Baby got back

That's the smile of a man with the hard parts behind him. The electrical works and fits perfectly, and after some effort the turtledeck is ready to install. But first, time to get rid of the FOD.

Boom tube carpeted and  glued in place.

Rivet every other hole...

while Jim starts on the pylon. 

Even with Jim's expert advice, there was still a gap at the transom/turtledeck fit. I wish PA would not cut the turtledeck mold so aggressively,  but instead allow extra to be cut after fitting. Even without the boom tube the turtledeck was cut too high to cover the hull lip at the transom. Frustrating. Hope I can cover it up with the vinyl trim.

But eventually, it all came together. 

Still going...

We're setting records for rain up here, but the good news is the temperatures have mellowed out and I've been able to keep working after all.Trying to take advantage of the warmth, I got the turtledeck carpeted, but it turned into a lesson about how quickly efforts to save weight can be undone.

Tape up all the openings so the glue doesn't seep through

The turtledeck/engine pylon is a high vibration area, and I didn't want to have the carpet to debond from the turtledeck because of it. Laying the carpet glue down I developed a heavy hand, and indoor/outdoor glue is surprisingly heavy. Bad hand. Bad hand.

The carpet is a felt-like material I bought from PA, and with patience it's easy to mold around the compound curves.

I paid for the heavy hand in other ways. If you use too much glue it seeps through the carpet, but if you're careful you can dab it out with some lacquer thinner. If you really use too much glue and aren't careful you end up making it worse. It was far enough back inside the baggage area, instead of leaving well enough alone I decided to try to patch the carpet.

Oh well.....

After the glue dries pull the tape, and hot knife the openings for the pylon structure, fuel/electrical lines and the flap pushrod.

Final fittings

One chronic problem with builders I know has been the fit of the turtledeck to the hull at the transom. I decided it would be easier to take some time with the frame out of the hull to take a look at the problem.

During the turtledeck/hull fitting the turtledeck is bound into place with ratchet straps, then riveted. I wasn't ready to do that yet, so good old duck tape served to pull in the sides of the hull and allow the turtledeck to sit in place. 

What I found was that on the transom and hull there is a "lip", and I theorized the turtledeck was cut shallow on this lip.

Using the aft boom tube cover showed my boom tube hole was the correct fit, and the theory was correct I was told this is the normal fit for the turtledeck/transom/hull, and extra rivet would be used in this area, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Overlaps are supposed to fit over the lip, not be shallow. I may add some glass to extend the turtledeck overlap in this area, but fortunately I don't have to do this for a while and have time to ask others and do more research on the fitting.

A little finish sanding and sealing of the holes in the back. Not much particle hazard from the little bit of dust I was taking off, I just don't like the taste.

The next thing was to (gulp) tackle the cluster bracket/aft root tub hole in the turtledeck again. First a string was ran from the root tube support forward to the fin, and a centerline established on the turtledeck.

If you're building a new LSX kit, pay particular attention to the end of the ridge going down the deck. Note that my turtledeck has a rounded end, page 6 of section 17 Turtledeck appears to show it now cut off square. This is IMPORTANT because the manual calls for a hole to be drilled 4 3/4" aft of the end of this ridge. If you have the rounded end like mine that is about 2" too far!!!!!!

With the turtledeck correctly mounted it was time to start slowly cutting out the hole again. At one point I scared the hell out of myself when I lowered the deck and found the aft end far misaligned.

Fortunately, the front edge of the deck had gotten hung up and after lifting it into place all was well.

Slowly, literally cutting millimeters at a time, the cluster bracket/aft root tube support mount emerged.

Until the aft end fell perfectly into place.

But again, it shows that the turtledeck is cut short. It just don't make sense....

A difficult decision to repair

I've been feeling pretty good about my fiberglass skills this week, and decided to take a hard look at a mistake I made. Despite being very careful I still cut the cluster bracket/aft root support hole too big on the aft end. My turtledeck was not perfect, there were already evidence of some repairs made at the factory.

I took a day and looked at it, and ultimately decided I had to fix it. Gulp......

IAW various sources, I drew a 12:1 slope and carefully sanded the inside down...

Then I made a backing of scrap cardboard and saran wrap as a backer. 

The manuals offered differing opinions about starting with small pieces and building out, or starting with large pieces and finishing with small ones. I did a mixture, using West Systems 205 fast hardener.

 And of course, Saran Wrap as a sealer until it dried.

Yeah, I laid it on a bit thick. I can always sand the excess off.

I had nightmares of epoxy running through the backer and running down the outside of the deck, making a mess. Just a couple small oozes that were scraped up with a fingernail. 

Then I sanded the patch down until there was a small depression. Safety glasses for sanding, you ask? Believe it or not, they're safety glasses with "cheater" lenses built into the bottom for us old guys.

The depression was then filled with gelcoat. Leveling the deck allowed the gelcoat to flow and fill into the depression. I hoped.

Yes!! It worked. 

Just like a big model, sand carefully and feather...

A couple of touchup spots. 

The reward is wet sanding with 400, then 600, 800, 1,000, and finally 1,500 sandpaper. THEN a lambswool buffer, followed by a foam pad and polish.

Spots to fix. 

I'd think it was perfect when looked at outside, then I'd take it in and look at it under the florescent hangar lights. Back out I'd go for some more sanding, buffing, polishing....

Here's what the are looks like on a finished and well flown SeaRey.

Remember reading about resin cooking off as it sets? Here you go.