The weather didn't turn as cold as fast as I thought it was going to, sooo.......
Hull mate starts with cutting the turtledeck for the forward root support tube. One catch here: after you cut the hole and put it in place, the hull will balance on the cluster bracket and the weight of the front of the turtledeck will make it tip forward. I kept trimming the rear of the hole until I figured this out, but the extra little bit is not a problem.
After that I cut the hole for the aft root tube mount on the cluster bracket. I thought I was a little off when my cuts did not match what the factory had drawn, but checking other builder's photos their cuts also did not strictly follow the factory mark.
A spot of bother, the aft root tube does not fit the cluster bracket without forcing it, and when I force it the cluster bracket lifts off the boom tube. I'm going to borrow another builders bracket and compare them, see if they match or if I might have installed mine upside down. For now it means a halt to cutting this hole.
At least it was close enough to get the aft end of the turtledeck onto the boom tube.
A strong light shining in from the rear showed the high points it was riding on, which were then carefully trimmed.
With the turtledeck down close enough I went ahead and mounted the fuel tank. Note the fuel tank mounting strap soaking in the bucket of water to make it expand.
After mounting it (while still wet) the next day it dried and shrank tight. Simple and effective.
Time to take the deep breaths, and measure twenty times because I only get one shot at these cuts. And don't be afraid to redo something.
Sometimes the hard part is trying to decide which line is the correct one.
Using the boom tube cover you trace the outline for cutting.
The manual calls for marks to be placed 3 1/2" and 7 5/8" down from the reference line to cut the opening for the elevator pushrod. That gives a diameter of 4 1/8", but when the ring was held it place it didn't fit. Mt ring measured 4", so after a bit of debate I made my marks at 3 1/2" and 7 1/2".
I stopped for a lot of "Common Sense" checks, where I check the fit of parts. Did it look right? Did it make sense? More than once I caught errors that way.
I hate it when the manual calls for a 2 1/2" hole saw and you just don't want to stop to run to the store and buy one, so you improvise. But I'd recommend planing ahead and using the hole saw, it's a neater cut and would have saved me the trouble of cleaning up this cut. Plus I did not HAVE to do this cut to mate the hull/frame.Ah well, a bit of sanding will make it fine.
Quite a change from a few weeks ago. It's dark early now.
It's time. Einar and I measured and remeasured, and argued a bit...
then drew the lines per the manual...
and triple checked them...
and found and corrected errors.
We cut the notches undersized to be cautious, but it meant a lot of fitting, removing, trimming, reinstalling, fitting, trimming, removing....
Einar is a classic craftsman, he can do things with a file that are just beautiful. I've been using small power tools for years on model airplanes and Einar discovered how versatile Dremel's small power tool is.
Eventually the frame fit down into the notches on the side of the hull, when we discovered (as other before us have) that we needed to notch the stringers and front bulkhead.
We kept making small cuts and repeating the fitting, removing, trimming, reinstalling, fitting, trimming, removing process, when I realized we were making cuts to the left side of the front bulkhead but not the right. I called a halt and we made a "CS" check. The bulkhead had been installed incorrectly, placed too far to the left, which made the left top of the bulkhead higher than the right. In addition the bulkhead was further forward on the right than on the left.
To complicate matters further, the side reinforcement came back to bite me again. It was in the way of the bulkhead so we had removed the bolts attaching the forward cockpit tubes. When we lowered the frame into the hull the front foot rest/rudder pedal assembly was striking the front bulkhead and being forced up and aft, misaligning the entire front of the frame.
At this point it was close to supper time. We were all tired and frustrated so I called a stop. I was heading out for work the next day and figured the time away would give me some perspective.
It did. When I returned I was in better spirits and had figured out much of what needed to be done. First was to trim the reinforcing strips back.
I don't normally use a chisel when I'm jetlagged, but when I do....
With the bolts back in and the frame solid I was able to continue fitting. To recap, the front bulkhead was misaligned longitudinally with the right being more forward than the left, and the left side was higher than the right.Time for trimming.
The frame mate starts by aligning the aft hull mounting angles with the transom, then the notches for the upper bulkhead are cut. Einar and I had carefully trimmed the notches, but it seemed there was never enough room in the back and no matter how much I trimmed, the upper bulkhead crosstube was always touching the back of the notch.
