Look ma! I can fiberglass!

    So doing the centerboard trunk inside face fiber glassing. At first, I attempted to just dump the mixed epoxy (2 hardener, 2 resin) then brush outward from the center. This did not work so well. So after a bit of experimenting I found that if I leave the mix in the cup, dumping a small line of it where I wanted to apply. Then once I got my line I would lightly spread it out and then work it into the glass with my brush. Once I ran out of mix (4 hard / 4 Resin) I would make another batch. Takes approx. 5 batches of 4 hardener and 4 resin to do the centerboard wetting out. It looks just like all the pictures in the manual and internet so I'm guess I'm on the right path. I have learned my first skill needed to make boat repairs in exotic places. Worst part was I forgot to put on bug spray and the mosquitoes had a very large breakfast.
1st coat wetting out the glass

After 2 hours i went back out and checked and it is tacky so i applied coat number2! Only issue is there seems to be ridge in the glass on the 2nd board. No air under it just a mound. I put extra epoxy in this area and attempted to press it down but it didn't help much, oh well sanding will make it smooth. :D


2nd coat, you can see the ridge in the far board.


coat 3! So shiny

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So it begins

Image
I sit at my job daydreaming about sailing around the world. I'm tired of 290 traffic, I'm tired of working weekends. I long for the silence of the ocean, the youtube videos that are my favorite have no sound but the wind, waves and gentle tapping of the rigging. I have never sailed in my life, I have never even been on a boat bigger than my dads 20 foot jet boat. Yet as I watch all these youtube videos of people sailing around, some have issues, some appearing to be high and drunk but all of them sailing. I have set a date. I will quit whatever job I am working at on Aug 1st 2027 and I will sail around the world. So I start with the basics, I read and watch and research all these different people sailing around and recording it. I compare their boats, I research the costs. I see what I need. Funny thing is it just appears you need a will to do it. Sell everything, buy a boat and just go! I would have but I have a daughter so I make a 10 year plan instead. 1) At the en
Read more

Read the instructions three times, measure 47 times, cut once or twice

Image
This weekend was about putting it ALL together. All being the keel. I have never in my life been so scared. It started out in a good way, I dropped my centerboard trunk into place, trimmed and adjusted my nose block made a nice little piece of wood to fit between the nose block and centerboard trunk. I was ready to epoxy and this was Saturday morning! First thought that went through my mind is that I am getting REALLY good at this boat building thing, the second was Dunn and Kruger . So I stopped boat building for a few hours, went out spent some time with the first mate looking for important items like LOL Suprise Dolls (didn't find any) then came back. On my return I found the following: The centerboard trunk was reversed, easy fix. The cool dove tail at the rear end of the keel pushed everything forward by 1 centimeter. Not so easy, but not hard. There are these cool holes in the side of the keel that tells you if you fucked up, lucky I found them before I fucked up. S
Read more

Freezing weather sickness and.. progress!

Image
So Houston decided to drop into the low 40's! My garage is not insulate so no boat building that weekend. I did manage to glue up 2x6x18 blocks of wood that became my nose block during the week. I also researched the best way to make the rear aft blocking. It is starts out at 1-3/4" and tapers down to 3/4". After some friendly advice and some YouTube searching I found how to assemble a cheap and easy taper jig, using 2 blocks of wood and few screws. Here is the Link to that. So when Saturday morning came I was up and attacking the boat build. Fully covered in bug spray (DAMN YOU BUGS!) and chopping wood. I started with the tapered rear aft blocking. Starting with constructing the jig and running a few pieces of scrap wood through as tests I was ready to chop. Cutting the first side and was super easy, then about 1/2 way thought the cut on the second side I thought I messed up the cut. I was kinda disappointed but decided to try the pattern verse the cut wood and to
Read more