rbduck

I just got back from the west coast after a two week holiday. That frame looks real good. Any more progress since your last entry?

Ron

mello_collins

A lot of routing, sanding, and the first seal coat of epoxy on the frame. Also doing up a few 12 inch test pieces for the hull. Making sure the composites are going to be strong as I want. I got a hold of some fabric made of Innegra S. It is not really on the market yet. I used one layer of it on each side of the 3mm ply with one layer of 4oz e glass on the outside of one side to simulate the hull. I used a brick to hit the fiberglass side to test it, seams like it should hold. Tell me what you think. Here is a like to the vid.



How do you embed a vid?

MarquetteMagnum

great boats, sure must be gratifiying knowing your hunting out of a boat that you built with your own hands.

excalibur43

Great job guys! They really look good. I may have to try this myself!!

mello_collins

I have made a lot of progress. Work and family had me away from my build for a while. I laid the hull as two pieces with two pieces of cloth for inner strength. I could not have done it without the help of my neighbor. Laid the cloth on the plywood then waited for it to get tacky them flipped it onto the frame and attached it. Hull is epoxyed to the frame this way.

link to slide show

http://s509.photobucket.com/albums/s...t=1fdabaf3.pbw

AR 34 eight point

Nice job!!! My boat is a killing machine... only been out in it once with no kills. Seems to be my luck charm..

rbduck

Great slideshow. Can`t wait to see the finished boat.

Ron

mello_collins

Word of advice. Don't let the cold weather catch you while you still trying to epoxy or you will end up like me. Stuck in a homemade duckcave with heaters so the epoxy will cure.

rthook1

Mello, we found that out while RB and myself where building our boat. Unless we were in direct sunlight, it took hours to cook off. Once we moved the boat out into direct sunlight, one hour and it was cooked. We built it in June/July in Manitoba, Canada, 70 degrees, cool air, hot sun. The only thing that worked. Maybe the humidity you have compared to ourshas something to do with it.Took us four thin squeeged coats of epoxy "west system" epoxy. This is a marine epoxy, it`s all we could get. I hope this makes sense. Maybe try a heatgun also? We used the gun on spot curing. It worked great.
We mixed 6oz. of babypowder(cheap stuff) stirred into 2oz. of resin before hardener to fatten up the mix. Thicker spreads and fills nicer. We used 6" plastic scraper type blade sqeeges. Don`t be afraid to mix inj lots of baby powder to the consitency of peanut butter. Mix in 20% hardener, stir like hell and trowel it on. It will fire off, 20% about one hour.....pour on the heat, don`t be shy. This thick of a consitencyis great for filling cracks, butt joints, chine joints, screw head holes, and anywhere else you have gaps. It will round up all your edges also. The powder does`nt effect curing time at all. This worked for us, the boat has been worked hard, big waves pounding all the way home. We still have`nt found a paint that will stick to the floor. Waders and boots grind it off.
Oil paint artist pigment in tubes from the art store worked for me when I built(for many years) artificial limbs. Mix it in your epoxy.
Good luck on finishing the boat and we`re looking forward to more pics. Hope this helped wsome.

Dan

AR 34 eight point

Mello, where did you find a switch pannel?