Ribs Are In!

I made some great progress over the last week with installing 10242's new ribs.  I rough-cut them to a template made from the original ribs, but discovered that there was some variation in their match to the boat's profile.  With a bit of custom sanding on each I was able to get them within 1/16" on average, which should mean less glue and a better joint.

After spreading neat-epoxy on the hull (traced the outline of the rib first) and the bottom of the cedar rib, I placed about 1/8" of epoxy thickened with colloidal silica along the edge.  Thickening was just enough so that it didn't run when a glob is pulled out.  Somewhere around ketchup consistency, maybe a bit thicker.  I then pressed them into their original positions which were still very easy to discern on the hull.  The oozed epoxy was then used along with some extra to make a perfect 1/2" fillet with the back of the West System plastic spreader paddle.  That 1/2" radius is important because any less will cause the fiberglass cloth to lift, weakening the laminate.

The results were great, and all pieces are now in place.  The mast sitting on-deck in this picture isn't centered and makes things look asymmetric, but rest assured I measured twice and glued once.

The next phase will be glassing over the ribs to protect them from damage and further stiffen these structural members.