Once the carving of the foam billet has been completed the finishing of the hull plug commences. And as much as this may sound like the easy part, in truth this is where the "rubber meets the road."

Last week our designer Kevin paid another visit to the tooling shopin Sainte Claire, Quebec. He inspected the finish on the hull plug before the shop turns it from plug to mold. All surface finish facets from the plug will be mirrored in the mold so this is a critical step where the finish of the plug must be as good as it can be. The result of his inspection is that he is very pleased and expects this tooling to perform exceptionally well in production. Next time I'll have some images to show you of the final finish on the hull plug.

But the hull plug was not his only purpose for the visit to PCM Molds. While they have been working tirelessly to finish the hull plug and mold, there are many other parts that have to be tooled as well. And each of them requires detailed drawings for the production machinery to use and careful inspections along the way. There are several major molds and as many minor parts. Largest are the deck mold, the deck liner (ceiling) mold, the IGU or internal glass unit and the hard top and hard top liner molds. All of these are either in process or about to begin.

As we follow the tooling and production of the new Back Cove 30 we'll be able to make more frequent postings. We look forward to having you follow this fascinating process with us.
 

The next step in creating the hull plug for the Back Cove 30 is underway. If you are following the blog, last time I discussed how the raw plug is built. Now we are starting to "carve" the plug on the tool builder's CNC router. These machines have a large table or bed. Across the top is a beam that straddles the width of the table. This beam moves along the length of the table and a router head is mounted on the beam. The router head moves side to side on the beam and has the ability to move up and down. Hence,the term "5 axis milling machine".

This particular router has limitations on it's width and so, the hull plug is carved in two halves and will be joined together to make the complete hull plug.

Until next time then

Over the next few months I am going to follow each step in the development of a new boat design. I hope you'll enjoy learning more about how designs are taken from computer screen to water.

"Tools" for the purpose of this blog are molds and molds for the uninitiated are the tools from which fiberglass parts are made. Before a mold can be built a full size plug of the part, one that looks just like the actual boat, has to be constructed. BTW that is not always true there are methods of going directly to female molds but that is generally only used for one-off designs.

Today, plugs are carved from large billets of foam using the naval architect's drawings to guide the multi-axis router over the surface and create the form. Step one is to make the plywood forms that you see here. 

 
  
Those forms are erected and covered with wire screening. Then, foam is sprayed on the exterior to give a very (very) rough "buck" of foam that the router will carve.

Next time we'll show you the router in action.
 

Over the last five years Back Cove Yachtshas collected quite a following, having completed more than 400 hulls. Now, the design that started it all is going to be replaced with the next generation of designs. Yes the venerable Back Cove 29 is going to be replaced in June of 2010 with the exciting new Back Cove 30. We will continue to offer the 29 as a soft top, open version while the new Back Cove 30 will be made standard with a hard top, Yanmar 315 diesel engine, molded-in cockpit seating and a transom door.

In her interior the seating, galley and head unit will be much the same as her predecessor. The exceptions are in the improved galley storage and the manner in which the salon makes into a berth. When so desired, berth cushions which lay along the hull side of the berth, can be deployed athwartships to create a cozy environment in which to relax below decks. 

On her helm deck, seating is raised so that all of the crew has the same sight lines as the helmsperson. To port, the mates bench can comfortably seat two. Engine access is exceptional as it is on all Back Cove designs.

I her cockpit crews will enjoy the molded-in seating and the ease of access through the transom door.

Look for her to be in sea trials in June of 2010 and follow her development here on the Back Cove blog