WELD 231 covered a lot more than running a bead. These are the focus areas we studied in class, and how each one applied to building the boat.
The plan set is a full package of drawings, a materials list, and a step by step build order for a 12 foot aluminum skiff. We learned to read the cut sheets and the build sequence, and to scale the whole design down to a half size, 6 foot version while keeping the proportions correct. Getting comfortable with the drawings before cutting anything is what kept the build on track.
On the boat: The whole boat, from the first cut to final assembly.
This is the main safety standard for welding and cutting, and it sits behind all of the other safety material. It covers protecting yourself and the people around you, ventilation, fire prevention, and working in tight spaces. We learned that safe setup is part of the job, and that each rule traces back to a real hazard.
On the boat: Every part of the build, every day in the shop.
Welding aluminum gives off fumes from the metal and the filler wire, and some elements like manganese are harmful if you breathe in enough of them. We learned to keep our heads out of the plume, use the shop ventilation and fume extraction, and read the safety data sheets for the materials we used. That mattered here because we laid a lot of weld on aluminum in one room.
On the boat: Every weld on the hull, seats, and figurehead.
Welding equipment is electrically live whenever it is switched on, including the electrode and the work itself. We learned to keep gloves and clothing dry, inspect cables and connections, ground the work properly, and never touch a live electrode. Knowing how the machine is wired, and what to do if someone takes a shock, is basic to running it safely.
On the boat: Every machine setup during cutting and welding.
Sparks, spatter, and hot metal can start a fire up to 35 feet from where you are working, and they can drop through gaps and smolder for a long time after you stop. We learned to clear combustibles from the area, keep a fire extinguisher close, and check the area once we finished. A welding shop has many ways to start a fire, so this became routine.
On the boat: The cutting and welding stages, and cleanup afterward.
The press brake bends sheet metal by pressing it between a punch and a matching die. We learned how the machine works, how the back gauge positions the bend line so the fold lands in the right place, and why the tonnage and tooling have to suit the material. This is the machine that put the bends into our flat aluminum parts.
On the boat: Forming the bends in panels, the seat, and brackets.
There is specific language for bend angles, including the difference between the inside angle and the outside angle of a fold. We learned to read which angle a drawing is calling out and which one the bend math uses, so a part does not get formed to the wrong angle. Reading the angle correctly is the difference between a part that fits and one that does not.
On the boat: Setting the correct angle on each folded part.
When metal is bent it stretches around the corner, so a finished part ends up a little longer than the flat piece it started from. We learned to work out the bend deduction and cut the flat blank shorter than the sum of the finished legs, so the part comes out the right size after bending. Skip this and the part is always off.
On the boat: Cutting flat blanks for any folded part, such as the seat.
The inside setback is the distance from the corner of a bend to where the inside radius actually begins. We learned to account for it so two folded parts meet without running into each other. It is pure geometry based on the angle and radius, and leaving it out gives you parts that interfere.
On the boat: Folded parts that mate together, like seat and bracket joints.
The outside setback is the matching distance on the outside of a bend, and it feeds into the bend deduction math. We learned to use it when laying out a flat pattern so the outside edges finish cleanly instead of hanging over. It works together with the inside setback to get both the fit and a neat edge.
On the boat: Laying out flat patterns and finishing folded edges.
The K factor describes where the metal stops compressing and starts stretching inside a bend, written as a fraction of the material thickness. We learned that you find it by test bending a sample of the actual material, then use it to predict the bend deduction for any angle. For our aluminum, getting the K factor right is what made the flat patterns accurate.
On the boat: Accurate flat patterns for all of our aluminum bends.
One of the highlights of the class was a day touring All American Marine, a state-of-the-art 57,000-square-foot facility on the shores of Bellingham Bay. Since being acquired by the Bryton Marine Group, they operate as a standalone business that builds technologically advanced, high-speed, eco-friendly aluminum vessels, including research vessels, passenger ferries, and hydrofoil-assisted catamarans. They are widely known in the industry for pioneering some of the first hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered commercial passenger vessels in the United States.
Ron Wille walked us through the complete shipyard. He showed us the vessel they had just started building for the California electric ferry, along with a research vessel they were building for the University of Texas. All American Marine also runs a welding internship program, and we got to see current students at work.