| |
  |
| Building with Kevlar™ braid - Building the leeboard bracket |
|
 |
|
posted by leeann
on Thursday February 02, @05:10PM
from the dept.
|
|
|
|
|
Building with Kevlar™ braid - Building the leeboard bracket
Building the leeboard bracket
The leeboard bracket is designed to transfer all of the side loads of the board through the hub and into the hull without being permanently attached to the hull. I used the hull as a mold to get perfect alignment of the attachment points.
Figure 1—I built a permanent lip on the sheer, which will be grasped by the bracket.
Figure 2—I formed the deck piece of the bracket by molding a layer of carbon fiber fabric to the deck, which was protected with plastic. The upper edge is molded into the curve of the rim and the lower edge is wrapped over and below the lip at the sheer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Figure 3—A carbon plate, the vertical face upon which the leeboard pivots, is attached to the deck piece. The laminated plate is clamped to a piece of stiff plywood, which is aligned plumb and parallel to the centerline of the boat and holds the plate to the deck piece. I use every trick I can to assure alignment accuracy—note the string centerline, a level, and the plywood. I first glue the plate to the deck piece with a fillet, then apply tape to reinforce it.
Figure 4—The upper piece will act as a brace between the vertical and deck pieces. I mold the upper piece, on a thin plastic sheet bent around the upper edge of the vertical face and taped temporarily in place.
Figure 5—After I remove the cured upper piece from the mold, I then bond it back in place with fillets and tape the joints and edges with Kevlar tape.
Figure 6—I drilled a hole for the axle bolt through the board and bracket. Large rubber washers between the board and bracket provide plenty of bearing surface, allowing the board to be raised and lowered easily, but held firmly.
Figure 7—The lower edge of the bracket locks under the lip that was bonded to the hull in Figure 1.
Figure 8—The upper edge of the bracket slips under the cockpit rim. Once in place, I determine position of eyestraps attached to the hull on either side of the bracket. A single pin through the eyestraps traps the inboard joint of the bracket and holds the bracket firmly in place on the hull.
To learn more on West System products visit www.westsystem.com
|
|
|
|
< Building with Kevlar™ braid - Building the cockpit rim
| Varnish FAQ's by Epifanes >
| |
|
