On A New Tack

 A few people have asked for more details about out network on-board.  Instead of trying to describe it, and because I should have one anyways, I decided to create a Network Diagram. So far, the network has been working great.  On occasion, the 2.4 GHZ radio in the MNC-1250 stops responding, however I am working with their tech support to get to the bottom of it.  We have that device mounted upside down to the "ceiling" of what I call the network area in the owners cabin.  I have a suspicion that it maty be overheating as it it not sitting in the orientation it was designed to be in.  As it turns out, I have a spare 12v computer-type fan that I am going to wire into the 12V fuse block in there and mount it to the router and see if that makes a difference.  I also went into the configuration settings and turned down the output power of both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios, since the signals do not have to go very far to cover the boat.  This should also...

Let's Make Some Fiberglass! With the external layers of Chopped Strand Fiberglass Mat already added to build thickness, the strong, quadraxial layers of E-Glass are laid next.  They have fibers running in four different directions which builds stiffness and rigidity into the hull. Strength layers added to Chopped Strand Mat Next, layers of Closed Cell Foam Core are added after being shaped.  Kerf cutting is required with other types of foam to allow the foam to have a curved shape.  Kerf cutting refers to adding multiple cuts with a saw blade that go about 2/3rds of the way through the material inline with the intended curvature to allow the foam to bend.  The foam used by Vision Yachts does not require kerf cutting to bend it, so the gaps in the material that result from kerf cutting are not there.  These gaps would results in extra vinyl ester resin that would add weight and cost without adding strength.  The foam sheets do contain small holes throughout ...

Living on a self-sufficient boat without giving up The Cloud?! If you are at all like me, you've begun to rely more and more on one or more Cloud Services.  Apple iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and many, many more basically all offer the same solution: "You have digital things that are important to you; you pay us a small amount per month and we'll manage keeping it safe and protect you from hardware failures and data loss." I firmly believe that hosted cloud storage is one of the great conveniences that just about anyone under the age of 70 should be using.  The solutions are downright cheap, given how much storage capacity you can get and how much you would pay to get that data back if you lost it. I have used all of the above and my provider of choice is Google Drive, though we also use Apple iCloud to automatically backup our iDevices, as least for now. Life 2.0 We will still have a cloud storage provider when we set sail, but what are we going ...

Time to Add Some Actual Fiberglass! Dry Tissue and Chopped Strand Mat After the Gel Coat has cured sufficiently, a layer of dry tissue is laid down (to prevent disturbing the Gel Coat which is basically sticking to itself) and then a layer of chopped strand mat.  This is then wetted with a Vinyl-Esther resin. Chopped Strand Mat

Build Continues with the Addition of the Gel Coat Gel Coat Time to start actually making something!  Here is a diagram that helps explain how the Vision 444 hull is constructed: Hull Layup - Courtesy of visionyachts.com We are working from the bottom (outside) up, so the first step is to spray the prepped mod with Gel Coat.  We are going with a grey hull (Kingston Grey to be exact) which will be painted as a final step months from now.  Because of this hull color choice, the Gel Coat will be a grey similar in tone, instead of being a basic white.  That goes on first:

 Okay, so it is somewhat delayed from the expected start date,  but what isn't in this crazy world?! Hull #11, aka "SV Mira", aka, our boat, aka our Home-To-Be started at the Vision Yachts Factory in Knysna, South Arica!!!!! Modern fiberglass sailboats are made in a mold, which is kind of like the inverse of the boat-to-be.  Fiberglass layers are build up onto this mold and eventually you get to the desired thickness, everything cures, the mold gets pulled away, and voila, you have a hull!  Okay, you have the very start of a hull that would a) not float and b) not look much like a boat. Creating the hull in the mold is the first step in a long list of steps. Main steps of making a Vision 444, mostly in order... Make the hull pieces in molds Pull the pieces from the mold and fair them (sand, sand, sand). Bond the multiple pieces into one actual boat using fiberglass to join the multiple pieces Install bulkheads and furniture pieces and fiberglass them to the hull. Mor...

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