In My Skiff Bounding Lightly

With your forefinger, starting from the outside of the snag and working in, draw an every tightening circle with your finger working in toward the center. You can do this before adding resin or after because sometimes snags occur after adding resin. You may need to "circle" the snag a number of times, but this method is effective.

The video below is an excellent example of fiberglass layup from start to finish. It's a time-lapse presentation so you may want to hit the pause button from time to time to grasp the finer points. There is also commentary embedded in the video to explain what's going on. I find it particularly useful since the videographer also used releasing agent at the beginning.

You see why that agent was used at the end as well as what the part created is used for. The author has received no money, discounts, or freebies for any products that may be mentioned in this article. A Note About This Hub Again, this hub is geared toward reader who is considering fiber-glass as a hobby. Because I've been getting comments lately toward more professional, salable results I want to remind the reader what this hub was written for. Many, if not all, of these additions involve techniques and materials geared toward high-volume, fiber-glass product production. That is not what this hub is about.

This hub was written for the hobbyist with frugality and reasonable costs in mind. Since this is the the idea behind this hub, I will not be adding much more to it, especially if that "more" involves materials and techniques geared toward high production, high volume, or high cost to the reader. Additionally, there is no way an article of 3, words can cover every technique necessary for working with fiber reinforced plastic. Repair techniques are necessarily different than those for creating a molded object, and are different yet again for creating something like a surfboard.

To comment on this article, you must sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account. Thanks for the comments AND the information. I had to remove the link due to hubpages policies regarding external links. I'm not sure where you got your information, but you better alert all the epoxy makers and let them know they are wrong. Perhaps you weren't getting the catalyst to resin ratio right? I know this is bad information because every bit of repair I've done has been out of sunlight and sometimes even at night. I've always gotten a good cure regardless of light conditions, but always right in line with what the manufacturer states on the label.

You have to remember that curing is not time dependent as much as it's UV light dependent! I discovered this by fluke when I was wondering why certain parts in dark spaces would never set, even though other places would. You should work this in low UV light places and when you are ready to cure it, either use the sun or a black light to harden the resin in seconds! That is also the same technique used by dentists to set white fillings.

I'm not sure where you live so "locally" isn't a question I can answer. Please don't share that here either as your privacy is important. Most better boating supply stores carry gel-coat, though the ones I visit typically carry no more than quart sizes. One more question, could you recommend anywhere to get gel coat locally? Of course the two coats should be a fairly glossy paint or gel-coat.

If you are going to make many copies there are release agents see comments above designed for ten applications. But if you aren't a simple wax carnuba or auto wax without polymers should work just fine. Simply apply the wax, allow to dry, and wipe off. You should end up with a very glossy non-stick surface. I am building a mold out of wood since that seems to be the easiest so far. If i seal it with like 2 coats and then use a release wax will that work fine? Done right, and I'm sure you did it right, it's a strong light material that lasts a very long time.

Great Hub, I learned how to do fiberglass back in school making a flower pot. I went through all process until final paint job! Great experience, after more than 20 years I still have my flower light green pot! It's not quite as strong as carbon fiber composites, but it's still a very strong composite material. Wow, Liam you are so right about this guy Colin Christian. I found the discuss thrower you mentioned and I thought it worth while putting the link in here:. An artist named Colin Christian does extensive work in fiberglass and silicon. His specialty is crafting "space girl" statues and enormous doll heads.

One of his works was chosen for the Olympic Games in China. She was a futuristic discus thrower complete with 50s style space helmet including antenna sprouting from the ear areas. The bodies are fiberglass with silicon applied to areas that would normally be exposed skin. They are quite amazing to look at. If you get a chance look him up to see what's possible with this material.

Liam Bean, great Hub with heaps of great advise, I have repaired some fiberglass in the past but I have never done any mold work with it as yet. I think it would be a great art form? And the video shows anyone interested just how easy it is to create a part a very strong and light part with a beautiful finish with fiberglass reinforced plastic. You are going to want a "release agent" as the industry calls it.

This is basically high temperature wax. I also found a product called "ChemRelease" which is quite a bit more expensive, but is designed to be used up to ten times without being reapplied. Since ChemRelease comes in a can I doubt it's wax. The manufacturer also claims that the agent does not stick to your final product.

