Updated 11/02/04

Intro

Planning

Building the Frame

Center Joint

Spar Deck stg1

Bow

Foam Sides

Spar Deck stg2

Shaping the Foam

Fiber Glassing

Prep. for Paint #1

Prep. for Paint #2

Ballast System #1

Bow Stern Detail

Deckhouse #1

Deckhouse #2

Deckhouse #3

Stripping

Cook "N"Footer

Hell Weeks

Drives

Ballast System

Maiden Voyage

Deckhouse #4

Repainting

Bull Work

 

Fiber Glassing


Fiber Glassing is not my specialty by no means, I'm sure there are techniques that will give better results with less effort. I did find out that it's best to not be cheap in this process. Spend the money and get every little tool needed for the job, it sure makes things easier. I do want to apologies to the lack of photo's, but it's really hard to glass and take pictures at the same time without the epoxy starting to jell.

Material:

12 -  2" or 3" Inch brushes. Unless you like cleaning brushes with acetone.

1 gallon of acetone.

1 bag of Tonga depressors for mixing.

Box of rubber gloves

6 squeegees to spread the glue around

1 roller to spread the glue around

24 paper cups for mixing.

2 gallons of epoxy base and hardener to go with it.

4 yards of 6 or 8 oz fiber glass.

Micro Balloons for the fill coat.

1.   Ok so I know have all I need to do the job. Time to get a plan of attack going. Fiberglass can be worked around many surfaces, but you may have to use a few pieces of glass to cover the hull. Cut you pieces out and see what you will need.

2.   Now that you have what you need cut out you can start mixing the epoxy. It's very important to note that the bigger the batch of epoxy mixed the quicker it will cure. You can see below I mixed about half a cups worth, this worked out well. I also added some pigment to give the epoxy a bark rust red look. This helps with sanding because you can see the epoxy rather then it being almost clear.

3.   First thing now is to spread a good coat of epoxy over the entire area being fiber glassed, then you will lay the fiber glass down. You will then take brush and work the glass into the epoxy using extra epoxy if you need.

5.   Here is the finished glassed hulls. The bow and stern sections were both done with two peaces of glass each. Both had the hull rapped in glass with just small end peaces, The spar deck I just epoxied with no fiber glass.

6.   The final step is to put a filler coat of epoxy to fill the weave of the glass. The coat must have micro balloons added to make it easier to sand. Add enough micro balloons to keep it from running, but not to much as to keep it from laying smooth. Practice a little with it and you will see how it works.

 

Launch date on  November 10,2000

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