The new high-torque winch servo is 44x22mm instead of the standard 40x20mm, so we made a new radio-plate for it today. The new plate has a bigger cut-out for the new servo, and is slightly wider. The boat will sail again next weekend so we will hear how the new servo works then.

CNC-turned from stainless steel, this is a 400mm long and 38mm diameter IOM keel bulb. A slot will be milled in the middle for the keel fin. Unlike a lead-bulb this one will require no surface filler/sanding/painting. But the density (compared to water) of stainless steel is 8 at most, while lead bulbs can be [...]

We’ve moulded the first PIKANTO hull! This is a bit of a prototype since it’s some time since Jari or myself moulded a boat, and also because these are brand new moulds and we have never made a boat in one-go like this before: closed mould with the hull, deck, mast/finbox, and ruddertube all attached [...]

The PIKANTO moulds were polished first with “Oskar’s buffing and polishing compund M-50″ and then with “Norpol Rubbing R-10″, both from Terpol (www.terpol.fi) in Turku.

After sanding with 1200-grit and a 10-15um particle-size fine paper it is time for polishing. We have two grades of polishing-compound. These pics show the coarse type which is polished with a spinning soft disk on a power-drill. After polishing follows release agents: first Frekote and then wax. It’s still possible we will mould a [...]

Jari cnc-milled rudder moulds for the Pikanto IOM this weekend. The design is similar to the Sails ETC rudder, but slightly larger and with a NACA 0006 airfoil profile, and a slot for a 4mm rudder stock.

When not shopping online for lathe-electronics/parts I have been busy sanding the Pikanto moulds. First the last bits of 180-grit today, then all over with 240 grit, and finally started with 400 grit which I will have to continue with next in the next session. The flat bits and large gently curved areas of the [...]

Our three-piece hull/deck-moulds for the Pikanto IOM (designed by Graham Bantock) are now ready. The next step is to sand the surface smooth and polish the moulds. We hope to mould a prototype hull before the new year.

Grzegorz from Poland sent me these pictures of his home-built Laerke IOM.