Still, this might be the better product type for your needs. Release agents not only keep fiberglass from sticking to other surfaces during cure, they can also help smooth out imperfections in the mold. So, a release agent could be applied between two cured fiberglass parts so that they are easy to separate once the part between them has cured. In fact, all I did was "google" the phrase "release agent" and found a number of products and places that carry them.

I'd like to know how to make a two part mold for fishing worms out of risen. How do I keep the parts from sticking when building the mold? Thank you very much for your great hub, for good advice, good wishes and support. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us. PolymerBoy has good advice. Bear in mind that with very few exceptions you will want to paint the fiberglass once cured. The tackiness is actually a good thing when following up with paint.

Use a polymer paint one or two part over your fiberglass. Be sure it's clean with a regimen of window cleaner, denatured alcohol, and distilled water in that order. Be sure your temperature and humidity ranges are correct. If the fiberglass is still tacky that's a good thing. Paint will bind much better to a fiberglass finish that is slightly tacky. Thanks for the great info, I'm finding that the resin is staying sticky is there a way to correct this problem? Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners.

HubPages and Hubbers authors may earn revenue on this page based on affiliate relationships and advertisements with partners including Amazon, Google, and others. To provide a better website experience, feltmagnet. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so. For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: How to Fiberglass like a Pro Updated on May 1, Introduction Fiber bonded with plastic resin has a long long history.

Click thumbnail to view full-size. What is Fiberglass Fiberglass, as a term, is really a misnomer. The only other "ingredient" is patience while waiting for the resin to harden. If you've ever had or sat in an Eames bucket-style chair you know how strong and light they are. So, at best, this is an overview of how to use fiber reinforced plastic.

Fiberglass Material Fiberglass is the actual cloth or mat made up of glass fibers.

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The list below contains common designations for this material. Woven Roving Glass cloth AKA bi-axial Woven fabric AKA bi-axial Glass mat, this material has no weaving or set orientation Knitted fabric has the typical cloth pattern with additional runs of fiber at forty five degree angles. Fiberlgass Materials Click thumbnail to view full-size. Tools Click thumbnail to view full-size. This is basically what you'll need. Oh, and the reinforcing fabric and resin of course. Preparing and Glassing your Surface Repair Figure out how much resin you are going to use assuming polyester.

If you are fiber-glassing a one foot square area figure on one cup of resin and however many drops of hardener recommended by the manufacturer. Do not prepare the resin yet. The resin will start to cure as soon as it is mixed so you want to do this just before you apply it. Assemble the tools you'll need. Cloth, resin, gloves, glasses, measuring containers, dowel or roller, sandpaper, alcohol denatured , water, clean lint-free cloth, and paintbrushes. Prepare the surface to be fiber-glassed.

It's best if you sand right down to the original surface. You can use a power sander if you wish. You do not even have to get the surface particularly flat. This is the point at which you want the gloves and safety glasses. You want to vacuum it or use denatured alcohol on a lint free rag to get any of the sanding debris off.

I also was fortunate to help a little building the new kit "homebuild" design Quetzal with Eric. New boat designs like the Falco and Quetzal take years to become an overnight success. Somebody, somewhere has to have faith in the designer and be willing to risk money, time and effort to be the first one. I found Eric at the right time, as I was able to help steer the Falco design to meet my personal design objectives before the first one was built. I wanted to get the Falco design off Eric's computer and on the water, clearly understanding I would have the only one in existance.

There are more builds in progress of both the Falco and the Quetzal, so things are starting. It seems there are more people out there that have the same design goals as I. In the process of building the Falco with Eric, I learned a huge amount and developed serious faith in his vision and ability. My Falco is a much more complex build, much lighter and in the right hands probably not mine a faster boat than the Quetzal. If you aren't afraid of being a bit of a pioneer, you will not make a mistake building one of Eric's designs. I researched all the options for years before building the Falco and I know that you will not regret building it or the Quetzal.

If I were contemplating building my first boat I would choose the Quetzal - the Falco's hull is more complex with cedar stripping on hull forms and very light weight, while the Quetzal's goes together without first making station molds on a strongback and is more or less "stitched" together very quickly.

