My first build.... questions before I start

Well I have been reading and watching videos. I have decided that a modified glue and stitch method will work. I am on a limited budget. The area is brackish and salt water. I have a lot of questions..... I mean a lot! Planning on building a 18 FT Jon boat or skiff.

So here goes for a newbie....

If you plan on fiber-glassing over ply wood, is marine grade plywood still necessary? Should you glass the inside of the boat as well?

From what I have read, use bronze screws. If you are glassing over all the screw holes, the screws will be "protected". Does it matter what screws to use then?

Fillet.... should you put your glass tape down while it is still wet?

Does glassing add strength? Which type of cloth is best? Epoxy vs Glass?

Finishing..... paint, varnish, gwad.... where to start?

Thats it for now..... and then I will ask more. Thanks in advance.

 

Well I have been reading and watching videos. I have decided that a modified glue and stitch method will work. I am on a limited budget. The area is brackish and salt water. I have a lot of questions..... I mean a lot!

So here goes for a newbie....

If you plan on fiber-glassing over ply wood, is marine grade plywood still necessary? Should you glass the inside of the boat as well?

--If you want the boat to last the longest then yes. Other plywood can check, delaminate and usually isn't as strong because it has fewer layers than Marine ply. Marine ply also is supposed to be guaranteed voidless and with waterproof glue.

From what I have read, use bronze screws. If you are glassing over all the screw holes, the screws will be "protected". Does it matter what screws to use then?

--You can use bronze, stainless steel or hot dipped galvanized or even just regular galvanized...avoid drywall screws or just plain steel.

Fillet.... should you put your glass tape down while it is still wet?

-- I usually tape the edges where the fillet will go, do the fillet and let it set up a bit...till tacky, pull the tape then glass. This makes the best bond and you don't have to sand if you did the fillets nicely to start with.

Does glassing add strength? Which type of cloth is best?

--Glassing can stiffen a panel but it is mostly for abrasion resistance and it helps make a nice thick uniform layer of epoxy to seal the plywood.

Finishing..... paint, varnish, gwad.... where to start?

depends on what kind of finish you want. Workboat=paint, Furniture=varnish, ...somewhere in between is usually a mix of both.

Thats it for now..... and then I will ask more. Thanks in advance.

 

Thanks for the reply...... I just looked at your poor boy plans. That is similar to what I want to build. I want the same type design but 16 FT long. The idea I had was to cut two sheets of ply in half. That would be the sides. Cut the angle of the bow and then stitch them together. Set it up on top of some plywood for the bottom, get the general shape laid out with temp bracing, then trace the cut onto the bottom piece. After all the cuts are made, Duct tape the outer seams and put in the fillet and glass tape the inside seams. After they have cured well, build in some 1 or 2 x 12 cross beams. Using the beams for support and seats. Not sure if I would just use epoxy to glue these in or screw them in. Put the transom on the aft end and flip it to glass tape the seems on the outside. Kind of a glue and stitch modified to a frame after the fact construction. Add the rub rails. Then I just have to figure out what to do to finish. Not sure if I want to glass of just epoxy and paint.

My biggest problem is lack of tools. I lost most of my tools to flooding with hurricane Irene.

 

You can do just about everything with a circular saw. You can even cut the curves in the panels with one.

A circular saw...drill (or hammer if you use ring nails...some sort of sander. That's mostly it.

 

Forgive the intrusion. As I fumble about in the early stages of my own build, I am quite surprised by how few tools I've needed to purchase.

My recent trips to Bunnings have been for things like a long steel rule, laser line generator (more of a want to have than a have to have), and a carpenters square.

An ancient electric drill driver, new reciprocating jig saw, ancient hand planer, and a new hand saw has been all that I've needed by way of hand tools.

I can't quite explain why I imagined that I would need more tools.

James

 

First start off with a professional design. Plenty around...then follow the instructions and material list. . A simple boat is simple to build, needs only simple tools and can be built cheaply.

Its completely possible to build a good plywood boat without expensive epoxy fillets and cloth.

 

Well the tought for this build is epoxy and cloth tape seams. Finish the hull with Latex primer and paint.

 

everything is possible.......just follow the designers instructions and material list.

 

Latex primer and paint will not give you much protection, durability or gloss. Consider one of the single part polyurethanes and an epoxy primer.

Fillets should go down on raw or encapsulated wood if possible. There are lots of designs that haven't any need for epoxy, fillets or 'glass. Typically they require more wood working, but most find this more rewarding then goo and glove sessions. Lastly, free of low cost plans abound, but most aren't complete or are so old the designer is dead (who will directly answer your questions) and the materials are hard if not imposable to find. Select a design by a known living designer and one intended for back yard building. If you have a design in mind, post it and we can advise you on the suitability, possably any issues, etc.

 

Thanks, The first boat I am going to do is a simple flat bottom canoe. Going to use that to learn the glue and stitch technique. Not expecting it to last more than a couple of years. Planning on using just regular ply and latex paint. It is solely for learning and not meant to last. I want to learn the stuff before I invest in expensive marine grade ply. I am going to do fillets and glass tape just to practice. I like the idea of the glue and stitch technique. I have read a lot about latex paint and some new generation builders swear by it. Cheaper and easier clean up. Not to mention safer. I am sure once I get started in the next couple of weeks, I will have a ton of questions. Thank you all for the help and advise.

 

A flat bottomed canoe would be a waste of time and money to do with fillets. Fillets aren't that hard to do.

 

Recommendations for you...
Use 4" nylon cable ties (drill 3/32" holes)
You won't need many...maybe 3 or 4 per side and 1 or 2 at each end. Pull the rest of the panels together and stabilized with duct tape. Drill your holes quite close to the edge, that way you can bury the tie loop in the fillet and not have to worry about pulling it. Just nip the outsides off and daub a little epoxy in prior to taping.
Put blue masking tape 3/4" to 1" on either side of where you are filleting, do your fillets then pull the tape when the fillet gets tacky and there is no chance of sagging anymore. Wet the fillet down and lay your tape in gently and coat with epoxy. Let it tack up and recoat. Buy some medium vinyl from Wally world, cut strips and lay it onto the stack and GENTLY work out any air bubbles. The final result is pretty fillets and little to no sanding. Same same on the outside, round over the outside, fill any voids or gaps, wet out and tape, wet out then lay the vinyl over and duct tape in place. This should squish the glass down onto the wood, and leave a smooth surface needing minimal touching up.

Oh...let the epoxy cure completely before lifting the vinyl.

 

I understand the fillets and the zip ties. What does the vinyl do?

 

squishes the cloth closer to the wood (less resin needed), eliminates needing to fill the weave as it does it automatically and makes a really smooth, usually a no sanding needed surface

 

I'm curious what kind of vinyl product you are talking about.