structure gives the beam-to-float connection a lot all-direction support. You can see the beam’ end bolt exiting the sleeve, and the big nut that snugs it all together.

I ended the weekend by unpacking the new refrigerator unit and test fitting the cold plate in the fridge box. It’s all coming together nicely, and the low energy draw of the CoolBlue system, plus thick walls, should keep the power draw down in the range for solar-only management.

Now it’s on to installing the port side beam fairings. More pics in a few days.

Well, there were lots of good distractions from the boat shop this summer, including training for a ‘century’ bike event (100 miles) in Death Valley, helping Colin rehab a Coronado 15, and of course the Americas Cup finals.

We finished painting Colin’s boat tonight. Great use of otherwise unclaimed Sunflower yellow topsides paint – we grabbed a half pint can of bright red and, viola, Coast Guard orange!

And with other distractions wrapped up, I finally got started on primary assembly of the port side. Spent the morning again with the car jack and wood blocks, gently coaxing the float up to its waiting beams. Then began glassing the beam sockets in to the hull. That process will take about ten hours including adding cross-webs for strength.

So while prior posts showed interior progress, I’ve had a change of heart and returned to primary ‘specialty’ work outside. The boat grows much more valuable as a completed trimaran, including steering and foils, so I’ll focus on those big jobs here in 2013. Interior finish work won’t require a multihull specialist, and thus will be easier to job out should I need to hire help. That’s the thinking anyway!

We reached a nice milestone today with the last step of fitting the beam and float main hull all together. I thought that the float would lower immediately under its own weight once unbolted and the jack inched down. But it actually took quite a bit of levering and wiggling to get everything apart. The beams with their fairings are getting quite heavy – almost too much for Griffin and I to bring down. Will probably rig a tackle from the roof trusses for the port side.

Here’s the completed beam-to-float bolting flange. The jagged edges will be cleaned up in the process of final glassing and fairing of the completed beams. Light at the end of the tunnel!!

After these beams came down, the floats went back out in the street to make room for the main hull to shift to the other side of the shop. Two of us can just barely push it around with the old metal trolley wheels. I think that’s the last time it needs to move before loading on to a truck for the harbor next year. For now, we’re ready to fit out the Port side :)