Fiberglass fish bin construction

I have been a long time reader of this forum and decided that I should jump in to see if I can get some help. I am remodeling my son's fish hold into individual fish bins. Each will need to be insulated and must hold water and ice. My question for this forum is about what type of material to use for the bin partitions. Should I use foam honeycomb panels? Should I use marine plywood covered with rigid foam and glass? Is there another type material that I don't know about that might serve the same purpose and work better?

I'm leaning toward honeycomb because of the insulation properties but the stuff is quite expensive. My son is just starting out as a gillnetter so I need to keep the costs low. I have lots of time this winter to do the job. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

About what size and thickness were you planning to make the panels? Will they have a lot of weight against the side of the panels. Stiffness needed will be depend on the size, core thickness and skin thickness. Regardless of the core, I would use epoxy and not polyester resin. Epoxy will make them stronger and stiffer. Hope this helps.
Dan

 

Thickness and size

I have been thinking of using 1" thick honeycomb for it's strength and insulation. I am thinking of using one layer of combined mat/roving on each side to provide strength and protection. The panels are 4' across the top and curve down with the hull. They are about 4' deep on the shaft alley side.

 

Were you going to build the dividers first then drop them in and epoxy them to the hull and box sides or is this something you are going to build in place. The reason I ask is that the core material is going to need a rigid framework around the perimeter. Constructing the panels on a flat surface would be easier if that is possible. Treated wood for the frame would be a good choice. Non-treated would work as long as no water could get inside. I would probably use 2, possibly 3 layers of mat/roving on each side, and make sure you compress the sandwich while it is setting up. A lot of the shrimpers down here do similar projects.
Another option may be to use pre-made panels, such as Divinycell, which are foam cored and have a rigid skin on each side. They are not cheap though. Hope this helps
Dan

 

Build Panels firs

Hi Dan and thanks for your input. Interesting side note. My wife and I are going to be in New Orleans for a week at the end of October. Neither of us have been before. We are excited.
At any rate I plan on building the panels first on a flat surface. I may even use a vacuum bag if I can borrow a pump from somebody. I will then epoxy them to the hull using filet material and multiple layers of fiberglass cloth strips.

 

Polystyrene is one of the best insulating materials there are. If you paint the polystyrene a few layers to seal it then you can glass over it with any resin. The higher density polystyrene is also a bit tougher than the low density.

 

An old refrigerator compressor makes a good homemade vacuum pump for smaller projects, and it is quiet. Best of all, they are usually free if you know anybody throwing away an old refer that had some other problem.
Hope you have fun in New Orleans. I am down there a few times a year. I don't know your exact plans there, but a little advice. If you are looking for good places to eat, don't look on Burbon Street, only fun bars there, not good food. Near Jackson Square Cathedral in the French quarter you may want to check out Stanley, Camelia Grill, maybe Muriel's. There are lots of tourist trap restaurants also, so just use common sense. Good seafood not far, in a suburb called Metarie, specifically Buck Town, check out Deanie's. There is one in French Quarter, but don't go there. There are a lot of upscale places also if that suits you more. Anyway, again I hope you guys have a great time there.
Dan

 

Thanks for the advice. I will look into the polystyrene!

 

Hey I never thought of an old refer vacuum pump. I will check around. Thanks also for the New Orleans advice. I will print it out and take it with us.

 

I thought I might post some pictures of my remodel. First job in Southeast Alaska during the fall is to put up a tarp!

 

Making the first cuts. There is no turning back now!

 

I am getting the old deck cut out. This boat was used as a pocket seiner before it was converted to gillnetting. The deck is quite thick and the area where the deck winch was mounted was five inches thick. Since I am replacing the deck with canacore I will make the boat a lot lighter.

 

Like you said, no going back now. Are the dividers you are making going to replace the drop boards I see in the pictures? Keep posting so the forum can know how things turn out.
Dan

 

Yes they will

Yes Dan the partitions will replace the drop in boards. The center area will provide access to the shaft alley. There will be a permanent partition across the shaft alley. My son will have to use slush bags for those two bins. I will keep posting Picts.

 

Well my first attempt at tarping funneled water right down onto my work area just behind the cabin so I added another tarp. I hope the wind does not rip it off.