Port Side Forward Second Layer

After a bit of sanding the fabric edges from yesterday's glassification I wiped the forward section down and laid out the fabric.

Port Side Forward second layer

Mixing a quart of epoxy at a time I started rolling it out. This section is fussy fussy fussy because of the step in the hull where the bulwarks join the side. The fabric once wetted out just does not want to lay down and forms a bridge.

2 qts on moving towards the bow

After an hour and a bit it's wetted out. I'll be on bubble watch for the next few hours till the epoxy decides it wants to hold the stepped section down and not let go! PITA!

after about an hour and 20 minutes and 1 gallon of epoxy

So the burning question of the day is: Do I have 'nuff 12 oz fabric to finish the port side? Well, stay tuned, we'll find out shortly!  ;-)

Standby....

Port side bottom second layer

Done!

Day started out with a bit of sanding 'cause I played hookie from the boat shed yesterday and hung out with the ole' Lady and a couple friends. Then we all skipped over the bridge for Mexican food. :-)

Port side (left) all sanded & prepped

Went through my normal routine of sanding then blowing out the dust and wiping down the surface with a universal paint solvent. This gets rid of any oil or other contaminants that might be on the surface. Just for the record, for those that know what this is, this epoxy with the slow hardener does not blush (amine blush).

12 oz fiberglass laid out forward

and looking aft

20 mins & 2 qts

I seem to have developed a rhythm for working with this stuff. After just 20 minutes I had 2 qts of epoxy on and was well along the bottom panel.

1-1/2 hrs and 1-3/4 gallons of epoxy

Took a wee break midway for refreshments then got right back to it. The weather was perfect and the temp in the shed was only 18C.

Tomorrow we'll see if there's enough 12 oz glass left to do the sides. *fingers crossed* The roll is lookin' pretty small right about now! *shudder*

Standby.....

Keel port side second layer

Had to do a wee bit more sanding in the box keel this morning. That took an hour or so then started to lay up the 12 oz fabric for the keel.

12 oz fabric for keel

I had a roll end in the shed so I dragged that out. It had about 11' left on it. I think I'm getting low on 12 oz and don't know if I'll have enough to finish the bottom and sides.

Box keel port side looking forward

This 12 oz stuff I have isn't quite like the last batch. It falls apart without me even touching the stuff. The first batch that I used on the bottom on the outside of the hull was nice to work with.

F*ck!

This is what happens when you catch one tiny binding thread on your knee pads! All hell breaks loose and shit starts unraveling like crazy. The best thing to do in this case is snip off a many threads as you can then glue it down. Sand it away when it's cured up.

About 40 minutes in and half a gallon of epoxy

The 12 oz fabric doesn't have much 'dimensional stability' and will warp out of shape if you're not careful. I got it bunched up a couple of times but only had to cut one dart in it to get it back on track.

Box keel looking aft

About an hour and 30 minutes to do the whole port side & bottom of the keel. Just a wee bit over a gallon of epoxy. There's a section at the very back of the keel that I'll do tomorrow. It's way too much of a PITA to do when you're wallowing in wet epoxy.

I'll have to keep my eye on this for a little while to see if any bubbles pop up.

Standby.....

Long day in the boat shed

Seven hours of sanding. That's what I'd call 'sandinsanity'. Unfortunately it has to be done.

I got to workin' out how much epoxy I will need to finish the inside of the hull and I don't have enough. I still have to put one layer of 12 oz on the keel, one layer of 12 oz on the port side bottom, one layer of 12 oz on the port side. If my calcs are right I'll need about 10 gallons of epoxy. I have 11 on hand. Not much room for error. So I decided to skip the finishing layer of 10 oz cloth for now. That can be put down later after the stringers are in.

So getting a good start this morning I sanded the port side from bulwarks to keel bottom and from stem to stern. I used almost every sander in the arsenal including both 8" High Speed Spinning Wheels of Disaster & Dismemberment! ;-) 

Port aft quarter getting sanded

One of the 8" sanders was used to cover the large areas quickly. This is actually my car polisher that's been forced into double duty as a sander. It has variable speed which is essential. About 1500 RPM works well. Faster than that and it just seems to burn the epoxy. It works quick but takes a lot of upper body strength and grip to control it. I don't have much of either.

Car polisher as a sander

It quickly knocks down the highs but skips over any low spots. I have to go back over the whole thing with the 6" RO but that goes rather quickly.

6" RO gets the joins better than the 8"

Once I had the sides and bottom done I had to dive into the box keel again. Oh boy, my second favorite spot to work! Doh!

Deep in the box keel (looking aft)

The box keel still needs one layer of 12 oz on the port side and bottom. This will likely get done tomorrow. Just a bit more sanding and then clean up and I'll lay out the fiberglass.

I've over drafted my overdraft and totally blew my boat building funds for this month. Think that was the 10 oz fiberglass I bought that pushed me over the edge. I have to behave for at least three more weeks until the Gubment refreshes the boat building kitty. *sigh*

I had 23 gallons of epoxy at the beginning of this season. I was hoping that would be enough but up till a couple of weeks ago I knew it wasn't and bought another 9-1/2 gallons ($500 USD or $650 Cdn + 13% tax). It looks like I'll use every drop just to finish the two layers of glass and get the stringers glued in. This whale is soaking up the stuff like crazy. I know a lot of it is my own fault for not working as neatly as I could but sheez! The designer specified 36 gallons to build the whole boat. So far I've used about 95 gallons. Probably 25% of that I've sanded off, hiding my mistakes, in one way or the other. *Sigh*

Standby.....

Starboard side second layer

Got another early jump on the boat shed this morning. Spent a lil' time on the RO getting the fabric bumps sanded down so I don't have a repeat of the other day.

Fabric edges sanded down

Next laid up the 12 oz fiberglass. This stuff is like working with woven wet spaghetti! :-)  It goes where it wants to go and that's usually into a heap at your feet.

Wet Noodle Fabric

I have to secure this stuff to the hulls sides with a little 3M Super77. There's no other way to do it. Once wetted out this stuff is heavy enough it'll slide right off the hull sides! I sh*t you not!

40 Mins & 6 pints of epoxy = half way

On the vertical surfaces it's easy to wet out the fabric. Just pour it on and roll it around till it's thoroughly wetted out. A quick once over with the squeegee to get rid of bubbles and Bob's y'er Uncle!  ;-)

Stbd side second layer, done!

All in all it took about an hour and a half and 1-1/2 gallons of epoxy. I like that. Quick 'n dirty and out before the heat starts to build in the shed.

Tomorrow I'll lightly sand the forward end of the starboard side and lay out the finishing layer of 10 oz plain weave fabric.

Standby....