vacuum Bag Panels for this boat

[jorgepease]

Hi, I am new to working with fiberglass and this is the boat I just ordered plans to build - http://www.bateau.com/studyplans/XF2...prod=XF20#list

Instead of using the plywood (ironic since I am a carpenter) however I plan on using corecell or ... similar. I was wondering as simple as the lines are on this boat if it would be a good idea to cut and vacuum bag both sides of the panels before fastening them on the molds and at that time binding the seams?

I am thinking of doing it this way just because I am by myself and I think it would be easier to work on each piece on a large flat surface, plus seems the vacuum would give me better results.

The pictures I have seen on this build so far don't impress me. I see lots of sagging of the ply panels, people obviously did not build a good enough mold or something.

Would the panels be too stiff if I do both sides?
How do I join the panel seams once they are placed on the molds?
Will I sacrifice strength using this system?

Thanks for your suggestions.

[KnottyBuoyz]

You might be better served if you pose your questions on the bateau.com forums. The designer will help you with any questions you have especially those on substituting core types.

On such a small project vacuum bagging isn't really necessary but it is a cool project and fun to learn. A few smaller test runs will help a lot in understanding the process. My first few were total screwups.

You can do both sides before fastening but you'll have lots of secondary mechanical bonds holding the boat together instead of good wet on wet epoxy bonds. A lot of sailboats are build that way so it does work.

Panels sagging between forms is a fact of life no matter what core you're using. You'll likely get more sagging with foam than plywood. You can add stiffeners inbetween the forms or add more forms to support the panel.

Would the panels be too stiff if I do both sides? Possibly

How do I join the panel seams once they are placed on the molds? Same as without. You'll have to sand/grind back the fiberglass to get the best mechanical bond possible.

Will I sacrifice strength using this system? Yes

Hope that helps.

[jorgepease]

Sagging I will take care of, I don't mind spending extra to make more stations for the mold.

I don't want to sacrifice strength. I was thinking not wetting out a couple inches extending beyond the edges so you could connect the panels but I don't really want to be the first to try it. I was hoping there was a system for doing it.

I don't have much luck posting at the forums where I bought the plans or from their tech support, still waiting on response to an email I sent last week. Going to try again, I just want to buy the dang cad drawings so I can have the molds cnc cut, they say they are available

Thanks for your help