And perhaps he did, although in print he passes the buck a bit. Writing of the new resins he states:
We are calling it the Fretwater ChillyBin 276, as it should hold 276 quarts–ten percent more capacity than any other raft-sized cooler. (Chilly bin is Kiwi for icebox.) One problem with most coolers is that after one wee crack, the urethane foam begins soaking up water, concurrently getting ungodly heavy as it rapidly loses insulation value. So we are using impermeable styrofoam. We have laminated high-density plastic skids into the bottom to withstand years of being dragged in and out of trucks, across parking lots, and about the warehouse.
We then covered the wet glass with waxed paper to smooth it out, set a rim of flat particle board on it to give us a good, flat surface for the lid to meet.
Then we put a few hundred pounds on the particle board to make sure the epoxy understood what we meant. It did.
Next we laid up the bottom side of the lid, covered it in thin plastic to make it smooth, and set it in place on the main cooler and weighted it down to take a perfect imprint. It’s gonna fit perfectly.
Hinges and hinge fastenings have all eventually failed on earlier coolers. We have implanted anchor points into the foam for a heavy duty stainless hinge which should outlive us. We are also putting two easy-to-use, ergonomic handles on each end. Other coolers of nearly this capacity weigh in from 70 to 160 pounds. the Fretwater ChillyBin 276 will come in at around 60 pounds.
And then mashed thicker epoxy in as well, covered both faces with waxed paper, and crushed it between two sheets of plywood. Janek is cranking down a dozen carriage bolts to make sure our repair comes out perfectly flat and strong once the snot freezes. It did.
So we cover both side of the scarf joints with runny snot, then thickened mucus, and squash them into place between through-bolted plywood splints. Bingo–good as new. Maybe better.
Then we replace the fiberglass layers and cover them with waxed paper as well. Nothing left to do but a bit of sanding, fairing, and painting.
Enough with the frozen snot already. We made a field trip last night to visit our darling Swampscott dory Stella, who is awaiting a good plan for her sails. With Rocket’s help, we think we have a plan.
Up in the house we had another in a series of fabulous house concerts. The first act was Blue Moon: Julie Sullivan and Reno and Shelia McCormick playing the sweetest bluegrass music and singing incredible harmonies.
After an intermission Julie returned with Cabel Breckenridge in a duet they call Secret Handshake. A marvelous and eclectic mix of genres with wonderful guitar work and beautiful vocals.
And out in the forest the first two of the more than one thousand bulbs we planted last fall have bloomed. The entire hillside is erupting in green swords of narcissus. I can hardly wait.
Leave A Comment