I finally decided the frame was sliding backward and distorting the transom, so I gave the frame a good pull forward. There was a *thunk* and the frame fell into place. Leading to another problem....
Note the disparity between the level of the hull and the front bulkhead.
I checked the hull for level in several places to be sure it wasn't just a single incorrect point. They all matched, the bulkhead was too high on the left side and needed to be trimmed.
This was a big gulp moment. Luckily experienced mechanics Hal and Scott had stopped by at the end of the day and I was able to tell them what was going on. They kindly took the time to doublecheck everything, offer a couple ideas, and then wish me luck.
After that there was a bit more trimming for a good fit.
Another adjustment I made was to move the lift point further aft which balanced the frame better, and gave less downforce on the tail to distort the transom.
So now that the frame fit the hull, it was time to make it permanent. Ken Berger had previously cut a bunch of shims from 6061 in various thicknesses for his build and had kindly let me have the pick of them, and I'll pass them on to Jeff when he's ready for his mate. It was a matter of going through and picking an appropriate size for each side and measuring for the first holes.
I had only tapped the outside shims and drilled through the stringer to the other one.The shims will be glassed into the hull next year when it's warm again.
After that it was time to drill the channel brackets. I had to make the same drill, except I had to hit the hole on the other side of the channel bracket cleanly. There was no way to set up a jig, I had to freehand all 4 holes. I'll admit the first one was the best, the second one not so, the last 2 pretty good. No major messups is the point.
Compared to the tight confines and zero margin for error of mounting the channel brackets to the stringers, drilling the single hole channel brackets of the front bulkhead was a breeze.
Einar always seems to stop by at the right time. 1... 2... 3... Lift.
And I was finally able to take a moment to relax and admire the results of our work.
Hey Einar, I know you've been under a lot of stress. I know what would do you some good. Why don't you and Lea cut the holes for the main landing gear?
A look at the shims mounted.
The SeaRey comes with black powder coating on the main gear legs. I didn't like the black so I had mine stripped and redone white. If you're thinking of having this done to your 'Rey remember to tell the person doing the powder coating that they need to fit together afterward, so don't coat them too thick.
My minions try the SeaRey on for size.
My turn.
I think I need a handhold here...
See ya next year.
Hull mate starts with cutting the turtledeck for the forward root support tube. One catch here: after you cut the hole and put it in place, the hull will balance on the cluster bracket and the weight of the front of the turtledeck will make it tip forward. I kept trimming the rear of the hole until I figured this out, but the extra little bit is not a problem.
After that I cut the hole for the aft root tube mount on the cluster bracket. I thought I was a little off when my cuts did not match what the factory had drawn, but checking other builder's photos their cuts also did not strictly follow the factory mark.
A spot of bother, the aft root tube does not fit the cluster bracket without forcing it, and when I force it the cluster bracket lifts off the boom tube. I'm going to borrow another builders bracket and compare them, see if they match or if I might have installed mine upside down. For now it means a halt to cutting this hole.
At least it was close enough to get the aft end of the turtledeck onto the boom tube.
A strong light shining in from the rear showed the high points it was riding on, which were then carefully trimmed.
With the turtledeck down close enough I went ahead and mounted the fuel tank. Note the fuel tank mounting strap soaking in the bucket of water to make it expand.
After mounting it (while still wet) the next day it dried and shrank tight. Simple and effective.
Time to take the deep breaths, and measure twenty times because I only get one shot at these cuts. And don't be afraid to redo something.
Sometimes the hard part is trying to decide which line is the correct one.
Using the boom tube cover you trace the outline for cutting.
The manual calls for marks to be placed 3 1/2" and 7 5/8" down from the reference line to cut the opening for the elevator pushrod. That gives a diameter of 4 1/8", but when the ring was held it place it didn't fit. Mt ring measured 4", so after a bit of debate I made my marks at 3 1/2" and 7 1/2".
I stopped for a lot of "Common Sense" checks, where I check the fit of parts. Did it look right? Did it make sense? More than once I caught errors that way.
I hate it when the manual calls for a 2 1/2" hole saw and you just don't want to stop to run to the store and buy one, so you improvise. But I'd recommend planing ahead and using the hole saw, it's a neater cut and would have saved me the trouble of cleaning up this cut. Plus I did not HAVE to do this cut to mate the hull/frame.Ah well, a bit of sanding will make it fine.