Photo credit Arwenberg Photography, used with permission. Dave Bradley Sorta of Competition Composites. Alright, I did my first filleting and taping yesterday. I firmly believe that how much you learn is directly proportional to how many mistakes you make. And let's just say I learned a lot. That being said I'm still quite satisfied with the final result. I was going to start filleting and taping a few days ago. I went out and started measuring tape lengths, but I got my pant leg caught on the leveling jig, and But it didn't take long to fix that screw up and I did the first filleting and taping yesterday For those who haven't heard this story; velcro was invented by a Canadian man who was inspired by having burdock stuck to his socks.

I'm convinced that fiberglass was invented by a man who slopped epoxy resin on his arm and felt how painful it was to remove with all his arm hair I think the first fiberglass was made of sinew tendon and melted fish maw to make composite crossbows back in the middle ages Anyway, so the process goes like this; wet out the area to be filleted with clear epoxy and let it soak in for five minutes. Load a syringe of epoxy mixed with colloidal silica and make a bead at all the places to be filleted.

Shape the fillet with a a spoon or a CD on the obtuse angles and then clean up excess epoxy with a scraper. In trying to save margarine containers I did all the clear epoxy wetting, and then moved on to filleting so that I could mix in the colloidal silica in the same container As far as the taping went Then cover fiberglass tape with colloidal mixed epoxy, squeegee off the epoxy to leave it covered, but not sopping in epoxy and apply the tape, smooth it out, etc.

I thought the taping went quite well actually. I expected it to be similar to drywall taping which it was , but I found it much easier actually. The only problem was the tape fraying, which wasn't really a big problem. So that was yesterday: I'm probably going to pop up another video soon I might need to rope someone into being a camera man.

Oh, one other thing, the batten Bill suggested for checking fair is a really great idea, it works really well. I've been filleting and taping, when possible. Upon further inspection, the section that I did the first day doesn't look as good as it did when wet when I last posted here. It's got some white spots in it that are mostly slopped silica epoxy that I should've cleaned up. I made a router jig for beveling and I've cut the sheer clamps.

The jig is adjustable for width up do just over eight inches and for the bevel ratio 8: I definitely don't need a jig that will take eight inch wide boards for this build, but I'm hoping one day to build something bigger. I'm hoping to finish the filleting and taping well, the round that I'm on right now either tomorrow or the next day, and then I can move the hull out of the paint booth and scarf the sheerclamps in the booth. I bought the mahogany for the rudder and dagger board the other day, I knew it was expensive, but I wasn't expecting quite that expensive, but, what can you do?

The guy did give me a small piece of hard maple for the router jig, which was quite nice of him. So I can cut the mahogany any time now, which I should probably do the next time I've got a hand. And I should make another video soon too. I've decided not to film filleting or taping, I don't want epoxy on my camera. Hi all, I keep putting off making a post here to go out to the shop, so I've got lots to say now.

Hi Eric and good to hear from you, I hope everything's ok, and that everything was and has been ok. I'll probably send you an E-mail shortly. Bill, among other forum posters aswell, has been amazing for help. I owe him big time! The Gougeon book is great too. So, here's what's happening with the build at present. I've finished the filleting and taping for this round.

The hull is much stiffer now. When I was filleting and taping the last section I ran out of silica and tape after having started, not realizing that I didn't have enough so the fillets ran somewhat and I cut 6oz cloth in to 4" strips to substitute for the tape. I'm going to thicken the fillets in a couple spots on the outside of the tape. I don't think this will affect much structurally. OH and yes, the stringers are in and have been filleted and taped on both sides which I'm thinking wasn't the intention since I ran out of tape.

So my hull is probably going to be heavier than intended, oops…well, stronger too…it sounds better that way…. So I ran out of tape and silica. After looking around and asking friends, a friend in aircraft maintenance suggested http: They had the silica, but the only tape they had was too narrow and way to heavy. So, I've ordered some more tape from Noah's again and it should be arriving pronto. I've sent out a ton of E-mails about a mast. I just got an E-mail back from the most promising lead I've had to date.

I'm guessing that difference would come out of the distance between the boom and the hull…. I decided to use the mahogany anyway, IF I could take it back to the lumberyard I would put a lot of thought into it. I figure with using the mahogany I can skip the carbon inlays that Bill talked about…. Knowing that I can get Dave to mill the blanks means that I probably won't be buying composite foils. I was really worried about hand milling. Which also means that I don't mind spending the extra coin on the mahogany. I admit that my first instinct is not to consider weight, but to build something as strong and hefty as possible.

