Lots of questions from a newbie!

[obxfireguy]

Well, I lucked into a boat. It is a Sea Snark from what I can gather. My neighbor has had this boat hanging in his garage for over 10 years. It is in mint condition. He has only put it in the water one time ever. I have been asking him for almost two years if he ever wanted to part with it. Well the other day he said yes and for less than $100.00. All the parts and riggings are on it including the sail. This will be a great boat for my three little girls. I want this boat to last. It is an older model of the Snark and does not have the ABS outer cover on it. How do I fiberglass it to protect it? I have never done any fiberglass work before. Or is there a paint or resign that I can "paint" on to form a plastic shell? After I get her ready for the beating she will take, I will be asking lots of questions about how to rig it. Thanks in advance.

[gonzo]

You live in a great area. I spent many years building boat around there. Is that the boat made of styrofoam?

[obxfireguy]

Yeah it is EPS foam I think. I have read to use an epoxy resign to glass it. I just have no clue where to start when it comes to glassing it. I have searched for you tube videos on how to glass a boat with no luck. I am thinking it would be better to pay someone to glass it for me. That way I know it is done right.

[obxfireguy]

Has anybody glassed one of these boats?

[alan white]

You could glass it with epoxy. Polyester resin will melt the foam. It's not hard to do. A light glass cloth like 4 oz would work pretty well.
Get yourself a book with instructions for epoxy/glass sheathing. Glassing the foam is a good idea. You'll have to paint afterwards to protect the epoxy from UV rays.

[obxfireguy]

Ok thanks..... Should I glass just the bottom or the inside too. I was thinking of glassing it all so it will last forever! We sailed her yesterday and my little girls loved it. This is our first sailboat. I am hoping my girls will grow up with fond memories of sailing! I will upload some pics soon so you guys can give me suggestions. It is in really good shape. I was lucky to get it so cheap.

[bistros]

Originally Posted by obxfireguy

Ok thanks..... Should I glass just the bottom or the inside too. I was thinking of glassing it all so it will last forever! We sailed her yesterday and my little girls loved it. This is our first sailboat. I am hoping my girls will grow up with fond memories of sailing! I will upload some pics soon so you guys can give me suggestions. It is in really good shape. I was lucky to get it so cheap.

No one else has asked, but why glass the boat in the first place? It will add weight and a well maintained boat that is dry sailed will last forever as long as it's paint is kept up and issues dealt with as they crop up.

Fiberglass and epoxy are not a license to stop maintaining a boat. Why add 10-20 pounds of weight (glass, epoxy, paint) to a well maintained boat? The added weight will show up negatively in performance and ability to carry weight. A good two part poly paint and reasonable care will do the same thing (protect and maintain your investment).

(The 10-20 pounds assumes a first time person doing the fiberglass/epoxy with no vacuum bagging and learner level skills)

--
Bill

[alan white]

I think, Bill, this is a board boat made of styrene foam. Over time, the soft foam surface will dent up and alge will live in the fissures of the foam. i wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to glass the thing. My guess is no more than 10 lbs will be added. And if done well, the skinning should double the boat's lifespan.

[alan white]

Originally Posted by obxfireguy

Ok thanks..... Should I glass just the bottom or the inside too. I was thinking of glassing it all so it will last forever! We sailed her yesterday and my little girls loved it. This is our first sailboat. I am hoping my girls will grow up with fond memories of sailing! I will upload some pics soon so you guys can give me suggestions. It is in really good shape. I was lucky to get it so cheap.

Glass it all, but do the bottom first to get the hang of it. Glad your kids have a sailboat to sail.

[bistros]

Originally Posted by alan white

I think, Bill, this is a board boat made of styrene foam. Over time, the soft foam surface will dent up and alge will live in the fissures of the foam. i wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to glass the thing. My guess is no more than 10 lbs will be added. And if done well, the skinning should double the boat's lifespan.

I'd agree about extending the life of a soft EPS boat, but I'd be really careful about the quality of work and materials used. A professional working with good epoxy and glass, applied right and minimally would result in a boat with good prospects. The wrong person, using the wrong materials could ruin a perfectly good boat quickly - creating an unfair, rough, heavy mess from a boat in great shape.

I guess my comment was also done in light of cost effective value. It is wonderful the original posted got a great deal and started his family sailing, but as they progress further into the sport, they may change their interests to newer, faster, bigger or just different boats. The current boat is delivering great value, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future without further expense - but it may not be the right boat forever, and investing good money may not be reasonable.

--
Bill

[apex1]

Have a look here:
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/applying-cloth-tape/
and "Glen L" I think provides a tutorial too.

use only 4 oz glass, cut the glass to shape before you lay it up, skimp on resin (more resin is not stronger) but wet out the cloth properly. (have a look at my Gallery -click my name- there are some pictures showing a bottom glassing in progress. The white shaded parts are not wetted out now.)
Having a white foam hull makes it nearly impossible to see if your layup is saturated, so colour the resin with a stain. Let your girls choose the colour its additional fun. But do´nt let them have skin contact with uncured resin and / or hardener. The cured stuff is absolutely harmless!

Lets share the joy of your children, load up a picture or two.

Regards
Richard

[alan white]

Bill,

It's just about never a practical reason to modify a boat. A dealer would never even touch a boat like that, or most any boat, in order to make it better if it would be more expedient to simply sell the boat for any kind of profit.
I've modified every boat I ever owned, sometimes drastically. I should be locked up for doing myself such financial harm, since I ought to have simply sold my boats after polishing them up.
On the other hand, we humans are not very practical in the first place, though we go on and on about the most practical methods for doing impractical things.
It makes no sense to buy a sailboat. We do not haul goods or carry passengers for hire. We just go out and back.
Most of us have no business buying a brand new table saw or building a workshop. They will never pay. They are like sailing on a rainy day, more or less.
Best to establish early on whether the commenter is really trying to do the most practical thing or something which is actually a prerequisite for admission into the fold----- of boat nuts.
I don't think he would have even mentioned epoxy and glass unless he had a screw loose, so I went with the assumption he was just like most of us and nothing could be done except to manage his illness.

[obxfireguy]

Heeheheheeh, I do have a few screws loose. My main goal is to make this boat last and I thought the glass would do that. I can see the styofoam taking a beating while we try to learn to sail.

[obxfireguy]

Thanks for the links apex1!

[apex1]

Originally Posted by obxfireguy

Thanks for the links apex1!

Welcome mate! And to your former post:
We all have lost our Marbles here, we otherwise would´nt go sailing, and worse, grapple with the theoretical part of it, instead of enjoying it.

Regards
Richard
have you seen the pictures overhead sheathing?