building a skiff out of female mould

I agree on using foam core, flats boat, you want it light!

 

I picked up my mold the other day and hand sanded a small spot on it to see how hard its going to be to get a smooth finish, and it wasn't all that bad. A pressure washer will probably do most of the work for that step. I am going with polyester resin for this and was wondering if someone would maybe know an estimate of about how many gallons of resin I will need to complete the hull itself. The deck I am going to make is a whole different story since I don't have a mold for that. I just want to know if possible about how much resin will I need for this project on the hull alone. I'm going to get some fiberglass mat and then roven fiber for strength as it was suggested to me.

on a second thought, I am also considering using marine plywood like aquatec for structural parts and the deck. I was going to use composites but the price to ship them to where I live, and the cost of the sheets alone is pretty high. If i where to take this rout I would use epoxy resin. I would fiberglass over all the wood with the epoxy and cloth too. If you have any thoughts on this im open to opinions. keep in mind that im not an expert boat builder and this will be a boat that is stored dry under cover while trailered.

 

Correct me if I’m wrong but couldn’t the hull itself be made of just resin and fiberglass? You only need reinforcements in the transom right ?

Also the plywood I was talking about is just for a deck that I’m going to construct after the hull is build

 

The transom needs to be on the order of two 3/4” layers of a coosa type core with about 4 layers of glass glass on each side.

I can’t tell you how to do it, but I vacuum pressed my 3/4” core panels with 9” Hg and they came out with a great bond.

It might be better for you to buy 1 1/2 - 1 3/4” board and make a template; then lay it into a bonding paste. This work is outta my league; consider mine a rough idea.

I would not use ply for the transom. But I would also find a way to add a core for safety or at least plan for buoyancy foam.

You might be able too get the transom panels cut to avoid freight, or you could plan to pay freight and order the glue, glass n transom n other materials that n same freight bill.

The transom needs to be tough. No wimpy foam there!

Also, some motors have hang tabs on them. Spec the motor and make sure any tabs are not in the way or you’ll be grinding. 2” max or so oughtta work for that motor?

 

No. Actually I had a motor for my other boat and I lost it in the intercostal waterway 15 feet under.... it was a sad day but I am on to bigger and better things hopefully. I will buy a new motor after I complete this boat out of the mold. Planning for a 25-35 hp