Plywood and Such, Complications, etc.

[tkk]

Did you check the two links? Plans and more pictures available there.

[mgriffin]

Two words. I'm back. Two more words. I'm smarter. I can understand why PAR got pissed with me. I was STUPID. Seriously! Even I will admit it! I don't know a damned thing about boats, well maybe I know a few things, but that doesn't matter right now. When I came to these forums, I did not know a single thing about modern boat building methods. That said, lets get to the point. I feel bad for asking stupid questions and wasting your time. I did not know better. I was curious. Those are my excuses.

Know that you have my apology, let me tell you that any more questions or threads I ask or start will only be about boats.

One question I have, but this is a very stupid one indeed, is what are the steps of fiberglassing a boat?

[troy2000]

If anyone ever got around to giving a clear answer to the original question this thread started with, I missed it. Here was the question:

I will need to know something about plywood. I know some things about it, but my main question is about fiberglassing it. Do I have to?

I'm not a professional designer or builder, but here's my answer: no.

Whether you should not depends on a whole lot of factors. But if you're building a small boat, and especially if you're building one that will be hauled out when not in use, it's probably not worth the bother and the expense. Get it built, seal it and paint it, and get it in the water.

At most you may want to tape the chines, if you're building a flat -bottomed or V-bottomed hull. Personally, I've never even done that. Of course, none of my boats have been works of art meant to be preserved and passed on down to following generations, either....

[troy2000]

By the way: making an error in judgment (if you in fact did) is hardly proof of stupidity.

Don't let anyone ever get away with pinning that label on you when you make a mistake, and definitely don't ever pin it on yourself.

[souljour2000]

Good advice all around Troy...I agree that you don't need to glass this boat...the only drawback is that it wont have the extra strength and if you decide to glass the boat later you will have to scrape off lots and lots of paint. Most common exterior housepaints were formulated after millions of dollars of research by billion-dollar companies such as Dow Corning..Dupont..and so forth....in other words..they work well...They can block UV and moisture...your worst enemies... and combat them well...especially if you have a few good coats of sealer and then a few coats of primer before you lay down your topcoats.Some more expensive epoxy paints and some enamel paints have even more resistance to moisture and dings/scratches. If you go with cheaper household paint..make sure it is exterior paint. Here's the catch though: when you get those inevitable dings and scratches...make sure it's dry and immediately sand the area and re-paint the area before moisture gets in there. If you want a boat that demands much less of this type of on-going maintenance...glass it....
Good luck and read everything you can...don't be afraid to ask questions...it's only a "mistake" if you repeat it...or if you don't try in the first place out of fear of "making a mistake"

Welcome back Mike,

Paul is not pissed with you! It needs more than a inexperienced youngster to get us on edge.

There is a good tutorial for glass and resin handling on the "West System" website.

Regards
Richard

[hoytedow]

Originally Posted by mgriffin

Two words. I'm back. Two more words. I'm smarter. I can understand why PAR got pissed with me. I was STUPID. Seriously! Even I will admit it! I don't know a damned thing about boats, well maybe I know a few things, but that doesn't matter right now. When I came to these forums, I did not know a single thing about modern boat building methods. That said, lets get to the point. I feel bad for asking stupid questions and wasting your time. I did not know better. I was curious. Those are my excuses.

Know that you have my apology, let me tell you that any more questions or threads I ask or start will only be about boats.

One question I have, but this is a very stupid one indeed, is what are the steps of fiberglassing a boat?

Welcome back. There are no stupid questions. Keep them coming and we will try to answer them when we can.

[hoytedow]

I did not glass my first boat. It was also built of substandard materials, but I was still able to get out there and have a good time on it and use it as a learning platform until I could build a better one. Never give up.

[peter radclyffe]

Originally Posted by mgriffin

Yeah, I figured that you had to glass the entire hull of the boat. I don't want my boat to be cheap, and I might end up spending 200$ to build it, or if I really want a boat that lasts, I could spend 300$ on it. I'd probably have to use 100$ for the glass alone though! I want a boat that will take a beating and shake it off and keep going. Hell, I might make the hull out of 1/2 inch ply if possible! I just want a boat that will outlast those cheap plywood so called boats made out 1/8 inch ply and are as fragile as an eggshell. I might take it on the Platte river if we move to Colorado, so I would attach a metal strip to the bottom so it can take a grinding without any major damage. I am also going to put six 10" bumper tires on it so I can hit stuff and survive it. To strengthen the hull I will also add a frame out of 2x4 running from bow to stern and from port to starboard. I will use that as a seat, or at least a 1' by 3.5' board on top of the frame running from port to starboard. Don't remind me how heavy it's going to be! We have a truck, we could just put it in the bed of it and tie it to the truck to keep it from slipping out. I can lift 70 lbs, maybe a bit more, but I still might need some help getting it in the bed of the truck. I would estimate the weight to increase by 20-25 lbs from the original 40 lbs. You can tell me how much it will weigh with these mods if you like, but remember it has a 9" draft with 350 lbs of displacement. So that is 40 pounds for every inch of displacement, or 38.88 pounds if you want to be accurate.

dont mess about, build it out of steel plate

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by peter radclyffe

dont mess about, build it out of steel plate

[mgriffin]

Well I guess that answers my question! I don't need to fiberglass. I'll just by marine grade and not worry about the fiberglass.
BTW here's what my boat will look like:

[hoytedow]

You will still need to glue all joints and paint it well so it will be well sealed. Keep it out of the water when it is not being used. Stainless steel screws at least- cad or zinc plated ones will be a disaster. Good luck!

[mgriffin]

Painting and gluing will be easier than a glass job at least! Would you recommend caulking the seams? I think that wouldn't really be necessary, but it won't hurt to ask. Another question I have is how long will the boat last if I don't glass it? I am guessing around five years.

There is no caulking in modern boatbuilding Mike.


Get your chores on the mail side done please!

[gonzo]

Fiberglass tape over the seams is a structural element. It also makes them watertight. The best part, is that you can have poor fits and still have no leaks.