I'll try to adapt that as a philosophy reserved just for furniture, not boats. I'm pretty sure it differs from Eric's intentions with having the hull as light as possible. Right now the blanks have been cut into strips, mismatched for grain, laminated and planed Fugu, that worked like a charm. So I'll be sending them off to Dave to be milled soon. So I was going to E-mail this to Eric, but I thought it might be of interest to other people aswell.

For scarfing the keel, bottoms, topsides, sheerplanks, etc, why did you choose the jigsaw scarf as opposed to the bevel scarf? I've been reading ahead in the book, and I was a little confused as to how you got the wood to show through on the blue CCI hull. I'm thinking that no silica was used in those spots, just clear epoxy, which I'm thinking means the extra weight??? Was there fiberglass in those spots or not? Is it possible to have wood showing through on the cockpit floor? I was just really confused. I'd usually give it another read before asking, but I thought this might interest other people aswell.

I like the idea about leaving the fiberglass weave feeling on the cockpit floor for grip. I'm thinking that no silica was used in those spots, just clear epoxy, which I'm thinking means the extra weight. Yeah, I filleted and taped pretty much every joint. Bulkheads to keel, bulkhead to skins topsides and bottoms keel to skins, topsides to bottoms, stringers to skins.

I'm probably not going to have wood showing through on the cockpit floor. I should probably try to avoid any excess weight at this point, although I think any gain with this would be pretty minimal Wouldn't worry about the extra weight. In all reality the software "you" is far more important than the hardware 'the boat" in terms of performance. There are Swiftsolos out there ranging from pounds to over , and the people sailing them are from pounds to Regatta results always are skewed towards boathandling and tactics - not weight.

Five to ten pounds of variation on the boat can be handled with a little "fork and knife" control at dinner if it is a real issue. I'd actually go out of my way to avoid the wood look on the floor. Basically, you want this to be as rough and grippy as possible. When we did mine, we used a rough roller to make the surface as rough as possible, and added some silica to the paint. Slipping in your Quetzal is going to be a major problem, and one misplaced foot equals one swim.

You can build up the mast step a little if you like to gain back the height - a little box structure would work. I think one diagram is missing in the manual , it isn't clearly specified not to glass the bulkheads otherwise. This requires no special changes, but some thought in final lay-out. I'm much less worried about the extra weight now. Just so I know when the sheerplanks go on, they are supposed to be just taped then, or filleted too? I like the way Bill put it about the software and the hardware.

Would've been good advice for me as a trombonist years ago and would be good advice for a ton of local Laser sailers I know too. The box for the mast step is a good idea. I've definitely got enough Okoume ply left to do that. The one problem with this mast is that there's no boom Does the sail have a bolt rope along the foot, or is it just attached at the clew to adjust outhaul? I'm guessing that searching for a boom would be just as much fun as searching for a mast…although I'd expect that finding a boom the correct length would be much easier.

I'm definitely not having the wood show through on the cockpit floor I've decided. Maybe on the foredeck…but I wouldn't count on it yet. Another option for grip on the floor would be grip tape which I think is on the sheerplanks on the CCI hull. Random observation I just made: I'm glad to hear that you like the thread, I'm hoping it's helping others out. I know CCI has the the mast sleeves which is are option.

I just checked the price you quoted me earlier if you are Dave, Sorta and it's way less than I had thought I had confused it with something else. So yeah, it would make more sense to just stump the mast than to make a box. So the only issue with this mast now is the boom. This D comes from a wooden boat that it was not intended for from what I've gathered.

I've never been big on the twin tillers and the aft main sheet, but I haven't used that system very much and my resistance is probably fear of change. Bungees are a definite. All of that has to be completely decided before the hull is closed up. Bill, you had mentioned some pictures of yours, that would be great to see. Any cockpit and rigging pictures from Falco, Quetzal, or even anything similar would be great.

