Companionway Hatch "biscuit tin rim" done
Today the companionway hatches biscuit rim was done - it was rounded over to enable glass to easily conform to the curve and cover it when the deck and cockpit get glassed
In this pic you can see the tell tale white low density fillet to the left of the installed rim, it is only the cosmetic final fillet that will be covered over by glass - the cockpit has lots of joins and to make them easy sandable before glassing and to create a nice looking joint, I am putting a thin low density fillet over the High Density joins - Underneath it, is a substantial high density fillet as has been used throughout the build
here you can see the difference between a low density and high density fillet
- low density are really white but are easily sandable to create a nice smooth radius.
this example from the Gougeon Brothers book shows the failure of a low density fillet - you can increase the strength of low density fillets by putting a layers of glass or biaxialglass over them, in effect creating a hollow beam type fillet. IMHO without glass they offer minimal strength. - unless they are Huge.
the Setka design doesnt need fillets when built properly, but I think for the little extra weight and time, a high density fillet increases the strength enormously and also makes for a nice looking joint , and besides I enjoy making fillets , some people dont - of course this is all my opinion - do your own research
if you are interested West epoxy offers a free download of the book at
click the link
the rim with the fillet, this should create a nice dry relatively leak free hatch because the 60 degree slope of the bulkhead creates a nice gutter - I see a bit of fillet "runout" mess in this pic that needs to be cleaned before it cures - I am on it.
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