Building a "T50" Hull
The T50 is a 50-inch strip planked high performance racing yacht. She is constructed by cutting and fitting 1/4-inch strips of cedar perfectly in place over a hull-shaped mold called a "strongback".
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After the layup of the hull was finished I painted over the outside of the hull with a layer of West System marine epoxy.
The first coat of epoxy soaks throught between the the thin 1/4-inch planks and glues the strips together. After the first coat of epoxy dried, I turned the hull over and pulled out the strongback form that I built the hull on top of. With the strongback removed all that is left is a feather light shell of western red cedar.
After removing the strongback, the cedar shell is very light but not yet strong enough. To strengthen the hull, I painted another layer of epoxy on the inside of the hull and added 5 strips of carbon fiber matting near the middle of the hull to support the loads of the keel and the mast.
After the epoxy dried on the inside I sanded the outside of the hull smooth and added a another coat of epoxy. After another round of sanding, some varnish and the hull was complete!
Finished 50-inch strip-planked hull weighing only 24oz.