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| Creation
of a "Ocean 460" |
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A salty
philosopher once said a man must do
two things in his lifetime: one is
to have a son and the other is to build
a boat. Jim Gard, Director
of Emultihulls
Yacht Brokerage, has been
fortunate in fulfilling both dreams,
even uniting the two when his son joined
him in the creation of 'Infinity' -
A Grainger Ocean 460 cat.
Contrary to the dictionary meaning, Jim's project wasn't afforded 'Infinite' space,
time or quantity - the construction of quality catamarans demands excellent
organisation, quantities of quality |
| materials
and a superior and spacious work shed
in which to house the growing construction.
With these three prerequisites in place,
work can progress unhampered and without
undue stress or delay. The creation
of a sea going vessel is a milestone
in anyone's life and should be remembered
with more pleasure than pain! |
Employing
a reputable project manager to oversee
production will help diminish the risk
of irritating set backs and ensure
the 'excellent organisation' needed
from the outset. Jim coerced
a friend who had owned 'Touchwood
Marine Sydney' to take on the job
and share the agonies and ecstasies.
From the outset it was agreed that only the best materials and hardware
deserved to feature on the vessel. Strip plank cedar hulls, |
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Gaboon
Ply bulkheads and internal furniture
through to Duracore floors and decks
were to be supplied as needed by a
single reliable supplier. West System
7 Epoxy, along with quality fibreglass
weaves of various weights were also
to be used throughout. Using a single
source for materials has obvious benefits.
Confusion is drastically lessened and
continuity assured as the supplier
views the project as a |
| whole
rather than viewing just one piece
of a 1000 part jigsaw puzzle! Jim's chosen
company, Caporn Marine in Sydney, are
also able to provide state of the art
equipment, one of which proved invaluable
on the 'Infinity' project. |
| Finding
the space for a such a large endeavour
isn't easy, especially when you live
in the middle of Sydney! Travelling
long distances to work on your boat
isn't ideal and neither are the dusty,
unprotected and unevenly floored 'barns'
available 'out there'. Jim was lucky
to find a new marine complex close
to the city in Berrys Bay, North Sydney..
Having just been completed, they were
yet to be fully tenanted and the |
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custom
made sheds provided a perfect working
environment. With the three essential
bases covered, a time frame was agreed
upon. Creation was to begin on January
1st with a launch date set for July
1st. In just six months Infinity would
be at lock up stage, needing only mast
and rigging to complete the masterpiece.
The initial stage of any strip plank
boat construction is the 'hardback'
or jig on which the boat will be moulded.
New timbers must be used to ensure
accuracy at this crucial starting point. Infinity's jig
was assembled with masking tape |
| used
to cover edges. Excess epoxy glue is
squeezed out as the cedar planks are
clamped and screwed down and applying
tape saves valuable time later sanding
down these diamond hard spills. |
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Only
five days into the project Jim stood
proudly between the two flawless realms
of 'Infinity'.
The Ocean 460 is built upside down as a one piece unit which makes
glassing and fairing a lot less labour intensive. Duracore joining floors
were set in place and the unique Grainger chamfer panels constructed. These
panels ingeniously create extra hull strength while also allowing easier
interior access from bridgedeck to |
| hulls.
(Jim later lay testament
to the designer's claim that these
panels also effectively lessen wave
slap under the bridgedeck.) |
With
the basic lines in place, strip planking
began. Full length timbers arrived
on site already finger jointed saving
timber wastage along with time and
work later at the fairing stage.Glueing
and joining was facilitated by the
perfectly clean, flat concrete floor
of the work shed. Once again speed
and simplicity ruled in line with the
overall plan.
Six planks at a time were attached, beginning
from the centre of the hulls. Glue is applied
to the upper plank surfaces with another plank
laid on top then clamped and screwed. Screws
are temporary and removed prior to glassing when
the remaining holes are filled and faired. Keeping
the planks as fair as possible is imperative
and Jim was lucky enough to find
an ingenious Australian designed tool for the
job. |
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Caporn
Marine supplied the A.T. L fairing
machine that operates hydraulically
and has an integral vacuum cleaner.
Four flexible blades carry sticky back
sandpaper which flex according to hull
shape. It took one man less than a
day to fair both hulls in readiness
for glassing - a job usually taking
three workers a week to complete with
conventional torture boards. Weight
is a major concern in any multihull design.
To overcome the |
| associated
problems when overlapping fibreglass
and correcting with fairing compounds,
it was decided to rout 1.5 ml grooves
into the cedar. This meant the two
layers of glass were level on the overlay.
