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(Parallax) wrote in message . com...
(AKF) wrote in message . com...
(Parallax) wrote in message . com...

Did some filling with epoxy and installed the upper transom gusset.
Am now ready to paint the interior tonight. Any thoughts on
reinforcing joints with fibreglas tape?

Reinforcing with woven tape is a good idea. Fillet the angle first with
epoxy filler; this avoids trying to force the tape into a sharp angle which
it won't accept anyway. Work all the air out from under the tape; various
rollers are available for this.

As for epoxy, I once ground out all the blisters, refilled them and
faired and epoxy coated and then painted a badly blistered 23' boat.
It was the most complicated thing I have ever done, more complicated
than any of the physics courses I took. Epoxy is nice to work with,
much better than the smelly regular fibreglas resin. My skin seems to
have no problem with epoxy. My epoxy resin is 10 yrs old and left
over from that project.

Well, if your epoxy is still working, go for it! DIY osmosis treatment is
an impressive first project, respect due for trying it. What with that and
your current project it seems you are really a closet boatbuilder, best carry
on! BTW, regarding your woodworking skills; practice really does make perfect,
and don't disregard the old fashioned hand operated plane. A low angle block
plane with a sharp iron is still the most used tool in the boat joiners tool-
kit. Check out books and articles on 'spiling' (spileing?), if you haven't
already, for tips on how to get those awkward angles and curves onto the
workpiece.

The point about epoxy sensitization is that the effects of exposure seem to
be cumulative. So, no problem for years, then... After the problem has started
there appears to be no going back; I've heard of a yard owner (maybe on this
group) who has to vacate his shop altogether when eoxy is being used. Strangely
polyester with all it's known toxic and carcinogenic constituents and additives
has little effect. Imagine the concentrations inside a chain locker, for
instance. Yet workers spend hours inside such places glassing up, flowcoating
etc.

An interesting product would be fibreglas tape, say 4" wide in a bag
pre-impregnated with resin that would catalyze on exposure to water.
It could be used by home boat builders or by boaters in an emergency.

David

Pre-preg is a whole other subject, which I know nothing about!

HTH,
Adrian.

A "Closet Boatbuilder", whodathunkit? I thought being a sailor with a
caving problem was bad. Does the American Psychiatric Assocoation
list this as just a disorder or a full blown mental illness? Might
explain why I cant stop trying to improve on that folding dinghy I saw
on the net.
BTW, I didnt realize Andrew Buttchart's role in all this till I read
the BYYB site. Thanks Andrew. How do I join the BYYB?
Raining off and on so I cannot put the deck on #1 so I am working on
parts for #2. Do I dare try painting with oil base paint on a rainy
night? Might not dry properly but it is on the inside and I would
like to get the deck on this weekend.
I know that part of this project is guilt for paying somebody else to
do work on my big boat (28' S2 sailboat). Have never paid anybody to
work on my boat but the distance I would have to drive to work on her
and never having right tools on hand made it seem like the right thing
to do (a bad decision).

Solved my mast problem with #2, cut the mast hole and pushed a piece
of 2"x4" cut to right dimensions down into a bed of glue at the bottom
and screwed it in from the sides. Got the bow frame mounted and bow
tapered to it.

On #1, got the decks installed, however, didnt have enough packing
peanuts for the bow so did not glue the bow deck on yet. I thought i
had LOTS of packing peanuts from work but they only filled the
transom. Had lots of problems with the bow deck getting it to bend
enough. Used a strap clamp wrapped around the deck and hull to pull
them together. Heard lots of creaks and pops, tightened the clamp,
heard more, tightened more, screws pulled through the luan, I used
more screws and tightened more, strap began to tear the luan so I put
a board undetr the edge to spread the load and tightened more.
Finally the luan simply tore in a ragged gash. I sorta expected this.
I know the side stringers are waaaaay too low (this one was twisted
cuz the cockpit frame was twisted) so I added strips of luan to the
stringers to add height to the stringers. Will glass over the nasty
looking joint.

Got the rudder box sides cut for both boats.

My impression is that in spite of my blind installation of the
centerboard box, #2 is going better.