"sandy" wrote in message
om...
Hubby, with no real boatbuilding experience (if you don't count the
styrofoam liveaboard sailboat we built years ago...aptly named "Holy
Mackeral"!) is thinking of trying his hand at boat building. We want
a very light 2 to 3 person sailboat to carry upright on a cargo

Really appreciate some comments, pointers and suggestions such as...

1. Is 1/4" exterior plywood (such as you'd find at Home Depot)
adequate? The people at HD said that the glue is NOT the same as with
marine plywood and looked sceptical when we told them what we wanted
it for (their special order marine plywood was ridiculously
expensive).

Yes. Exterior ply and marine ply use the same glue. Both are waterproof.
Marine ply has essentially no voids in the interior plys while exterior
plywood will have voids.

2. Is the generic epoxy (and/or polyester if we decide to go that way)
from our local fiberglass store adequate or is it really adviseable to
go with West System or ?.

Polyester is not o.k. IMO. Others may differ. A Marine Epoxy (formulated
for marine use) from a reputable supplier is recommended. West, System 3,
and others are good choices.

3. Anybody have any experience with "Nesting Dinghys"? Any problems
with them?

Yes, used one for 3-1/2 years while cruising.

4. Outside of glass/caulking the seams...is it adviseable to put a
layer or 2 of glass cloth over the whole exterior?

Only if you want extra abrasion resistance (2 oz is pretty light for that by
the way).

Shameless commercial plug:

www.bateau.com -- small boats -- FB11 nesting dinghy. (my design).


--
Evan Gatehouse

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ceilydh AT 3web dot net
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