new project

top flange now all trimmed up.

all that needs doing now is give the mould a good polish up and its ready.

im in no rush to polish the mould as i need to make a start on the plugs for gunnels and wheelhouse now.

 

not been on for a while as ive been busy with making the gunnel plug.

im almost there with it now. have got the main shape im after and have started filling and sanding to get it ready for paint.

once ive painted it in duratec primer i will upload some pics.

i have made it so that the wheelhouse fits on separately and is bonded in place.

there is enough room for 2 berths in the wheelhouse with a centre helm position.

i should have it all filled and sanded in the next few days and will post some pics up then.

 

The mold looks real good, I can tell by how you built it that you'll produce a quality product.

You probably know this, but I'll say it just in case, when you make the other molds it might be worth the effort to track down some black or orange or green tooling gelcoat, so as to have a good contrast when it comes to applying the gelcoat for the boat parts. It might be hard to tell about coverage when applying a white gelcoat into that light colored mold. When it comes to making parts and applying two layers of gelcoat, the second layer is often tinted just for that reason.

One other probably not needed suggestion is if those large reinforcing tubes are airtight, it might be an idea to drill a small hole in each of them so as to let air pressure equalize when the barometric pressure changes. Or you might want to drill large holes so as to let more air in and out to equalize the temperatures of the mold, so the mold isn't striped with different temperatures under the tubes as compared to the areas not under the tubes. If the mold is kept in an unheated space and then rolled in for use, it will take longer for those areas under the tubes to warm up to where the whole mold is one temperature.

 

thanks mate.

the only reason i didn't use tooling gelcoat on the hull mould was that there was a problem with it and it had to be sent back to the manufacturer.

applying gel in the mould is fine and i do it like you say with a slightly different shade on the second coat.

i'll see how it goes with the tubes on the sides and if it needs holes in them then i will put some in.

the mould will be stored in side once i get my new workshop in couple months time so it should be ok.

i probably won't use the mould for 2-3 months yet any way as i need to get all the other plugs built and moulded yet.

once i've got all the moulds then i can prep them all up ready to be used.

 

Re the holes in the stiffening tubes. If they are large, put a good screen or mesh over so they don't become 'occupied'. Bees, mice, rats make lousy tenants.... especially when they escape in the shop. -or -
put an air fitting on one end and blow it clear before moving into the shop. Even a reversed vacuum can do the job.

 

gunnel plug is now made and covered with 4 coats of duratec surface primer ready for flattening off and polishing.

i have made the plug so that when the wheelhouse is made it drops on top and gets bonded and glassed in on the underneath.

it may not be everyones cup of tea but im happy with the shape of it.

the foredeck is big enough for a decent size hatch or anchor locker.

nice big walkways down either side.

 

i have now started to lay up the mould.

after polishing the plug i put on 2 gelcoats and the first layer of mat.

im working all next week so won't get much done on the mould.

 

Looks like a good job. One thing though - not easy to tell from the pictures, but some of the vertical surfaces look too vertical. Again, it might be just a matter of deceiving pics. But in case they are indeed so vertical, you might have some problems with releasing the gunnel from the plug...
Cheers

 

cheers mate.

this is the second gunnel mould ive made and i have based it on the last one i did and that came off the plug pretty easy so i dont think there will be any problems releasing the mould from the plug.

the inside edges around the rear section are almost upright but not 100% so it should be ok.

the only 100% upright bit is around the wheelhouse opening but the inside edge is only 50mm high so it should be ok.

 

garrybull, surely you're right and your experience seems to confirm what you say, but please be very careful when applying wax to the mold.
Cheers

 

when you say be careful what do you mean by that?

i have prepped the plug up exactly the same as i have done on any other plug and never had any problems with the release.

had some which were tight to pop off but the job out the mould always came out easy.

 

I've seen, in several shipyards, before starting the gel coat for a new boat, they proceeded to a very thorough wax mold. This work is very laborious and delicate because it depends to a large extent, the ease of release of the parts, hull, decks, etc..
I do not have personal experience in this field but I have sometimes had to help studying how to "boot" the hull from its mold.

 

yeah i know mate.

im not a fan of waxing the mould but it has to be done and it takes time.

my hands are not made for polishing and i get cramp in my thumbs.

i was thinking of putting in some blow holes to allow me to use and air line on the mould to help release the job but have never used that method before.

 

I've never seen to use that method but I think it can leave marks on the helmet that will be costly to remove.

 

if i did use that method i would position the holes at points were the forward and rear hand rails are mounted so that there were no repairs to do.

i don't like doing gel repairs as it takes time to get them perfect.

i'll see how the first set comes out the new mould once its made.

if it comes out easy i'll leave it as it is or if its hard to get out then i may fit the blow holes.