Quite a change from a few weeks ago. It's dark early now.
It's time. Einar and I measured and remeasured, and argued a bit...
then drew the lines per the manual...
and triple checked them...
and found and corrected errors.
We cut the notches undersized to be cautious, but it meant a lot of fitting, removing, trimming, reinstalling, fitting, trimming, removing....
Einar is a classic craftsman, he can do things with a file that are just beautiful. I've been using small power tools for years on model airplanes and Einar discovered how versatile Dremel's small power tool is.
Eventually the frame fit down into the notches on the side of the hull, when we discovered (as other before us have) that we needed to notch the stringers and front bulkhead.
We kept making small cuts and repeating the fitting, removing, trimming, reinstalling, fitting, trimming, removing process, when I realized we were making cuts to the left side of the front bulkhead but not the right. I called a halt and we made a "CS" check. The bulkhead had been installed incorrectly, placed too far to the left, which made the left top of the bulkhead higher than the right. In addition the bulkhead was further forward on the right than on the left.
To complicate matters further, the side reinforcement came back to bite me again. It was in the way of the bulkhead so we had removed the bolts attaching the forward cockpit tubes. When we lowered the frame into the hull the front foot rest/rudder pedal assembly was striking the front bulkhead and being forced up and aft, misaligning the entire front of the frame.
At this point it was close to supper time. We were all tired and frustrated so I called a stop. I was heading out for work the next day and figured the time away would give me some perspective.
It did. When I returned I was in better spirits and had figured out much of what needed to be done. First was to trim the reinforcing strips back.
I don't normally use a chisel when I'm jetlagged, but when I do....
With the bolts back in and the frame solid I was able to continue fitting. To recap, the front bulkhead was misaligned longitudinally with the right being more forward than the left, and the left side was higher than the right.Time for trimming.
The frame mate starts by aligning the aft hull mounting angles with the transom, then the notches for the upper bulkhead are cut. Einar and I had carefully trimmed the notches, but it seemed there was never enough room in the back and no matter how much I trimmed, the upper bulkhead crosstube was always touching the back of the notch.
I finally decided the frame was sliding backward and distorting the transom, so I gave the frame a good pull forward. There was a *thunk* and the frame fell into place. Leading to another problem....
Note the disparity between the level of the hull and the front bulkhead.
I checked the hull for level in several places to be sure it wasn't just a single incorrect point. They all matched, the bulkhead was too high on the left side and needed to be trimmed.
This was a big gulp moment. Luckily experienced mechanics Hal and Scott had stopped by at the end of the day and I was able to tell them what was going on. They kindly took the time to doublecheck everything, offer a couple ideas, and then wish me luck.
After that there was a bit more trimming for a good fit.
Another adjustment I made was to move the lift point further aft which balanced the frame better, and gave less downforce on the tail to distort the transom.
So now that the frame fit the hull, it was time to make it permanent. Ken Berger had previously cut a bunch of shims from 6061 in various thicknesses for his build and had kindly let me have the pick of them, and I'll pass them on to Jeff when he's ready for his mate. It was a matter of going through and picking an appropriate size for each side and measuring for the first holes.
I had only tapped the outside shims and drilled through the stringer to the other one.The shims will be glassed into the hull next year when it's warm again.
After that it was time to drill the channel brackets. I had to make the same drill, except I had to hit the hole on the other side of the channel bracket cleanly. There was no way to set up a jig, I had to freehand all 4 holes. I'll admit the first one was the best, the second one not so, the last 2 pretty good. No major messups is the point.
Compared to the tight confines and zero margin for error of mounting the channel brackets to the stringers, drilling the single hole channel brackets of the front bulkhead was a breeze.
Einar always seems to stop by at the right time. 1... 2... 3... Lift.
And I was finally able to take a moment to relax and admire the results of our work.
Hey Einar, I know you've been under a lot of stress. I know what would do you some good. Why don't you and Lea cut the holes for the main landing gear?
A look at the shims mounted.
Main gear goes here.
The SeaRey comes with black powder coating on the main gear legs. I didn't like the black so I had mine stripped and redone white. If you're thinking of having this done to your 'Rey remember to tell the person doing the powder coating that they need to fit together afterward, so don't coat them too thick.
My minions try the SeaRey on for size.
My turn.
I think I need a handhold here...
See ya next year.
