Hot Mold ?

I am planning to use round aluminum tubes for cross beams or akas on recycled Hobie 18 hull. The hull has molded in deck to hold stock Hobie akas. The forms are not level.

To fit the round beams to the, I planned to use an epoxy mix that includes cabosil and perhaps some CFM cloth.

I planned to fill a plastic bag with the mix and lay it on the area so it forms to the deck shape and then lay the tube atop to mate the bed and the tube, then fasten the cured bedding to the hull via the beam via shaped tube inserts.

Below is pic of a Hobie beam end to give idea.

Any comments?

 

A whole lot of "ifs" in there. What alloy aluminum? What diameter and wall thickness? Why use CSM with epoxy, as it's not particularly strong and soaks up resin like a sponge? The preforming for the beam pockets sounds fine, though circular pockets are fairly easy to make or machine.

 

Par Hi and thanks. Well the akas are 6061 T6, 4" id with .25 (.5 oa) walls likely over kill.

The CSM was tossed in just to give some rigidity and take up space probably not needed, as you imply, just glass.

The pockets are not even or parallel to beams on orig Hobie, but have a slant to match Hobie's arched aka or beams.

My plan was/is to make the pocket parallel as will be the new beams or akas are straight. Only on the vaka or main hull, whereas the beams will be simply tacked to a wood deck fastened to the outrigger...for that purpose alone.

Thanks again.