Jahazi: Integral water tanks

Introduction

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea"
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

With that in mind one may think that anybody with a passion for the sea can build an ocean going yacht. But be warned! It is not something that can be taken lightly. It takes time and dedication.This project was started in 2004 with the purchase of plans for the Didi 34. Although almost finished, it is still ongoing.

Tuesday, 10 July 2007

Integral water tanks

In the guide to radius chine plywood construction that accompanied the building plans, it is suggested that the integral water tanks be constructed before one starts with the skin. The water tanks are located underneath the settees in the saloon area. The floors run into them and therefore one must build the settee fronts around the floors before the skin is applied. Is is also more easy to work on the tanks before the hull is turned around. All junctions with the settee fronts, tops and bulkheads must be filleted and glass typed. Once completed three layers of a high viscosity epoxy (specially designed for sealing water tanks) were applied to the interior of the tanks. Time spent on the water tanks - 55 hours.