Building a small work barge with plywood

I have been looking for an already made unit in our price range but that one is definetly not but were still looking at them all for ideas.

 

What I mean is, is this the shape and general configuration you are after. Also I had been thinking we were talking about a delivery barge but actually sounds like you plan on anchoring it for a work platform. Setting dock footings or something, I assume?

 

yes, very much like that. Mostly used for setting anchors, lifting sunk boats off the bottom. The spuds would be handy but not necessary

 

The vertical joints add up to about 300'. The egg crate to hull joints are about 440'. That's more than two football fields of corner glassing. You won't be able to glass the deck to the eggcrate as you won't have any access, you won't even be able to access most of it except by ripping up the deck. You won't have any ventilation. Plywood rots easily.

I wouldn't do it that way.

Nice drafting!

 

Mr Bill, is there any way to make that photo smaller? It makes looking at this thread not so easy. thanks

 

Sorry.
I didnt realize it was so big until after it posted. It wasn't that big when i copied it.

 

Yeah, sometimes it can be captured from a different site or in a different page or window and sometimes I can't figure it out. There's some good stuff I won't post as it's too big no matter what I try. If it's too big but worthwhile looking at, a link works probably doesn't get viewed as much. Thanks

 

your right sam, that is a lot of corner glassing. There will be access through each bulkhead to the next one. Needed it for the very same reasons you stated. The plan will end up with 6 total compartments but there will be total access internally. The plans don't show the access openings in the bulkheads. There will be about a 3' X 14" pass through. All bulkheads will be scuppered for drainage.

 

If you end up doing it (shudder) it will work better if you do all the joints of each cubicle at one time. What I mean is each cubicle has 4 vertical and 4 horizontal joints (not including the top or deck joint). If you do all the vertical joints, let that set and then come back and do the horizontal joints, you will have to sand and scrape where the joints lap to get rid of lumps and stray strings that will cause air pockets in the second laminate. If you do them both wet, it eliminates that cleanup operation.

BTW, sharpened paint scrapers of this sort are a whole lot better than sanding and grinding when you can use them. No dust, itching, faster, cheaper etc.

 

Are you using 4x8 standard sheets of ply ?

 

That s the plan sam. Then we don't have to deal with blush removal for those processes. Chick already has the layup procedure on paper to eliminate sanding, blush, recoating times etc. We've done some other construction projects similar to these and that was the preferred method. Also some large repairs. all our sanders are dustless so that is nice. Best thing we ever did years ago.

We are planning on using regular AC or BC exterior plywood.

 

Regarding the seam taping, were planning on laying a bead of thickened epoxy on the end of the plywood before pushing it together in the joint then only laying one layer of bi-axial tape on the seam. We might lay a fillet in the grove of the thickened epoxy so that the tape doesn't have to make the 90 degree bend but the bi-axial usually works great for that purpose. Then at that time coat the plywood with resin then come back just after it tacks up and lay the second coat to completely seal the plywood. We will go back after to see if any dry spots snuck in and re-coat at that time;

 

AC usually has a very thin A layer and then 4 or 5 crude layers. Sometimes you can find 7 layer BB or BC Fir that is real good, but not usually at a big box store. Looking at a whole bundle can sometimes help as some runs or batches of plywood come out with less voids than others, sometimes part of a bundle has less voids than the rest of it.

 

Open the picture in paint and shrink it there, then post it.

 

we've gotten some sheets of 3/4 from the local curtis lumber this summer for other projects and after cutting into it have been pleased with the construction. Those were bc.