Thursday, September 23, 2010

Glassed

All the fiberglass cloth is down with one coat of epoxy. It really does wet out perfectly clear. You can still feel the weave of the fabric though. If I had to do it again I would have cut each side and the bottom piece bigger so they could overlap at the chines. If I can't cut enough strips out of the leftovers then I will have to get some tape (4in wide roll of fiberglass cloth) to do the chines and maybe the bow section. I used a 3in wide squeegee to smooth the epoxy into the cloth. The sides and transom were tough due to the angle they are at. Lots of drips. I guess I'll be sanding the floor after I flip the boat. I poured the epoxy right out of the mixing cup onto the sides, then tried to spread it before it ran off onto the floor. A wider squeegee might have helped. It takes a long time to get all the epoxy out of the cup since you have to work in small pours to minimize drips. A low flat pan might have kept the epoxy cooler, but I never got burned and the sense of urgency definitely helps keep you going. The bottom was easier but took a LOT of epoxy. I mixed three 16oz batches, although I did waste about 3oz. Better to have too much than not enough. The most frustrating part is getting the cloth to conform to edges. It really does not like the bow profile. The cut a slit in the cloth at the centerboard trunk, but the tabs that were left over were only about 1/2in on each side. That part did not want to stick. I ended up sloping some of the more gelled epoxy on it and hoping that it will stay. I will probably have to tape that area too. The good part is that I have plenty of epoxy for fill coats. I read that a 1/4in nap rolled works well, so my next hunt is for one of those.

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