Today I started by first cleaning up the outboard edge of the right strake hatch where I added back in the 1/4″ piece I removed to create the original hinge notch.  I then recut the outside edge at an angle on the cut line I had made.

In addition I made a notch midpoint on the inboard edge for the latch striker in prep for when I get my double-button latch installed.  I also cut narrow channels along the top and bottom of the edge foam for “flox” corners.

I then laid up a single ply of BID around the majority of the right strake hatch opening on the exposed foam.  I then peel plied the layup (sorry for the slightly fuzzy pic).

I then did the same thing over on the left strake hatch foam edges.

With my West epoxy wipes fully cured on the center bottom aft area of the right wing, I finished sanding that down with 120 grit dry paper, followed by wet sanding it with 150 grit.  That finishes off my shenanigans on the bottom of the right wing.

By early evening my right strake hatch perimeter foam edge layup had cured to the point where I could pull the peel ply and razor trim the edges.

I then turned my focus onto the right strake hatch door inside layups.  After measuring the double-button Hartwell latch buttons I determined that the 2 plies of carbon fiber that I had planned on using as the overall cover on the interior side of the hatch door would be about perfect for the two buttons to be even with the external surface.

I determined first where the hinge spacer (to mimic the original thickness of the top strake skin) would get mounted, and added 4 plies of carbon at that position to just about be even with the added reinforcement ply of Lantor Soric material (white with hex pattern).

I then wet out the Lantor Soric reinforcement material and the 4 plies of carbon fiber for the hinge spacer, before then laying up the 2 overlaying plies of carbon fiber that make up the interior surface of the right strake hatch door.  With these 2 plies that means that anywhere on the door (mainly the perimeter edge) there is, at a minimum, 5 plies of carbon fiber (approximately 0.075″ thick).

I got a little cheeky with this hatch door and decided to leave the exposed areas of the carbon fiber “raw” and only peel plied the hinge spacer and Hartwell latch base areas.

There was a lot of configuring, scheming, designing and planning for me today on exactly how I was going to get these strake hatch doors —both sides— installed and operational.  It was a long day, and fairly late, and I was very ready to call it a night.

Pressing forward!