1st Timer Build Log
- Thread starter bluegrasslover
- Start date
Finally got the inside glassed this weekend. It is much more difficult to do the inside as opposed to the outside. However, it was much easier to use the spreader because the epoxy can only run so far. Since I had the fabric laid out as individual pieces for each section between the ribs it was hard to keep the fabric in place. It kept moving around. Most of the areas over the fillets look great but there are a couple of places where the fabric is not in full contact with the fillet (because the stuff wouldn't stay put!). Getting the fabric to lay right on the ends wasn't very much fun either but I was surprised that I was actually able to include the ends (stems) at all without some fancy cutting. I'm glad this part is over!
oldsparkey said:
Chuck,
Do you do any kind of protective covering over the electrical tape to protect it from the water or do you just put it on there and replace when/if needed? My line is going to be a closer to the water line so I'm trying to figure out if the tape method will work for me.
Thanks
bluegrasslover said:
Sometimes I put a coat of varnish over it but it is not really needed. That tape sticks really good. Just press it on nice and tight. I run a cloth over it ( with some pressure on it ) to make sure it is pressed down nice and flush. If it gets damaged , just pull it off and replace it , so far I have not had to do that and the boats have been used in tight situations.
The same strip in on the kayak I made back in 2000 and part of it is under water when I paddle it.
Chuck.
I got through sanding down the outside last night and applied a little test finish to a small area. After seeing it so nice and shiny for so long it kind of hurts to see it all dull. The finish will fix that right up though.
I can feel how close I'm getting to being done and I'm getting really excited about launching. My goal is to get the paint and finish done by the end of this coming weekend, let everything cure for about 5-6 days then get her wet the following weekend. There are some things that I'm going to wait until winter to do. I want to add inwales and possibly some decking but those things will have to wait. I got to take her fishing!
I can feel how close I'm getting to being done and I'm getting really excited about launching. My goal is to get the paint and finish done by the end of this coming weekend, let everything cure for about 5-6 days then get her wet the following weekend. There are some things that I'm going to wait until winter to do. I want to add inwales and possibly some decking but those things will have to wait. I got to take her fishing!
Me thinks Greg gonna be grinnin' ear to ear when he gets her wet 8) but 'ell, he deserves to. . . . .
Nice fiberglass work.
You laid out each section neatly and carefully before applying any epoxy. That's half the battle right there.
You laid out each section neatly and carefully before applying any epoxy. That's half the battle right there.
JEM said:
Thanks...I do think I learned something about doing the inside though. I *think* it would be easier to tape one side only and start applying epoxy from the taped side down, to the bottom then up the other side. I had several instances where it was too tight and I had to remove the tape on one side but since I started by doing the bottom first it was a little difficult to reposition it like I needed to. Yet another, in a long list, of things learned to build the next one better!
Hate to sound like i'm being intentionally provocative but....
I don't see where anybody has any fun doing epoxy/glass work so,
why not buy some 1/4" (6mm) plywood and build your boat without the epoxy/glass?
sure 1/4" is heavier than 1/8" but the difference narrows by the time you slather on the glass and a gallon or two of epoxy
two sheets of 1/4" may weigh 20 lb more than two sheets of 1/8" but adding a couple of gallons of epoxy to the 1/8" brings the two boats to within 10 lb of each other. Some folks may have an absolute weight limit on their boat but I can't believe that less than 10 lb difference is a deal breaker for most builders.
I don't see where anybody has any fun doing epoxy/glass work so,
why not buy some 1/4" (6mm) plywood and build your boat without the epoxy/glass?
sure 1/4" is heavier than 1/8" but the difference narrows by the time you slather on the glass and a gallon or two of epoxy
two sheets of 1/4" may weigh 20 lb more than two sheets of 1/8" but adding a couple of gallons of epoxy to the 1/8" brings the two boats to within 10 lb of each other. Some folks may have an absolute weight limit on their boat but I can't believe that less than 10 lb difference is a deal breaker for most builders.
seedtick said:
I'm all for no fiberglass but I don't think my craftsmanship is such that I could build a watertight boat without the use of the fiberglass and epoxy.
seedtick said:
OK... Ya caught a Fish...... Reel me in , fillet me out and envite the whole town to a Sparky Fry , Just don't forget the ant acid taps , a lot of them.
It lets you have a nice light weight boat for a lot less. Example my last canoe , the kit and all the rest was about $740.00 and I went overboard on the expenses , when made by me for my fun.
