It's been awhile so let's get back up to speed: She:Kon Bateau TW28 modified

Keep in mind I am building boat number SIX

Yes it is the most silly and ugly project on earth

but after 10 years of getting high on epoxy fumes (and whiskey) I've learned a thing or two about goop

 

Hi Manie

I get my epoxy from the designer of the boat. He assures me it is 'no blush' and with all the glass work I've done with it I've never seen the tiniest evidence of it blushing.

After sanding I wipe the surface down with a universal paint thinner using the two rag method someone told me to use.

I've tried to pry two layers apart and only managed to break the carpet knife I was using and offer up yet another blood sacrifice to the boat building Gods!

If I wasn't partially crippled by this carpal tunnel sh*t I'd likely make more use of the peel ply. It just kills me to squeegee it out. I mean I've left the shed with a job half done virtually in tears my hands hurt so bad. Often having to take a couple of days off to recover. I know I've done this work both ways, with peel ply and without. I'm at least making some progress without it. If sanding between layers of glass is the price I have to pay well then so be it. That, for me, is the lesser of two evils.

Thanks for looking in. I lurk on your build threads all the time.

 

Box keel port side & bottom glassed & gooped!



Man I'll be happy when I don't have to stick my head in there ever again!

I says; "Honey! I dropped a wrench in the bilge again!"

She says; "No friggin' way, not this time HONEY my ***. Go fish it out your own dam self!"

I says; "Hard to get good crew anymore!"

Web log updated: http://she-kon.blogspot.ca/2015/09/keel ... layer.html

 

Have enjoyed following along thanks for posting,you probally just typed it wrong but its wash first then sand.

good luck.

 

Huh?

No I said it right. After I get done sanding the surface I vacuum up as much dust as I can then wipe it down with the solvent. I use two black or dark colored rags. The first one will get any oil or residue and the second will confirm there's nothing more left on the surface. Then I'm good to go for the next layer of glass. That's how it was explained to me.

Maybe I'm missing something. Anyhow, it's too late now. I'll be done the hull glassing in a couple of days.

This is the epoxy I'm using with slow hardener.

http://boatbuildercentral.com/proddetail.php?prod=E_kit_1.5gal

It states right in the description: "The slow hardener is non-blushing. "

 

Another good day in the boat shed. Started about 09:00 and cleaned up the fabric edges from the keel work day before yesterday. I played hookie from the boat shed yesterday. Sanded, vacuumed, wiped & laid out the fabric and it was lunch time. After a wee break got back to it. By 14:30 I was done.



Used about 1-3/4 gallons of epoxy to wet out that strip which is about 28' long by 4' wide. Sort of found my rhythm though working with this stuff. Tomorrow the port sides. I'm not 100% positive I have enough 12 oz glass left. *fingers crossed.

Web log updated with more pics. http://she-kon.blogspot.ca/2015/09/port ... layer.html

Standby...

 

Yes your right,but it doesn't hurt to wash first just to make sure.So wash, sand, wash.lol

I'd be worried about blush on colder more humid days.

 

Port side second layer laid down and gooped!



That lil' piece of fiberglass is 15' 6" long and 4' wide! It sucked up almost exactly 1 gallon of epoxy. I'm getting better at my squeegee technique.

I usually mix 1 pt of epoxy at a time but decided to give mixing a quart a shot today. It's nice and mild out, low 70's so I knew there was little chance of it kicking off in the bucket. It worked pretty well. Fewer runs to the sticky stuff machine.



That's two quarts on and two to go.

After about an hour and 20 minutes it's all glued down. The step in the hull where the bulwarks join the hull sides is a real PITA. The wetted out glass wants to slide down the side of the hull and this leaves a 'bridge bubble' in its wake.



I'll be on bubble watch for a few hours till the epoxy decides it wants to hold everything in place! PITA!

So the big question of the day is: Do I have 'nuff 12 oz to do the rest of the port side?

Hmmm? Well I dunno yet. We'll find out soon enough!

Standby....

 

Yet another big bite outta this whale!



I smell bad. Shower time. There's some more pics & stuff on the blog update: http://she-kon.blogspot.ca/2015/09/port-sides-aft.html

Standby....

 

Spent half of yesterday and a lil' more than half today in the shed sanding. Still have to get glass on the transom, back end of the box keel and the bow ahead of the thruster tube. Lots of overlapped fabric edges to be feathered out. I want to put an extra layer of tape along the bottom/keel join. The bottom fabrics weren't wide enough to overlap the sides and the bottom/keel join at the same time. Think I have 'nuff epoxy & off cuts left to get an extra layer of glass on the keel sides and bottom.



Got my butt firmly wedged between the thruster tube & stem to get that pic! Pretty cool I thought!

Few more pics on today's blog updated: http://she-kon.blogspot.ca/2015/09/coup ... -days.html

Cheers!

 

You're an animal.

Keep it up.

 

That's what the wife always says to me after......... Hmmmm? Can't say. Family oriented web forums ya know?

Thnx LP. I'll try, with a lil' help from the little blue diamond shaped pill!

Just kidding. Thanks for the kind words. Appreciate it.

Cheers!

 

Thanks for the info on Bondo absorbing water. Hasn't been an issue with the small boats since they come right out of the water after a day of cruising. They do make a waterproof Bondo, but I can't stand it. Very thick and dries very sticky. I'll try the Quickfair on the next boat I'm building this year. It's going to be a 19' and will be expected to be in the water for a few days at a time.

What grits are you using in the sanding progression?

 

Hi Greg

I have 80, 120, 240 & 320 grits for fairing. I use the Flexi-cat sanders. All this grunt work inside the boat has been with 40 & 80 grit discs.

 

Took a day off to rest up the hands and get away from the cats & boat shed. Did some good!

This morning's adventure was a lil' sanding and they laying out some fiberglass for the transom, keel & bow section.



Totally out of 12 oz 0/90 now so had to improvise on the bow section. Dug up some of the 33 oz triax I used on the bottom panels and filled in the bow section. That stuff is heavy & soaks up epoxy like a sponge!

More pics etc. on the blog update: http://she-kon.blogspot.ca/2015/09/litt ... there.html