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Discussion starter · #21 ·
Long overdue for an update. My wife decided that I had been promising her a new bathroom for too long and I decided that she is usually right. I had to put the build on hold for a bit. Back at it now. I have all the longitudinal elements on and the sides are faired for plywood.
cutting the scarf joints for the plywood was quite an experience. I have some help coming this week to get the two sets of three full sheets of plywood glued up. Any luck I’ll have the sides on in a week or two. Updates to come. Question for the gallery. As the time comes closer to fiberglass the hull I am growing increasingly more skeptical of my ability to put on two layers of glass in one go. Even with several people (none of whom have any experience with fiberglass) I’m worried that the epoxy will start to set before we can make our way back to start. Is the benefit of a chemical bond worth the stress of attempting it? For reference, I am using 7 oz cloth and I got the slowest setting epoxy offered by us composites.
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Discussion starter · #22 ·
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An hour here and there after work has produced some substantial gains over the last month. The sides and bottom are sheathed. There were some hectic moments and I don’t even want to think about the epoxy mess I made have to sand away after she is flipped but it’s really cool to see it in this condition after almost a year of part time work.
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
I’m came in here to ask a question about yet another project but figured this thread was due for an update. She has been glassed and faired. 6 layers of graphite, aluminum, colloidal silica and epoxy on the bottom. Quite a soup. Made it through two hurricanes although we lost the tent it was housed in. Just finished wrapping the outside of the gunnels today. Should be painted and flipped by mid-November. I’ll post again in a year when I have some seats.
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Not much to show in the past week. The bow is assembled and I put together a scarfing jig but evening rain has been regular so I haven’t been able to pull out the planer to mill the keelson.
In the mean time, I’ve been doing my research and walking myself through the process. I’ve settled on two layers of 10oz cloth and plan to get the epoxy resin and cloth from us composites.
Paint has been a trickier subject and I would welcome any advice. The boat will be trailered and sheltered when not in use so there is no need for anti fouling. It will spend most of its time on the nature coast of Florida. Known for its abundance of oyster beds and sudden shallow sandy bottom. It will also be beached regularly.
I would like something relatively abrasion resistant but I think the biggest plus would be ease of repair.
I would also prefer not to spend as much on the paint as I have on the hull.
I have considered vc performance epoxy, but as I understand it has no uv protection so it’s probably not best. One part poly seems ideal as far as repairability goes but I’m unsure about its overall toughness. Gel coat is out of the question as I will be doing this myself and without a sprayer.
all input welcome.
Would you be willing to share issues in person ? I’m relocating to your area and you could help me shorten the learn curve. I like your description to date. Pointman
 
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