Making of the SNX Hull

Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
Thanks McDog! After spending hundreds of hours modding the square nose, it would have been crying shame to not take it this far.

Jeff, that's exactly why I haven't done the math lol. I don't think the numbers will work out to generate the $/hr that I earn working my 9-5. But it is a fun diversion and could be a tax write off for a hobby I spend way too much money on... and might even generate a little side cash flow.

Thanks Chuck! Hopefully I make it out east to one of the events this year.

I'm glad you guys are digging the work. Thanks for the kind words!


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Vumad

Vumad

Super Hero, with a cape!
Location
St. Pete, FL
Nate_D said:
Thanks McDog! After spending hundreds of hours modding the square nose, it would have been crying shame to not take it this far.

Jeff, that's exactly why I haven't done the math lol. I don't think the numbers will work out to generate the $/hr that I earn working my 9-5. But it is a fun diversion and could be a tax write off for a hobby I spend way too much money on... and might even generate a little side cash flow.

Thanks Chuck! Hopefully I make it out east to one of the events this year.

I'm glad you guys are digging the work. Thanks for the kind words!


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Actually you only need to do the math to make a second one. You are not a business investing in a plug hoping to make a profit. You are a hobbiest investing in a plug for a personal goal. You can not factor that time or money into your investment time (although you could write the material costs off on your taxes if you go into production). The only costs that matter from a production and profit stand point are matierls, build time and mold maintenance. you may produce 20 of these and never pay off the time and money of the mold but if you make a reasonable pay making them then it may be worth it.
 
Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
If I did produce a second one, absolutely. Based on the materials that I use and the time involved, I can already estimate that I would have to price these into the higher end of the market. While I am sure that there is a demand for what I have made, the question is really: is there a demand for it at the price I would need to sell it for to see an appreciable return on my investment?

If I did go into production, I would create new plugs and molds. While the molds I have are very good by most standards, and the finish product would satisfy 95% of people who saw it, there are minor issues that 5% would find. I am part of that 5%. At the high end of the market, also is that 5%. There's no money in slinging visual carbon hulls at $3-4k.


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Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
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Carbon over inserts and vac bagged. Bay looks a little messy, but it will get covered with the honey comb.


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Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
Someone was asking about weight a page or two ago... With all inserts in, including tubing for both a scupper and versa plug, 3" exhaust (because bigger is always better and it looks so much more badass than a 2.5"), and pump shoe, the bottom deck weighs 35.4lbs. Throw in another half lb for the visual honeycomb and resin... Let's call it 36lbs.
Top deck weighed in at 25.8lbs. Still needs foot holds and turf. But subtract out the weight of a pole bracket. Probably 5lbs of the top deck is from the extra layup schedule in the nose/bracket area.


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Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
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Workshops are a train wreck. Second foothold well is infusing now. Plugs for the foot holds and hood liner are in progress.

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Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
It's the second coolest thing I've learned through out this build, right after infusion.

I took the next 4 days off my 9-5 to make some solid progress here, and of course I catch the flu with a 102 fever right before my time off starts.

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Suck it up and back to work time...


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Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
This fever is relentless. 103.7 this morning. I'm working at half speed, but I am still plugging away at it (composite pun intended).

I have the footwells done and one hold plug is sanded up to 150 and ready for the first round of surfacing primer. The other needs the glazing putty to be sanded to 150. Still have to finish foothold plugs, mold and infuse parts, plug/mold/part hood liner, plug/mold/part handlepole, and finish the cosmetics and bond the decks.

About a day and a half behind schedule, and unless I can make up the work this won't be ready in time for the Port A free ride. I might be camping on the beach with the family and bumming rides when I can.

Plug for wells. Just XPS, 1/4" birch ply, and epoxy at this point.

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Fast forward through the body filler, sanding, surfacing, more sanding, and Gelcoat/ISO resin.

I drilled multiple holes in the bottom of the rails, then anodized them. The holes will allow the glass/carbon on top of the inside of the rail to make a chemical bond to the glass/carbon on the bottom during the infusion.

Next I brushed on some PVA and let dry, then placed masking tape over the sides and top.


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After that I laid up the mold and placed a layer of glass under and over the rail to keep the carbon from have any chance of galvanic corrosion (though the thick oxide layer eliminates the surface from conducting electricity and should prevent any galvanic corrosion on its own.



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And then very carefully pleated a stretchlon 800 bag to fill inside the rail. After that I infused the mold.

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Once the part was out, I carefully cut and weighed a piece of blue visual twill, I wetted it out to exactly 50:50 resin/fabric, then pulled another vacuum.

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After that I pulled the part and shot some clear over it.

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You can see there is a great deal of print through, even wet sanding and shooting it again. If I pull another set of parts, I'm going to reverse the mold, IMC it, and just fasten the rail to the part post infusion.

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Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
air blair said:
That temperature on your body is no joke. Rest man


Air blair cell
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You're telling me, it's been kicking my ass lol. There was a point yesterday where I was staring up at the trees spacing out while holding sand paper, thinking "What am I suppose to be doing right now?" That's when I realized it was time to wrap it up and head inside.

I took the day off today and hit up the local urgent care. They shot me up with some steroids and gave me an antibiotic. Feeling a lot better already.
 
K

Keg

We don't want to hear your excuses. We want to see some amazing, over the top, labor intensive hull work dreamed up from your mad professor head, while we all sit in front of our computers wishing we were u.
 
Mud-Nut

Mud-Nut

Location
LaSalle, ON
iangdesign said:
Don't let a hurried deadline get in the way of the perfection you have going here good sir. There are always other free rides! Keep up the good work and hope ya feel better.
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I couldn't agree more, keep up the awesome quality and don't let a timeline compromise that.

Great update, as usual. And feel better dude!
 
Nate_D

Nate_D

Location
Houston, TX
Well Keg, the good news for you is I feel like a million bucks today (in comparison), so the excuses should cease and the over the top composite stuff back on track.

I do hate having to succumb to going to the hospital though. Always find a way to charge you out the ass for stuff. Who really needs a CT scan for a sore throat??? This will probably cost me more than a Solas mag pump by the time they are done billing me... The day wasn't a total waste. I found time to do my taxes while laid up in bed. As if the urgent care running up my bill wasn't enough, god damn IRS tried to screw me for every penny... Anyway back on subject. Composites right?

I'm definitely not going to sacrifice quality to hit a deadline. Sleep might be sacrificed to hit deadlines though. I am happy with how the foothold wells came out structurally, but the clear coat over the strong print through of the blue twill leaves something to be desired. I doubt I will remake them, but I am debating just turfing over the blue twill. It's so minor and on the inside of the tray, I don't think it's going to make a big difference either way. We'll see how it looks once it's all together.


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