I've done some searching on Google images and not really yielded much. You do want to work out at least a 2: We shortened the foot of the standard boom by at least eight inches higher aspect ratio and you should be able to make just about anything work. I had a used I carbon boom available, so I shortened it. Bit of bling factor. Given the sail shape and intended use you will be using a fair amount of vang tension upwind, so a beefy boom is kind of needed.

Just happened to have white paint on hand. I had bought white paint for the foils, and I bought more for another project my never-ending ancient Snipe restoration project. White paint on the foils makes seeing weed easier. I'm due to drop the Falco down from it's garage-top cradle soon, and I'll rig it and take pictures. That'll take a few days, as work is really busy right now. I've been meaning to work on the boom cleating as well, and this provides some motivation.

I also want to improve the dolly cradle thanks for the remind. Do you think I could just put a gooseneck and some attachments on a piece or aluminum tubing? I'll probably take a look around the FYC and see what I can find. I might be able to purchase a boom. Before I close the hull I want to just make sure I know where all the rigging is going to run, just to be safe. I'd much rather check it 27 times than screw it up. My dad used to always joke about cutting the board twice and it still being too short. I'm just hoping to keep the extra tape as the only thing on the list of screw-ups.

I'm also presently debating hiking straps. I dig that for the most part I'll be on trap. But for the little bit of fore thought and a little time it might be worth it. Light wind days, the rare passenger will be tight, but do-able , etc. Do you guys think hiking straps would be a complete waste of time? They will get limited use, but I think they could be very handy in some situations. Also, one strap down the centre or two straps one on either side of the cockpit? The beam of the hull is 5'1". Laminated how thick, how many laminations? I've got all the stitches removed for now, there will be more to come out later.

After loosening, straightening and cutting off one side of a stitch you heat it up with a propane torch, the heat transfers along the copper wire, locally melting the resin to allow the stitch to slide out. I made a small shield from an aluminium pie plate, that even with the torch turned as low as it could go without suffocating, lasted maybe 30 seconds before melting.

Removing the first few stitches caused a slight bit of burning to the hull skin surface burning, just unsightly , but it didn't take long to get the hang of it there was no burning after that point. One of the nice things about this project is that the order of jobs is somewhat unset. I was block planing the topside skins to accommodate the sheerplank and I kept running my finger along the sheerclamp…repeatedly…to the point it got really sore you know what they say about guys with big hands….

So I've been alternating working on the cockpit and fitting the sheerplanks. So personal matters aren't really the purpose of this forum, but life happens, the possibilities of stuff coming up should be considered by anyone thinking about doing a build and they're affecting my build. Due to a family member's illness, I've cancelled all cruise ship contracts I had scheduled to stay in this area.

This will have two affects on the build; more time in the country, less cash. I no longer have to worry juggling all the things I needed and in the case of the boat, wanted to get done before leaving, as I'm not leaving. Unfortunately though, I don't at present have the funds to responsibly finish the build, due to a multitude of things car breakdown, etc.

For now I'm going to carry on and prioritize the spending. I've finally found a mast don't have it yet, but fingers are crossed. And since I've had a bit of trouble finding an appropriate mast, I'm definitely going to buy this one. I need the bowsprit tube to finish the cockpit, so I'm going to spend the money on that. I found a 29er spin the other day that was at a really good price, but since I won't need it until I literally am about to go on the water, I'm going to wait on that purchase.

I'd like to get as much ready as possible to facilitate getting on the water as soon as possible when I have the funds. I may end up having the funds to buy everything required before I have the hull finished. But I'm not counting on it yet. Again, I'd much rather be safe than sorry. I'm prioritizing the mast and finishing the hull as first, the trailer second, setting up the rigging, lines, hardware, etc, third, getting the foils milled fourth as they will have to be glassed and finished after they are milled , and then lastly the sails as there aren't any timely processes to be done to them before I can hit the water.

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There's a good chance I won't be flying a kite this year. If worst comes to worst, I'll be borrowing a friend's spare Albacore main just to get on the water this year. But I'm hoping it won't come to that. And now I'm reading this post not wanting to end it on that downer…so…I'm still debating a colour scheme. I like Bill's idea of bright orange to make it noticed.

It definitely has a safety feature, but orange isn't really me. I keep coming back to black or navy blue. It has occurred to me to paint it the UofT colours, but that does seem a bit lame. Although, navy with grey and white stripes could be nice. I'm open to any and all suggestions for colour. If I knew what colour spin I was going to find that would be nice to take into account, but…no dice.