Bears , factory reject ( what they called a 2nd ) in plastic ( Kevlar ) was over $2,000 , his canoe is 32 pounds and is a foot longer then mine at 14 feet but mine is at a nice and light 30 pounds.
Not saying one is better then the other but after the last paddling trip , his still has all the damage and battle scars to the bottom of it , mine after a little touch up work ( Very Little ) is just as good as the day I made it with a really slick bottom and like the bottom on it now.
Sorry about getting long winded........
To answer your statement , glass and epoxy work is no fun unless you want it to be. If you have a working knowledge of it , then this describes how I feel .
I do enjoy it and for me it is the final steps of making a great boat when all the epoxy and glass work is done .... It's fun time before the sanding and varnish to complete the job.
Try it ... Ya might just like it.
Chuck.
you missed my point Sparkey - if there was one
i wasn't talking about building a cheap boat vs. buying something plastic (epoxy)
I was talking about someone building an entry level pirogue or other simple boat and building with 1/4" ply instead of 1/8" plus all the epoxy/glass hassles.
just as an aside, I built my first boat about 40 years ago -in the time of Weldwood glue, not epoxy -and it floated and lasted longer than i was interested in it.
I think most folks sell themselves short on thier woodworking skills and overrate the skills needed to make a water tight seam. Even if you're a very poor woodworker, glass up the seams. But build with thick enough plywood so you don't have to go thru the agony of fiberglass sheathing inside and out to make the boat strong enough to be usable
i wasn't talking about building a cheap boat vs. buying something plastic (epoxy)
I was talking about someone building an entry level pirogue or other simple boat and building with 1/4" ply instead of 1/8" plus all the epoxy/glass hassles.
just as an aside, I built my first boat about 40 years ago -in the time of Weldwood glue, not epoxy -and it floated and lasted longer than i was interested in it.
I think most folks sell themselves short on thier woodworking skills and overrate the skills needed to make a water tight seam. Even if you're a very poor woodworker, glass up the seams. But build with thick enough plywood so you don't have to go thru the agony of fiberglass sheathing inside and out to make the boat strong enough to be usable
I kinda side with my buddy seedtick on this one with a couple of exceptions. I built a very capable boat with no fiberglass or epoxy. I enjoyed the carpentry part of it because it's a type of building that is slowly being lost. It has done everything I've asked from it in over 45 trips on the water from open lakes to 2" deep swamp. BUT, it is maybe 10-15lbs heavier than a comparable glass/ epoxy boat and it takes a bit more upkeep. Weight is not much of a factor- real short portages . Upkeep is not too bad-- just spent a total of 35 minutes sanding the interior floor and applying a coat of varnish- the 3rd time in a year and a half of tracking around mud, shells and water. I've sanded and repainted the bottom a couple of times also.
This being said, my next boat will be a stitch and glue glass/epoxy boat. Then I'll have the best of both worlds.
. Upkeep is not too bad-- just spent a total of 35 minutes sanding the interior floor and applying a coat of varnish- the 3rd time in a year and a half of tracking around mud, shells and water. I've sanded and repainted the bottom a couple of times also. This being said, my next boat will be a stitch and glue glass/epoxy boat. Then I'll have the best of both worlds.
It's all in accordance with what is more important to the builder/paddler. If getting a boat on the water, no matter what weight, has over riding importance, then a thicker wood without glass & epoxy is a good option.
If a paddler values strength with a lighter weight, then glass epoxied onto thinner wood is a proven technique. I value light weight; others don't. I don't want it to soak up 8-15 pounds of water over the summer, so an epoxied boat is important to me. I'll stick to a semi-rounded bottom, solo, semi-decked canoe. Works very well for me.
I saw a boat made with 1/2" plywood, 2X4's, and big nails. Ugly as 10 miles of bad road. BUT - it had been built by a group of 5th graders. To their eyes - it was beautiful.
If a paddler values strength with a lighter weight, then glass epoxied onto thinner wood is a proven technique. I value light weight; others don't. I don't want it to soak up 8-15 pounds of water over the summer, so an epoxied boat is important to me. I'll stick to a semi-rounded bottom, solo, semi-decked canoe. Works very well for me.
I saw a boat made with 1/2" plywood, 2X4's, and big nails. Ugly as 10 miles of bad road. BUT - it had been built by a group of 5th graders. To their eyes - it was beautiful.
I jest dont see why anybody who covers a boat with fiberglass 'n glue haz any room ta look down on a royalex boat. Aint nuthin' natural bout fiberglass 'er glue.
my two pennies
bearridge
my two pennies
bearridge