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Comment: November 5th 2003 - The wall skins were roughed out and sandwiched between finished wall & Masonite. Of course I could only route a short distance and then would have to re-arange the clamps. Both aluminum sides were in the sandwich so were cut at the same time.
November 5th 2003 - Holding hard board in place while glueing. Also used lots of 3/4 brads then filled the holes. Chalk lines were snapped over ribs as a guide for shooting brads. Reminder - don't shoot brads into your electrical wires.

November 5th 2003 - The hinge rib is 2 X 3 oak with four 2-1/2 screws on each side. Rumor is this rib was the weakest part of the original Kit trailer but on this tear it should be one of the strongest.

November 5th 2003 - Using straps to hold down hard board until adhesive cures. Of course another short piece will be added but the seam will be invisible once it is covered with the aluminum.

November 5th 2003 - Just resting and doing some daydreaming of adventures to come. Long way to go yet. Rule #1: Have all your hardware on hand to avoid any unpleasant surprises. I learned my lesson with the galley hurricane hinge when the manufacturer changed the design to zero offset.

November 14th 2003 - Three more coats of spar varnish outside which should seal out moisture.
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November 14th 2003 - Both pieces of rough cut aluminum are sandwiched between finished side and the Masonite template. Then the router with flush cutting carbide cutter was used to finish cut the aluminum. I used a variable voltage supply to the router and cut it to 40 volts to slow the cutter. Any faster and the tool would overheat and melt/ball up the aluminum.

November 16th 2003 - Straps holding aluminum skin in place while routing the top vent hole with a router flush cutting bit. The top vent will then be drilled and screwed into place which will hold the skin tight. A good idea is to glue something soft to the 2 X 4 blocks to prevent scratching the surface.

November 16th 2003 - Holding top aluminum in place prior to cutting the top vent opening. Because the sides were clones and the floor was absolutly level when the bulkhead was installed the hard board and aluminum skins then fit pefectly with no trimming.

(INSET) Threaded inserts were installed with allen wrench into the sides for studs to mount fenders. First the blind holes were drilled 5/8 deep and just shy of going through. This leaves a smooth surface on the inside. Inserts (inset) were then screwed in. They were also used to mount the hatch props in the galley.

Ghost image showing how the fender washers will clamp the fender flange.
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