Infinity's hull is still mistaken as
solid glass as a result and its performance
of 7 knots at 8 knots of apparent wind
proves it's no heavy weight! |
| Fibreglassing
of any nature is a demanding job. Speed
and accuracy without interruption are
vital to create the immaculate finish
necessary. Two workers laid 'Infinity's' glass
while a third followed an hour later
rolling a layer of West System Epoxy
over the still fresh fibreglass. The
oily film or 'bloom' often found when
glass is left to harden before sealed
could not form as a result. This initial
coat was then torture boarded, filled
and faired once more. Highbuilds were |
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| then
spray applicated for an immaculate
finish. |
| Jim decided
early in the design process to incorporate
mini keels rather than daggerboards
on Infinity.
As he states, ' We point very comfortably
at 27 degrees apparent and can sit
on the bottom without concern of hull
damage - plus - it's one less moving
part on this shorthanded craft to worry
about!' He adds however, that the keel
foil shape is extremely important in
achieving lift. |
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The
keels were built independently of the
hull as it was felt they could be sacrificial
without losing any hull integrity.
The option to use the keels for water
or fuel storage was hence discarded. 'Infinity' was
now beginning to take the form of a
finished vessel - despite its inverted
position! The last fairing was completed
with rollers and every imperfection
sanded to a mirrored finish. |
| Turning
a hull can only compare in stress level
to a few life experiences. The nervous
excitement as a vessel hangs literally
in mid air affects even innocent bystanders. Jims project
manager, David, likened it to watching
his wife have a baby. Six short weeks
after creation commenced, cranes manouvred
like proverbial storks to deliver 'Infinity' into
the light of day. |
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| Duracore
was used on the upper decks. A balsa
cored material housed in Gaboon ply
- an amazingly light yet strong material
and perfect combination for multihull
construction. As the decks were fitted, Jim saw 'Infinity' take
shape and the true lines of the designer's
pen come alive. |
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After
the final coats of two pack polyurethane
had been applied, the areas requiring
deck tread were masked off. One of
the most important safety features,
tread needs to provide adequate grip
without grazing painful layers of flesh
each time you come in contact with
it! Jim had experimented
on previous boats with everything from
cork to sand but gelcoat proved the
best all round and easiest to maintain.
Gelcoat and filler were mixed to a
thick paste and texture |
| rollered
over the masked areas. Any sharp points
were later sanded and the result still
looks like new. |
| With
the hull and decks all but complete,
it was time to fit the saloon roof
and windows. 'Infinity' has
a sports style roofline which tapers
heavily forward. This meant sacrificing
a little headroom but windage is greatly
reduced and sleeker lines achieved. |
| An
overhang in the cockpit provides overall
protection and a safe walk area when
zipping mainsail covers etc. Two layers
of glass were used here to ensure rigidity.
Unlike 'Infinity' herself,
crew members can often fall in the
heavyweight category! |
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The
inversion method was utilised again
in the roofs construction, alleviating
the backbreaking overhead work and
enabling a fairer finish as a result.
This finish was imperative as no interior
lining was to be used with all power
lines being routed into the cedar before
glassing and fairing. The entire roof
exterior was finished in white gelcoat
deck tread. |
| The
view from 'Infinity's’ saloon
is magnificent. A lot of window area
fore and aft gives panoramic vision
for lounge lizards, navigator and galley
slaves alike. With Lexcen windows Sikaflexed
firmly in place, 'Infinity' finally
had 'eyes' that seemed to peer beyond
the sheds doors towards launch day. |
| Coats
of highbuild were applied, crossbeam
and catwalk secured and Lewmar hatches
installed as the days closed to launch. 'Infinity's precision
planning and production methods paid
off handsomely when the allotted work
was completed three weeks ahead of
schedule! The extra time allowed some
minor fittings to be fixed and last
minute touchups to be leisurely and
carefully completed. If turning a hull
is like watching a birth, launch day
must be close to watching a babies
first steps. 'Infinity' actually |
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| rollerskated
her first steps! Little rollers used
for shifting refrigerators were placed
two under each keel enabling four people
to nudge her out of the shed and onto
the apron. The vessels perfect symmetry
and balance was proven before her keels
even lapped water. |
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A christening
celebration was held with a bayside
barbecue - appropriate refreshments
being consumed at an amazing pace considering
the winter launch ... 'Infinity' was
gently lowered into the water and rested
comfortably above her waterline - just
as predicted. Jim's remaining
dream had been realised beyond expectations.
Not only had he successfully built
a superlative sailing vessel, but he
had also shared the rare experience
with family and friends. 'Creating 'Infinity' had
been an infinite joy! |
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(P.S.
INFINITY was sold in 2000 and is
currently on a 5 year worldwide cruise… ) |
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