Beginner Want to know about Materials

Hi ,

i'm a beginner in boat building , currently are looking to build a boat by myself. i'm not familiar in the material , i just know the fiberglass is part of the material.

Except fiberglass , what kind of material do i need ? Thanks for helping.

 

I'm certainly not "in the know", but that is very wide, open question. You need to figure out what type of boat, what type of building method, what finish etc you want. Then you will be closer to deciding, and the real boatbuilders here will be able to give you a better answer than I am capable of.

(I'm about to build a small boat/dinghy myself).

Andre

 

I'm sorry for not given more detail of the boat i wanna build ~

here is the link of picture for the similar boat i had.


I'm planning to turn this boat over to make a mold by using the bottom of the boat, then produce another 2 similar boat.

what kind of materials i need to make the "mold" and the "whole boat" ? , i believe the materials for building the "mold" and "boat" are different if not mistaken.

i had a budget on this , so not planning to use expensive materials.

Thanks

 

This is just my guess - bear in mind that I'm _not_ a boat builder, nor does my opinion matter much - but building a mold seems rather much to do a one-off. I'd imagine it would be easier to take the measurements off of it, directly instead, and then build it from that instead, using whatever method you find "neat" - myself, I like the idea of strip-planking. Anyways, you could use foam and whatnot.

[Edit] I'm quite certain as well that the materials used are different, but because of the latter, I don't even think you should investigate it (you can spend you time better) [end edit]

Another thing you have to keep in mind, is that that boat you're copying directly, is propably considered an infringement of copyright, especially if you were to build a mold from it. If I were you, I'd go searching for a boat plan to something similar, pay the man (unless it's a free plan), and then build that instead.

Anyways, remember that I'm by no means anything other than an ignorant layman myself.

 

from the look of that boat, it looks like you could find a plywood-plan for something like it. Pre-cut, and easy to assemble. Of course you coudl do it yourself, but, there are so many precut plywood plans out there.

 

Ah, hell - I just discovered you're actually wanting to make 2 (two!) copies off of it, sounds like you're trying to sell it, or give it away. That's over the border, imho, you shouldn't copy things like that in that way. Pay someone for plans, and make sure you have the right to build more than one from it.

p.s. Sorry about the numerous replies.

 

DanishBagger : Thanks for your suggestion !

Actually the boat is own by my friend and he would like to let me make a mold from it. of cause one boat is for me and another is for him , we build it together. Just dunno what kind of materials we should use.

 

Well, even if the boat is your friend's, it isn't his to copy, and certainly not in that way - and frankly, I would think that being as ignorant as I am, just making a female mould and plastering with grp will very likely result in an unsafe boat, delamination, lack of strength and/or it will sit weirdly in the water.

Besides, building that mold, and then using it to lay up glassfibre is, as far as I can tell, much more expensive than finding a cheap stitch'n'glue kit, or ditto plans.

Here's a canoe being built with that method:

http://www.pygmyboats.com/Construction.htm

Buy one of those stitch'n'glue kits/plans instead. You will be much more satisfied, and you won't rip someone of, doing something propably illegal, so your morals can stay above water (pun intended).

Seriously, even though I'm a newbie myself, since you don't even know what materials to use, or where to look, then you certainly don't want to go about it like that. It's not like casting metals, like they do in a foundry, and it's not like molding (casting?) plastics. There's much more to it.

P.S. To everyone else but Ladivito: If I'm just about correct, can someone try to talk this guy out of this project? It seems rather unsafe and unethical to me, but my words carry very little weight.

 

Well DB, this boat is not very expensive and wasting her as well as the GRP for two more is not a big deal. I don’t think it is real danger since he certainly will not produce and useful shape . So why not left him to try? Should be helpful experience.

All the best,
CapKos

 

Based on the picture, I would agree with DanishB that a set of full size plans for a stitch and glue skiff is the way to go. They would come with a bill of materials, but from the picture I would guess you will need 3-4 sheets marine plywood, epoxy resin, hardner, and filler (amount depends of whether you glass just the seams, or the entire exterior hull), copper wire for stitching, fiberglass tape for the seams, fiberglass cloth (if you decide to do the whole hull), hard wood planks to rip for transom, frames (looks like it would be one), and a rub rail if you want it. Also some foam for flotation under the seats. You could probabaly make a breast hook, and transom knees by lamintaing scraps from the plywood.

With all that said, I agree with CapKos also. You won't hurt anything if you try to make a mold and lay glass, but you will likely end up with a valuable lesson in what not to do rather than the boats you and your friend are want.

 

Thanks guys , hope can have a valueble lesson and experience after building this boat.


just some other Q's , do this kind of boat is built with plywood & fiberglass or just purely fiberglass ?

for epoxy resin , can i use polyester ? if not mistaken it is cheaper...

 

Hi Ladivito,
I’m sorry that I’m joking with you, but will try to explain now. The boat you show is build by fiberglass and polyester resign. It is very tricky, required exact temperature and humidity and is not the best for a beginner.
The method people here consider is to build a different boat from plywood-epoxy-fiberglass. This is much easier, and you can do it. Start by reading: www.bateau.com.

All the best,
CapKos

 

Ah, 'tis good to wake up and see someone else responding to this. It really was a case of the blind blonde leading the blind blonde

Andre

 

Thank You !!!!