We are back at the factory doing some work on one of our TriPod bases. We are mounting one of the vertical sections that will be on the end of the outriggers. These vertical sections will house the ballast tanks that will keep everything floating properly. Additionally, options like the Wazebo will be built on top of these side spars.

As you can see in the video, the crew is using a machine called a telehandler which is a bit like if you combined a forklift with a boom crane. These pieces are too heavy to safely move with manpower so our telehandler allows us to effortlessly pick them up and move them to where they need to be.

The existing section has a few hook points that we use as guides to help get a perfect alignment. As the crew aligns the section above the existing piece, the telehandler lowers it down so that it is resting on top. Our welder then makes a few tack welds which will temporarily hold everything in place.

By using tack welds we can ensure that everything is properly aligned and if we need to make some adjustments, then it is easier to cut a tack weld lose rather than a full weld. Once everything is properly aligned and adjusted, our welder will go around the entire seam and make the full welds which will marry these pieces together forever.

Having equipment like the telehandler allows us to do things like this process much faster and much safer than if we didn’t have it. This machine gets plenty of use when working with these huge steel cylinders and we are very glad to have it. We are making great progress on this TriPod base and we are getting more and more excited as we move toward getting a SeaPod in the water here in Panama!