I would really like any and all input, suggestions, rationals, single colours, or schemes, ideas, any thoughts. Once I've got the mast up, I'll take pictures so you can see what I've been talking about.

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Don't worry about a main - you can have the main I used before I got the new sail made. It is old, baggy and not exactly optimal, but it is made for the tube, it fits right and best of all it is free. If you bring the boat up here you can try my new main on it if you want before ordering on from Ethan.

I'll read through your post and answer in more detail later - I've got to go on a Tim's run for my wife right now. After all the hours of hard work that went into the boat so far, you want to make it worthwhile by making. So if you do not have a lot of experience in this domain stick with the simplest pattern antislip on the floor and. Unless your fairing job is absolutely perfect which is uncommon even for pros do not use dark colors ,.

HOly crap, thanks Bill, thank you very much, I definitely wasn't asking for a handout at all. You've been a huge help with my build already, both in suggestions of what you did and what you would've done. Thank you so much, I owe you big time. I'll post a longer reply later aswell, I'm just kind of shocked, thanks Bill, the main will be a much better fit than an albacore one.

People here in Ottawa helped me, so all I'm doing is paying it forward. I also want more of Eric's boats completed and out on the water, so people can see what he's capable of. The pic below has worked quite well on Shrinkage. Ignore the boom extension to clear the foot roach from when I had a windsurf sail rigged on it.

Remove the shackle from the block and instead run a stainless bolt or pin through both it and the G10 tubes. And it also swivals. Cleating angle is tunable. The other thing I do that makes life easier is rig the mainsheet with a split tail up at the user end of things, with each tail terminated at the shrouds. Then when you inevitably drop the mainsheet while busy with the kite, you can always get it back in your hands again.

Thanks, Phil - that one is worth a try and less complicated than my current "two cam cleat" solution or the inverted boom mount "Harken Cam Base" I've been thinking of trying. First off, I'd once again like to thank everyone for their input, and help. It is all very much appreciated.

Don't rush on the rigging pictures, I'm still a long ways off. It's snowed here too, quite disconcerting. Yeah the hiking strap is really simple to do, I didn't think of that. Looks good, a very good way to do it. I'm no where near painting yet I'm no where near closing the hull yet , but I'd just like to go over painting so I've got lots of time to think about it. I personally don't know anything about painting, but I plan on enlisting a fair bit of help. My buddy has a body shop, my brother in-law has fixed up a couple old cars and my dad has done a lot of auto painting as well. He was explaining to me why he has five different paint guns and I just didn't get it.

Anyway, that being said, I agree with Eric that a good paint job will definitely make the sailor try to go faster, even though it won't actually help. I'm still not sure what I want to paint yet, but I being admittedly stubborn want to have a little more than one solid colour on the outside.

I'm thinking some sort of stripe s …not really sure what. Anyway, in the interest of having some idea what I'm talking about when it comes to discussing painting with all of the above mentioned people: So after everything is faired which I'm sure I will be having questions about as well , Dave said Awl grip epoxy primer, the book says two coats: Before sanding apply an acrylic based glazing putty like this stuff???: Then when moving on, Dave said Imron paint.

If any stripes that do go on are taped out, and whatnot, I'm not expecting any problems. And then multiple suggestions on how many? Then after painting, hardware installation, rigging and sailing…. I wouldn't be surprised I mixed something in there up…. So here's what's happening with the build. I filleted the cockpit tonight. I'll get a hand tomorrow to pull it out of the hull. I don't have the sheerplanks on as I still have more planing to do, so that's the next thing to get done. In hindsight I would have planed the topside edges most of the way for the sheer plank fitting before putting the sheerclamps in place.

That would have avoided the obscene number of lacerations and slivers in my hand while planing. The other option would be to buy a better plane that has a handle so my thumb or finger doesn't stick out along the side… I ordered the bowsprit tubes a couple months ago, and they're still not in. The guy at the machine shop keeps saying he's not sure if he can get it, but just wait a little longer to see. I don't have the heart to give him an ultimatum he's this cute old Belgian guy , but it will be holding me up soon.

