And So it Begins . . . Knottybuoyz' New Project

[atoll]

Originally Posted by knottybuoyz

That was my fault. I tried to do both sides at once. I have had pretty good success before, doing one at a time. I was doing 4 at a time this time and that's where I messed up. It's all fixed now. I've been using pecan flour for thickening epoxy when I butter the ends of the panels. I really like it but it's very important you never sneeze when the container is open!

interesting i never heard of pecan flour as an addative!

i can really reccomend using a bit of collodial silica thickening with the resin to be used with glass cloth,adds tremendous strength and fills even microscopic voids,though goes off a bit quicker.

great photos keep m coming

[knottybuoyz]

I guess you can use just about anything to thicken an epoxy. Talc, silica sand, wood flour etc. They all get the job done with slightly different properties. Micro balloons make a nice light filler that's easy sand. Wood flour makes a good filler that takes a secondary bond well. The pecan flour is very similar to the wood flour except that it turns dark which makes it a good filler for glue where you want to hide seams in mahogany and other dark woods.

I went back to the old slow way of taping and gluing seams. A much much better result this time.



These are simple butt joints with a rebate cut (1/64") to recess the fiberglass tape. When finished like this it's dead flat all the way across and will only require a light sanding to prep it for a secondary bond when the panel is glassed over. I think this type of joint is also called a "Pierson Butt Joint" but I may be wrong. The ole' timers all say that long panels like this should be scarfed properly but these joints are strong and I haven't broken any lifting and moving the panels around.


Slow and steady will win this race!

[atoll]

taped butt joints should be more than strong enough for assembly.
then once glassed again with frames in place a uniform board strength will be achieved.

happy glueing

[DeepFrz]

Rick, you mention sanding just before glassing over, but you will have to make sure you wash off any amine blush before sanding. I think you already know this but I had to throw in my "good" advice anyway. Hey, what are friends for?

[hummingway]

It's "funny" how often shortcuts aren't!

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by hummingway

It's "funny" how often shortcuts aren't!

Yuh huh! 'specially when you think you're smarter than you actually are!

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Rick, you mention sanding just before glassing over, but you will have to make sure you wash off any amine blush before sanding. I think you already know this but I had to throw in my "good" advice anyway. Hey, what are friends for?

The epoxy I'm using is a good one Frz. It won't blush even in the most humid of conditions, not that I'd be working on it when it's in the 90's and 100% humidity anyways! I may not be as smart as I think I am but I know to get out of the heat!

It was warm in the shed today, I'd say in the low 90's so I added some forced ventilation. $15 at Lowes.



Just this cheapie lil' fan pulls enough air through the shed to keep it at ambient temps and if it's not 'nuff this lil' puppy will blow a hurricane through the shed!

[knottybuoyz]

Hot in the ole' boat shed tonight! 25C outside and 35C inside!



I'm glad I got my el cheapo ventilation in this weekend!

Had to flip one of the 32' panels tonight. Made myself a trapeze thingy to help spread the lifting load over the whole panel. Makes moving and flipping these things a breeze.



Next job was cutting some fiberglass for the side panels. Wanted to do this before hand while I still have the long table.



Shower time. *Scratch Scratch*

[knottybuoyz]

I apologize for the terrible picture but I couldn't get it all in one frame. These are the side panels, all 32' 5" of them stacked neatly along the side of the shed. Yes the do protrude 5" beyond the end wall.



As I stood back and looked at these panels after an hour of wrestling them into position, I realized they're upside down and will have to be flipped before they can go on the strongback. Doh! Not an easy task in such a tight space.

The next long panel to get laid up is the keel bottom. Pretty simple and no need to get overly fancy with the taping job so I just buttered up the butt ends and slopped on the tape & glue. This part will get covered with a whole lot of fiberglass later on so cosmetics aren't an issue.



I wanted to do the sides of the keel but the shape is baffling me a bit with the hull extension. I think I'll have to figure out the extension when the keel sides are on the strongback. That'll be fun.

I was finished up work in the shed about 08:00 so I spent the next 3 hours polishing and shining the other assets in the fleet.



The Jeep is a bugger to wash, there's so much of it! Spent Friday night and yesterday in the IROC at the car club meet and just touring around so it's back to boat building today.

[knottybuoyz]

Finished up the long panels finally! Wohoo! They're all tucked away till they're needed. Next I have to turn my attention to the frames and bulkheads. These are gonna be fun puzzles to solve!





Some will be easier than others. I don't know which ones I can fully assemble and set aside and which ones I have to install in the boat once it's flipped. That'll take a little research.



About another 2 weeks and this thing might actually start looking like a boat!

[Blue Stocking]

Those who have not built a boat from paper to completion can never appreciate the deep satisfying feeling one has, as each stage is completed. Damn!- I FEEL BETTER after reading each one of your updates.

** maybe we should start a "Knottybouyz" therapy thread

[atoll]

looks good,
are the bulkheads and stations attached to the keel first and braced,then the sides attached?
or sides stiched together,then bulkheads added?

mine,built in alumillium used the latter method,right way up.

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

** maybe we should start a "Knottybouyz" therapy thread

I'm told by some experienced builders that this is the only thereapy I'll need!



If that fails there's always the demon rum!

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by atoll

looks good,
are the bulkheads and stations attached to the keel first and braced,then the sides attached?
or sides stiched together,then bulkheads added?

mine,built in alumillium used the latter method,right way up.

Thanks Atoll. Eventually it'll start looking like a boat. The boat is built essentially like a monocoque hull. No frames or stations or keels per se. Once both sides of the hull are fiberglass the stringers, frames and bulkheads are tabbed in place (epoxy & fiberglass tape). Something like this...

[atoll]

good technique,very little resin wastage,and no need to turn the hull.

mine was built like this,flat bottom chine layed out on blocks,then next port n stb two chines secured midships then pulled together and progresively tacked together,then bulk heads and stiffners added after,then next two chines.

[Mark Johnson]

Assuming this will be a WEST system boat, I suggest that you epoxy well, (3 coats) sand, re epoxy, (3 coats), and re sand the panel's "inside" surfaces... BEFORE any assembly starts. This way ALL interior surfaces are about 4 coats thick, consistent, totally flat, and sanded to a 100% glaze. Neither paint nor epoxy stick to shiny epoxy, and thin spots in the interior epoxy get "checks", 20 years later.

The idea is to build the boat out of PRE finished out components, done comfortably on a table, rather than after assembly.

I'd also finish out the interior as much as possible, before the deck goes on.

Best of luck with it.

Mark