Fiberglass cloth or not?

If the wood is in good shape after removing all the fiberglass, it would be a whole lot easier to not re-glass it. Sand and fair it smooth, then use some real good marine primers and paints. This would make it more original and save a lot of time and $. Glass reinforcement is not necessary for normal use.
Back in the 60's and 70's it kinda became a fad so to speak. Everyone thought it would put and end to their maintenance woes. Good Luck with it.

 

Wood Boat Restoration

This is one of my several wood restorations with no glass.

 

Search for "twill" and cloth. That's a fabric that is easy to wrap around round corners etc. 160g/m2 is impossiblle to see, looks good.

 

If you've ever been to a wet tee-shirt contest, you'll notice that even white cotton can become somewhat invisible when saturated.
All fiberglass is pretty much the same--- that is, glass fibers. Cloth is more invisible than woven roving or mat, mostly due to the ease of working tiny air bubbles out of it, and it's being far thinner (which is why you can't see through a wet white cotton towel, hence there are few wet towel contests).

Alan

 

Paint and no fiberglass . . .

Having a great fear of spending a lot of time and money messing with fiberglass (particularly in view of no experience; though the practice board idea sounds good), I really like the idea of getting the cloth off, prepping the wood good and just going with good paint and primer. I'm curious what other members might think of that method of doing a wood boat and what their experience is with that. I very much appreciate all of the information I've received from you folks and thanks to Alan, I guess I wont be hosting a wet towel contest at my next barbecue. Barry

 

You know, Barry, it is okay to do without glass in some cases---- harder if you don't tape the seams, but I'm going to suggest you do tape the seams where the sides meet the bottom at least, and anything else below the waterline, including where the plywood butts together. That area will be painted anyhow. If the stem is covered by a stainless V, tape under that, and if it doesn't, consider making one and that will allow you to cover every underwater joint.
This taping of joints is 90% of a whole glassing job in terms of water intrusion and strength, and yet uses a fraction of the time/materials.
Originally, any ply boat would have depended on a sealant between the parts to prevent leaking, but you can't really inspect those joints without actually taking the boat apart unless they are really bad.
Glass tape covers rather than beds pieces in sealant, so you won't have leaks if you tape the seams regardless of whether the sealant is dried out and cracking.

 

Allan, you certainly have educted me. I always thought that something was either invisible or visible. And something can't be almost invisible. You can either see it or you can't.

Oh I love this.

Poida

 

What about limited visibility? It's not like a pregnancy can be limited. You're either pregnant or you're not (and I hope you're not). Ah, but visibility is an entirely different kettle of fish (you know, those fish you can see through the skin of?
Mr. Clever trousers.

 

Visibility is the ability of a person to see, may be due to their eyes or an obstruction.

Invisibilty is the state of the object, you can't see it because it is invisible.

Invisible fish must be the ones I catch.

Perhaps my smart trousers may suggest the word opaque or translucent and I think you can have a semi translucent object, actually I don't know what translucent means but it sounds good.

Best of luck with your boat Barry and don't listen to Allan or your boat will disappear. Or nearly disappear.

Smarty Pants

 

I wouldn't listen to my trousers if I were you. Especially if the back is talking (though I'd love to watch the discourse--- on video).

Now, regarding the deeper problem. Poida, in the last twenty-four hours, you've been a bit slap-happy. I can only guess this is due to a release from anxiety, perhaps a negative medical prognosis or other hubris-inducing factor.
Improper paragraph structure indeed. Now, imroper word usage too.
A more comprehensive analysis can be derived from the last joke you wrote.
Here we have a drunken Irish cripple who, in his alcohol-induced haze, has forgotten that he is a cripple, enough to miraculously make his way all the way home unaided.
This is significant, as there is a truth to the story. Sometimes, we come to realize how perception deceives us, and like Lazerus, we are raised from the dead and get a second chance.
Or, like the fabled Sleeping Beauty, we undo the curse, and instead of dying, we sleep for a hundred years.
It is truly remarkable!

Alan

 

I'll have to agree with you there Alan, because I have no idea what you are talking about.

But then I have no idea what I'm talking about either.

Poida

 

Quick idea, I dont know if your looking for this look. Above the waterline, I used mahogany dust sprinkle into epoxy to give it a wood look. Sand, Clear epoxy layer, let it cure a to tacky. Sprinkle wood dust on epoxy, push it around with brush around liberally but not into epoxy. Let it cure. Sand lightly cover with other layer of very thing epoxy with UV coating...

 

Alan is correct, some 'glass fabric weights will become invisible, others less so. A 4 ounce, or less, finishing cloth will become invisible after wetout, literally not able to see the weave with your nose on the surface. A 6 ounce cloth will be nearly invisible, unless you catch the light just so and are within a few feet, where then you may see the faint pattern of the weave. Looking down, at dock side, it would be difficult to see 6 ounce, without having a reflection to help out. Cloth weights above this will be plainly visible at any distance.

 

This topic is just what I am looking for. We are reintroducing a 16 foot sailboat after at least a 10 year hiatus. Due to problems that some people were having with the rudder, I need to find a better way to build the rudder. The rudder is built in two parts, a lower rudder, built of mahogany, and an upper rudder, built of mahogany and marine plywood. The upper rudder, after years of useage, would break. In all likelihood, the upper rudder was weakened by water intrusion into the plywood. I would like to use the same construction as was used previously, but also add a layer of fiberglass cloth to the upper rudder to prevent water intrusion. I want complete transparency to maintain the asthetics, but I want to make it stronger and watertight. Should I use 4 oz or 6 oz cloth? In addition, the boat has hatch boards made from teak marine plywood. Over the years, the boards would delaminate. I was thinking about covering the boards with glass as well. Any thoughts?

 

I would guess that inferior ply was used the first go round, since delamination should not have occurred. I would perhaps seal the edges of any ply liberally, because that is where it is most vulnerable.
Regarding the upper rudder, a simple coating of epoxy is adaquate and well advised too. Cloth is unnecessary expense. The cloth is primarily an abrasion thing on a lower rudder, and an upper rudder will last very well with a couple of good coats of epoxy.

Alan