I could start working on the trailer. Actually, the other day dad and I designed the trailer with a cooking spatula and some pens. It was very napkin design-esque.

The back rack for holding the mast will be removable to make launching easier. It's going to be very light, but I'm convinced still very strong. It prevents some negative interaction between paint and fairing compound too complex to. Wow, lots of info on painting. I may not know much now, but I'm learning quick. Ok, so before the primer, apply a coat of clear epoxy. Should it be brushed or rolled I wish I could spray it? Which will give the better finish for paint? After it's on, should I wait the full seven days curing period before primer?

Two different colours, lighter first. Then glazing putty is applied with a rubber trowel. I was talking to dad today and he said he's used it before. It's this stuff right?: I did a little googling and found this: Imron, being an acrylic linear polyurethane, and Awlgrip, being a polyester linear polyurethane.

I don't really know what all that means but, the bottom line being Awlgrip type paints polyester LPU will give a harder, more weather and UV resistant finish that will last longer and stay glossy longer, but are harder to work with than the Imron acrylic LPU type paints. I do like Eric's point about sticking with the one brand of paint. I'm leaning towards Awlgrip, which has this product for antislip: I'll definitely be asking my paint helpers their thoughts on brands and whatnot. As for the environment control I think we're set.

When the last coat of epoxy goes on over the final faired hull, the hull will be moved out of the shop into the garage while the shop and paint booth is swept and then power washed. For airflow, both the main part of the shop and the paint booth, have separate exhaust systems the paint booth has a few ways to control the air flow and new air filters are going in after everything is power washed.

For temperature the paint booth has a better thermostat then where I live. The only thing we can't fully control is humidity, but I'm hoping to have it painted before the weather gets sticky. After the paint is on and cured, the time for that will be on the can installing the hardware seems pretty straight forward.

From the picture you posted a little while ago Eric, I noticed that the material applied on the aftdecks and sheerplanks for grip looks like rubber mat. What is that stuff? It looks really cool and will probably not rip your arm open like gritty stuff when trapeze becomes tarzan. As for the bowsprit tubes, I'll go see Arnold on Tuesday and if he doesn't have it I'll give Dave a call. If Dave doesn't have it, the Aircraft Spruce website had it, and lucky me, they have a location at the Brantford airport quite close which is where I got more silica a few weeks ago.

OH, before I'm done my posts seem to go on forever , is there a reason everyone paints their foils white? Just an observation I've made, I wondered if there was a reason. OK, I think I'm done now. Thanks for all your help Eric. I'll look into Epiphanes products. Good call on the white foils, Bill. I remember you saying that earlier now. I might set the cockpit before the sprit goes on. I don't see a reason that would affect anything.

I've had a few questions that have popped into my head recently regarding using epoxy. Reading the Gougeon book there's some amazing stuff in there, aswell as some stuff that seems a big crazy: Anyway, here's some questions I've had:. I've read some blogs of builders using epoxy outside in the winter. They keep the epoxy in a heated area and then apply it in the cold. It doesn't seem to be the best idea to me? Obviously roughing the surface with sandpaper before hand would be a good idea. Would it be best done before the seven days are up fully cured according to the label on my resin jug?

Would there be any problems with switching brands were I to run out? As soon as the epoxy is not sticky you can't rely on chemical bond anymore. I found this approach to the problem a few years ago on the 'net. I did not take note of where the pic came from, so I regret that I cannot give proper credit I was applying west system epoxy outside most of the winter in temperatures as low as c The trick is to keep the epoxy warm in a truck or in a box with a small heater or high wattage light bulb. Once applied, I would point a heated fan at the area being repaired for about half an hour or use a heat gun.

I only had a problem with it curing once and it was a factor of the reapair getting wet not the cold. Keep in mind this was a slow process. I could do only one coat a day. I hit a squal in the fall that pushed me and my star into a break water. I ended up removing some of the foam core and then spending the winter making it fair. Finally managed to repaint the boat last weekend.

It's been a while, I've been really busy with crap that's not as interesting as building my hull. Regardless, I'm finally getting around to making a post. The sheerclamps, carlins, sheerplanks and bowsprit receiving tube have all been on for a few weeks. When I used the high-density filler for the first time for the sprit tube, I did some experimenting with the leftover epoxy in my mixing container.

