Buccaneer 24 Builders Forum

Phew Thats more like it

 

foam

I wondered what thickness the foam was:?: The 3/8" foam/glass has "held up" very well thank you and seems to be about as good as when it was launched 40+ years ago. I haven't needed to cut in to the main hull, but I am working on the floats and I am quite impressed at how well the poly/glass has held up. Tuff and long lasting! The floats have taken quite a lot of abuse over the years- beaching, docks, youth sailors in Opti's and such have all dented and/or punctured the floats, but none of the damage spread and most was limited to the outer skin, and all has been easy to repair. On the other side of things, IMO, wood bulkheads have no place being used in foam core floats!!! Don't ask how I know!
Bruce

 

Bruce, Since we ---that is Canadian Multihull Services--installed those wooden frames, ---at that time we didn't know that F/G sandwhich would outlast wood, but we did know that making up frames and bulkheads in F/G was a slower and more costly alternative. It is indeed a testament to the F/G method that the hulls are still perfectly serviceable after more than 40 years.

 

Bruce
So would wood frames in wooden skinned floats be acceptable, or not, and if not, why not.
You can guess why I'm asking....

 

Providing they are encapsulated with a good quality Epoxy (of which there are plenty available now), they will be just fine.
I recommend Bote-Cote epoxy which is available in all major centres in Australia.

 

Yeah, ok, cool, that's what I figured. Mine have had at least one coat, but I'm going to give them another to be safe.

 

New guy here with a Buc 24, I plan to remove rot and replace with marine ply, covered with FG cloth. and epoxy.

I have found a local source for Spruce for the frames I am replacing.

Your favorite epoxy? Use as glue as well? Type I am in Florida and its hot,,

Thanks for your help

Sincerely,

Popeye

 

Popeye.
Just google "Boat Building Epoxy Suppliers" and you will get some ideas of availability in your locality.
Bruceb lives in Atlanta ---so I am sure he will be able to advise you.

 

They all sell slow hardener. A necessity in your climate. My shop was in Tavernier, FL.
Keep the resin and hardener cool before use, but not cold. If it's too cold you will have condensation problems, but a little cooler than ambient temp helps. Test, test, test.

Vero Beach http://boatbuildercentral.com/products.php?cat=41#.UiKZPnEpDss
Fort Pierce http://www.raka.com/epoxy_kits.html
W. Palm Beach (Although they do not sell in Palm Beach County) http://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html
Not in FL, but recommended nonetheless http://www.duckworksbbs.com/

 

Further updates on the Buc 24 test mule with the beams now removed ready for the final strip out of the hulls before the rebuild starts. First on the rebuild agenda are the mock ups of the new beams to make sure they will function as drawn. Further updates will follow as time allows with all hands back into building and development mode.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ezifold-Yachts/212821925457790

 

coatings and ply

Sorry for the slow response Buzz, I am out of town.
Please don't take this personally OS, but the ply that was used for bulkheads in both my all ply 24, and my foam/fiberglass 33 was all JUNK! For the most part, the veneers are/were still there with out very much rot, but the glue was totally gone. It wasn't marine grade ply, no matter what it was sold as being. The 1/4" hulls of my 24 and the thicker decks of my 33 are a somewhat better grade of fir ply, and have lasted ok where the coatings are complete.
And there is the catch While hull panels have very few exposed edge grain ply, bulkheads usually have the edges exposed, often at limber holes and cutouts in the bilge. If there are ANY faults in the epoxy coatings, the wood swells, the edges open up, and the epoxy skin coating just keeps the ply from drying out. Failure will happen sooner or later. Always!
While I expect it is true that completely epoxy encapsulated wood will not absorb water, I have never encountered a boat that was completely tight, and the inside of floats are particularly hard to coat. Since the inside of a float is usually at 100% humidity most of the time, any flaws will lead to problems in areas that are very hard or impossible to inspect. Most building guides suggest at least 3 full coats for full protection, and I think 3 on all surfaces/edges of a float bulkhead before it is installed would be a minimum.
On my 33 floats, I am replacing most of the old ply bulkheads with foam/glass panels I make on a 4'x5' formica layout table. They are very easy to make,( Just hand lay up), don't use very much material so they are not much different in cost than good ply, and they are very light. They should also last longer than the boat
IMO
Bruce

 

Yeah, I was thinking I'd better rip the deck off the hull that has one, and make sure of the coatings.

Reckon if you put three coats of epoxy on the flat surfaces you oughta put 5 on the edges!

 

Nah ! Buzz. Three will do it with a good penetrating epoxy.
Remember the old adage----Long and thin, goes right in .

 

Thin epoxy

I agree OS, three coats should be enough. I start with the edges when coating, so they tend to get a little extra each coat anyway.
Popeye, I mostly use "Raka",( a "local" Florida supplier) they have a pretty good hot weather system and also have a thin and thick resin. Read their website for a lot of good info.
B

 

question?

I saw this picture on this site and am wondering if the overall width on the trailer is less than 8'6"? Thanks.