Preparing for Boat Flip (Day 43 & 44)

I didn't spend full days this weekend, it's not always possible when you have family stuff to do as well but I do have a bit of time up my sleeve before I flip the boat. This weekend I built and fitted the lifting lugs and also built a large 'cart' made of 4x3 hardwood bearers that came with the boat kit. The cart will be fitted with 4 jockey wheels which should be up to the task of carrying the weight and moving over rough ground better than a castor wheel. The main purpose of the cart is so I can move the boat around when it's upside-down. Not completely off topic, I had a good friend of mine drop off a broken titanium road bike frame, not for repair but for me to practice welding on. The plan is that once the boat is done I will focus on learning how to build bike frames, another thing I have always wanted to do. I have a real interest in the timeless and mystical qualities of some inanimate objects such as titanium bike frames, a fetish if you will ;-)

Frame is broken at the downtube/ head tube junction, clean through the tubing, the weld is still intact.

Lugs made from 100x100x10m aluminium angle with gusset fitted, ready to be welded onto the underside of the boat at frame# 2 & 6 and to the bottom plates straddled over the frame & stringer welded junction.

Sketch of the 'cart' and boat flip, all theoretical of course, never done this before!

View of underside, boat upside-down at frame# 2, lug location.

Option 2 for the cart, I decided that two separate carts will be easier to use and all I need to do is jack up the boat and slip the carts under after the hull is flipped instead of getting the bigger cart in whilst the boat is hanging in the air.

Lug installed, it's not easy welding 10mm aluminum to a thinner material, even pre-heating the angle it was still difficult getting a consistent weld. Lug is welded on all 4 sides. I will have a steel cable fixed to both lugs for lifting and will devise some sort of back-up plan with straps around the boat, just in case a lug should decide to give way, that is unlikely but better to be safe than sorry. Lugs will be removed once the boat is flipped back over the right way up.