Connemara Catamarans

Bridgedeck floor
After much consideration we deceided to make the bridgedeck floor as follows:
Make four single skinned pannels on the table. These to be set in place starting at the bow, with the fibreglass skin to the bottom. We would then glass the whole top surface in one operation thus reducing the need for secondary bonding and enabling us have one length of glass running from hull to hull. Would also help to keep down on the weight.
The modifications we have made to the design mean that our whole bridgedeck floor (including a small shelf addaded at the stern) are at one level making this possible. We used 30mm foam for extra stiffness but I should have used more bracing underneath as there is some slight undulation (about 1cm) in the saloon floor which will have to be faired in.

Home
Design
Model
Workshop and Table
Infusion
Assembling Hulls
Hull Bulkheads
Bridgedeck Floor
Superstructure
Completing shell
Interior
Cost and Time Estimates
Suppliers
LInks

The first pannel is in place and is being grooved until it fits neatly into place. There are more supports and bracing in front of it.
We also cut out some of the foam and filled it with solid glass/filler for later attachment of bow netting and foreward plank (the one that goes from foredeck to crossbeam, does it have a proper name ?).

The bridgedeck floor is complete. There are no photos of the job in action as it was rather a stressfull day, but all went well.

We doupled up the hull sides around the steps area with a second layer of foam, then shaped it and glassed over. There is a buoyancy tank underneath the rear two and a half steps. Foreward of that is the rudder compartment.

The steps take shape, jobs like this took a long long time. With our extended hulls we are expecting the stern 60cm of the hull to be above the waterline. The steps and rear shelf are all sloaped slightly so as to be self draining.

The foreward bridgedeck bulkhead (at front of saloon). Made single skinned on the table, curved to shape and then glassed on the second side before fitting.

We have a clean tunnel. The roll of fibreglass on the left os from a vacuum bagging that went wrong. It was simple enough to peel off the glass and use the foam again.