Considering Peel Ply for a new build

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by hardcoreducknut, Feb 1, 2016.

  1. SamSam
    Joined: Feb 2005
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    Location: Coastal Georgia

    SamSam Senior Member

    Wet sanding and frequent rinsing/washing off the residue or sucking it up with a wet/dry vacuum practically eliminates itching. But perhaps you don't like the process of sanding, whether it itches or not...?
     
  2. hardcoreducknut
    Joined: Aug 2011
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    Location: USA

    hardcoreducknut Junior Member

    Sanding is definitely not my favorite part of boat building though it's unavoidable. Wet sanding isn't an option for me as I only have my home garage to work out of. My last build I used a couple of different sanders with vacuum attachments. I have a homemade dust collector that worked amazingly well and saved me a lot of money on filters. I didn't really get fiberglass rashes because of this and I wore gloves, long sleeves, long pants, goggles, and a respirator when I worked.
     
  3. rob denney
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    rob denney Senior Member

    Sanding is avoidable.
    We have a 60' hull http://harryproa.com/?portfolio=harryproa-cruiser-60 under construction which has no sanding, cutting or grinding of cured laminates, and no wet laminating.
    We have just finished the design for a 25' power cat, which is the same. The cost, time and materials savings are considerable.
     
  4. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Location: Cocoa, Florida

    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    This is an informative article about peel ply-see the pdf below.I use dacron peel ply from Aircraft Spruce-pretty cheap and works well. If you're going to paint the surface after you remove the peelply the 1.8oz works good-otherwise use 2.9oz or so.
    https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/cs/dacron/peelply3.php
     

    Attached Files:

  5. robwilk37
    Joined: Nov 2010
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    Location: san diego

    robwilk37 Senior Member

    the local fabric store has a 30% off sale the last weekend of every month. i can buy white polyester dress liner for $1.50/yd and sometimes nylon for $3. the nylon is easier to peel though. make sure they are untreated. really no difference between this and the expensive stuff.

    and when you peel the poly off in the dark you get an eerie blue light at the interface,,,
     
  6. SamSam
    Joined: Feb 2005
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    Location: Coastal Georgia

    SamSam Senior Member

    That would be a bummer wearing all that protective gear.
    Wet sanding isn't using a deluge of water, it's just keeping the surface moist enough so dust isn't created. It's pretty much you just keep dipping the sandpaper in a bucket of water, or misting the surface with a spray bottle like Windex.
     
  7. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    A spray bottle is all you need, though with some clever backyard engineering you can rig up a dribbler hose, which can cover a bigger area and offer a continuous supply.
     

  8. hardcoreducknut
    Joined: Aug 2011
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    Location: USA

    hardcoreducknut Junior Member

    Tell me about it. At a certain point (when i'm laying down in the boat, I actually wear a hazmat suit because I'm rolling and scooting around. The spray bottle is a good idea.

    Great suggestion. My wife and I have been talking about building a new custom home. She has agreed to me having a dedicated workshop since I've kicked her car out of the garage on numerous occasions. When that happens i'll definitely have some type of rig for a dribbler hose.
     
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