Building an Instant Boat

[ironmetal250]

Yes, I am working with epoxy - I'm at my lab now so I can't post pics until later, I got it all from a kit though (couldn't find it all anywhere else).

[marshmat]

Manie,

No resin-mixing station I have ever seen is anywhere close to that neat. No way are you doing any actual work there!

ironmetal250,

Glad to see you're making progress At this point, you really do need to sit down and clean up the epoxy fillets. On the very first seam of my Bolger Diablo, I made the exact same mistake and didn't get the goop perfectly smooth the first time. After cleaning that up, I learned very quickly to get these smooth and uniform the first time. Per the recommendations of Bolger & Payson, I later did the fillets and glass tape in a single step; thus, the joint is both stronger and easier to keep smooth than if the fillets are done first and the tape later.

I agree with the previous posters that it's better to cut a new bow seat from lower-grade ply, than to try to glue in one that doesn't fit quite right. Measure twice, cut once.....

Don't worry so much about the sheers / gunwales. There are a few tricks to these, but they're not difficult. You don't need any fancy steaming box or anything. If you need to soften the wood a bit to get it to follow the curve, wrapping a towel around the section to be bent and dripping some freshly boiled water on it will soften it up in a couple of minutes. I should also note that these pieces are some of the most highly loaded structural components on a boat like this, and you'd be wise to both epoxy-glue and mechanically fasten them through the hullsides and to each other. (They take most of the force when you row, crash into a dock, pick the boat up to move it, etc. and should be fastened accordingly.)

[ancient kayaker]

Originally Posted by marshmat

Manie,

No resin-mixing station I have ever seen is anywhere close to that neat. No way are you doing any actual work there!

Oh, I think it has been used, the resin levels are down from the top. They don't quite look the same though; Manie: did you forget to prime the pumps a couple of times?

Actually, my resin station is at least that neat: however, I never use the stuff if I can avoid it, filthy, nasty icky ...