That stuff is amazing how strong it is. Anyway, so I've posted a picture of where the hull is at right now. When I get time to get back out to the shop, the agenda is marking the intersection lines for the cockpit, making hardware mounting blocks just laminating them with colloidal epoxy , and attaching them, planing down the surfaces where the decking will go and cleaning the frayed fibreglass and garbage out of the hull before coating the inside of the hull with clear epoxy.

I've got a couple questions regarding the completion and lack there of of the hull. After all of the hull skins decking are on, the hull gets fiberglassed and faired microlight filler goes on shortly after the fibreglass to ensure a good chemical bond. Once the fairing is complete, a coat of clear epoxy goes on and fully cures before being sanded to paint. West System makes an aluminium powder additive that is mostly for UV protection since epoxy is very susceptible to UV damage.

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After the hull was faired, if I was to use the additive in the clear epoxy that goes on before painting, would I be able to postpone painting until next year, even if I did sail the hull this year, given that when not being sailed the hull was kept out of the sun? It's not ideal, but I'm wondering if there would be any repercussions in the final finishing of the hull.

In this same scenario, I would be sailing the hull with just a main. No trap, no spin, and ergo none of those required fixtures making the hardware covering for painting minimal. MegaHertz, be careful out there, lol. I do dig that some storms come up really quickly, everyone's had that happen. Thanks for the tips on cold weather application. They may come in handy one day. And thanks as well Eric, for all the tips as usual. It's not going to cure as well as they think it has, and full cure will take a very long time.

If being used for anything strucural, the properties are going to be adversly affected. Just as you can speed up the reaction by applying heat, you can almost halt a reacting epoxy by chilling it enough. The seven days is a guideline figure- they're guarenteeing a certain degree of cure when cured at the recommended minimum temperature by then.

Even then, there's proabably a day or so extra in there. Surface prep for bonding epoxy to epoxy- lightly sand, and then wash off the debris with acetone or similar solvent. Remove just before bonding. The little Tango feels solid for such a light stitch-and-glue skiff. I clocked the maximum speed at 24 mph with just a slight porpoise when riding solo at full speed, which I could attribute to the transom angle.

When built per the plans, is only about 8 degrees; not angled enough for the prop shaft to be positioned perfectly parallel the bottom of the boat without shimming the motor. With my lb son onboard the porpoising is eliminated and the boat hits 23 mph. With our family of three onboard totaling about lbs—maximum capacity is pounds top speed only drops to 21 mph which is rock-steady and comfortable to cruise at all day long. You can really cover a lot of water in a short time at 20 mph, so I am very happy with the decision to go with the 9.

If towing a long distance I may elect to unbolt the motor and remove it from the transom. The Tango Skiff 13 fits the bill perfectly as a small, lightweight boat for a young family or for older kids learning to handle an outboard. We look forward to exploring more waters with our Tango Skiff. My wife bought me the plans for my birthday in August and I planned to begin the build January 1, so that our three-year-old son and I could enjoy the boat the following summer.

My world was turned upside down, but in the back of my mind I still wanted to start this project at the first of the year. It turned out to be great therapy. We got right to work, and in my basement I transferred and marked each part on the plywood. My Dad cut them out with my sabersaw as I was too weak from chemo to cut a straight line or stand for long. After we had all of the pieces cut we had to wait until spring for the temperatures to rise enough to use epoxy. I had major surgery at this time to remove what was left of my cancer and it took a couple months to recover.

I am now cancer free.

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Chris Atwood is a year-old corporate pilot and flight instructor, a metastatic testicular cancer survivor, and repeat boatbuilder having previously built a Glen-L Zip runabout and a CLC Wood Duck kayak. Have you built one that you think other Small Boats Monthly readers would enjoy? We welcome your comments about this article.

Glad your health has returned. What a great story.

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I lost my son to cancer last October—he was The bond we enjoyed bloomed most fully during our crabbing ventures. It sounds as if your life became more meaningful with the building and bonding your boat afforded you. Stories like yours are what motivates me to make every day count, Bob. Beautiful color choice too. Letting the side panels extend over bottom panels and filling is quite clever and the picture at lower speed shows how successful.

That is a beautiful looking boat! May I ask how much resin and fiberglass is used in construction? Your email address will not be published.