Expedition Engineeringvideo

Custom Carbon Fiber Hardtop gets WINDOW FRAMES -and I have a birthday! (14)

February 2, 2025 · 16 min · 63K views

What this video covers

Fabricating a custom carbon fiber hardtop and dodger for the sailboat Eva involves building structural legs from foam wrapped in carbon fiber, requiring precise angles and twists to maintain alignment.0:22 The crew uses hot glue for temporary fittings, though they note the adhesive leaves difficult residues on teak and fabric surfaces.7:55 After initially glassing the legs too high, the team cuts them down by two inches to achieve the correct rake and design geometry.4:06 They remove the entire hardtop structure from the boat to the dock to facilitate glassing and conduit installation for davit lines.5:33 The process includes fairing gaps with filler and applying multiple layers of carbon fiber, often working in sections to avoid voids at radiuses.12:20 Despite setting a three-day deadline for the project, the crew completes only a portion of the work before pausing for personal travel and celebrations.14:12

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