Hiya Scampers,
During the holidays the shop was at half staff but we kept plugging along on the tooling. (Hah, that’s a fiberglass pun!) I think it came together nicely, with the smoother appearance of the ‘glass deck retaining the character of the pugnacious Scamp. Our changes really wouldn’t be noticeable unless a ‘glass and wood Scamp were sitting side by side…. I like the way the cabin sides flow into the coamings which then tie in nicely with the transom cap. The wood Scamp’s coamings don’t extend all the way to the transom.
This bunch of photos shows more of the fairing process. ‘Tug’ used everything from plaster of Paris to polyester putty and two different viscosities of primer to get the deck plug perfect. The last photos are of the new mold being created; you are looking at the ‘skin coat’ which is the delicate first layer of heat resistant mold gelcoat and cloth impregnated with a special vinylester resin. This layer has to be able to withstand hundreds of cycles of temperature shock without breaking down or warping. Dave Gahan, our laminator will apply more layers of glass and cloth and finally laminate wood bracing to ensure consistency.
Separating the new mold from the deck plug will be entertaining. The plug is a conglomeration of pieces not necessarily firmly joined so it will probably come out in pieces. Anyone want a souvenir?
In about two weeks I’ll be able to show you the first real Scamp ‘glass deck! Then comes the final and most complex step – creating the interior. It’s complex because the entire interior including seating and bulkheads, along with centerboard trunk, water tank, hatches, etc. etc. has to be created in one piece. And has to fit between the hull and deck within a few hundredths of an inch in three dimensions.